


Danganronpa: Operation V.K.

by KinuNishimura



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Zero Escape (Video Games)
Genre: Anxiety, Dangan Ronpa & Super Dangan Ronpa 2 Spoilers, Depression, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, F/M, Fan Dangan Ronpa, M/M, Maybe if I put it in the tags people will notice that part now, Murder, Murder Mystery, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Past Sexual Abuse, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Sexual Content, Slurs, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, The Discord is spoiler-free and structured for liveblogging, The crossover isn't immediately relevant but it's totally there, Trans Character, Transphobia, Zero Escape Series (Video Games) Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2018-12-22 10:52:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 97
Words: 729,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11965917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KinuNishimura/pseuds/KinuNishimura
Summary: At long last, the game has come to its conclusion. And yet, my answer, and their story, will still remain.The girl with the antenna awakens, in an unfamiliar location, with sixteen others; students, one and all, of the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy, a school to foster talent in the hearts of man. An unforgettable bear gives them the directive, of "kill, or be killed." To them, immaterial concepts such as "hope" or "despair" mean nothing. This is a battle between detective and culprit.Though the game might be over, this Discord will stand so long as I can let it. https://discord.gg/YwtWWjW





	1. Prelude - Glider Gun

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Danganronpa: Operation V.K.! Check your coat at the door and strap in. Mystery has always been a passion of mine, and though this mystery has reached its conclusion, still you've found yourself here. This record of their fight will never die so long as I draw breath- so please, live their struggles, fight as best you can against uncertainty, and accept their bitter truths until the very end.
> 
> Thank you for coming. I hope you enjoy yourself.

_Click._

 

The metal disc slid onto the top of the peg, completing a set of seventeen, each of different sizes. The smallest was at the top, and then at the bottom, the largest. There were no errors—everything was perfect.

 

It had taken the girl enough time to complete the game that she had lost track of time. She craned her head to the side to see the clock her mother had given her. It was March 23rd, 01:08:47— well, in the time it'd taken her to process these thoughts, it was March 23rd, 01:08:52, but that was a negligible difference.

 

The girl smiled. One day, twelve hours, twenty-four minutes, and thirty-one seconds had passed since she'd begun to work on the puzzle. She pumped her fist in the darkness—a perfect time! She'd made a perfect time! Her mind raced. That had been her 117th attempt at this specific configuration, and had been her 3rd successful completion in the minimum moves required, but the physical agility aspect meant that before now—

 

“Well, aren't we proud of ourselves?” The voice from the back of the room caused the girl to emit a high-pitched yelp and fall backwards, knocking over the two other pegs, which were now empty. The girl's younger brother giggled at her as she stood back up, dusting herself off as she rose.

 

“You— Okay, NOT cool! It is NOT cool to surprise me when I'm just finishing!” The girl waved her hands back and forth frantically, attempting to find the words to describe exactly how “uncool” it all was. “It's just...it's... It's not cool, okay?!”

 

“Actually, outside it's eighty-nine degrees Fahrenheit. A heat wave's been rolling through the area, so it's most decidedly ‘uncool’ outside. Crazy how that works out, huh?” Another giggle. “But seriously, nice work. Proud of you, kiddo.”

 

“Kiddo. You're calling me kiddo now? I'm older than you!” She stuck her tongue out and made a “blehhhh” noise at her impertinent younger of kin.

 

“Well, really, that depends on how you define ‘age.’ I could be construed to be quite a lot older than you depending on how—”

 

“Wow! Stop talking, you freaking dweebus.” The two of them laughed, and the girl rubbed her brother's head, ruffling it with affectionate fervor. She was significantly taller than him - something he constantly grumbled about - and she lorded it over him.

 

After having knelt in the same position for her perfectly-timed one day, twelve hours, twenty-four minutes, and thirty-one seconds, she felt almost no discomfort whatsoever. It was a far cry from stark metal testing chambers, that was for certain.

 

The two siblings were now rolling around on the ground, rough-housing with reckless abandon. As of late, her brother had been away more often than she'd have liked, so she greatly relished the chance to have fun with him. Her greater size gave her an advantage against him, but he was quick on the draw in his own way, and oftentimes managed to evade even her deftest maneuvers.

 

After about half an hour, the two were tired of play, and sat on the ground, backs to the wall. She was panting, and had worked up a bit of a sweat. He, on the other hand, looked clean as a whistle.

 

“You jerk. You could at least look a  _little_ tired!”

 

“Yeah, well.” He giggled again. “You could maybe work on that hustle, Hoss! Nobody's ever gonna wanna date you if you're that slow. I mean, how could you ever keep up in bed like—”

 

“ _Oh no you don't you little punk I am gonna destroy you_!”

 

“Kyahahahahahaha! Gotcha again!”

 

She sighed, and leaned back against the wall. “When's Mom gonna need me for something? It... Well, it makes me feel kinda useless being back here, you know? I mean, sure, I can make discs move good, but...” Her head turned back to her brother, who was uncharacteristically silent.

 

“Tell you the truth... Mom hasn't said much to me these days either.” Her brother's eyes were pointing up to the ceiling. “I think she's got something big planned, but she hasn't explained it. She just keeps running around with that old, ‘Yes! I've totally got this!’ look in her eye. I get real tired of her sometimes.”

 

“Don't say that! That's...”

 

There was an uncomfortable pause.

 

“...Yeah. You're right. It is tiring. I hate it. I hate just sitting here, barely seeing anyone. I want... I... I'm not sure what I want.” She hung her head low, and her hair drooped around her eyes—except, of course, for the one hair on her head which always pointed straight up, perpendicular to her head. Her brother called it one of her “charm points.”

 

He then put on a different voice—playing at an age and a weariness neither of them held. “But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.”

 

His speech had warranted an odd look from his sister, which prompted another giggle. “It's a quote from this book I've been reading recently. _Brave New World,_ by Aldous Huxley. I snuck it from the Stuff Mom Doesn't Want Me Reading pile!”

 

“ _Brave New World,_ huh? What's the context?”

 

“The story's all about this utopian society where nobody suffers or anything, but they aren't really people, either. They've got no freedom. People are bred in specific castes and all that, it's heavy stuff. So anyway, this guy, John the Savage, is from an outside tribe, but it turns out he's the son of the guy who's in charge, so he gets put in this perfect society and he hates it.”

 

“So...” She thought. “‘I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger…’ He's saying that he wants the right to suffer?”

 

"Not to mention the right to grow old and ugly and impotent; the right to have syphilis and cancer; the right to have too little to eat; the right to be lousy; the right to live in constant apprehension of what may happen tomorrow; the right to catch typhoid; the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind." A pause. “That's, uh, the response he gets.”

 

“Huh.” She mulled for a moment on these ideas—the right to suffer had not been something she'd considered. “Suffering… That’s an interesting subject, isn’t it? Do you think we’ve suffered?”

 

“Listen, Sis, how am I supposed to know that?” Her brother rolled his eyes. “This is the only life we’ve ever known. Without a frame of reference, we can’t say whether we’ve suffered or not.”

 

“I think Mom must’ve suffered a lot,” she said, yawning. Her brother found it a touch annoying that she did not cover her mouth, which was proper manners in their household, but then found himself yawning as well.

 

“Yeah, probably.” He giggled again, and pawed at her one charming hair. “Man, what the heck are we even talking about? I’m bored, is the truth of the matter! Boring, boring, everything’s boring! I’m bored! Entertain me!”

 

The bouncing of her little brother made the girl keenly aware of how much more energy he still held than her, even after their conversation. If there was one thing she knew about him, it’s that he could probably bounce until the sun went out and not get bored of _that._ “Well, you know what makes me less bored? Food! I’m hungry,” she said.

 

“Hunger is a psychological construct!” Oh, she could _hear_ the impetuous frown on his face from that one, and that got her riled up again. They began to shoot words back and forth again in an attempt to one-up the other—a never-ending match of verbal table tennis.

 

“ _Hunger is a psychological construct!_ Do you even listen to yourself, you dope? C'mon, let's get something to eat.” She stood up and began dragging him along.

 

“But I'm not hungry!” He replied.

 

“I don't care!” She retorted.

 

“You don’t care about anything!” He parried.

 

The girl and her brother walked down a gray hallway together. The only sounds in their home were their voices, but that was enough for the two of them. They did not look similar in the slightest, but the two of them were unquestionably brother and sister, and each other's greatest friend. For as long as their frail peace would last, they would be inseparable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and welcome. Let's begin.


	2. Day 0 - Tower of Hanoi

The first thing that came to mind was that it was a nice room. Other adjectives would come later; for now, it was just “nice.”

 

The bed the girl had found herself in was nicely furnished, with mauve-colored bedding and pillowcases. Until she had moved, it had seemed so cozy as to have been undisturbed, as though she'd teleported into it the night before. Of course, it was impossible for her to teleport.

 

Or, wait, was that impossible or merely improbable? It wasn't necessarily impossible that she could teleport, but if she could, the method to do so was escaping her at this moment.

 

The second thing to come to mind was that it was an unfamiliar room. The even, inviting lighting betrayed the fact that the girl did not recognize the room. The carpeting felt foreign to her feet as she stepped gingerly out of the bed, taking care to gussy up the bedsheets so it looked at least close to undisturbed, in case it was someone else's room and she was trespassing.

 

The third thing to come to mind was a repeat of the first thought; that it was a nice room. It had a sturdy-looking wooden desk with several drawers and a reading lamp, a one-two-three-4-5-678910— _ten-drawer dresser_ , which she thought briefly to inspect before reminding herself that she was still unsure whether this room belonged to someone else or not, a full-length mirror, a reasonably spacious bathroom and shower with _marble countertops, are you kidding me? Whoever owns this place must be absolutely rich,_ and tasteful autumn wallpapering which she took a moment to admire.

 

The fourth thing to come to mind was that the girl had no idea how she got here.

 

The fifth thing to come to mind was that that meant that the girl had no idea where she was.

 

The sixth thing to come to mind was that the girl also had no idea _who_ she was. This was what broke her, and she ran screeching towards the mirror to inspect herself to ensure she existed, and was not a ghost.

 

Her complexion did nothing to defer the idea that she was a ghost until she poked herself in the face to determine that she did in fact have physical form. The girl was remarkably pale _—do I not get enough sunlight?_ _—_ with a long, straggly mop of jet black hair surrounding her face, falling to just below her shoulders, aside from one hair that stayed persistently perpendicular to her head. Her eyes were red— _wait, maybe I'm a vampire?_ She had a perfectly immaculate, orderly set of teeth— _nope, canines are in order._ Hm. As she clumsily pawed at the black turtleneck sweater and jeans she'd apparently gone to bed in— _am I too lazy to put on pajamas?_ _—_ she decided that she was a bit on the heavier side, but not enough to spurn her to go for a walk, especially given the black sandals she had on as opposed to some more supportive footwear.

 

The thirteenth thing to come to mind was that, given that she had never encountered a vampire in real life before, she did not necessarily know that real vampires—if they existed—had elongated canines, and therefore her check to determine her vampire status could have been a fallacy. This, naturally, led to a fourteenth thought that she did not know whether she had encountered a vampire in real life because, of course, she did not remember a single thing about herself.

 

The first word out of the girl's mouth was, “Huh.”

 

It was a muted reaction to complete amnesia, but then, there was nobody around for her to shout at in this nice, unfamiliar, nice room. She stared at the door—wooden, but surrounded by a metal frame. It was clearly very tough. The gleaming gold doorknob tempted her greatly. She wrestled with the possibility of a machine gun nestled just outside the door, but eventually decided that potentially being shot was better than staying inside this room, nice as it was.

 

With a satisfying click, she opened the door to a hallway outside. Where the room inside had been—she had used the word “inviting” before and that seemed a good fit—the hallway was starkly lit, with metallic flooring and walls which shone starkly of a purple color. #990099, if she recognized correctly. “True purple.” This room was at the end of the hallway, and as she turned her head to the right, she would have recognized that down this hallway it seemed the lights changed to different colors for four other doors similar to her own.

 

She would have recognized that, if it had not been for the fact that she first noticed that she was no longer alone.

 

“Oh, thank goodness we’re still on schedule! Claus, come here, I have confirmation of Resident Seventeen!” shouted a... _loud_ young woman whose intense presence seemed to invade the girl's space at a rate that far outpaced her brisk walking speed. She tapped a clipboard she held with a terrifyingly powerful grip, with a pink ball-point pen whose point she clicked so fast the girl's eyes blurred trying to keep up. “Alright, Seventeen, quick, give us the skinny!”

 

“I, um, what?” The girl took a step back. She quickly registered several facts about her sudden assailant. Pink hair, capped by a blue conductor's hat. Green eyes, behind glasses for a 20/130 prescription. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7—seven inches shorter than the girl. White, button-up blouse with a blue jacket tied around her waist. Plaid skirt. Snubby nose. Tiny eyebrows.

 

“I don't, um, understand.” The girl stammered. “What are you-”

 

“Eriko, please! Let's not get so close.” This voice belonged to a man. Behind the attacker—“Eriko?”—the girl recognized the man in question jogging up. A warm blonde, with blue eyes and a powerful jaw, his face was dusted with freckles. Three-piece suit- navy blue jacket, black vest, black tie, white shirt. Dress pants, khaki. White dress shoes. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8—eight inches taller than the girl, which made him 15 inches taller than “Eriko.” Looked… American. That was the best thing the girl could come up with.

 

“We're all very shocked, her more than anyone at the moment. Don't pressure her,” the American said.

 

The girl whose name was apparently Eriko, based on her reaction, stopped for a moment, then jumped backwards. “Oh, I’m so sorry, didn’t realize how close I was! I get a bit schedule-crazy and I stop really seeing people, I just see data, do you know what I mean, Seventeen?”

 

“I, um. Don't. Actually. I, uh. Have... no idea?” The girl whose name, according to Eriko, might be Seventeen mumbled in response. “But it's, it's fine. We're fine.” She turned to look at the man, whose name, based on the fact that nobody else appeared to be in the hall, was probably Claus. His approach was slower and warmer, as he outstretched his hand in greeting, a smile on his face.

 

“I'm sorry about Eriko, Ms. Hashizawa.” Hashizawa. Hashizawa? Hashizawa. “As I understand it, it's a matter of her upbringing that she can be such a…presence.”

 

“It’s a teenage girl’s indiscretion, big guy!” Eriko hollered, throwing her arms in Claus’s general direction. “I have many words to say on the subject!”

 

“Now, now, I'm sure I’d love to hear all about your indiscretion later, but at the moment, Ms. Hashizawa—” Claus said. Wait wait.

 

“Um, wait. Excuse me.” The girl had finally worked up the nerve to speak. “Did you say Hashizawa? To me?”

 

Claus’s nose twitched quizzically. “Well, yes. That is your name, is it not? Ms. Rin Hashizawa? It says so on your doorframe.”

 

She turned around to see that, indeed, her door _did_ have a frame saying “Rin Hashizawa,” under a charmingly pixelated image of the girl herself.

 

“Oh, so that's my name. Rin Hashizawa. Rin Hashizawa. Yeah, that sounds right.” The girl—Rin—scratched her chin, registering the fact that her name was Rin.

 

After an uncomfortable silence during which Claus considered the fact that many interesting characters exist in this world of ours and each no doubt has something to add, he cleared his throat. “Er, Ms. Hashizawa, are you alright?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Rin turned back. “Sorry, I have a case of amnesia. You telling me my name was the first I'd heard of it.”

 

“What?!” Eriko bent over forwards and clicked her pen in shock. “You can't remember anything?!”

 

“That is, in fact, what amnesia means, yes.” Rin chuckled. “Hi, I'm Rin Hashizawa. I don't remember anything. Where am I?”

 

“Well, we were hoping YOU’D know!” Eriko quickly switched her clipboard to her left hand in order to plaster her right on her forehead and groan. “We’re all pretty spooked by this crazy situation!” Claus was silent, and by Rin's guess, he was pondering something.

 

He pondered for seven seconds before finally speaking. “Alright. Ms. Hashizawa, do you know what the country of Japan is?”

 

“Island nation in the Pacific Ocean. Area of 377,972 square kilometers. I am Japanese myself.”

 

“That's a precise measurement. I'm impressed. And are you familiar with Hope's Peak Academy?”

 

“You lost me.” Rin smiled.

 

Eriko jumped in front of Claus both physically and in the conversation, scribbling on her clipboard as she went. “Okay, so Hope's Peak Academy is the school for the _best_ of the **best.** Students with exceptional talent get drafted into Hope's Peak each year. Graduating from Hope's Peak sets you up for _life!_ But you have to be _crazy_ talented to get in.”

 

“The students,” Claus said in a hurried attempt to regain control of the explanation, “are called the Ultimates—each is the Ultimate Something, where “Something” is, of course, their talent. The Ultimates who graduate Hope's Peak are renowned for being movers and shakers in any number of fields. And Eriko isn’t necessarily correct, you have to be willing to put in the work yourself to be that well off.”

 

As Eriko let out some indignant cry about how nobody in their right mind would get into Hope's Peak without being willing to put in the implied work, Rin asked, “Okay, so it's a school for super-talented individuals. Super duper talented. Super...high school-level people.”

 

“That's right.”

 

“Okay, so what does this have to do with the current situation?” Rin said.

 

“Aside from you, Eriko, and I, we've found thirteen other people in this facility. Each person was to be a student of Hope's Peak this coming year—in other words, we're all classmates.”

 

“Wait, so I'm going to the super-genius school?” Rin pondered this information. “Neat.”

 

Claus laughed aloud. “Neat, indeed! On that note, let me introduce myself. I'm **Claus Toranosuke, the Ultimate Principal.** ”

 

“Hold on.” Rin gave Claus a once-over. “Principal? As in, head of a school? I mean, you look the part, but...how old are you?”

 

“I'm sixteen years old.”

 

“Bwaaaahhhh?” Rin gaped.

 

"He's entirely too large to reasonably expect to be sixteen, isn't he?" Eriko piped up.

 

Broad shoulders, perfect posture, Rin really had to find herself agreeing. “Sixteen!? But you're so... _regal_. It's like- it's like, y'know, your, uh, your _stance_ is _powerful_ as _all get out._ ” She then closed her gaping jaw. “Wait, you're sixteen and you're a principal?”

 

“Yes, I often get this question.” He looked a little embarrassed as he adjusted his tie. “It's not much of a story. The principal of my original school, Naoetsu High, went on maternity leave, and when she did, aptitude tests for replacements determined that I was the most suitable candidate. As such, I was placed in the position of temporary principal and excelled in the position while continuing my own school work to the degree that Hope's Peak took notice.”

 

“That's insane!” Rin took in the gallant man standing before her. He certainly looked the part of an Ultimate Principal. Reliable, strong. Rin decided she liked Claus Toranosuke. “Cool, though. It's good to meet you, Claus.” She looked down at his hand. It was outstretched again. With a nervous chuckle as she realized her error, Rin finally shook Claus's hand. He had a strong grip, too.

 

“It's good to meet you as well, Rin.” Ah, not “Ms. Hashizawa” anymore. They were officially acquainted! Nice.

 

Then, Eriko bounded back into the conversation. “And it's nice for me to meet you, too!”

 

Rin had briefly forgotten that the smaller girl was there. “Oh, yeah. Eriko, right?”

 

“That's me! **Eriko Shigure, Ultimate Conductor!** ” She struck a pose, going rigid with her hand in salute.

 

Rin tilted her head to the side. “Conductor? So, you conduct...” She took in Eriko's countenance and weighed the options.

 

“Too late!” Eriko interrupted, making a buzzing noise. “Good work, though, I could tell. I'm a _vehicle_ conductor, not a musical conductor!”

 

“Intersections, train yards, airports, Eriko Shigure is a certified expert in ensuring smooth operations.” Claus gestured towards her hat, which Eriko showed off, a proud, self-satisfied grin on her face.

 

“When yours truly is at work, you don't get accidents on land,” Eriko squatted to the ground, widening her posture, “sea,” then leveled herself and performed a wave motion with her arms, “or air!” and then threw her hands into the air. “Cars, trains, boats, airplanes, motorbikes, trolleys, strollers, Grandma's back, you've got the Shigure Guarantee of Perfect Safety! And you wanna know Rule #1 of the Shigure Guarantee?”

 

“Um—”

 

“Rule Number One of the Shigure Guarantee is STAY ON SCHEDULE! If everybody knows when they're supposed to be places, then that's eighty percent of the battle won right there!” Eriko stood back at attention, and grasped Rin's hands. “You feel me?!” Her hands were small and warm.

 

Rin pondered for a moment, then decided to answer honestly. “I'm not sure if I feel you exactly, but it's cute how enthused you are about it.”

 

“C-cute?!” Eriko started backwards. Rin wondered if she was capable of walking.

 

“Yeah, cute. It's kinda like, this yippy little puppy aesthetic, but I just wanna pet a puppy, whereas with you, it's like I wanna pet your head and tell you what a good job you're doing, even if you know way better than me how good you're doing because you're the Conductor and I'm not.”

 

Eriko blushed. Claus laughed aloud again in good cheer. “My, Eriko! It seems you're cute! How does it feel to be cute?”

 

“People have said a lot of words about me, but ‘cute’ is very rare! Thank you!”

 

“You're welcome.”

 

Rin and Eriko smiled at each other. The smaller girl bounced up and down a bit. Rin decided she liked Eriko Shigure too, now that she wasn't as much of an assailant.

 

With introductions having concluded, Rin assessed her situation. She was in an unknown location with, reportedly, fifteen other people, including her new friends, Claus and Eriko. Each of the people here were students of Hope's Peak Academy, a high school that accepted only the most Ultimate of students.

 

“In that case...” Rin grinned as she twirled on the spot. “I guess I'm **Rin Hashizawa... the Ultimate Amnesiac!** ” What gesture was appropriate at the end of this movement? Rin ran through one-two-three-four-5-6-7-891011121314151617—seventeen gestures before deciding on the simple V-sign to accentuate her gusto. “Hey, so why were you calling me Seventeen if there are sixteen of us?”

 

“Did I say that?” said Eriko.

 

“You did say that,” said Claus. “Your room is Room Seventeen. There are seventeen rooms in the housing suite of this facility, in three hallways. The signs outside indicate this is Target Hall, housing Rooms Twelve through Seventeen. We have yet to find Room Fifteen's occupant, a Mr. Yashiro Narumi, but other than him, everyone is currently roaming about the facility, exploring for answers.”

 

“And you and Eriko?”

 

“I felt wrong about leaving two of our number out, so I opted to stay in the housing suite in case either of the two of you decided to awaken.” Claus waved a hand at Rin. “And awaken you did.”

 

“I helped him wait!” said Eriko.

 

“You did help,” said Claus. “Good job, Eriko.”

 

“Okay, so I'm in Seventeen. You two are in...”

 

“I'm in Room Five.” Eriko threw up five fingers. “Source Hall!”

 

“Room Nine.” Claus didn't throw up any fingers. “Spare Hall.”

 

Source, Spare, and Target Halls? That sounded familiar. Why did that sound familiar? #5, Eriko Shigure. #9, Claus Toranosuke. #17, Rin Hashizawa. #15, Yashiro Narumi? Rin wandered over to his door to check the pixelated picture. Large. Long red hair... That was all she could gather. #15, Yashiro Narumi.

 

“Oh! Sorry, guys, gotta jet!” Eriko posed with her watch in front of her face—she had a watch on the same arm as she held her clipboard as Rin now understood. “It's Dresser Check Time! I have to go check what's up with my room!” It was then that Rin’s brain finally consciously realized that the room did, in fact, apparently belong to her. Eriko waved as she ran past Rin and out of Target Hall.

 

“Bye, Eriko!” Rin waved back. “Don't trip and fall!” The hallway was much quieter, now, with Eriko's absence.

 

Claus came forward to join Rin in front of Room Fifteen. “Well, would you like to go see what we can find, Rin?”

 

“Wait...” Rin tilted her head to look at him. “Weren't you going to wait for this Yashiro guy?”

 

“I was, but your amnesia presents a factor I wasn't expecting. I'd think it wrong to leave you unescorted if you're even foggier than the rest of us- and besides, it might help to have a neutralizing factor when meeting other people.”

 

“I appreciate it.” Rin pumped her fists. “Lead on, Mr. Principal.”

 

And lead onwards Mr. Principal did, taking himself and Rin past two more rooms before exiting Target Hall from the door on the far end of the hall.

 

The area outside was a haphazard mix of greys and whites in unison, which was assisted by the bright fluorescent lighting from the ceiling. Not paint, though; this area was metal, with little regard for _feng shui._ It was functional, and that was all Rin was going to give it. To her right was a double door which presumably lead outwards; to her left, the rumored Spare and Source Halls entered this room from the same wall as Target Hall.

 

Two young men were lounging about in front of Source Hall. One was sat in the corner, and the other paced about in front of him, talking about... What _was_ he talking about?

 

“...and so, I’m standing at the alley, 1-7-10 split, right? And this guy’s over here being all, ‘Man, you haven’t been trained. You aren’t getting into Hope’s Peak on your Ultimate Bowler skills.’ And I look at this dude, giving me the stink-eye Kaz, and I tell him, ‘Yo, man, listen, training isn’t about being Ultimate, training isn’t about the scholarships. Being a good bowler’s about the spirit, about going hard, about being a real boss when you’re rolling.’ And so I’m aiming my ball when heyyyyyy, it’s my man Claus, what’s happening?”

 

The gregarious character who walked up to Claus now had a way about his movements Rin could only describe as “relaxed,” and a way about fashion that made her question her existence. 1-2-3-4—four inches taller than herself, his short, curly brown hair _almost_ in a pompadour, but not quite. (The idea of a “Hasselhoff haircut” floated through her mind, despite not knowing who this Hasselhoff would be. He even kind of had a Hasselhoff face, she decided.) His brown eyes were almost completely drowned out by the disaster he wore on his body—a Hawaiian-print sweater vest over a baby blue shirt, somehow creating an even larger disaster when taken in addition to his black hakama pants and tabi socks in bright yellow gladiator sandals.

 

“What _are_ you?” Rin finally managed to choke out as Claus and this new _person_ performed a synchronized ritualistic handshake that went thus:

 

  1. Claus's hand starting high, vertical swing, meet in the middle, pass.
  2. Claus's hand starting low, vertical swing, meet in the middle, pass.
  3. Claus's hand on left, horizontal swing, meet in the middle, pass.
  4. Claus's hand on right, horizontal swing, meet in the middle, connect. Firm handshake.
  5. Palms disconnect, connection held by bent fingers.
  6. Fingers intertwine and wiggle a little bit.
  7. Hands disconnect, and a firm fist bump is engaged.



 

The new _existence_ grinned at Rin's question. “Trip, man. I mean, what are any of us, y'know? Like, you get to asking questions like that, you get to thinking about questions like, why are we here? And then you get all deep into philosophical stuff and the cosmos and all that, and that just ain't my scene.”

 

Claus chuckled bashfully. “I'm sorry, Rin, I probably should've warned you about Gavin's, ehm, fashion sense.” Rin was still stuck gaping, regarding “Gavin” with a quiet “what planet is he from?” coming out of her mouth unintentionally.

 

“Well, see, I was getting ready for school, right? And I thought, well Gav, you gotta look fancy. But I gotta keep my mojo going, y'know? So I went with the sweater vest, 'cause that's what all the fancy guys wear, but only sweater vest I owned was this guy. Not much into the whole _socialite club_ thing, know what I'm saying? Heyyyy,” said Gavin, finally coming to a realization. “Don't think I've met you yet! Hey, man, how's it hanging?”

 

Rin took a moment to remember that she had a jaw, and then closed it. “Okay, first question, was that a spontaneous handshake, or—”

 

“No, Gavin's been doing this with everyone,” said Claus. “I remembered mine because it was actually rather fun, having a secret handshake.”

 

“My man!” Gavin gave Rin the once-over. “Hey, working the vampire look, man. I dig it.”

 

“Er, yeah. I guess I do... I don't have much frame of reference. The only other person I've run into is Eriko, and she's not exactly a 'vampire' so much as she is a ‘bulldozer.’”

 

“I feel that!” Gavin put his arm around Rin. “So what's an interesting young lady like yourself doing around these parts?”

 

“I can only imagine,” said the smaller man—“Kaz”—as he stepped forward to join them, “that she’s doing the same thing the rest of us are doing.” He was 1-2-3-4—four inches shorter than Rin, with brown hair bordering on black—short, in a clean, but inexpressive style, which belied his striking amber eyes, that were large enough that Rin thought he looked something like a frightened animal. He wore a blue, woolen scarf around his neck, over a black, double-breasted coat with a white border on its bottom and sleeves. His hands were in the pockets of his blue jeans, which fell into a pair of brown hiking boots. Rin wondered if perhaps his clothes weighed more than he did. Judging by how hard he was breathing, she thought it was pretty likely.

 

“Well, I mean, yeah, but hey, doesn't hurt to ask, right?”

 

Kaz chuckled. “The hitting on her hurts. I don’t think she really looks interested.”

 

“Hey, man! Everyone deserves to have their personal beauties appreciated once in a while, and no better to do it than Ol 'Gav, am I right?” Gavin said. Kaz nodded before turning to Rin.

 

“Hello. You're the one staying in Room Seventeen, correct?” He had a small, but clear voice. Rin nodded. “Alright, then that makes sixteen, yes, Claus?”

 

“That's right. Mr. Narumi has yet to make his appearance, but I'm sure he will at some point or another. This is Ms. Rin Hashizawa. Rin, these are—”

 

“Rin Hashizawa. Hey, man, good to meet you!” It was Gavin. Evidently, he had decided it was his turn to speak. “I'm **Gavin Sakaki, Ultimate Buddy.** ”

 

His title, much like the rest of Gavin's appearance, did not make much sense to Rin. “Ultimate Buddy? What exactly does an Ultimate Buddy _do?_ ”

 

“Get that question every day of my life, Rin. Hey, I just noticed, you've got a one-syllable name! Nice, I don't gotta shorten it!” The laid-back smile on Gavin's face indicated to Rin that he was, in fact, honestly happy about this fact. “So, you in a danger situation? Gotta keep calm and make sure nobody explodes? Gav's your man!”

 

“Have you heard of the `buddy system`, Rin? That's where Gavin gets his title,” said Claus. “As I understand it, ever since he was a child, Gavin has consistently been the most desired partner in team situations for his ability to keep cool under fire and bring out the talents of his buddies.”

 

“Everybody wants to be Gavin's friend!” A wide, open-mouthed grin replaced Gavin's earlier smile. “Like, one time, I was in this collapsing building, right? Everyone's all freakin’ out, and stuff. There's a way out through a fire escape on the same floor, but everything's all crumbling and the door's locked anyway. So there's this one kid, real brave, about two years older than me, I'm 10 here, he's 12, and he wants to go out there, but his mom won't let him go unless he's got a buddy. So I think, aw, why not, and I go with this guy to go get the fire escape open.”

 

“That young man, unbeknownst to him before this incident, was the Ultimate Lockpick.” Claus explained. “It was Gavin's presence and careful guidance that led him to unlock his potential.”

 

“It was a trip, man, seeing this guy's hands start going crazy on that lock! So we all got out and it was all fine and then a few years later, some bigwigs wanna have a chat with me about stuff like that. And the rest's history!”

 

“Huh. That's actually...pretty interesting.” Rin gave Gavin another once-over. He seemed kind, and caring, in his odd, time-traveling sort of way.

 

“So, if you ever gotta pick one guy to be stuck on a deserted island with, I'm the guy. Trust me, Rin, you'll be learning things about yourself you never even knew before! Good to know you,” Gavin extended for a fistbump. Rin returned it. Despite his status as a fashion disaster, Rin decided she liked Gavin Sakaki as well.

 

Kaz began to speak, but was interrupted when Gavin exclaimed, “Aw, trip, man, we gotta figure out a handshake! Hold up, gimme a bit. Kaz, keep it going for me.” Kaz's gaze rested on Gavin—not quite displeased, but bemused.

 

“I...was going to do just that, Gavin. Thank you.” Kaz returned to looking Rin in the eyes. “I'm **Kazuya Okudaira, Ultimate Orator.** Hello, Rin.”

 

“Hello, Kazuya. Er, wait, should—”

 

“I would prefer you call me Kazuya. Gavin seems to speak his own language, and I haven't been able to get him to stop calling me Kaz. I doubt that I ever will.” Rin and Kazuya both chuckled.

 

“It pains me to say it, but I actually haven't heard of Kazuya before coming here.” Claus looked downwards, embarrassed. “As such, I don't exactly know what being an Orator entails.”

 

“It's fine. I'd think it was weirder if you had heard of me.” Kazuya cleared his throat—a small noise, like the rest of his presence. “Being the Ultimate Orator means that I have unusual skill in the realm of public speaking and speechwriting. I've written speeches for any number of student council officials in the schools I've been to, and I've given one or two myself during my own campaigns. Eventually, I achieved a small notoriety that caused a notable politician from my hometown to come to me for a speech, and presumably it was him who mentioned me to Hope's Peak. That's all.”

 

“Ooh, speeches, huh? Can I hear one?”

 

“No.” It was a quick answer. “They're long, boring, and I don't have my transcripts on me. Trust me.”

 

“Aww, alright. Still, though, that's impressive in your own way. You must be a real whiz kid with a pen and a podium if you got into the super genius school! Nice job!” Rin grinned her pearly whites at him.

 

Kazuya blushed behind his scarf, and averted his eyes. “Erm... Thank you. I appreciate it very much, and I look forward to working with you.”

 

Gavin re-entered the group, laughing. “Genuine praise a weakness of yours, Kaz? Good to know!”

 

“Please stop talking.” Kazuya blushed even further—a warmly-wrapped grape tomato. Rin decided she liked Kazuya Okudaira, too. She giggled as Kazuya resumed speaking. “That… conversation aside, Rin, I'd like to ask you something. Do the digits “131071” mean anything to you?” He pointed to the wall Rin had come from.

 

Above the Source, Spare, and Target halls was a brightly-displayed [131071] on the wall. Rin regarded it for a moment before obtaining her answer.

 

“131071 is the 6th Mersenne Prime Number. 2 to the 17th power, minus 1. It's the minimum number of moves required to complete a 17-disc Tower of Hanoi, which requires a minimum of 1 day, 12 hours, 24 minutes, and 31 seconds to complete. It is the 12251st prime number, and in binary it is written 11111111111111111.”

 

A silence fell over the room for several seconds before Rin noticed the stunned expressions on the three boys' faces. “What, did I say one too many ones or something?”

 

“Whoa,” said Gavin.

 

“Did you... Did you do all that in your head?” Kazuya's face was a mixture of admiration and befuddlement. “That's incredible.”

 

“Er, yeah. Was I not supposed to? Do I have to show my work? I could, if you want.”

 

“No, no, Rin.” Claus held his hand up. “We're all just impressed. I can't speak for these two, but I certainly couldn't do that.”

 

“Two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four, one hundred twenty-eight.. two hundred fifty six...” Gavin’s attempts to match her skill were not going well for him.

 

“That was incredible,” Kazuya said. “Are you in a mathematical field?” He asked, and Rin grimaced at it.

 

“That's the thing—I don't know. Got amnesia!” This time, it was Rin giving the open-mouthed grin.

 

Gavin groaned and grabbed at his hair. “Aw, trip, man, for real? Amnesia? That's a bummer.”

 

“A bummer, indeed.” Kazuya twiddled his thumbs, registering this information. “Complete amnesia is actually quite rare. Curiouser and curiouser. Claus, you haven’t heard of her either, right?”

 

“Not a word.” Claus shook his head. “The name Rin Hashizawa is completely unfamiliar to me. It's odd… Anyone with this level of immediate mathematical recall should at least be somewhat—”

 

“Maybe that one hair's, like, an antenna or something that's got you hooked up to some math satellite floating around Jupiter.”

 

Silence fell over the room as Rin, Claus, and Kazuya digested Gavin's suggestion. Claus's face twisted as he began formulating a response, whereas Kazuya hid behind his scarf to disguise his quiet laughter.

 

“Math satellite!” Rin clapped her hands. “I can dig it. Math satellite!” She kept laughing as she began walking to the door out of the housing suite. “Math satellite!”

 

“Er... Rin, please, wait. It's not that funny!” Claus hurried after the still-laughing math whiz, who was saying “math satellite” to herself ad nauseum as she left. He waved a goodbye to the two men as he followed her through the door, but ran smack-dab into Rin’s side as she charged back through the door.

 

“Almost forgot! You two, which numbers are you?” Claus nursed his goose-egg behind her.

 

“Now, before I say that,” Gavin said as he put on some approximation of a serious face, “I gotta say, your back half might be just as good as your front.” Kazuya sighed.

 

“Oh, good, glad to hear it. So what’s your numbers?”

 

“I’m in Room Thirteen,” said Kazuya, lightly bopping Gavin on the head as he came forward. “Target Hall. And Gavin—”

 

“Gavin’s Number One, man! Never felt so honored in my life.”

 

#1, Gavin Sakaki. #5, Eriko Shigure. #9, Claus Toranosuke. #13, Kazuya Okudaira. #15, Yashiro Narumi. #17, Rin Hashizawa. 11 students left to place.

 

“Thanks, guys. Later! Math satellite!”

 

“Math satellite!” Gavin shouted back. Outside the housing suite was—

 

A metallic noise broke Rin's registration reverie. She looked upwards and to her left, and saw a lithe young lady clambering about on a great sheet of iron bars, which blocked access to stairs leading upwards. Her movements were deft and precise, with no wasted energy; judging from Claus's expression, he seemed to find it very expressive.

 

“Have you come down from there at all, Miria? I would think you would've gotten tired.”

 

“No, sir. Boss said to give it a thrice-over. I'm about halfway done with my third over.”

 

While waiting for “Miria” to finish her inspection of the bars, Rin took a look around. Given the stairs, this appeared to be a stairwell. Where the housing suite was stark white with some grey, the stairwell appeared to be going for just plain grey. Perfectly functional, with an also-inaccessible storage space beneath the stairs and several consoles of unknown function on the wall on their side of the bars. The sheet of iron bars on which Miria had climbed extended all the way to the ceiling. Another double door was on the other end; the Housing Suite advertised itself as such above its doorway, whereas this new door led to a location called “Abilene Hall.”

 

Rin grabbed onto the bars herself, and began to climb. “Hey, this looks like fun. Mind if I join you?”

 

“I don't think I mind.”

 

Claus waited on the floor as Rin climbed up the bars. Her movements were not as graceful as Miria's, but at the same time, she actually found it much easier to lift herself than she had imagined it would be. Soon, she was right next to the other girl, who was inspecting a specific bar very closely.

 

“What're you doing with that?” Rin leaned over to look, too, but honestly, it was just an excuse to get a better look at Miria. Conveniently, Miria turned to look Rin in the eyes.

 

“Boss asked me to look for structural defects in the bars.” Unlike Rin, Miria clearly spent a lot of time outside—she was quite tan, lean and muscular, and her hands, from what Rin could see of their undersides, were heavily callused. 1 inch shorter than Rin. Her grey hair was tied back in a ponytail, allowing for unrestricted view of her asymmetrical face- the left lateral incisors on her jawline was missing, and her face was dotted with faded scars- one at the left corner of her forehead above her grey eyes, one on the bridge of her hawkish nose, and a particularly nasty-seeming one on her right cheek, approaching the chin. She wore a faded red tank top and dusty brown cargo shorts over a clearly well-worn pair of tennis shoes. “There aren't any that I've seen. This is my third check. You're looking at me very intently.”

 

“Oh.” So she'd been noticed. “Well, yes, I suppose I am. I've been trying to memorize all my new classmates' faces so I don't forget them!”

 

“Okay.” Miria didn't seem to have much of a reaction to this information. “You can help, if you want.” Rin nodded. She didn't see any reason not to, really.

 

It went quickly, and after five more minutes, Rin and Miria finished checking the bars. Miria quickly climbed down. Rin, even quicker, just let go and jumped, landing on her feet.

 

“That's dangerous,” said Miria. “You shouldn't do that. You could hurt your legs.”

 

“Oh, yeah, I guess you're right. Hi, Claus.” Claus had run over when he saw Rin drop to attempt to catch her, but her flawless landing left him standing there looking quite silly.

 

“Er... Hello, Rin. And hello again, Miria. Find anything?”

 

“No. The bars are flawless.” If there was one thing Rin thought stood out about Miria, it was her ability to deliver all of her statements in the exact same tone of voice. “The only thing I found from searching the bars was this lady.”

 

“Ooh, hey Claus, hear that? I'm a lady.” Rin flipped her hair a little at him, but the hairstyle she kept made it a bit less impressive than she meant it to be.

 

Claus smiled. “Eh-heh. Well. I don't know that she meant anything in particular by that comment, but I'm happy if you're happy, Rin.”

 

“Oh. Your name is Rin. Hello, Miss Rin. You're very pretty.” When that last bit came out of Miria’s mouth, Rin began to turn a shade of red so vibrant that Claus began honestly worrying a touch about her health. “It's nice to meet you.”

 

“ _It's nice to meet you too, Miria._ ” Miria's eyes did widen a bit—just a bit—at the vigor with which Rin shook her hand. Rin was no longer just smiling—she was beaming. “You're als—”

 

“You seem good at sleeping. You were asleep for quite a while. Is that your talent?”

 

“No, no! Haha! Well.” Rin's eyes darted back and forth. She was blushing. “I mean, it might be. I have amnesia.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“And, y'know, somehow I was expecting this whole amnesia thing to not go over so cleanly but now that's 5 out of 15 people that are up yet and I mean, everyone seems to be pretty fine with it, so that's good?”

 

“That is good.”

 

“I mean, y'know, I still don't understand any of what's happening or anything but at least establishing myself as being a person that exists isn't—”

 

“Rin.” Rin jumped as Claus put a hand on her shoulder. “You're babbling. Are you okay?”

 

“Haha, yeah! Just A-OK, Claus old buddy old pal!” And now her hand was on his shoulder.

 

“Glad to hear it.” And again it fell to Claus to progress the conversation. "Miria, would you please introduce yourself? Include your room number, please.”

 

“Yes, sir.” said Miria. “I'm **Miria Hayashi. I'm the Ultimate Mountaineer.** I'm in Room Four.”

 

“Why do you call Claus 'sir?'”

 

“He seems like someone I should be calling sir.” Well, there was no arguing with that logic.

 

“Miria is an expert of mountain traversal; climbing, rappelling, hiking, she's set records for any category you can think of, and at a bafflingly young age. She's managed abseils of over four thousand feet—”

 

“Wow! That's really impressive, Miria! I mean, I know theoretically I might be able to do that,” said Rin, bouncing a little and finding significantly more pride in this fact than the woman herself, “but just thinking about it is blowing my mind! You're awesome.” Claus smiled to himself. Clearly, he didn't need to do much selling here.

 

“Thank you.” Few words, but they were good words. Rin decided she _definitely_ liked Miria Hayashi. 100%.

 

“Oh, Miria, you mentioned Yayoi gave you this task, yes? Where is she?” Miria's head was slow to turn to Claus.

 

“Boss left to go—” There was a stomping noise in front of the door to Abilene Hall, and Claus leapt back as the door swung open from a powerful kick.

 

“ _Alright,_ assholes, let's see how you like a piece of this!” The woman who charged past Rin, Claus, and Miria at this juncture held in her hands a swivel chair, with which she struck the bars full force. It was an unsuccessful strike that left her body ringing from the impact, and she fell backwards onto her rear. “Ah, crap, right. Hayashi, status report!”

 

“There's no structural deficiencies in the bars, Boss. I don't think you're going to be able to break them with brute force.”

 

“Well, then, we'll just have to lift the sheet ourselves. Hayashi, you take the left side! Oh, Toranosuke, you're here. Take the right!” The lack of response for a few seconds prompted Boss, whose name was probably Yayoi, to turn around with a quizzical frown. “Toranosuke, what's— Who's this?” she said, looking at Rin, who was cowering behind Claus from the sudden force.

 

“This, Yayoi, is Rin Hashizawa. She's in Room Seventeen. I went off to wait for her, Eriko came with me?” You could almost see the lightbulb over Yayoi's head as she remembered.

 

“Right, right. Hashizawa, huh? Well, first things first.” The new arrival stuck out her hand for a handshake. 1-2 inches taller than Rin, with a few strands of wavy, dirty blonde hair visible under a blue hard hat. Green eyes and a slightly bent nose, with a mole to the right of her mouth. Her most striking article was a bright orange safety vest, under which was a plain white t-shirt. Plain, navy pants. Muscular, in a larger way than Miria. “Shake my hand, kid.”

 

“Oh. Uh, right. Sorry.” Another firm handshake.

 

“So, you got kidnapped too, huh? Stupid bastards.” Yayoi gritted her teeth at the thought. “Damnit, it was an important day for the project. What the hell are those guys gonna do without me?”

 

“Um, project?” Rin tilted her head to the side.

 

“Whaddya mean, um? We were building a radio tower, kid, and half those lunkheads wouldn't know left from right if I weren't there.” Yayoi groaned, and scratched the back of her head. “And what about you? Get knocked out in your coffin?”

 

“Coffin?” A beat. “Oh, right, I forgot I have that vampire aesthetic. No, I actually have no idea how I got here. Amnesia.”

 

Yayoi scoffed. “Amnesia? Well, ain't that convenient.” She clicked her tongue. “Guess they musta really done a number on you, eh? Couldn't get that one hair down, though.”

 

“How _did_ you guys end up here? I don't quite understand the story,” said Rin, tilting her head to the side.

 

“Way I remember it, I walked into my room at night and turned on the tube, but then I heard something behind me and WHAM! I'm out cold on the floor.” Yayoi rubbed her head. “Not sure, but I think it hurt like a bastard.”

 

“My story is basically the same.” said Claus. “And that's the story I've essentially heard from the others as well.”

 

“But enough about that, kid. I'm **Yayoi Murasaki. Ultimate Foreman. Call me Boss!** ”

 

“She's my neighbor in Room Ten,” said Claus. “Yayoi oversees countless construction projects over the country. She's a busy lady, as I understand it. How many prefectures have you visited in just the last month?”

 

“Seven. Aomori, Aichi, Hokkaido, Oita, Chiba, Tokyo, Osaka. Lots of gazing on the old Naito towers as I went. Damn fine pieces of work.” She nodded to herself. “I'm the one who puts all those meatheads you see at construction sites to work doing the right thing. Now, don't get me wrong!” She laughed. It sounded like a bark. “I know a lot of great guys on construction sites! And I'm not saying I'm not pretty meaty myself. All's I'm saying is that it takes a guiding arm of regulation to get it through that many thick skulls, and I've got _a tough-ass hand!”_ She patted her right bicep. “So, what can you offer me, Hashizawa?”

 

“Me? Um...” Rin tapped her chin. “Apparently I'm pretty good at climbing and have a preternaturally good head for numbers. For whatever good that'll do you.”

 

“Ah, perfect! A number head! We already had Fukuyama, but christ is that one a piece of work. Glad to have somebody agreeable who can do it!” Another barking laugh. Rin didn’t recognize the name. “I think we'll get along just fine, Hashizawa.”

 

“Alright, Boss. That's good to hear.” Rin...wasn't quite sure how she felt about Yayoi Murasaki yet.

 

“Now, back to work for us getting outta here. Hayashi, what's—” Yayoi craned her head to look in Miria's direction, but found only empty space.

 

“She seemed to be very interested in a story Gavin was telling about bowling,” said Claus, who pointed towards the Housing Suite.

 

“Why, I oughta...” Yayoi began to grit her teeth, then just sighed. “Well, she was done with what she was doing anyhow. Guess there's no problem with that.” She shrugged, with her arms wide, palms to the sky. “Seen the other guy around yet? Looks like he might be able to bust down these pipes.”

 

“Nothing yet of Mr. Narumi, unfortunately. You'll be the first person I tell,” said Claus.

 

“Right. Good. Hashizawa, Toranosuke.” Yayoi nodded in both of their directions. “I'mma go put my hat down. Later.”

 

And she was off too, then. As the door closed, Rin could vaguely hear Gavin talking about...a turkey? It must've been a very interesting story.

 

“…and so,” said a young man at a central table, as Rin and Claus entered Abilene Hall. “I mean, I have to wonder what Abilene means, right? It can’t mean _nothing._ ”

 

As befitted the companion to the white Housing Suite and the grey Stairwell, Abilene Hall’s paint scheme was black as pitch, with gold and white trimmings to prevent it from being entirely invisible. A bright, golden chandelier hung above a central table seated for 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17, where the aforementioned young man sat. It was a bit warmer in here than it had been in the Stairwell.

 

Rin and Claus had entered from the upper-western hallway of the Abilene Hall. To the left of the hall from which Rin and Claus had entered were a block of eighteen metallic shoe lockers, six columns, and three rows. The walls from there on the north end slowly receded into a passage that led to the North Wing of Abilene Hall. Directly across, on the eastern wall were two doors-on the left, a wooden double door labeled “Archive,” and on the right, a hallway leading off to a singular metal door labeled “Disposal.” To the right of Disposal, in a dip further back on the wall, was a smaller hallway leading to a “Laundry Room.” On the south, directly to Rin's right, was a great metal wall, held with a door locked by hatch, proclaiming itself the “Power Room.” Finally, on the western wall, behind Rin to her right, were two doors- one small hole in the wall area labeled the “Darkroom,” and a larger door leading to an “Infirmary.”

 

“I won’t say you’re wrong,” said the table, “but the name means nothing to me.”

 

The young man speaking to the table then looked over, and saw Claus and Rin. “Oh, hey. It’s Claus. Hello.”

 

“Aoto.” Claus nodded to the young man. “Chizuru.” Then, Claus nodded to the table. “It’s good to see you both as well, and-”

 

“And thank you for asking,” said Rin, who had decided it was now her turn to jump in front of Claus. “I am indeed the girl from Seventeen! Name of Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“Your camouflage is incredible,” said the table.

 

Aoto stood up. He was 1 inch shorter than Rin, with spiky white hair flaring out to red at its tips (a dyeing accident gone wrong, or was that simply how his hair was?) and vibrant yellow eyes. He had dark skin, with an open red shirt, black shirt, and black pants in whose pockets his hands currently found his home. He was wearing white socks. Rin theorized that perhaps he’d already left his shoes in his room.

 

“Hi.” Aoto removed his hand from his pocket- Rin noted his nails, which were very well taken care of. “I’m **Aoto Maebara.** I don’t think I’m anyone special, I’m pretty much just your average guy?”

 

“Incorrect,” said the table. “He is this year’s **Lucky Student.** ”

 

“Well, is that really special?” Aoto scratched the back of his head. “I mean, realistically, it could’ve been anyone else in the nation except… uh, present company. That is how it works, right, Claus?”

 

Rin was looking blankly at Aoto, before looking similarly blankly at Claus. “Lucky Student?”

 

“Well, you see-“ Claus began.

 

“Wait!” Rin pounded her fist in her hand. “I’ve got it. Ms. Rin’s theorizing is telling her that this super-genius Hope’s Peak school must choose one random student from the Japanese population each year in order to study luck!”

 

At Claus’s placid but vaguely disappointed look, Aoto gave a sympathetic, “Oh, does she do this a lot?”

 

“Indeed she does. She’s very quick on the uptake, it seems.” Said Claus.

 

“Well, that’s me- Aoto Maebara! I like basketball and volleyball and all those other things normal kids like. Can’t say I ever excelled too much. Except apparently my hair.”

 

“It is… _really_ strong hair.” Said Rin. “Is that flaring out thing…?”

 

“Yeah, it’s completely natural. Nobody’s sure how it happened.” Aoto’s lips pursed. “Got me a lot of weird looks as a kid, but by now everyone’s just sort of accepted it… present company excluded and all.” His lips twisted into some sort of zigzag before he started laughing at his own joke. “Not that you look very normal yourself, Dracula! Haha!”

 

“Hey, I can’t help it if this is what I work,” said Rin, putting on airs of faux indignation while gesturing to herself. “Sometimes a girl’s just gotta go out the night for pleasure, right?”

 

“I can’t say I have ever been out the night for pleasure.” Said the table.

 

“Do you go out at all for pleasure?” said Rin.

 

“At times. I have rather singular interests when all is considered, so going out for pleasure consists of a smaller scope of activities. However, this smaller lifestyle is what has always suited me.” Said the table.

 

“Wait.” Rin tilted her head to the side, and tapped her chin. “There’s someone under that table, isn’t there?!”

 

Silence overtook the Lounge of Abilene Hall for several seconds. Aoto coughed. The table sneezed.

 

“Yes,” said Claus. “Yes there is.” Aoto snickered.

 

“Hey, look.” Rin puffed out her cheeks and leaned into Claus’s face. “I’ve met a lot of wacky characters today, okay? It wasn’t necessarily out of the question that Hope’s Peak accepted a talking table.”

 

“How would that further research into human talent?” asked Aoto. At this, Rin paused, then returned to a neutral posture.

 

“…I… I don’t know. That’s a good point.” Rin slumped. “I am defeated.”

 

Aoto guffawed. “My mom always told me to avoid girls like you!”

 

“Whaddya mean, girls like me?”

 

“I mean the kind that flips moods on a dime. One second you’re all mad, then you’re laughing, then you’re sad. Mom always told me that girls like that’ll rip you up and chew you out.” Aoto said this last bit with a completely straight face, and Rin began laughing again.

 

“That’s great! You always listen to everything your mom tells you, lamer?”

 

“Yeah, basically!” The room was filled with laughter. Rin decided she liked Aoto Maebara.

 

“Er, Aoto.” Claus cleared his throat. “The phrase is, ‘chew you up and spit you out.’ Chewing someone out means something very-”

 

Neither Rin nor Aoto were listening. They were too busy talking about moms. “Ah, right, of course.” Said Claus.

 

“So, Chizuru?” said Aoto. “What’s your take on the listening to your mom issue? Rin here’s calling me a loser, even though apparently there’s no empirical proof she’s not ALSO a momma’s girl.”

 

The table hesitated for a moment. “I have never known my mother.”

 

“Oh,” said Rin and Aoto simultaneously. “Uh… sorry to pry.” Only Aoto continued.

 

“It is alright. I have no problem talking about it,” said the table. “It is an issue from-“

 

“Can I look under the table to see what you look like, please?” Rin exclaimed.

 

The table hesitated again. “If… if you must.”

 

Rin squatted, to look under the table. There was a girl- the rumored “Chizuru”- under the table. 1-2-3-4-5 inches shorter than Rin, looking away with a blush on her small face. A mop of curly orange hair, over small, hazel eyes. A long-sleeved brown shirt over black sweatpants over black shoes helped her blend into the darkness beneath the table of Abilene.

 

After some scrutiny, Chizuru mumbled, “...um… please…”

 

“Oh, sorry.” Rin exited the table again.

 

“Thank you,” said Chizuru, who had indeed been the table all along. “It… I do not mean any offense. I simply do not do well with direct scrutiny in public places.” A small sigh emanated from beneath the table.

 

“No, no, I’m sorry to… scrutinize you. I introduced myself earlier, but I’m Rin Hashizawa. What’s your name?”

 

“I am **Chizuru Inoue, the Ultimate Hide and Seeker.** ” When Chizuru gave her title, Rin giggled. “It… yes. I am aware that it is a particularly frivolous talent.”

 

“Chizuru is an expert at the cultured sport of hide and go seek,” said Claus, sitting on a chair at the table. He had sat earlier during Rin and Aoto’s “argument.” “An expert seeker-“

 

“Fifty percent of the battle is understanding your opponent’s mind,” Chizuru explained.

 

“-and an expert in keeping herself hidden,” said Claus.

 

“The other fifty percent is in understanding your opponent’s understanding of your own mind. If you know how you present, you can devise strategies to keep yourself hidden. I’m known to stymie those I play with for bafflingly long periods of time.” Chizuru sounded a little proud, but given her hidden status, it was a bit difficult to tell.

 

“Wow.” Rin made a long noise of understanding. “So, you’re under the table… because you like to hide from people.”

 

Once again, the girl under the table hesitated. “Yes. You could say that I am under the table because I like to hide from people.”

 

“Alright!” Chizuru could almost hear the beaming smile on Rin’s face, which did not quite fit a vampire. “Oh, by the way, what’s your room number? You too, Dorko,” Rin said, grabbing Aoto’s ear as he’d begun to discuss serious matters with Claus, “I gotta know this stuff.”

 

Chizuru made a high-pitched noise. Aoto, on the other hand, after giving a small “ow!” responded. “I’m in Room Eleven. Chizuru’s in Room Seven. We’re both in Spare Hall. What’s up, Chizuru?”

 

“I.” Chizuru stammered for a moment. “I have never had someone invite themselves to my room before.”

 

“Well, you know, that’s not necessarily what she means!” said Claus, waving his hands at the table as though Chizuru could see him. Rin was pacing about, mumbling numbers- “2, 3, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16. 7 people left.”

 

“Real number head, isn’t she?” said Aoto, resting his head in his hands. “Well, don’t let me keep you. Hansuke and Shinobu are in the Archive if you’d like smarter people.” he said, leaning back on the table with a smile. Rin was already off. Claus tipped his head to Aoto, who nodded in understanding, as the gothic girl and the Principal were off once more.

 

The Archive was a spacious room, if nothing else. Lit dimly by lamps on eight evenly-laid-out wooden tables and an overhead fluorescent light, it was covered, wall to wall, in shelves full of books, files, and boxes, which largely seemed to be full of more books and more files. The impression Rin had of the room upon walking in was that it was the sort of place where more hoity-toity intellectual types would spend their time.

 

Two people- one male, making him presumably “Hansuke,” and one female, who by elimination would be “Shinobu,” were around a table a few feet away.. Hansuke sat away from Rin's direction, hunched over with his head resting in his hand, where Shinobu stood above him at various angles, making her presence uncomfortably cloying.

 

“Mr. Yasuda, are you listening to me? Really. If you continue with this surly attitude, surely you realize that people will think that you are an ill-tempered brute!” 1-2 inches shorter than Rin, with straight, deep purple hair, falling down to her waist, adorned by a pink cotton beret. Vibrant blue eyes. Rin wasn't entirely certain whether the white-topped, red-bottomed, Victorian tour dress Shinobu wore, which covered her legs entirely under its frilly _poof,_ could really be called in-style, but it certainly gave her a presence in the room. She tut-tutted about Hansuke, her white heels clacking as she did.

 

Hansuke let this happen for a few more moments, then let out a heavy, tired sigh. “I'm not trying to sell to you, lady. Lecturing me like a schoolmarm isn't going to make me have read any of your books.”

 

It was at this that Claus cleared his throat to assert his presence. “I see you two are getting along swimmingly.”

 

Hansuke turned his head and leaned his arm over his chair, still slouching. “Oh, it's Claus and the girl from Seventeen. Finally, there's someone sane in the room.” The first word that came to Rin's mind was “weathered” for Hansuke. His short, coarse brown hair topped a head with a few small nicks. As opposed to others she'd seen, Hansuke's chin was covered in errant, dark stubble, indicative of definitely at least three days without shaving based on averages. He was wrapped in a faded trenchcoat, which straddled the line between brown and green, over a black t-shirt and a grey tie. His dark pants and brown loafers also showed signs of heavy use, with several visible scuffs and patched-up tears.

 

“Someone _sane._ Why, I never.” Shinobu also turned to regard Claus and Rin, but upon sighting Rin, her eyes widened, and she frowned deeply, slightly showing gritted teeth. “And who exactly are you supposed to be?”

 

“Uh.” Hostility, that was new. Rin pondered how to deal with that before deciding honesty would again be the best policy. “Hi! I'm Rin Hashizawa. I have amnesia!”

 

Shinobu's face twisted a bit more as she registered this information, before returning to a vaguely amused expression. “Amnesia, hm? I see.”

 

“That was an odd look. Do you know her, Shinobu?” said Claus.

 

Shinobu tittered out a little laugh (it was as special a laugh as her appearance- Rin would best write it as “ka-ka,”) and shook her head, shrugging with a wry grin, palms facing the ceiling. “No, no. She just had such interesting fashion sense that I couldn't help but find her intriguing.”

 

“I'm the one with interesting fashion sense?” Rin raised an eyebrow. “You looked in a mirror lately, lady?”

 

“Ka-ka!” Oh, she was going to keep doing that. “It is hardest for a girl to understand her own heart.” She kept giving that wry grin, closing her eyes as though she'd said something profound.

 

“She's been like this the entire time,” said Hansuke, who had turned back to his book. “Not like any one of these people looks _normal._ ”

 

Suddenly, Shinobu was a lot closer to Rin than she had just been. “How intriguing. My little grey cells are tingling- an amnesiac in our merry number, in a situation which was already so bizarre! It is a touch of a cliché, but I must say it nonetheless- _the plot thickens, and so too does Shinobu._ ” Rin was a bit concerned at the implications behind a human being “thickening,” and so opted not to touch that little bit of linguistic cryptography.

 

Hansuke leaned back over the chair. “So I'm supposed to give you my answer now, right?”

 

“Yes, please!” Shinobu turned back, a hungry look on her face. “Let us do battle!”

 

“The culprit was Yoshiko. When Fuyo and Morito were trying to protect the kids by establishing a connections network across the manor, she said she was going to the game room, but she walked off in the opposite direction.”

 

Shinobu grinned once more, tittering again. “But how could Yoshiko possibly have killed Shizuma? She never went to the first floor before his corpse was discovered! Or are you saying Kagura-kun is an accomplice?”

 

Hansuke clicked his tongue. “It’s really not that hard. The gun was set up to the dumbwaiter that connected the kitchen and the game room. When Shizuma activated the dumbwaiter, he got shot and died. Yoshiko went to the game room the day before and set up the gun, knowing her husband would look in the kitchen for Nene when she disappeared. She used Shizuma's gun for it, too.”

 

“And the discrepancy with the clocks?”

 

“Grandma Plum had just returned from a trip abroad to America. Her clock was set to Daylight Savings Time.”

 

Shinobu cackled loudly. “What excellent theorizing, Hansuke Yasudaaaaaaa! Truly, a splendid theory! Now, turn the-”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Hansuke turned the page.

 

Rin felt small. “Claus? What did I just see?”

 

“Well.” Claus, too, felt a bit besieged, but adjusted his tie for gravitas. “Shinobu is-”

 

Shinobu spun back to Rin and Claus. “Aha, I see our Ultimate Stranger is a bit flabbergasted. Forgive me- I forgot to give you my introduction. **I am Shinobu Koshimizu, the Ultimate Mystery Novelist!** ” She bowed, with a showy flourish.

 

“Mystery... Novelist.” Rin was expressionless. “So you write mystery novels.”

 

“Indeed, my dear!” Shinobu's posture returned to standing.

 

“Shinobu is famed for the sheer speed at which she puts out her stories. In just three years, her detective, the teen heartthrob Kagura Yuzuriha, has had fifteen stories to his name. I can't claim to have read them, but I'm told they have a very unique aesthetic.” said Claus. Rin thought to herself, _they must, if they come out of this wacko._

 

“Ka ka ka! Kagura-kun is a hard-working boy, and his little grey cells twitch as much as my own, you know.” Shinobu's arms were crossed, with a coquettish smile on her face. “Truly, there is no greater pleasure than to match wits with a reader.”

 

Hansuke put his book down. “So she ambushed me in here and forced me to read one of her books.”

 

“To have my works listed among the greatest in our captor's archive... why, my name next to a Christie, or a Van Dine, is simply marvelous!” There were sparkles in her eyes.

 

“So... why did you ambush Hansuke, exactly?” asked Rin. She didn't tilt her head to the side, because she felt only small movements were appropriate against a foe of this nature.

 

“Mr. Yasuda carries the blood of one of the premier works of the 21st century's mystery-genre zeitgeist, Ms. Hashizawa. It was pre-ordained that a Yasuda and I would- no, _must_ match wits, even if personally, I believe _The Great Clock_ is one of my weaker games.” Shinobu stated this last bit with her hands on her hips, with an air of seeming quite pleased with herself.

 

“Carries the blood of...” Rin mumbled to herself, trying to understand Shinobu's train of thought. “Whatever.” She walked past Shinobu, to Hansuke, as Rin had decided that she didn't think she much liked Shinobu Koshimizu.

 

Behind Rin, Claus and Shinobu had entered an animated discussion over whether Hercule Poirot or Jane Marple was the more compelling detective of Christie's library. Hansuke looked at Rin. “Turned out I was right,” he said.

 

“Good job, I guess.” Rin sat down next to him. “Man, I was running on new day adrenaline until now but suddenly I feel like I just ran a marathon. Who says 'zeitgeist' in casual conversation?”

 

“Her, apparently.” Hansuke put his face in his hand and grunted. “I don't envy you. She's probably gonna be all over you.”

 

“I’m sure she can’t be all bad,” said Rin.

 

“Good luck,” said Hansuke, pulling out a bottle of water and taking a swig. “Not the most annoying person I've ever met, but probably top five.”

 

“You much of a people person?” Rin tilted her head.

 

“Mm.” Hansuke looked at her. “I'm **Hansuke Yasuda. Ultimate Salesman.** Morning. Hashizawa, right?”

 

“That's right. Rin Hashizawa. Gavin tells me I'm hooked up to a math satellite, so if you need any calculations done, I'm your girl!”

 

Hansuke snorted. “Math satellite. Right.”

 

“So, you're a salesman? Like... you go around selling things door to door, or something?”

 

“That's about the size of it.” Hansuke took another swig of water. “They're calling me Ultimate, but as far as I'm concerned that just means I'm able to survive going door-to-door. Not that I mind the grants they give me.” He smirked. “You want some paper clips? They'll run you 1,580 yen.”

 

“I'm flat broke,” said Rin.

 

“And I don't have any paper clips.” said Hansuke. “Whoever knocked me out must've stolen them all. Stingy bastards. By the way, she's in Room Fourteen, so you're almost neighbors.” His head gestured at Shinobu. “My sympathies.”

 

Rin groaned. “Uuuuugh. A no-show and now her? At least Kazuya seems nice enough. Target Hall sucks. Or, wait...” Rin looked at him expectantly. “Is there an intriguingly attractive bachelorette in Sixteen?”

 

Hansuke laughed. It was low and rough. “Your next-door neighbor's a dude.”

 

“Damn it!” Rin kicked the bottom of the table. “Nothing's going my way since I came in here!”

 

“Ha ha ha!” That, on the other hand, was a higher, more genuine laugh. “Could be worse. We could be dead... or, wait. You crawl out of hell? You are pretty dark. Could be you're a demon.”

 

“Could be!”

 

“Don't let her hear you say that, though.” Hansuke grimaced. “I said, 'well hell, maybe it was aliens' when I opened the book and she wouldn't let me hear the end of how, 'aliens don't exist! Knock on wood number two, all supernatural whatevers are blah blah blah!'”

 

“Knock on wood number two? What does that mean?”

 

“What, you think I know? I don't think she was even speaking Japanese at that point.”

 

“Fair enough,” said Rin. “So why were you in here in the first place?”

 

Hansuke chuckled a bit before he responded. “For some peace and quiet.”

 

Rin snorted in response. “Well, that sure worked out well, didn't it?”

 

“I might as well go jump in a well at this point,” said Hansuke. Rin decided she liked Hansuke Yasuda. “Think I could make it back to my room before she notices I'm gone? It's Room Two.”

 

Rin thought. Her perpendicular hair pointed straight up. “I'll distract her. You get some quiet.”

 

“You're a peach, lady.”

 

Rin stood up, walked over, and tapped Shinobu on the shoulder. “Hey, Shinobu. Who's this Hercule Poirot?”

 

In the ensuing discussion, Hansuke successfully snuck out of the Archive. Eventually, Shinobu got bored of lecturing, and left Rin and Claus to their own devices, sitting down to read for herself this time.

 

They stepped out of the Archive.

 

“She's an interesting young lady, isn't she?” said Claus.

 

“Sure.” said Rin.

According to the ever-useful Aoto, another group were across the hall in the Infirmary, so that was where Rin went next.

 

An undeniably sterile-seeming array of blues, whites, and grays met her eyes as she opened the door. The entry door was smack dab in the middle of the wall. Across from Rin on the far wall of the room was an AED- between Rin and the AED was a line of symmetry for the room, which was symmetrical in shape. To Rin's left was a trio of beds, presumably for any patients- these beds were surrounded by a lowered partition on all sides but Rin's closest. Rin was not a practicing doctor, as far as she knew, so she could only guess as to the nature of much of the smaller equipment on the right side of the room, but there appeared to be an X-ray machine, some form of screen above a desk with several drawers, various apparati on a wheeled cart, and three cabinets full of any number of substances which were also alien to her.

 

Two men had pulled in chairs- from the Archive, by the look of it- and were arm-wrestling atop one of the beds. A woman stood above them by the foot of the bed, making loudly clear the events that were occurring.

 

“And we've got 150! 150/30 in Luan's favor! If Daisuke doesn't come up with something quick, that's game!” the woman shouted. “I'd talk about the history of these two competitors, but there really isn't any at this point!”

 

“Er.” Claus leaned over to Rin. “I'm curious. Do you know what “one-fifty” represents in this context? I didn't think arm wrestling had score.”

 

“No, man, it's the angle of the arms! The guy who's winning's at a 158° angle!” Rin hopped over. “No, wait! 159! 159/21 in his favor!”

 

“And it looks like we've got a sudden entrant into the booth- it's the girl from Seventeen, everyone!” The announcer was 1-2-3 inches shorter than Rin, with _vibrantly_ cyan hair tied into a floppy side ponytail (Rin could tell it was dyed from the small traces of brown roots, but wouldn't dare say anything.) Lightning bolt earrings adorned her ears, atop one of which hung the clip for some sort of apparatus that projected a see-through glass screen in front of one of her dark blue eyes. A set of unfamiliar, flashy logos adorned a blue blazer, which hung loosely atop her shoulders over a sleeveless white blouse. Her blue silken pants were also covered with several logos Rin still didn't recognize, and she wore blue and white tennis shoes with another logo. That Rin did not recognize. If nothing else, the announcing girl was very dedicated to looking noisy. “Tell us a bit about yourself.”

 

“Well, hi, everyone.” Rin waved cheerfully to an invisible crowd. “I'm Rin Hashizawa! I'm told I'm connected to a math satellite in the vicinity of Jupiter.”

 

“And you can find out more about that on our web site at [www](http://www.www.www/)[.](http://www.www.www/)[www](http://www.www.www/)[.](http://www.www.www/)[www](http://www.www.www/)! What's our readout, Rin?”

 

“Looks like we're at 162/18, but the guy you called Daisuke earlier is putting up a heck of a fight for those last few degrees! I don't have any idea what prompted this, but this is definitely one for the history books!”

 

“Seriously, a history book?” The announcer turned and laughed at Rin. “I don't know if you've ever read one of those things, but they're super dull!”

 

“Wouldn't know! I've got amnesia!”

 

“Amnesia?! Now that's a twist I wasn't expecting! Bit of a hard sell, but we can make it work, sell it to the crowd. Can't we, crowd?” She looked expectantly at Claus.

 

Claus looked awkwardly in various directions. “Um. Whoo?”

 

Suddenly, a slam came from the bed. “Luan” had successfully pinned “Daisuke,” which wasn't surprising given that Luan seemed a fair deal larger. Both men were sweating some, but Daisuke seemed significantly more winded.

 

“You're very loud,” said Luan. 1-2-3-4-5-6 inches taller than Rin, which made him shorter than only Claus that Rin had seen. His head was shaved, leaving only small stubs of black hair evident on his dark skin, and his eyes, which seemed near-permanently narrowed, were a similarly dark brown. His arms and hands were muscular enough that Rin wondered if he could crush her like a grape, but in contrast to his powerful countenance, he was dressed in calming, light green medical scrubs and white shoes. In stark contrast to the announcer, Rin noted, they were in fact not adorned at all. “Is there a reason for that?” His fleshy nose twitched. His voice was as coarse as he looked.

 

“It's a matter of zazz. I've gotta get the audience hyped or else they'll be bored to tears!” said the announcer, in a quieter tone of voice. It was still loud, her voice naturally projecting farther than it really needed to given the space, but it was quieter.

 

“I was just doing it 'cause she was doing it,” said Rin.

 

“Mm.” said Luan.

 

“Man, you're built like a brick wall. Where do you get that kind of muscle strength?” said the other man, Daisuke, grinning. 1-2-3 inches taller than Rin. His dirty blonde hair was done up through a tied Dutch braid into a high ponytail that, Rin decided, more than anything resembled an eighth note as it fell back down. His musical hair accentuated a pair of dark sunglasses which blocked his eyes, but his teeth, on the other hand, were bright as could be. He wore a sitar on his back, its strap hung over loose white-and-yellow robes with an angel wing pattern embroidered on. A white tank top, khaki shorts, and beach sandals concluded his outfit, which Rin deemed wholly inappropriate for an infirmary if nothing else.

 

“Maybe he goes and trains in the mountains by fighting bears,” said Rin.

 

Luan raised his eyebrow slightly as Daisuke laughed and responded, “I can definitely see that! Luan Yun-Fat! Bear Puncher!”

 

“I have never punched a bear,” said Luan.

 

“But are you going to go punch a bear now that he's said that?” said the announcer, whose name Rin still didn't know, she noted with a touch of frustration.

 

“No.”

 

“Don't pressure him into fighting a bear, you guys,” said Rin, whose perpendicular hair drooped. “That's way too dangerous for someone our age. Don't fall for peer pressure, Luan!”

 

“I wasn't going to.” said Luan. “But thank you, Rin.”

 

“Wait, she said her name?” said Daisuke, his sunglasses drooping a bit, showing grey eyes. “I was just tuning them out.”

 

“It's important to be able to listen in every now and again," he said. He then gave Rin a once over, starting from her head to her feet. “You said you had amnesia.”

 

“Uh, yeah.” Rin rubbed the back of her head.

 

“Hm,” said Luan. “I see.”

 

Claus put his hand on Rin's shoulder. “Are you alright there?”

 

“Huh? Yeah, fine.” said Rin. “This is just the first time we've run into more than two people at a time, and the conversation still hasn't naturally given me announcer lady's name, so it's a weird gap in my thought process every time she comes up.”

 

There were a few moments of silence as everyone attempted to adjust their internal antennae to pick up the Rin Channel. Daisuke gave a “huh?” at the moment he gave up. Claus then cleared his throat. “Er, Stella,” _finally!_ “I think that means you should introduce yourself.”

 

“Oh, is that what it means?” said Stella. “I know how to do that. **Good evening, everyone! This is Stella Masaki, your Ultimate Commentator for tonight’s events!** ”

 

“Oh, so that's actually your Ultimate talent? I thought you were just goofing around,” said Rin.

 

“Nah, I've been commentating on all sorts of sports and competitions ever since I was, uhhhh what...” Stella scratched her head, jostling her scouter a little.

 

“Eight years old, Stella.” Claus chuckled. “Come now! Aren't you supposed to know minutae like this?”

 

“Right! Snuck into the booth at a soccer game and embarrassed the commentators on that by showing them up, and the rest is history. Can't do much of it myself, but sit me at a competition and I'm your lady to keep the crowd entertained if they can't stand their own noise! Except golf,” she added. “Can't do golf.”

 

“Which is a shame, because it's the only sport I watch,” said Claus. Stella gagged.

 

“I don't know if I've ever watched golf or played it or anything, so I can't weigh in on the issue of golf either way,” said Rin. “The clubs seem like they'd be satisfying to whack something with, though!”

 

“Oh, trust me- they are.” Stella laughed, and closed her eyes, reminiscing about something or another.

 

Rin decided not to question the context in which that remark made sense, and so turned to Daisuke next. “Okay, next, you're Daisuke, right?”

 

His sunglasses glinted, as did his perfect teeth. “That's me. **Daisuke Harada, Ultimate Brewmaster, at your service.** ”

 

“Brewmaster?” Rin looked him over. “That's not what I'd have guessed from looking at you.”

 

“Well, I don't suppose you're an Ultimate Vampire?”

 

“I mean, I could be, but my canines are normally sized, so I don't _think_ I am!” They both grinned. “So, Brewmaster, what does a Brewmaster brew?”

 

“Well, drinks, of course!” He laughed. “Alcohol. Tea. _Herbal remedies,_ if you're over the age of seventy. Grandpa’s got a bad back, see, and he's always said I'm the only one who does it right to help with it. I mean, here I'm thinking he should go get it looked at, but I am a Brewmaster, and I have to stay on point.”

 

“Ding! We've got a Brewmaster Credo instance, folks!” said Stella.

 

“But wait,” Rin said. “Aren't you too young to drink alcohol?”

 

“I don't _drink_ it. Yet,” he added. “Family runs a bar and brewery over in Kyushu, and I'm the big star of the joint. Stunning good looks, incredible brewing skills...” He slung the sitar over his shoulder. “And, of course, _live music!_ ” He strummed a few chords and pointed towards the same imaginary crowd Stella and Rin were commentating to. “I'm pretty good with a sitar, if I do say so myself.”

 

“A man of many talents! And what room are you in, Daisuke?”

 

“Well, my god, that's the fastest anyone's ever asked that.” He grinned again, slinging the sitar onto his back again. “I know they say musicians get the ladies-”

 

“Yeah, haha, you wish, buddy.” Rin playfully clonked Daisuke on the top of his musical ponytail, and he threw his hands up to ensure it was still in order.

 

After fixing his hair, Daisuke stood back at attention. “Room Six, thanks kindly. If you ever want a serenade, I'm told I'm pretty good at them!”

 

“Are we giving rooms?” asked Stella. “I'm Twelve.”

 

“Eight,” said Luan.

 

“Alright, so that's fifteen people sorted now, just need... oh, Luan!” Rin started, and blushed a bit, which looked particularly vibrant on her pale face. “Sorry, sorry, going a mile a minute here.”

 

“It's fine,” said Luan. “ **Luan Yun-Fat, Ultimate Masseuse.** Hello.”

 

“Hi! It's nice to meet you, Luan.” Rin extended her hand for a handshake, which Luan returned. His hands were firm, yet soothing, dwarfing Rin's own.

 

“Luan is nicknamed the “Devil's Hand” for his incredible skill in massage,” said Claus. “My mother visited him once, and she claimed she could feel her spirit leaving her body from the sheer relief his hands offered!”

 

Rin's hand flew to her mouth. “Oh man, is she okay?!”

 

“Last I saw her, she was eating her tofu quite vigorously, thank you. Actually, she's been better than ever since Luan got to work on her! Thank you again, Luan,” said Claus.

 

“You're welcome,” said Luan, who nodded.

 

“A man of few words, isn't he?” said Stella, who'd sat over at the desk. “Makes you wonder what's going on in his head.”

 

“I am right here,” said Luan. “You could ask me what's going on in my head.”

 

“Nah!” said Stella. “A bit of mystique adds some pizazz to your appeal.”

 

“I don't know what that means,” said Luan.

 

“I'm with you, big guy,” said Daisuke.

 

“Honestly? Same here,” said Rin. Claus understood, but opted to keep his mouth shut.

 

An awkward silence came over the room until Rin realized she had an out. “Hey, do any of you guys know where my neighbor in Room Sixteen is? He and Three are the only people I haven't run into.”

 

“Oh, Fukuyama?” Daisuke tapped his chin leisurely. “He's over in the North Wing, I think. The Aquarium, right, big guy?”

 

“Unless he has moved,” said Luan.

 

Rin took a moment to register this statement. “This place has an _aquarium?_ ”

 

“With fish and everything!” Stella spun in the swivel chair.

 

“Wow,” said Rin. “Hey Claus, let's go to the Aquarium! Oh, brave new world, that has such people in it!” Rin skipped off to go look at the fish. Claus didn't skip along behind her, but simply walked.

 

It was drier in the North Wing, that much Rin could immediately tell. The humidity in the Housing Suite and the South Wing had been on roughly the same level, and being that that was the only humidity she'd ever felt to her recollection, a drop was immediately noticeable.

 

“Eurgh,” she said. “Deciding I don't like dryness.”

 

Unsurprisingly, they'd entered from the south of the room. The central area of the North Wing of Abilene Hall was still black, but in the distance, across from Rin, the gold and white trimmings increased in number over into a hallway labeled “Cafeteria.” On the wall to Rin's right was another hallway—this one being curiously unmarked—and, to Rin's back and right, a small path bending into an “Auditorium.” The connecting walls to the Auditorium were adorned with empty glass shelves. To Rin's left was some form of recreation space, with a ping-pong table, a pool table, a dartboard, two suits of armor with frighteningly realistic-looking weapons, several sofas Rin reasoned she should never use because her room was fine and much less dry, and a magazine rack with a few small leaflets. Finally, to her front and left Rin saw a double door leading to an “Aquarium.” Bingo.

 

“What do you think is supposed to go in these shelves?” said Claus. Rin had begun walking towards the Aquarium, but stopped to think. “It resembles a trophy case, but… Well, there aren't any trophies.”

 

“Maybe whoever owns this place was expecting us to bring some. Do you have any trophies, Claus?”

 

“Mmm, one or two, but nothing particularly _special._ If they expected us to have them, though, why wouldn't they also take the trophies when this mysterious person broke into our homes and knocked us out?”

 

Rin's antenna wobbled (she had decided it was her “antenna” now instead of her “perpendicular hair” because that was faster.) “That is a good point, my friend. I wonder if I have any trophies? I bet if I do they're real nice.”

 

Having gotten her thoughts on this matter out of the way, Rin continued her walk to the Aquarium, opening the doors. Unlike the other doors, these were push doors, rather than doors with doorknobs, so it gave Rin a brief rush of feeling powerful when she parted the veil to place her eyes upon the Aquarium, and then a greater rush when she realized this room was back to the humidity she expected.

 

The Aquarium was darkly lit, but light streamed in from the massive glass enclosure that graced Rin's vision. Her eyes glowed with glee as she ran up to press her arms against the glass. Her thinking began to take number of the individual marine lives she saw, but she quickly lost interest, instead deciding to take in the vastness of the environment she saw before her; sharks, manta rays, turtles, gobies, seahorses, bass, coral, octopi, crabs, the enormity of the world beneath the waves played a slow, elegant dance for her, and she opted to begin spinning along with it, teetering about in various directions.

 

Claus watched from the doorway, staying silent out of respect for Rin's enjoyment, but even so, almost didn't hear her as she stopped and said, “I hope I can go swimming soon.”

 

Rin stopped spinning and silently watched for a moment until she heard from behind her, “It's lovely, isn't it?”

 

Rin turned around in surprise, giving an indignified noise as she did. The one who had spoken was presumably the young woman she found behind her—by process of elimination, this must be Room Three's occupant. 1-2 inches shorter than Rin, Number Three's blonde hair, worn shoulder length with high-set twintails that were significantly less fluffy than Rin pictured when she thought “twintails,” was topped with a dark orange newspaper cap and set around eyes that Rin was _pretty_ sure were hazel, though the lighting of the Aquarium made it somewhat hard to tell. She wore a sleeveless white shirt above a pleated, dark green mini-skirt, and opaque black leggings that went down to her flat black dress shoes. “It's almost like something out of a fairy tale, no?”

 

“Huh? Uh...yeah.” Rin stammered. “I mean, not that I'm big on remembering fairy tales right now and all so I guess I kind of have to take your word for it-”

 

“Calm down.” Number Three laughed. It was soft. “I just meant it was nice. A bit scatterbrained, aren’t you?”

 

Rin blushed. “No! Well, I mean... Okay, yeah, kinda.” She leaned over animatedly and sighed. “I'm all over the place today.”

 

“It's fine,” said Number Three. “We've all been kidnapped. You weren't here, so you just didn't see everyone else being a mess when they woke up. I know I made a fool out of myself,” she laughed again as she said, closing her eyes and rubbing the back of her head. “I'm not much for afternoon waking.”

 

“Right. Thanks.” Rin stood back up. “Um, hi. I'm Rin Hashizawa. I'm in Room Seventeen. Gavin tells me I'm connected to a math satellite in the vicinity of Jupiter.”

 

“Well, that's not possible.” Number Three raised her eyebrow. “Your antenna isn't nearly calibrated properly for something like _that._ ”

 

“Still fun to think about! Wait, how'd you get past Claus?”

 

“Oh, I was already in here.” Number Three pointed over to the side; the entrance to the Aquarium had been blocked on its sides by the backs of some smaller tanks, so Rin's peripheral vision as she entered had been lacking. “I was inspecting some shellfish.”

 

There was a moment of silence as Rin nodded. “Understandable. Shellfish are quite important, and I think for some reason I consider them tasty also?”

 

Number Three laughed. “It's nice to meet you, Rin. **I'm Wanda Morinaga, the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator.** ”

 

“Paranormal Investigator?!” Rin jumped to attention when she heard that. “You mean, you investigate, like, ghosts and stuff?!”

 

“And stuff, yes. I've...” She chuckled. “Always had something of an interest in the matter-”

 

“Do vampires have elongated canines?” said Rin.

 

Wanda paused for a moment to process the question. “I've never actually met one in person, so I couldn't say. Why do you ask?”

 

“Well, when I woke up, I considered based on my appearance that I might be a vampire, you know, pale, red eyes, all that, but I looked at my teeth to check, right? And my teeth are normal. But I've got amnesia—” Wanda's eyes widened a bit at that part, “—so even if I did know any vampires, I realized I didn't know empirically whether or not that was proof that I wasn't a vampire. So, I was hoping maybe you'd know whether I was a vampire or not.”

 

Wanda digested the question. “I think you should be looking for proof that you _are_ a vampire before looking to prove that you’re _not._ For instance: Do you thirst for human blood?”

 

“Not that I can tell.”

 

“Then I think it's probably best to assume that you're not a vampire,” Wanda concluded.

 

Rin lit up as she smiled. “Wow, thanks! I didn't think of it that way! I was actually kinda worried- though I mean, I guess maybe being a vampire wouldn't necessarily be horrible.”

 

“You're funny,” said Wanda. Rin blushed, and she felt this one. “You said you had amnesia, though? That's disconcerting.” Wanda began to tap her head. “I've seen a case or two where alien abduction caused that, but you don't display any of the signs of _that_ , and besides, the architecture here is far too recognizably human for it to be a UFO. And,” she noted glibly, “I don't believe aliens would feel the need to crawl in through my window and clobber me on the head.”

 

Rin laughed. Wanda smiled. If you asked Rin, she would say that Wanda's smile was very lovely. In fact, she'd been so distracted in inspecting the occupant of Room Three that she only now realized that Claus hadn't said a word.

 

“Jun, please, give us just a minute.” Having become aware of his existence again, Rin's ears tuned in to what Claus was saying; he was speaking with someone else at the door. Rin turned to look. Claus was a large man, of course, but he looked even larger next to his conversational partner.

 

“It's been a minute, and it looks like your new friend is probably too busy ogling Morinaga's chest to be as interested as you claim she is.” The young man—“Jun”—was 1-2-3-4-5-6 inches shorter than Rin, but he was made even shorter by the fact that he was in a wheelchair. His hair was short; dark green, seeming to fade to black towards the ends of its locks, with similarly-colored eyes above a noticeable frown. He wore a grey jacket over a green shirt, undecorated, with a pair of black, leather fingerless gloves on his hands. His lower half—at least, as Rin could see, considering the obstruction of the wheelchair—was simple blue jeans over unremarkable brown shoes.

 

“Hey, what now?!” Rin shouted. “I was NOT doing that.”

 

Jun rolled his eyes. “Of course that's what catches her attention. Methink the lady doth protest too much.”

 

Rin walked over; it was a small room, so it didn't take long. Wanda followed behind. “Well, I see you've met Wanda now,” said Claus, with an awkward expression. “Alright, Jun, she's here now. Please introduce yourself to your neighbor.”

 

Jun sighed, and looked towards Rin. His face scrunched. “ **Jun Fukuyama. Ultimate Net Admin.** ”

 

“Net Admin?” Rin tilted her head. “So, you—”

 

“I do _internet things,_ ” he said. “I'm a Net Admin. It's not rocket science.”

 

“Well, hey, there's no reason to be all caustic about it. Just wanna get to know my neighbor, man!” said Rin.

 

“Right. Look, lady—”

 

“Rin Hashizawa! Ultimate Amnesiac!”

 

“...Amnesia.” Jun was expressionless. “Right.” He scoffed. “Well, listen, Rin. Seems like you want me to think you’re someone who’s interested in making friends. I'm not. I'm not interested in making buddy-buddy with my fellow kidnapping victims for the day or two before the police bust us out of here or someone finds a way to do it themselves.”

 

Rin visibly deflated. “Um...oh. Okay.”

 

“As long as you understand that, then we'll be fine.” Jun said, with his arms crossed. “Now—”

 

He didn't have a chance to finish that statement before being interrupted. A loud burst of feedback suddenly rang throughout the facility, as intercoms slid out from behind the walls around the area.

 

“Eh-hem. Testing, testing, uno dos tres. Can you hear me? Can y'all hear me out there? It would SUCK if the equipment didn't work today of all days. Alright, all of you morons get your butts to the Auditorium!”

 

It was an unusual voice. It almost reached charming, inviting, like a children's TV show character, but there was a sense of sickening dread to hear it. Rin felt cold, as though she'd suddenly been drawn into the mouth of a venus fly trap. Even through the filters, it brought Rin a cold sort of… nostalgia.

 

“Ah, right.” Jun said. “Of course it happens when I open my mouth.”

 

Rin's legs had carried her to the Auditorium before she had consciously realized she was moving. As she reached the Auditorium, she realized that she was properly alone for the first time since she'd left the room. The silence was deafening, but the announcement still rang in her ears as she took the room in.

 

It wasn't a particularly large auditorium. When Rin pictured an “auditorium,” she did not generally assume that it would be standing room only, but there were no chairs on the rough carpet- only wooden walls and even lighting for a space bordering a wooden stage, lavishly equipped with blood-red curtains. The only things on the floor were a few unused tatami mats. A podium on the stage bore an ostentatious insignia that Rin did not recognize- it resembled a medieval coat of arms. A shield, with two corners white and two corners black, with a black pen on the white corners and a red... bat wing? on the black crossing over it. It was surrounded by wing shapes, and a black arch above it culminated in a crown. At its bottom, it said: “HIGH SCHOOL.”

 

Rin pondered this logo as Claus ran into the room behind her. “You run...” His breath was a bit faster than normal. “Very fast, Rin.”

 

“Huh. Do I?” Rin tilted her head to the side. The stately young man was then spun for a loop by a pink and green bullet that shot into the room, stopping in front of Rin.

 

“Rin! Did you hear that announcement?!” said Eriko Shigure, the Conductor, the resident of Room Five.

 

“It was pretty hard to miss, honestly. Had really convenient timing, though! I'd just gotten finished meeting everybody!”

 

“Oh, well, that's good!” Click, click. Eriko was still clicking her pen. “I'm glad!”

 

“Shigure Guarantee means I should stay on schedule, right? Just living up to my classmate's expectations,” said Rin, smiling. Eriko made an affirmative noise and bounced a bit.

 

Stamping into the room next was Yayoi Murasaki, the Foreman, resident of Room Ten. “Ordering me around. This weirdo's got a lot of nerve!” She adjusted her hard hat and scoffed.

 

“Well, I wouldn't say that being ordered is always bad. Isn't it worse that they've kidnapped us?” said Wanda Morinaga, the Paranormal Investigator, resident of Room Three, who was right next to Rin.

 

“Are you sure you're not a Ninja?!” Rin jumped back, almost falling onto Eriko, who dodged away. “I swear I should hear you coming!”

 

“Sorry. I suppose I've just always had a talent for showing up places I'm not expected.” Wanda laughed softly as she patted Rin on the shoulder.

 

“There's a time and place for everything, Morinaga,” said Yayoi. “Don't give Hashizawa a heart attack or I'll have to have one of my boys sue.”

 

“Why are we suing people?” asked Aoto Maebara, the Lucky Student, resident of Room Two, who twiddled with his hair as he sauntered in. He then looked down. “Uh. Are… you okay?”

 

“I'm fine,” said Claus Toranosuke, the Principal, resident of Room Nine, who was currently laid out flat on the floor from having been barged past by both Eriko and Yayoi in quick succession.

 

“...and Claus is down for the count, folks!” Behind Aoto was Stella Masaki, the Commentator, resident of Room Twelve. “Two K.O.s in one round! Not quite a TKO, but give Claus your sympathies, folks.”

 

“Psst, Boss.” Rin leaned over to Yayoi. “What's a TKO?”

 

“Technical knockout,” Yayoi said. “Mostly a boxing thing. You lose if you're knocked down three times in a single round, even if there's rounds left. I'm sure it gives Short Round over there an aneurysm.”

 

“What? No!” said Eriko. “My attitude towards technical knockouts is perfectly neutral!”

 

“Oh, hey, there's a party going on in here.” Next past Claus was Daisuke Harada, the Brewmaster, resident of Room Six. “Guess it wasn't just me.”

 

“It would be very difficult to be just yourself in these small spaces,” said Chizuru Inoue, the Hide-and-Seeker, resident of Room Seven, who had snuck into the room and set up residence behind some of the tatami mats to remain out of sight.

 

“Hi, Chizuru,” said Wanda. “It's good to not see you.” She nodded.

 

“Likewise,” said Chizuru.

 

“Jun!” Eriko cried, and bolted over to Jun Fukuyama, the Net Admin, resident of Room Sixteen, who had just wheeled into the room. He put his head in his hand and sighed. “How's your wheelchair? Any issues? Do you need any help getting anywhere?”

 

“I'm already where I need to be,” he said. “I don't need any help.” Eriko nodded.

 

“And she is _rebuked,_ everyone! Jun's skill at shutting down conversation is unparalleled!” Stella said, animatedly falling over.

 

“Perhaps he should learn to be more personable,” said Shinobu Koshimizu, the Ultimate Mystery Novelist, resident of Room Fourteen, as she sauntered into the room. “It is a truly wonderful skill to have.”

 

“Is she kidding? She's kidding, right?” said Yayoi, looking to Rin and Daisuke for confirmation. Rin grimaced, and Daisuke shrugged. Luan Yun-Fat, the Masseuse, resident of Room Eight, entered the room as Shinobu made her comment, and while his face did not betray much, Rin could tell a hint of the same irony they had felt.

 

“Sorry I'm late,” said Kazuya Okudaira, the Orator, resident of Room Thirteen, as he entered. “Has our captor appeared?”

 

“Nope, doesn't seem like it.” Aoto shook his head. “Feel like I've heard that voice in my nightmares before, though.”

 

“What exactly are your nightmares about?” said Shinobu, grinning. “Do tell the class, Mr. Maebara.”

 

“Uh.” His expression was guarded. “Isn't that a bit personal?”

 

“Is it hypothermia?” Miria Hayashi, the Mountaineer, resident of Room Four, came in. “I have nightmares about dying of hypothermia.” Rin wasn't sure how to feel about this fact, and judging from the looks on their faces, the others who had heard weren't either- except Shinobu, who registered this fact with a look of satisfaction.

 

“Heyyyy, Rin! How's it hanging?” Gavin Sakaki, the Buddy, resident of Room One, bounded into the room, his fashion as incongruous as it was before. “So check this- I came up with a handshake for us!”

 

“Oh, awesome!” Rin couldn't help being excited even given the circumstances.

 

“Handshakes, really?” Yayoi scoffed.

 

“Listen, Boss, don't think you're gonna get out of getting one yourself.” Gavin wagged his finger as he spoke. “Ol' Gav's gotta give all his buddies one sometime or another. It's like, a sign of affection, you know? You too, J!” He shouted to Jun, who was attempting to avoid notice. Jun groaned.

 

Hansuke Yasuda, the Salesman, resident of Room Two, was the last to enter. His hair was damp, and little flecks of water splashed Claus as Hansuke ruffled through it. “Oh. Sorry.”

 

“It's quite alright,” Claus said as he began to wipe the water from his face. “Caught you at an inopportune time?”

 

“Yeah. Bastard.” The scruffy salesman scowled.

 

At that moment, with a loud _slam,_ the Auditorium doors swung shut. The group let out several shouts of dismay, as Claus began to attempt to open them.

 

“They're-” He gave a mighty tug on the doorknob. “Very firmly locked.”

 

“Of course they're locked, dumbo! You think the doors would shut like that if they _weren't_ locked?”

 

The sound of the bizarre voice sent everyone's heads in the direction of the podium, from which it had originated. There were several things that Rin Hashizawa could expect to see in this sort of situation. For instance, one thing she expected was to see the voice's owner appear- which they did, in fact, do. Small, nub-like paws came out from behind the podium and grabbed onto its top, heaving the voice's pudgy body onto the top of the podium with an audible, bouncey noise.

 

“You know, I swear I told my contractor to make this podium more accessible to people my height.” It was... hm. It definitely was not a human, that was for certain. It resembled a stuffed animal... no, no. It was a bear. Rin was certain it was a bear. The bear's color scheme resembled the logo- it was split evenly down the middle, the left half (or, its right half, Rin supposed) being stark white, with a black dot for an “eye,” and its other half being pitch black, with a similar red “bat wing” for its other eye. It had similarly nub-like feet, and the only asymmetry other than the different eyes was its “exposed” belly, ovoid in shape with a protrusion Rin guessed was supposed to represent a belly button.

 

Rin had not been expecting _that_ to be the voice's owner. Why was she so certain it was a bear?

 

“What in the hell...?” The still-wet Hansuke mumbled.

 

Jun laughed. “Well, isn't this quaint. Does our captor have a sense of humor?”

 

“Can it, computer boy! The important people are talking! Eh- _hem._ ” The bear, which had finally become situated atop the podium, laid on its side with a squishing noise. “Howdy-do, folks! It's time for another round of some good ol' M-K action! I tell you, I just got off a flight from Albequerque and boy are my arms tired. The serving lady was so rude! I mean, aren't they supposed to know I'm allergic to airplane peanuts? I can't BELIEVE the service industry! Haven't you humans transcended your puny brains to become psychic super-gods yet? Wake up the 90% already!”

 

Nobody was sure how to respond to this. Claus looked to be beginning, but stopped himself after thinking better of it.

 

“Er, excuse me.” Wanda was the first one to finally speak up. “That's a myth.”

 

“I can tout pseudoscience all I want!” The bear cried. “I'm a bear!”

 

“Oh, well that explains everything.” Jun said, leaning over and lazily placing his right cheek in his hand to accentuate his eye-roll.

 

“Doesn't explain jack shit!” shouted Yayoi. “90%, airline peanuts, that supposed to be some kinda fuckin' joke? The hell are you supposed to be?”

 

“Well, that's a question for the ages. Who are any of us _supposed_ to be? Are you who you're supposed to be? Supposing and purpose are such meaningless concepts. Listen, little lady, alls I know is who I _am_ , and that person is **Monokuma, Ultimate Headmaster!** ” Yayoi gritted her teeth as Monokuma somehow performed a thumbs-up gesture towards himself. “And may I be the first to welcome you to... Hope's Peak Academy! Yaaaay! Science building.”

 

“Hope's Peak Academy doesn't have a Science Building!” said Aoto, whose hair was looking a bit pointier than usual.

 

“And you are _not_ the headmaster of Hope's Peak,” said Claus, who stepped forward to the front of the class. “Explain yourself, wretch.”

 

“Puhuhuhu!” Ah, so Shinobu wasn't the only person here with a weird laugh. “Look at this guy pulling out the nasty words! Look, the old girl needs some renovations like anyone else does every now and again. It's just a new building in campus!”

 

“That does very little to explain why you've kidnapped sixteen people,” said Shinobu. “Please-”

 

Rin’s antenna perked up, but she had a frog in her throat something awful, so she was quite glad when Miria asked it for her. “Excuse me, sir.” Miria said. “What happened to Mister Yashiro from Room Fifteen?”

 

Monokuma shuffled a bit and looked down. “Well, uh. Look, sometimes a bear'll drop a fish he grabs, and the fish will roll into the sewer.”

 

“So... you're saying you lost him and so there's only the sixteen of us.” said Kazuya.

 

“Let's just ignore Yashiro for now!” Monokuma cried. “Now listen up, oh Ultimates. So, as I'm sure you've figured out, there's no way to escape from this building. It's completely sealed! You can try all you like, of course, but I'm telling you now, it's totally pointless. Here's the deal, folks- this is a pretty nicely furnished little place, got everything you'd really need to live, because you're going to be spending the rest of your lives here!”

 

The cries of dismay from the students were loud and varied. A few were filled with profanity. Rin remained silent. A sickening feeling had begun to crawl down her spine. Something about this bear was… what was the word she was looking for?

 

“Are you crazy?!” Daisuke shouted. “That’s a long freaking time! Are you even listening to yourself?”

 

“I have mastered the skill of listening to myself and practice it frequently,” Monokuma said. “I don’t think you do, or else you’d know how dumb half the stuff you say sounds.”

 

“Wha… what… what…?” Stella stammered. Rin saw her begin to rub her upper arms as though she were cold. “The rest… of our lives…?”

 

Jun scoffed. “So you’ll just let us run around in here as we please until we all wither away and die?”

 

“There are rules, of course.” Monokuma said. “You’ll be able to read them in your Electronic Student Handbooks, which your Headmaster has so kindly delivered to your rooms already!”

 

“How nice of you,” Jun said.

 

“I’m glad _some_ one appreciates my gifts,” Monokuma said. “Now, I may have said you’d be spending the rest of your lives in here, but there iiiiis one teensy little snag there. There actually is a way to get out!”

 

“Well, why didn’t you just say so?!” Aoto said. “Come on, tell us what it is!”

 

Monokuma grinned. “Well, if you’re so enthusiastic.” Rin lingered on each of his words with a palpable sense of dread. “All you have to do… is kill someone!”

 

Rin began to fall. She was falling backwards, and everything was growing faint. She heard Yayoi roar a, “Fine, then I’ll kill you, asshole!” and faintly saw the Foreman charging towards the stage. She had a feeling that Yayoi would lose that battle, but she was quickly approaching the ground and unconsciousness. Claus shouted as she continued to fall. 18° from the ground, now, what was it that was niggling at her mind? The word. What word was she looking for?

 

_Unforgettable._

 

To her, Monokuma was unforgettable. To an amnesiac, that was an interesting sentiment. But what did it mean? It could mean a lot. Oh well, her brain mumbled. You can think about that when you wake up tomorrow. No more for today. Let me be.

 

Rin Hashizawa fell unconscious that day. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of a long trial.

 

          

 

 

  **Students Remaining:** **17**

 

**#1 - Gavin Sakaki, Ultimate Buddy**

 

**#2 - Hansuke Yasuda, Ultimate Salesman**

 

**#3 - Wanda Morinaga, Ultimate Paranormal Investigator**

 

**#4 - Miria Hayashi, Ultimate Mountaineer**

 

**#5 - Eriko Shigure, Ultimate Conductor**

 

**#6 - Daisuke Harada, Ultimate Brewmaster**

 

**#7 - Chizuru Inoue, Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker**

 

**#8 - Luan Yun-Fat, Ultimate Masseuse**

 

**#9 - Claus Toranosuke, Ultimate Principal**

 

**#10 - Yayoi Murasaki, Ultimate Foreman**

 

**#11 - Aoto Maebara, Ultimate Lucky Student**

 

**#12 - Stella Masaki, Ultimate Commentator**

 

**#13 - Kazuya Okudaira, Ultimate Orator**

 

**#14 - Shinobu Koshimizu, Ultimate Mystery Novelist**

 

**#15 - Yashiro Narumi, Ultimate ???**

 

**#16 - Jun Fukuyama, Ultimate Net Admin**

 

**#17 - Rin Hashizawa, Ultimate Amnesiac**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you love Dangan Ronpa? I love Dangan Ronpa. It's a series near and dear to my heart for a lot of reasons, but first and foremost is the fact that I truly love mysteries. It's not perfect by any means, but nothing delights me so much as a classic whodunit. It's a passion I want to share with you, the reader, with this story of mine. It's probably not a story you haven't heard before, but if even one person in a million hears my story and says, "this story speaks to me," then my work as an author is done.
> 
> This chapter concludes the Prologue. Next begins the First Case.
> 
> Thank you for reading thus far.
> 
> Update, 4/12/2018: A series of character art has been commissioned of these children.  
> https://itsbenedict.tumblr.com/post/172833724694/part-1-part-2-after-months-of-work-i-finally  
> https://itsbenedict.tumblr.com/post/172833725994/part-1-part-2-after-months-of-work-i-finally
> 
> If you'd like to have a visual aid, by all means, peruse them at your leisure.
> 
> Update, 8/5/2018: If you're the gambling type, a betting sheet for your predictions may be perused at https://i.imgur.com/rmG9JMC.jpg
> 
> Good luck, and continue showing enthusiasm.


	3. Day 1 - Dream Pattern

The first thing the girl knew was that she could not sleep; it was far too shaky for something like that, as she was hurtled from her seat.

 

The second thing was remembering herself. She was Rin Hashizawa, a student of Hope's Peak Academy, who had been kidnapped and brought to an unknown location by an unknown individual.

 

 _Or was she?_ There was much she could doubt about that premise. Did she really not know where she was, or who they were? She had amnesia, after all. It was entirely possible that she did in fact know, or had just forgotten- in fact, it was entirely possible that she herself was the kidnapper.

 

Rin opened her eyes.

 

It was a large seafaring vessel—a cruise ship. She was on its deck, having just...flung herself? From a poolside chair. The sky hung overcast, grey like the bars of a jail cell, and her vision was obscured by a choking fog that blocked out everything but the boat itself.

 

There was a dead body in the pool. She shocked herself with how little she reacted to the sight of a man floating in a pool stained red by his own blood, but nevertheless she did not react physically. His body bobbed in the water, eventually turning itself upright. Slashed open from his stomach, the blue suit of Claus Toranosuke, the Principal, was slick with pool water and his own blood.

 

Her legs had begun to move her before Rin realized it was happening. Though she had not screamed, she could not continue looking at Claus's body. She had just met the man—

 

—impaled on a flagpole was the small body of Jun Fukuyama, the Net Admin, dripping red from above—

 

—Luan Yun-Fat, the Masseuse, found suffocated in a cabin, clutching for air—

 

—she had just met the men, and could not bear to look at them dead. Nobody deserved to—nobody deserved to die this quickly. They were all just teenagers, right? There should be a long life ahead—

 

—a pile of bodies, a gunshot wound had blown out the brains of Kazuya Okudaira, the Orator, who lay on top of the similarly blown-out Stella Masaki, the Commentator, and Eriko Shigure, the Conductor—

 

—a single bloody scalpel lying mockingly around the slashed wrists and necks of Daisuke Harada, the Brewmaster, and Chizuru Inoue, the Hide-and-Seeker—

 

Rin felt her head growing dizzy. She could feel blood on her own hands, too, though she had not touched anyone-

 

—in the cargo bay, there was Yayoi Murasaki, the Foreman, crushed under a crate, and Wanda Morinaga, the Paranormal Investigator, with her skull crushed from a fall—

 

—Aoto Maebara, the Lucky Student, having vomited a pool of his own blood, next to the pathetically swinging body of Shinobu Koshimizu, the Mystery Novelist, hung from the rafters—

 

—slung over the steering wheel, Gavin Sakaki, the Buddy, his face half crushed, and Miria Hayashi, the Mountaineer, slumped against the wall, a gaping stab wound in her chest—

 

—at the front of the ship now, she saw Hansuke Yasuda, the Salesman, being dragged along with the ship, tied onto the railing with a rope, dangling, and—

 

Oh. She actually didn't recognize the man impaled on the mast. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 inches taller than herself. A righteous mane of red hair fluttered in the wind over his rippling muscles— though Claus and Luan had been large, this man put them to shame, towering with a force that, even though he was clearly dead, gave Rin the sense that he could still be out there simply enjoying himself. This was accentuated by his tan leisure suit, which—

 

Rin stumbled out onto the mast, keeping a precarious balance without really registering that she was doing so. By process of elimination, as well as resembling an image she'd seen before, she deduced that this man must have also been a student—Yashiro Narumi, from Room Fifteen, who had yet to appear. And here he was, dead.

 

She looked over his body on the mast, impaled straight through the stomach, to find a flapping piece of paper on it, somehow staying on despite the resistance of the wind. This is what it said.

 

[There are **seventeen** **people** on this ship. Rin Hashizawa. Gavin Sakaki. Hansuke Yasuda. Wanda Morinaga. Miria Hayashi. Eriko Shigure. Daisuke Harada. Chizuru Inoue. Luan Yun-Fat. Claus Toranosuke. Yayoi Murasaki. Aoto Maebara. Stella Masaki. Kazuya Okudaira. Shinobu Koshimizu. Yashiro Narumi. And Jun Fukuyama. **Only these seventeen people have ever existed on this boat.**

 

Everyone you see is **definitively dead.** None of their deaths were suicide- each person was **murdered.** Of course, **you are not the culprit. You have killed no one.**

 

**If you do not find the culprit, you will never escape.**

 

This is your Final Exam.]

 

* * *

 

 

She woke in a cold sweat, grasping her bed's covers with incredible force. Rin Hashizawa gasped for air, aimlessly dabbing at her forehead with one of her hands.

 

“A...a dream.” She mumbled to herself. “It was a dream.”

 

“Eh-hem. Hope's Peak Academy Executive Committee has an announcement to make: The time is now 7 AM! Good morning, everybody! Let's show some enthusiasm and give it our all today!”

 

It was Monokuma again. Of course it was—it wasn't like she could mistake that voice for anyone else. That said, she realized, this time it was comforting to know she at least was not alone. The silence on that ship had been deafening.

 

Forty-five minutes later, she had performed her daily necessities and prepared herself, her mind fraught with hypotheses as to the meaning of the dream. Rin's antenna perked up and down with wild abandon as her brain continually followed, then strayed, from lines of thought. This continued as the black-clad young lady stepped out into Target Hall, tapping her head in apprehension. Her Electronic Student Handbook jostled in her pocket as she walked past Jun's room, then Yashiro's—and that was another thing. How had she known what Yashiro would wear? Had her mind just guessed based on the information she had?

 

“Oh, hello, Rin.” She was jolted by the sound of a voice—Kazuya's voice, as the small young man exited his room as well. His clothes still seemed a bit too big. “Did you sleep well at all? You look horrible.”

 

“No. No, I didn't,” she said. _But I'm really glad to see you with all your brains in your head,_ she didn't add.

 

“Well, that's understandable.” Kazuya looked to the side, crossing his arms. “It was kind of a mess last night, especially after you fainted. Everyone was hollering at everyone else. A bunch of different people tried to start taking charge, it was total chaos.”

 

“Huh. Sorry I conked out.”

 

“I doubt your being there would've made much difference, honestly. Anyway, Claus eventually managed to get everyone to head to bed. We're going to meet up in the Cafeteria at 8, and I think it's 7:50 now.”

 

“Ah, thank goodness.” Rin let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. “I could use some friendly faces. Maybe I'll be able to get Gavin to run me through our secret handshake!”

 

“What?” It took a second for Kazuya to grasp what she meant. “Wait, you're still thinking about that?” He laughed. “Well, I'm glad you've got your groove back, at least.”

 

“Well, no sense worrying until something bad actually happens.” Rin spun around a bit and performed a V-sign. “Gotta stay upbeat, upbeat, upbeat, or you'll be dead meat, dead meat, dead meat!”

 

Kazuya blinked. “Um.”

 

“Oh, wait. That's a bit inappropriate given the situation, isn't it.” Rin looked around awkwardly. “Okay, lemme think of another rhyme. Uhh... You've gotta stay upbeat, or...you won't be able to beat meat!”

 

About halfway through her statement, Kazuya had begun to laugh again, and when the last part came over, he doubled over with laughter. “What are you _talking_ about?!”

 

“I _don't know!_ My mouth is moving faster than my brain! I've got _diarrhea of the mouth!_ ”

 

After a few moments, Kazuya wiped a tear from his eye. “We should...ohhhh.” He took a breath. “We should really be going.”

 

The walk to the Cafeteria was long and dry. Not quite long enough to be really anything more than a “walk,” but annoyingly long nonetheless. It certainly looked like a Cafeteria. Red checkered floor, tan walls. A TV hung up high on the wall, along with a security camera. Glass panels on one side showed an outdoor view, with trees and an overcast sky. Several small, steel tables- 1-2-3-4-5 of them- sat around the room, surrounding a long table. Similarly steel chairs sat at the tables. In the back, Rin could see into a Kitchen through openings in the walls—and in it, she saw a non-suffocated Luan Yun-Fat inspecting various tools.

 

“Don't bother with the walls,” said Yayoi, whose legs were kicked up on the long table. “They're fake.”

 

“Oh my gosh, it's Rin!” shouted Aoto, sat at the table. He stood up and walked briskly over. “You doing alright?”

 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry for conking out. It was...a lot to register.”

 

“It's understandable,” said Chizuru. Wait—where was she? Rin's eyes darted around before she saw a potted plant in the corner, by the door to the Kitchen. Okay, so she was behind the potted plant. “We are just glad you're alright.”

 

“Good morning,” said Miria, who sat at one of the smaller tables.

 

Rin sat down at the long table, breathing deeply and calmly. Kazuya sat next to her.

 

“If you require any assistance, please say so.” That came from the Kitchen- it was Luan.

 

Claus and Hansuke came in together, and Claus started when he saw Rin, rushing over. “Rin! Are you alright?!”

 

“I'm fine, I'm fine!” Rin rolled her eyes. “Gee, a girl faints once and everyone's all over her. Maybe I should faint more often.”

 

“What if you hit your head while you're fainting and you get amnesia again?” added Hansuke, sitting at one of the smaller tables. “Then you'd forget why you fainted to begin with and you'd have to go around introducing yourself again.”

 

“Oh, snap, you're right. Never mind, probably shouldn't faint again. Thanks, Hansuke!”

 

“No problem,” Hansuke mumbled. In looking over at him, Rin saw Wanda was seated at another small table. Wanda waved. Rin waved back.

 

At 8 AM sharp, Rin heard metallic noises from the door. “Yeah, sure. Wheel me without my consent. That's cool.” Jun grumbled in.

 

“Shigure Guarantee! Everyone needs to stay on schedule, and that includes you, Mr. Fukuyama!” Eriko was wheeling Jun's wheelchair into the Cafeteria. “Eight AM! That's what was agreed!” 

 

“I don't remember agreeing to this.”

 

“Everyone else agreed to it,” said Stella, who walked in behind them. “I think you got outvoted, Mr. Grinch!” She tapped him on the head, and he grimaced.

 

Miria looked like she kind of wanted to say something, and apparently, Miss 'Psychological Battles' had a decent idea what she thought it was. "Are you wholly certain you should be doing that?" Chizuru said. Eriko, though, was already buzzing around doing Eriko things, and so Chizuru receded into being completely undetectable.

 

Gavin stumbled in two minutes later, sleep in his eyes. He yawned loudly and said, “Hey buds, I slept like crap. Really harshed my vibe.”

 

“Gav! Buddy! Good to see you!” said Rin. “I slept like crap too!”

 

“Yeah, same here,” said Hansuke.

 

“I slept fine!” said Eriko, bags under her eyes.

 

Finally, Daisuke stumbled in, ponytail drooping. “I could eat a horse. What's cooking?”

 

Claus cleared his throat. “Now that we're all here, _with one exception,_ I believe we should begin.”

 

Miria raised her hand. “Excuse me. Where's Miss Shinobu?”

 

Eriko steamed a bit. “I TRIED to get her out of that Archive, but she just ka ka'd at me and told me that it was in character for her to be 'fashionably late!' Oooooh, just steams me!”

 

Jun rolled his eyes at her in response. "Oh, and so you didn't force  _her_ in, huh?"

 

“You're in a wheelchair, Jun! It's a lot easier for me to move you!” Eriko said matter-of-factly. Jun rolled his eyes again, scoffing.

 

“...So, like I said,” Claus continued, averting his eyes from that conversation and looking a bit uncomfortable, “We're all here, with one exception, so we should start. First of all, I'm assuming everyone's read the rules?”

 

There were nods and murmurs of assent from everyone except Rin. “I've been unconscious. Didn't really have much chance.”

 

“You could've done it while you were preparing yourself this morning,” said Wanda.

 

“Oh. You're right, I could've, couldn't I?”

 

“So, I think we should discuss the rules while we're all together,” said Claus, “and consider what to do about them as a group. Stella?”

 

“On it, boss man.” Stella came up to the head of the long table, standing next to Claus. “So, first off, we've got **_Rule #1. Students can't leave the Science Building; leaving campus is an unacceptable use of our time._** ”

 

“Seems simple enough to me,” said Kazuya. “He's saying we can't leave.”

 

“I envy that guy who got lost,” said Daisuke. “At least HE doesn't have to deal with this!”

 

Yayoi twanged his sitar from her seat and said, “You know he could be dead, right?”

 

“I believe he is attempting to actively ignore this possibility,” said Chizuru, as Daisuke began twiddling his fingers and pointedly not responding to Yayoi. Yayoi scoffed.

 

“Simple enough,” said Claus. “I don't believe any further discussion is needed on this topic.”

 

“ ** _Rule #2. Night Time is from 10 P.M. To 7 A.M. “Certain areas” are off-limits at night._** ” Stella continued. “Anyone have any idea what 'certain areas' are?”

 

“Miria and I conducted a bit of investigation,” said Wanda. “It seems **the Cafeteria and Auditorium are not available at night.** ”

 

“Everywhere else seemed open,” said Miria.

 

“It makes perfect sense to me!” Eriko piped up. “We need to eat our three square meals at proper times! Midnight snacks are very improper.”

 

“But I like midnight snacks!” Aoto whined. “They're, like, my greatest pleasure in life!”

 

“Your mother would be _ashamed_ of you, young man,” said Eriko, pointing her finger at him and frowning. Aoto shrugged.

 

“ ** _Rule #3. Sleeping anywhere except the Housing Suite will be considered “sleeping in class,” and will be punished accordingly._** ” Stella said. “Now, this part I don't get. What does 'punished accordingly' mean?”

 

“I've slept in class a few times,” said Hansuke. “Teachers gave me funny looks. Somehow I don't think Monokuma's just gonna look at us funny.”

 

“Isn't it obvious?” said Jun. “He's got gatling guns all around the place. You'll get shot. What other punishment could there be?”

 

“Hey, J, man, maybe we should be a bit more positive?” Gavin came over and put his arm around Jun. “I mean, we don't KNOW that! Maybe the bear really will just look at us funny!”

 

“No, I think Jun is probably correct,” said Claus. “We're dealing with a dangerous individual here. We shouldn't expect that he won't kill us if we break his 'rules.'”

 

“Man...” Gavin shook his head. “Man. Man!”

 

“Man indeed,” said Wanda.

 

“ ** _Rule #4. Other than the aforementioned restrictions, we can explore the Science Building as we wish._** ”

 

“So...” Daisuke rested his chin in his hands. “It's basically a rule saying 'there aren't any other rules.' Kinda pointless.”

 

“No, I don't think so,” said Wanda. “Establishment of outer boundaries means that he has free reign to clearly define the inner boundaries. If he didn't establish a rule like this, we could bog down Monokuma with technicalities.”

 

“That's a shame,” said Rin. “I was kind of hoping I could anyway. Like, can you sleep in the hallway of the Housing Suite? Maybe we could have a slumber party.”

 

“No.” Yayoi's refusal was as blunt as she could make it.

 

“ ** _Rule #5. Violence against Monokuma and destruction of security cameras are strictly prohibited._** ”

 

Rin had noticed the cameras as she walked to the Cafeteria with Kazuya. They had suddenly sprouted from the wall overnight, and one hung in each room of Abilene Hall.

 

“I would dearly love to destroy them,” said Chizuru, with an audible shiver.

 

“I mean, hey, at least if someone finds us, they'll have evidence, right?” Aoto shivered. “Geez. Monokuma didn't know what he was doing bringing my mom down on him.”

 

Kazuya looked at Yayoi. “I'm glad he didn't enforce that rule yesterday. I guess you got a freebie, huh?”

 

“Don't remind me.” Yayoi bit her thumbnail. “Bastard. Can't believe he pinned me and THEN pulled out the gatling gun.”

 

“It does seem a bit unnecessary, doesn't it?” said Wanda. “Though, even if he was able to pin you, perhaps with you, Claus, and Luan working together, it would've been possible to overpower him.”

 

“I am not bulletproof,” Luan said from the kitchen.

 

“Indeed.” Wanda nodded.

 

“I mean, do you necessarily know that?” Rin tilted her head. “You might be. You don't know until you've been shot.”

 

“I have been shot,” Luan said. “I am not bulletproof.”

 

“Trip, man, you've been shot?!” Gavin pushed his hair up. “How the heck did that happen?”

 

“I will explain later. We're not done.”

 

“Right, thanks.” Stella nodded to Luan. “ ** _Rule #6... if a student kills another student and isn't discovered as the ‘culprit,’ they ‘graduate’ and can leave the school._** ” Stella shivered. “I hate even reading it.”

 

“It's not pleasant, no.” Claus said. “It's downright macabre.”

 

“It's crazy, is what it is!” Eriko shouted, standing up. “Who in the world would do that?”

 

“Don't pretend you wouldn't kill someone for the right compensation,” Jun spat. “Pretending you're some pillar of virtue might make you feel good about yourself—”

 

“I am not PRETENDING!” Rin could almost see the steam coming out of Eriko's ears. “And there's no reason to be so rude!”

 

“No reason to be rude?” Jun barked a derisive laugh. “I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here. I'm not interested in making buddy-buddy when I'm an easy mark for the picking.”

 

“You weren't interested in it before then, though.” Miria said. “What's different about now?”

 

Jun stopped, and then clicked his tongue.

 

“Ha, she totally got you there, J.” Gavin smiled.

 

“Shut your hole.”

 

Eriko was still steaming as Stella continued. “And **_the Last Rule. He can add new rules whenever he wants._** What a stupid game.”

 

“Amen.” Hansuke said.

 

“With that out of the way, I'd like to establish a few rules of our own,” Claus said. “First of all, I'd like to suggest that we head to our rooms when Night Time begins. Obviously, if we stay out too long, there is the possibility that we will unintentionally fall asleep outside, and risk Monokuma's 'punishment'.” I'm aware that I can't really _enforce_ this, but it's what I'll be doing.”

 

Nobody said anything, so he continued. “Second, I'd like to make these eight AM meetings an everyday occurrence.”

 

“No objections here,” said Daisuke.

 

“I just realized something,” said Luan, poking his head out of the Kitchen.

 

“Lay it on us, Lou!” Gavin leaned back in his chair.

 

“I have yet to ask Rin or Hansuke whether they have any allergies.”

 

“Lay off the nuts,” Hansuke said. “It's nothing horrible, but they don't agree with me.”

 

“Thank you,” Luan said, and went back in.

 

“...In any case,” Claus said, clearing his throat. “Eight in the morning, bright and early, everyone. Of course, time isn't perfect, but punctuality is appreciated.”

 

Conspicuous footsteps entering the room turned peoples' heads towards the door. “My, my. Are we devising security measures? How delightful!” said Shinobu.

 

“Oh, good. It's the loony,” said Yayoi. Hansuke groaned into his hands. Eriko gritted her teeth.

 

“That said, I don't think it'll be necessary.” Shinobu laughed. “Nobody will commit murder. Nobody will even be tempted! You needn't treat it as such an eventuality.”

 

“I'm not treating it as an eventuality,” Claus said. “Structure helps keep group cohesion.”

 

“Please, my dear Claus, it's elementary.” She began tut-tutting him. “You're afraid for your life! I understand. But you need not worry. I am here!”

 

“And...how exactly does that follow?” said Wanda.

 

“Well, _Miss Morinaga._ ” Shinobu turned with a look like she'd just stepped in something unpleasant. “I recognize it might be difficult for you to tell given you spend your time dabbling in nonsense and quackery, but as the Ultimate Mystery Novelist, I have a keen wit for murder.”

 

“So...you're going to kill us all?!” Daisuke shouted, as he brandished his sitar.

 

“Ka ka! No, no, not at all, my dear. If I may direct your eyes to the rules, note that it states one must not be discovered in order to, eh-hem, 'graduate.'” Shinobu actually made air quotes around the word graduate. “As the Ultimate Mystery Novelist, it is downright impossible to sneak a clever trick by me. Anyone who would kill has no hope of winning against me, and as such, neither does our captor!”

 

“Your logic is...incredibly twisted.” said Chizuru, shaking the plant a bit.

 

“Therefore, I myself am the greatest deterrent possible. Nobody could possibly hope to defeat me in a battle of wits, and therefore I doubt anyone will try.” Shinobu curtsied. “Do not worry, everyone! Shinobu Koshimizu will protect your safety!”

 

Aoto leaned over to Miria and whispered, “I always thought authors must be weirdos. Turns out I didn't know the half of it.”

 

Claus adjusted his tie. “Well, er... Thank you, Shinobu. Your assurance is very much appreciated.”

 

“I am finished,” said Luan, exiting the kitchen pushing a serving cart. “With the supplies available, I was able to prepare omelets and red potatoes for sixteen. Orange juice has been supplied if water is not to your liking.”

 

“Hey, hey, now.” Stella frowned. “I’m on a diet! That’s way too many carbs.”

 

“Worry about your diet after you get out of here,” Hansuke said, taking his plate.

 

“Holy crap, he eats like a vacuum cleaner,” Yayoi said, eyes wide at Hansuke’s plate, which was already much lighter. “Take a swig of that OJ, man, or you’re gonna choke.”

 

It was the first meal Rin remembered having, but she thought, all in all, that it was lovely. Even if he was not the Ultimate Chef, Luan clearly knew his way around a kitchen.

 

“You… made a plate for me?” Shinobu said, being the last to take her plate. “I wasn’t here until now.”

 

“That doesn’t matter,” Luan said. “Take the food.”

 

Shinobu looked awkward as she began to peck at her food. Wanda laughed gaily at the Mystery Novelist, who gritted her teeth and pointed her fork at her adversary.

 

“Lou, my man, you are dynamite!” Gavin shouted, pointedly maintaining what little of an orange juice mustache he could keep. “How’d you get this good?”

 

“I’m actually quite curious myself,” said Claus.

 

“Necessity,” Luan said.

 

“It is the mother of invention,” Chizuru said. Rin had attempted to keep an eye to see how she made it from the plant to the cart and back, but she seemed to have disappeared to somewhere else in the room.

 

Rin was content to bask amidst pleasant conversation. Even with Eriko correcting her on table manners- was that, too, a duty of the Ultimate Conductor? - and Jun sitting off by his lonesome being a downer, it was warm, and inviting, to be amidst this many people.

 

She took the opportunity to take stock. She had yet to visit the mysterious hallway from the North Wing, and the South Wing’s Darkroom, Laundry, and Disposal. She had plenty of time on her hands, so that seemed to be a good course of action to take. Her gaze had wandered. Miria waved. Rin waved back. Eriko had targeted Daisuke, now, who was strumming on his sitar, singing with egg in his mouth. Now that was definitely abominable manners.

 

**10:30 A.M.**

 

First, the long hallway from North Wing. Rin had finished slowly enough that she was able to excuse herself; half the group was gone by the time she’d finished, and she didn’t think that Shinobu was about to complain if Rin left. The lighting of Abilene Hall died down as she continued further into the hall—no, actually. It was flickering. The lights were flickering as she continued further down the hall. At the end of the hallway was an elevator, instead of another room.

 

An elevator whose doors were plastered with Monokuma’s **_adorable_** face.

 

Rin grimaced.

 

“Well well well!” A “boing!” from behind her signaled _his_ appearance. “Congratulations, Rin! You’ve found the best place in the whole building!”

 

“Oh, is that right.” She turned to face Monokuma, her face in a quizzical frown. “You couldn’t have picked any better decorations?”

 

“I can’t believe you sometimes,” Monokuma said, squiggly lines emanating from his head indicating some sort of sadness. “Can’t you see that’s clearly the most handsome face on God’s green earth!?”

 

“Yours? As if, you dweeb.” She smacked at the elevator face’s red wing-eye. “I mean, this, for instance, totally clashes with the decoration of this hall.”

 

“Um, EXCUSE me, Rudegirl! Fine, if you’re gonna be like that I won’t explain what this thing is.”

 

Rin sighed, and got on her knees. “I’m sorry, Monokuma. Your design is actually quite effective at incurring cognitive dissonance between your cutesy manner and the fact that you’ve kidnapped us and locked us in here to kill each other,” she said, her head towards the ground. “Please forgive me.”

 

“Hmmmm.” Monokuma tapped at where his chin would probably go, were he not a bear. “That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”

 

“I am not a pig!”

 

“You’re right, you’re more like a really attractive piece of cattle. I mean, as a bear, I’m of course not particularly interested in cattle, but I have to appreciate anything that shares my sense of aesthetic—and you’ve even got red eyes, so bonus points!”

 

Rin gritted her teeth. “What…? Are you complimenting me or insulting me?”

 

“A question for the ages, my friend.” Monokuma nodded, satisfied with himself. “I’m sure that there are plenty of people who’d be into what you’ve got going on.”

 

Rin’s antenna pointed straight up, and if she could manipulate the rest of her hair, she felt as though now would be a good time to have it float around her head— _like a fleet of deadly snakes on the head of a gorgon,_ she thought. “Can—can we please stop talking about this!?”

 

“Hm, alright. Your suffering is sufficient.” He cackled. “So, the object of your investigation today is the Monokuma Service Elevator. It’s an elevator that services each level of this facility!”

 

“Wait, so there are multiple levels behind that sheet of iron bars?”

 

“What, you thought Hope’s Peak Academy was cheap enough to only have a building with two floors?” Monokuma scoffed. “Listen, this school’s made some pretty bad decisions in the past, sure, but as your Headmaster I simply must defend its honor!” He put on a deep, baroque affectation. “Therefore, I must say: Foolish girl! This castle has five layers!”

 

“Five layers. Gotcha.” Rin tapped at the side of the elevator. Buttons were present, but they blinked on and off in inscrutable patterns. “How does this thing work?”

 

“Trade secret, m’lady. The Mono-serv-ator—that’s its cool, hip nickname in the urban media—is for Science Building administration only! I mean, DUH.” He blew a raspberry…without a tongue. Somehow. “If you could operate this elevator, then what’d be the point of blocking off the higher floors? You could just get anywhere you wanted willy nilly! The order of things would break down and we’d all become kulaks and dissenters!”

 

“That’s fair.” Rin cocked her head to the side, giving the Monokuma Service Elevator (she refused to use the nickname, because it was stupid) one last once-over. “Thanks for the explanation, I appreciate it.”

 

“Oh, no!” Monokuma placed both his paws on his face and squished his own cheeks. “Rin-chan, you’re being too moe! If you do that too much, the fans will start shipping us!”

 

“I wouldn’t mind being shipped out of here,” Rin said. “And what does ‘mo-way’ mean?”

 

Monokuma opened his mouth, then closed it again. “I’ll explain when you’re older,” he said, before disappearing back into the floor as quickly as he came with a reversed “boing.” And thus, it was just Rin and the buttons on the Monokuma Service Elevator.

 

Now that she was alone, she heard that the buttons made pleasant little blinking noises as they danced their electric dance. How nice.

 

**11 A.M.**

 

Next on Rin’s list was the Disposal. She crossed through the Lounge, waving to Hansuke, Yayoi, and Aoto, who had started up a game of poker at the table.

 

It was very grey. Gunmetal grey walls, a green floor, and another sheet of iron bars blocking off the majority of the room’s space. An incinerator and several apparatuses connected to it were far into the back, behind the bars. Under her feet was a disposal chute.

 

“Heyyy, it’s my bud Rin!” Gavin was there too. It was really incredible, Rin thought, how he clashed differently with every room he entered.

 

“Heya, Gav. So this is where we get rid of trash, huh?”

 

“Trip, man, that thing is POWERFUL.” He pointed at the incinerator. “I dropped a glass marble in there and it was GONE. Fwoosh! Pow! Kablammo!”

 

There was a notice on the wall emblazoned with Monokuma’s mug. Rin took a look. The Headmaster had this to say.

 

Heya, kids! It’s your old pal Monokuma! Puhuhuhu! This room contains my special Monokuma Incinerator. This takes care of any trash you might have lickety-split. That said, be careful you don’t drop any personal belongings in there! It won’t incinerate any such personal belongings, and that’ll be counted as littering!

 

“He even wrote his laugh? What a weirdo,” Rin said.

 

“Hey, you think Nobe writes her laugh?” Gavin said from behind her. _Nobe?_ “I mean, she writes books and stuff, right? Gotta write somebody laughing at some point.” Oh, Shinobu.

 

“I mean, it’s not like everyone laughs like her, right?” Rin pondered for a moment. Her antenna swiveled. “Oh man, do you think everyone in her books laughs like her?”

 

“Yo, wait, you think everyone in her books _talks_ like her?” Gavin said, eyes wide. “That’s frickin’ scary.”

 

“No kidding,” Rin said, as she lifted the sheet of iron bars- it took a bit of work, but it wasn’t that hard.

 

Gavin whistled. “Wowzers, Rin. You’re one tough gal! Ol’ Gav couldn’t have done that.”

 

“Aw, don’t put yourself down. I’m sure you can do it if you put your mind to it,” Rin said, giving the Monokuma Incinerator a knock or two on the side and pawing on the gauges. “Hm. You know, I’m learning a few things, Gav.”

 

“Lay it on me, Rin!”

 

Rin’s antenna stood at attention, and she raised her finger into the air. “It’s time for Questionnaires with Miss Rin! Ask me anything about incinerators!”

 

“How do—“

 

“ ** _No freakin’ clue, man!_** ” Rin said, with the widest grin she could muster. “I don’t know ANYTHING about incinerators!”

 

“Aw, dang!” Gavin laughed. “I was hopin’ you were gonna be, like, the Ultimate Incinerator, or something.”

 

“Why, so I could burn you to cinders?” Rin’s legs carried her over to Gavin, and she brought him in to start giving him a noogie, cackling all the while. “Burn your Hasselhoff clean Hassel-off?”

 

“No, man! Ow! The Hasselhoff is important to the Gavin Sakaki aura! Ow!” He struggled to escape her grasp with each cry of pain.

 

“Your aura of being a visual trainwreck, you mean?! Get over here! We’re not done!” Rin roared with an unforeseen ferocity.

 

Later, the two, laughing all the while, would install “Rin giving Gavin a noogie” as the eleventh step in their secret BFF handshake.

 

**12 P.M.**

 

“Four of a kind,” Hansuke said, laying his cards on the table.

 

Yayoi pounded the table with her fist, startling Aoto into dropping his dud of a hand. “How the hell are you so good at this!?”

 

Hansuke considered this question. He’d been told several times that he was good at poker, but nobody had ever been able to come up with a consistent answer as to why.

 

“Guess I’ve just got a good poker face,” he said.

 

“I’ve always been better at mahjong,” Aoto said. The tan boy hunched over, and put his head in his hands.

 

Hansuke considered his situation. He was locked in an unknown facility with fifteen other people who had an incentive to murder each other, by a weird talking bear, when this should’ve been his first few days at the most prestigious high school in all Japan.

 

He sighed inwardly. Just another day in the life of the Ultimate Salesman. At least the bed was nice, he thought, leaning back in his chair.

 

“Hm.” He mumbled to himself. “Monokuma, huh?”

 

“You know this guy?” Yayoi raised her eyebrow.

 

“Nah. Definitely don’t know any stuffed bears. I’m just talking to myself.”

 

“Externalization of internal monologue is a useful technique.” Aoto said, and then saw Yayoi giving him a look like he’d just grown three glowing horns and began conducting electricity. “At least, that’s, uh. What my mom says.”

 

“Sure. What your mom says.” Yayoi looked skeptical, but didn’t press the point. Hansuke decided that Aoto’s mom could say whatever she wanted to say and he wouldn’t press the issue unless she was whispering messages into his ears at night to flood the paper clip market.

 

Aoto bent over and sighed. “Can’t believe this. This is ridiculous. What the heck even is this?”

 

“It’s bull, is what it is,” said Yayoi. She put down her cards, as she was evidently the only person still interested in playing poker. “Stupid goddamn bear. I’ve got places to be!”

 

“Where do you have to be?” asked Aoto.

 

“Why the hell do you want to know?” Yayoi said- and then sighed deeply. “Gotta go visit my little sister. I’m supposed to go in on the first of every month if I haven’t been able to make it in a month.”

 

“Little sister, huh?” Hansuke said. “How about that. She take after you?”

 

“Hell no!” Yayoi smirked. “Cutest little thing I’ve ever seen. Couldn’t be less like me if she tried.”

 

“Haha, I’m glad!” Aoto said. “I mean, one of you is enough, right?” As Yayoi frowned at Aoto for his remark, Hansuke couldn’t help but notice that Yayoi had sounded a touch forlorn for that last bit. He mentally weighed whether to ask or not, before deciding that, frankly, if he was going to find out, it’d happen eventually anyway, because that was how it _always_ was.

 

“Oh, Hansuke. Do you have any siblings?” asked Aoto. Hansuke leaned back forward. Oh, good. A personal question.

 

“Nope.”

 

“Oh, so it’s just you and your parents, then?” Aoto said. Oh, better. This part.

 

“Nope.”

 

“Um…” Aoto realized that he’d touched on what was perhaps a sensitive issue. “Oh. Uh, sorry.”

 

“You live by yourself, then?” Yayoi gave Hansuke an appraising look. “Maybe you’re a bit more competent than you look.”

 

“One of these days, maybe you should learn to give compliments with the front of your hand, Yayoi.” The scruffy salesman adjusted his jacket. “It’s a useful skill to have.”

 

“Well, uh…” Aoto stammered. “Hansuke, do— Do you need, like, a place to stay? I could ask my mom—“

 

Hansuke leaned forward and stared directly at Aoto, being sure to maintain eye contact. “Aoto, I want you to listen to yourself for a second. First off, you met me _yesterday_ and you’re already offering me board. I appreciate the trust, but that’s foolhardy as hell. Second, thanks but no thanks. I got a little place of my own. And third, are you seriously asking about _places to stay_ right now?”

 

Aoto’s eyes darted back and forth for a few moments before... Ah. His mouth opened slightly and his eyes widened. “…Because we…have a place to stay…and that’s the _problem._ ”

 

“Good man.” Hansuke nodded.

 

Suddenly, Yayoi grunted. She’d grabbed a mahjong set from the pile of Things To Do over in the North Wing, and plopped it on the table. “Alright, pal. Warning you now: Boss Murasaki’s got a pretty good grasp on mahjong herself.”

 

 

Aoto smiled brightly. “Aw, yeah! _Riichi,_ baby!” Then he paused. “Shouldn’t we really have a fourth person for this?”

 

Hansuke gave the pile of tiles and bars a look, darting and registering a ton of symbols. He’d never played mahjong. Maybe he could fake it.

 

Aoto gave a shout, then. “Oh, it’s Rin. Hey, Rin!” Hansuke looked over. The amnesiac with the antenna (how the hell did her hair do that?) was darting from the Disposal (and how the hell did she walk so damn fast?) and heading towards the Laundry Room. “Wanna play mahjong?”

 

“Ooh, sorry buddy, would but I’m busy investigating,” she said, and pounded her fist into her hand. “One thing at a time, you know?”

 

While she was stopped, Hansuke looked over Rin Hashizawa, the Ultimate Unknown. Pale as a full moon, pitch-black everywhere else, bright red eyes… Even just looking at her you could tell she was something else, but the number of factors coming together to make her downright _odd_ couldn’t be a coincidence. He’d seen a lot of coincidences in his time as a salesman, so he knew what coincidences looked like, and this girl was a pattern if he’d ever seen one. Amnesiac, too; he had no doubt that was probably because of Monokuma, but it made her an unknown value.

 

A few gears began to turn in Hansuke’s head. Hm. Actually, now that he thought about it, that led to some other questions. Questions that weren’t necessarily about Rin, either.

 

“It’s been great hanging out, you two, but I’m gonna head to my room,” he said, standing up. “Have fun with two-person mahjong, I guess.” He gave a single, lazy wave and walked off. Time to put himself together.

 

**12:30 P.M.**

 

After making sure that Hansuke had not run off because of her arrival, Rin ensured Gavin sat with Aoto and Yayoi to give them a third player in whatever they were playing, and headed for the Laundry Room.

 

A full on _Laundromat_ would be a better description for this place, Rin decided, considering its size relative to the other rooms. Rows upon rows of washers and dryers created aisles atop a granite tiled floor, with steel carts and plastic baskets reflecting the fluorescent lighting on the white, acoustic ceiling. The walls—in as much as they existed instead of being choked by laundry machines—were a bland, pale yellow.

 

As Rin looked through the aisles, she saw Kazuya tucked away in one of them, staring intently at a washing machine. He occasionally made noises of discontent. Rin considered sneaking up on him to startle him, but opted against it, as the poor boy seemed to have enough on his plate.

 

“Hey, Kazuya.” Instead, she opted for a simple greeting and a wave. “What’s up? Wanted to do some laundry?”

 

“Oh, Rin. No, that’s not the issue.” He looked away. “The laundry’s the issue, actually.”

 

“What’s wrong with the laundry?”

 

“Well…” He frowned behind his scarf. “It’s that everything else is private, but our laundry is in public. I don’t want people seeing me doing my laundry, is all.”

 

“Aww, it’s okay.” She came over and patted him on the head. Kazuya blushed. “We all have our weird little things, buddy. **Wait.** ” She paused. “I mean, I think that we do, but I guess I don’t necessarily know we do—“

 

“We do, Rin. We all have our weird little things.” He was still quiet, but this was forceful; he’d stepped in to stop Rin before she’d gone on a ramble, and she appreciated that. “I don’t think that you should spend so much time doubting your instincts. Even if you don’t have memories, if you have these learned pieces of knowledge, you should trust them.”

 

“Huh.” Rin digested this for a minute. “I guess, but my brain clearly isn’t particularly reliable if everything fell out of it. I just think it makes more sense to have other people confirm what I’m thinking. I mean, what if it turned out I actually had been a vampire?”

 

“Why do you keep talking about vampires?”

 

...Rin stopped. Why _did_ she keep talking about vampires? As far as she could tell, it was a pretty weird thing to get hung up on. “That’s…a really good question, actually. I have no idea.”

 

“Maybe you’re a big fan of vampires,” Kazuya said. “I’ve known a lot of people who were big into them.”

 

“What, vampires?”

 

“Yeah, well…” Kazuya’s eyes shifted. “A lot of the girls in my book club have been on about vampires a lot these days. I’ve seen a lot of… Anne Rice? I think that’s the author’s name. And one girl keeps going on about the cultural significance of another series she tried to get me to read. ‘Okudaira-chan, you really need to start thinking about getting yourself a husband,’ she’d say, ‘read this book, you’ll know what you should be looking for!’”

 

“And did you?”

 

“The male lead watches the female lead while she sleeps for hours at a time and removes the engine from her car to keep her from seeing other men, is how I understood it.”

 

Rin blinked. “And they think that’s your ideal partner?”

 

“It is odd, isn’t it?” Kazuya closed his eyes. “It seems vampires engender odd thoughts in the hearts of mankind. So, you thinking you might be a vampire is pretty harmless in comparison unless you start trying to actually suck my blood.”

 

“I don’t think your veins are large enough for me to even get anything out of it without totally tearing open your neck, honestly—” Rin shook her head. Tangent. “But you’re right, it is weird that I keep thinking of vampires.”

 

The two of them weren’t looking directly at each other. They were staring into the reflection of the washer.

 

“Rin,” Kazuya said, after a moment’s pause. “Thanks.”

 

“Huh? What for?”

 

“For, uh…just talking to me, I guess. People do a lot of talking _at_ me instead of talking _to_ me. It feels like I can never get a word in edgewise.” Kazuya’s eyes were downcast.

 

“Hm…” Rin nodded. “I can see that, yeah.”

 

“How do you mean?”

 

“I mean, you’re the Ultimate Orator, right? That means you’re supposed to be good at talking, but really, you’re practicing for exactly what to say when you’re saying it. If you’re put on the spot, that doesn’t have anything to do with it, and so if you can’t say much, people probably assume you don’t have much to say if you’re not saying it immediately.”

 

Kazuya blinked. “That’s… That makes a lot of sense. I’ve never thought of it that way.”

 

“It’s not correct to do that, I don’t think, but it probably accounts for a lot of people’s interaction with you,” Rin said into the washer. “Shame, though.”

 

“Just something I need to work on,” Kazuya sighed at the washer.

 

Rin heard footsteps to her side. “Hello, Miss Rin, Mister Kazuya.” It was Miria, with a few bits of laundry.

 

“Well hiya Miria!” Psychoanalyst Rin had gone offline. “Haha, hi, what’s up?”

 

“I’m doing laundry. Boss told me to come and sit down for mahjong when I was done, so after I do my laundry, I’m going to go and sit down for mahjong,” Miria said.

 

Rin gritted her teeth. Damnit. She still had the Darkroom to investigate. Mahjong could wait. But could mahjong with a cute girl wait? Could it wait!? …Wait. She hated mahjong.

 

“Wait. I hate mahjong,” Rin said.

 

“Oh,” Miria said. “I didn’t know that.”

 

“So, much as spending time with you would be lovely, my dear Miss Hayashi, your humble servant will continue her own investigations.” Rin bowed.

 

“Okay,” Miria said. “Why do you hate mahjong?”

 

“Because it’s just stupid!” Rin felt heat rise in her face from sources unknown. “It’s all just random luck and none of the rules make sense, and when we play he always beats me!”

 

“Wait.” Kazuya’s eyes widened. “Who always beats you?”

 

Rin stopped. What had she just said?

 

“…Miss Rin.” Miria looked a bit less even than she usually did. “Are you okay?”

 

“Huh, yeah, I’m fine, it’s just… ugh, it’s on— It’s on the tip of my head.” Rin tapped her head repeatedly. She played mahjong semi-regularly with somebody and that somebody beat her every time. She’d never once beaten him. She knew that. But who was he?

 

“Is it your boyfriend?” Miria asked.

 

“What?” Rin was startled out of her thoughts by this question.

 

“Somehow I doubt Rin would have a boyfriend,” Kazuya said.

 

“Why?” said Miria.

 

“Because I don’t think she’s interested in men,” Kazuya said.

 

“Oh,” said Miria.

 

“Arrrrrgh, shut up, shut up!” Rin’s face was scrunched, and her eyes closed. “I’ll get this, I will get this! Argh!” It was there, it was right there, it— It was gone. Rin’s antenna drooped as her eyes opened. “I didn’t get this.”

 

It took a second of silence and Miria and Kazuya coming closer for Rin to realize she was crying. She hadn’t felt that before in memory, and it was an odd sensation, to feel tears running down her cheek, burning her a little.

 

“Rin, are— Are you okay?” Kazuya said. “You’re crying.”

 

“I’m— I’m FINE. I’m—“ The tears wouldn’t stop coming no matter how many she wiped away. A bit of snot began to run down her nose.

 

Suddenly, Rin felt herself wrapped in a tight embrace. “Miria, wh-what—”

 

“You’re hurting, right?” Miria said. “This is what my mom always did when I got hurt. Am I doing it wrong?”

 

It took a bit more blubbering for Rin to choke out a “no.” Miria and Kazuya stood silently with Rin for a while, as the sounds of her sniffles and sobs stifled the air of the room. With a honking noise, she blew her nose on a tissue Kazuya had grabbed for her, and she wiped the last of her tears on her sleeve.

 

Rin gasped a bit as she said, “Thanks, guys… I don’t know what came over me.”

 

“It’s okay,” said Miria. “Now you know you do have memories to get back. It’s probably very hard.”

 

“I… Yeah. Even just that little bit hurt.” Rin rubbed her head. Her face was as flushed as her pale complexion would let it be.

 

“This mahjong friend of yours… He must’ve been really important to you if he’s the first thing you started to remember, huh?” Kazuya said.

 

“That’s…what that would indicate, yeah.” Rin blew out a breath and fanned her face. “Hoo, wow, okay, that was new.”

 

“Will you be okay, Miss Rin?” Miria asked. “You were shaking badly.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m gonna be fine. Totally.” Sniff, to get the last bits of snot back into her nose. “Geez, crying is exhausting. I hate this! Why do we even have this feature?”

 

“I probably knew that at some point, but I’ve forgotten,” said Kazuya.

 

“We cry when we’re sad,” said Miria. “Being sad is tiring. I don’t think it’s the crying.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin sighed.

 

“Miss Rin, you’re done being sad now, right? Then I think you should smile. You were smiling all day yesterday.” Miria said. Rin blushed. If there was one way to blow away her anxiety…

 

“It’s a nice smile, Rin.” Kazuya said. “I appreciate having you around. You and your…um…weirdly chipper attitude.”

 

Rin twisted her face, making whooshing noises and squatting up and down, throwing her arms up as she did so. “Alright! Okay! Miss Hashizawa is back online! Bet my mahjong buddy wouldn’t like to see me cry either.” A few jumping jacks later, she was limber and ready to go. “Alright, I’ve gotta go check out the Darkroom. See you two later. Thanks again!”

 

Rin left the room. Kazuya and Miria remained behind in the Laundromat. Miria, as it turned out, still hadn’t done her laundry.

 

“Hm… Waking up in an unknown location, with nobody knowing who you are…” Kazuya mumbled. “I…think I can sympathize.”

 

“Have you had amnesia before, Mist—“

 

“Don’t call me ‘Mister.’ We’re the same age. Just Kazuya is fine.”

 

“Okay, Kazuya.” Miria nodded.

 

**2:30 P.M.**

 

“…and that, my friends, was ‘Tale of the Goldfish Carp,’ by Yasuhiro Tsuboyasu,” Daisuke said, re-holstering his sitar.

 

The Auditorium was not very full, but Daisuke’s audience of Claus, Stella, and Luan gave him their best applause anyhow.

 

“Thank you, folks, thank you! Tip your waiter!” Ah, but he lived for this feeling; the adulation of a crowd satisfied.

 

…Claus was golf clapping, though. What a square.

 

“It was excellent, Daisuke.” Claus said. “Thank you for the show.”

 

“Think I could get you to give me some stings next time Eriko brings Jun in?” said Stella. “I feel like that guy deserves a soundtrack.”

 

Daisuke considered this. On the one hand, it’d be really funny to mess with Jun, who seemed like kind of a douchebag, by adding a live soundtrack to his life. On the other hand…

 

“Sorry, Brewmaster’s Credo. I must stay on point!” Daisuke decided to gesture to his angel-wing jacket. “I’m a little angel and I shall stay that way.”

 

“Oh, fine, be that way.” Stella pouted.

 

“There’s no reason to be rude, Stella.” Claus stood up. “An artist creates in their own way. You can’t force Daisuke to…hm…” He stopped. “I seem to be losing my words. What was I looking for?”

 

“I musicate my lyrics how I want, is what you’re looking for, pal.” Daisuke hopped off the stage, and decided he’d give Claus a hand. Claus nodded and made a noise of assent.

 

“Uh, musicate isn’t a word,” Stella said.

 

Daisuke rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. “It’s a word if you understood what I meant, and judging by Claus nodding when I said it, he understood perfectly well.”

 

“I also understood,” said Luan, who was there too.

 

Stella pouted when she realized she was being outvoted. Inwardly, this actually made Daisuke quite proud- he’d beaten an actual celebrity at words! Score one for the Brewmaster!

 

Daisuke Harada had, of course, heard of several of his classmates before waking up here, but it was something else entirely to actually be stuck in here with a pile of teenage celebrities. He was far more used to the company of adults, given the nature of his work. Adults were a bit more predictable; you knew basically what issues they had if they were coming in for a drink. On the other hand, his classmates were a pile of something elses, considering he was in a room with one of the most famous sports commentators in recent history and a guy who ran a school at freaking sixteen years old! What do you expect from something like that?!

 

“Tell me, Daisuke.” Oh, Claus was talking. “How long have you played the sitar?”

 

“Ah, asking the Brewmaster about his hobbies. Well, me and this baby here have been together for about six years now.”

 

“You haven’t replaced it a single time?” Stella gaped. “It’s not, like…getting old?”

 

Daisuke adjusted his glasses downward so that Stella could be certain to see his quizzical look. “Uh, it’s a sitar, Stel. Sure, I’ve had to replace the strings a few times, but life’s gonna have to snap this thing in half to make me get a new one.”

 

“Then it holds sentimental value,” Luan said.

 

“Yeah, it does.” Daisuke held his sitar like he would hold a lover. That is to say, if he had a lover, which he did not; he made sure to remind himself. “Was a gift from my grandma. Said I had the eyes like I’d like it. I did.”

 

“It’s a sitar,” said Stella. “I don’t get the appeal.”

 

Daisuke shook his head. Celebrities. “Well, I don’t think you’ve got to understand it to commentate over it, do you? Hey big guy, what did you say she said when Rin walked in?”

 

“She asked for ‘amnesia hype,’” said Luan. Stella frowned.

 

“Well, if you can get hype for amnesia, which is like, the dictionary definition of not understanding, then you can get hype for a sitar I got from my grandma, yeah?”

 

Suddenly, Claus had put his hands on Stella and Daisuke’s shoulders. “Now, now, you two. Let’s not fight.”

 

“I wasn’t fighting,” said Stella.

 

“It was a lovely performance, Daisuke.” Claus said. “Thank you again.”

 

“Right, no problem at all. Any time.” Daisuke stretched, and waved at Claus, who walked out of the area. Stella followed behind him, looking like she was still internally trying to figure out the sitar situation. “Hey big guy, wanna play ping pong?”

 

“I’ve never played ping pong,” said Luan.

 

“What, seriously? But it’s like, one of the premier pleasures of our world! Luan, Luan, Luan…” Daisuke placed his hand on Luan’s shoulder and leaned in- Luan was still sitting, so he was coming in from a higher angle. “ _Buddy!_ We gotta get you in some ping pong!”

 

“Very well,” said Luan.

 

**3:30 P.M.**

 

Lunch had been delivered to the Cafeteria at 2 P.M., as evidently breakfast was the only meal the students were on themselves to make, so Rin had promptly gone to fill her stomach and spent a while after that eating. After that, the two-person mahjong game between Aoto and Yayoi had become a proper four-person game, as Gavin and Claus had added their presence to the game. Rin still hated mahjong, so she declined to join in.

 

The Darkroom was really more orange, if anything. The Orangeroom. It was also very small- not much standing room to go around, most of the room’s floor space being occupied by stands with equipment Rin didn’t recognize, sinks, a few curtains. The room’s standing space was L-shaped; a bit of space in front of Rin, and then it bent to her right and went to the wall.

 

Rin looked down. The floor was at a 4-degree incline. Maybe that was a facet of darkrooms too. What the heck was a darkroom? Underneath the table was an odd, dark-colored cloth lump that—

 

“Oh, hey. Chizuru. Hi.”

 

Chizuru made a yipping noise when Rin spoke to her, and immediately rolled to face her from under the table. “Uh, h-hello. Hello, Rin. Hi.”

 

“This is actually a really great hiding place,” Rin said. “Your hair blends in with the color of the room. I could barely see you even though I was looking right at you! Nice job.”

 

“Well, er, I.” Chizuru’s eyes darted back and forth. “I am working with…limited space. This was the best I could do for the time being. Shinobu had already found me under the table this morning and would not leave me be.”

 

“Aw, geez, is she giving you trouble?” Rin’s antenna twitched sympathetically. “Need me to help? You can hide in my room if you want.”

 

Chizuru pondered this for a moment. “I will…consider this for the future. For now, I will make do with what I have in Abilene Hall.”

 

“Okay. Still, though, I’m here for you.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

A brief moment of silence occurred.

 

“Do you know what a ‘darkroom’ is?” Rin said. “I’m blanking.”

 

“It is an extremely outdated method of developing photographs and similar methods of preserving images,” Chizuru said. “Why this hall is equipped with one, I haven’t the foggiest idea. It is, however, equipped to be put into total darkness.”

 

This interested Rin, and as such, her eyes cut through the orange to find the light switch. She switched it.

 

“Wow! It’s completely dark!” Rin could see absolutely nothing, and she found this very exciting. It really WAS a dark room! “Well, that’s convenient. No way they’ll find you in here if it’s this dark.”

 

“Yes, but in this situation, it is probably improper for me to stay hidden the entire time. After all, the rest of the group does need to be reminded that I am here and alive.” Chizuru shifted her weight a bit under the table, and Rin could hear it. “It is an…unfortunate predicament we find ourselves in.”

 

“Yeah, I hear you.” Rin said. “I can’t do anything much else right now.”

 

“Your companionship is appreciated, Rin.” Chizuru said. In truth, the Ultimate Hide and Seeker did not have many friends, especially not her own age, so the presence of the Ultimate Amnesiac was comforting. It helped her conscience, as well, that Rin was so accepting of the fact that she felt the need to hide herself away from people—

 

“No, I mean I literally can’t do anything else. I can’t see you. It’s really dark.”

 

“Oh, haha. It was a joke. My apologies, I’ve never been any good at-“

 

There was suddenly a warmth next to Chizuru. What? What?? Her brain lit up and began to run over all the possibilities: A fever? Someone sneaking in and putting her hands on a heater? No, worse. Rin was huddling next to her. Wait, Rin was huddling next to her! What?

 

“I can hide with you, if you want.” Rin said. Chizuru felt her face flush. What was Rin _doing?_ What... What was this? The Ultimate Hide and Seeker was not very used to people being close to her.

 

“Um!” Chizuru yelped. “That’s— I-I mean, if you want to— Um—” Every alarm claxon possible was going off in Chizuru’s head at once, and she found it very confusing. “No! Um! People will wonder where you went, and then they’ll find me too.”

 

“Oh yeah, that’s a good point, isn’t it? I do kind of bounce around the place a lot.” Rin chuckled. “Alright. You want me to leave the orange off or leave it on?”

 

Rin receded, and Chizuru’s brain began to work properly again. Thinking clearly, she was able to process that she appreciated Rin’s kindness, but logistically it made no sense to hide together. An irrational fragment of her mind chided her for developing an attachment to someone she’d met just yesterday, but logic prevailed again telling her that in such a situation it was natural for people to cling together.

 

“Leave it on,” Chizuru said. “I am the Ultimate Hide-And-Seeker. If my location can’t be derived at all, I’m not playing fair.”

 

“Gotcha,” Rin said. With a click, the Darkroom once again became the Orangeroom. Chizuru was once more alone.

 

_You always have been an odd girl, Chizuru. Just be careful, alright? I don’t want you getting hurt._

 

“Yes, Father,” Chizuru said to herself.

 

**5 P.M.**

 

“Oh, it’s _you_ ,” Shinobu Koshimizu hissed, as she entered the Aquarium. Already today, that poor girl under the table had run away when she’d attempted to make conversation, and the girl in the hard hat had called her a lunatic! Rude! Horrible! No, no, she should really use their names, it was rude to do otherwise. Chizuru had run away. Yayoi had insulted her. And she was sure that Chizuru probably had some sort of very good reason for running away, the poor girl had that aura about her.

 

But it had all been worsened when she walked into the Aquarium, a _lovely_ room ill befitting a nasty brute like Monokuma, and seen _her_ in the room already. Shinobu was a lady, of course, and knew her manners, but she simply could not stand the face of the blonde in the newsie, and neither could Shinobu stand her back side, there was something about that pleated skirt that simply irked her. No, no. It was just that _Morinaga_ irked her. Simple as that.

 

“Hello, Shinobu.” Morinaga said. Placid as anything, seeming perfectly delighted to see Shinobu. Did she not understand that they were _ideological opposites?_ Foes destined to battle until one fell?

 

“ _Morinaga._ You’re looking as well as you can.” Shinobu sneered. Morinaga... Wanda, was that her first name? Wanda. What a weird name. It had “wand” in it, which was probably proof she believed in witches! What an idiot!

 

“Yes, thank you. Have I ever told you that you have a lovely beret? Where’d you get it?”

 

Shinobu scoffed, and gave her patented wry grin. “I had it custom made. Being an author who deals only in real hard facts and science, you see, I get paid with money that you can exchange for goods and services.”

 

“Aren’t you a fiction author?” Wanda asked, with a tone of genuine curiosity. An infuriating tone of genuine curiosity!

 

“Listen, young lady. You might not understand this, having your nose buried in pulp rags and tabloids, but when one reads a good mystery, you walk away feeling smarter. Does Sherlock Holmes simply tell Watson that he found things out without his knowledge? No! He explains it, in great detail, and for a moment, you look into the mind of an incredible genius! You see the way he sees the world!” Shinobu paced around as she said this, because it was all very important. “This is the hard facts and science! A truly great mystery is understandable, educational even! You learn things!”

 

“Oh, that sounds nice,” Wanda said. “My experience with 19th and 20th century mystery authors is pretty limited. I’ve read some Rex Stout and some Christie, but that’s about it. Should I take this to mean I have your recommendation for Doyle?”

 

“The Sherlock Holmes stories are classic. Absolutely wonderful. Beautiful pieces of work,” Shinobu nodded as she said. “It is this ideal that I hope to achieve with my stories. I hope to alight upon the sensibilities of the general public with grace and style!” At this point, Shinobu remembered that she had been complaining at Wanda. “...Which none of your nonsense could possibly contain!”

 

“You know, you’ve said that a few times,” Wanda said. “But I don’t actually know what you mean.”

 

Shinobu blinked. Was it not obvious? No, she must be messing with me, right? Clearly she sees the critical importance of—

 

“We... Wanda Morinaga, we are _ideological opposites!_ ” Shinobu spat.

 

“We are? Is this part of your religion? I’d be interested in—“

 

“No! It is not part of religion, which you probably believe in because you’re so dense! Ultimate Paranormal Investigator. Pah! What a nonsensical talent! Ridiculous! Humans need not be concerned with such flights of fancy as,” she put on a nasally, intentionally obnoxious voice, “weeeerewolves, or witches, or ghosts infesting your grandfather’s villa, or—or lost pterosaurs!”

 

“Oh, you mean the Kongamato?” Wanda asked. “That was a pretty nasty encounter, actually. We actually barely managed to get photo evidence of its existence, but I really have to give the credit to one of my partners on that expedition. We actually got a tooth off of it while we were tracking it!”

 

Shinobu blinked. “What?”

 

“The Kongamato,” Wanda said. “A rumored pterosaur-esque creature in the swamps of western Zambia. I and a few others went on an expedition to find it, and we got a tooth off of it. Scientists had thought it was probably a misidentified saddle-billed stork—”

 

“You’ve actually gone looking for a lost pterosaur!” Shinobu cackled. “Incredible!”

 

“Yeah, it wasn’t easy,” Wanda said. “Wasn’t quite the hardest expedition I’d ever been on, but it sure wasn’t an easy one, either.”

 

“What next, o Ultimate Paranormal Investigator? Will you search for a nefarious spirit floating about a chair? Maybe go look for the sunken city of R'lyeh?” Shinobu jeered.

 

“Wouldn’t going to R'lyeh cause me to lose my mind?” Wanda said. “I’d rather keep it. I value my mind a lot, you know.”

 

“Oh, she values her mind!” Shinobu cackled. “How adorable! Well, I value my mind also, and it tells me that going hunting for ghosts with an idiotic Great Dane, or whatever it is you do—“

 

“I’m actually allergic to dogs,” said Wanda.

 

“—is POPPYCOCK! Pure and utter poppycock! Truly, it is a shame that anyone would waste their time on such ludicrous pursuits.” Shinobu sighed, and shook her head.

 

“I don’t know, I think it’s actually a pretty good time,” Wanda said. “Not for everyone, though. You need a strong spine.”

 

“Are you implying that I do not have any backbone, Morinaga?!” What an insult! Shinobu’s teeth grated. What an infuriating woman! Argh!

 

“No, not at all. Actually, it seems to me like you’ve got some pretty decent backbone. Have you ever been to a haunted house, Shinobu?”

 

“NO!” Shinobu screeched. “No, I have not, because haunted houses are puerile and for little babies who do not have the rationality in their brains to understand that they are just being haunted by _underpaid teenagers who would rather be at home!_ ” She panted, having run out of breath with that shout.

 

“So what you’re saying is, ‘Yes, Wanda, when we get out, I’d love to go to one with you.’” Wanda smiled, her eyes serenely closed, like she was some kind of little angel, when in fact she was the stupidest demon imaginable!

 

“I did not say that! At all! That was not even the slightest subtext in what I just said!” Shinobu sneered. “But of course the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator would read subtext into the honest diatribe of the world’s most staunch anti-fantasy activist!”

 

“Isn’t calling the things you say diatribe a bit rude to yourself?” Wanda asked.

 

“No, no, no. You are wrong, oh so very wrong my adversary, and that is because it is all actually because I’m being rude _to you!_ ” Shinobu spun on her heels and began to walk out. “Ha! Another flawless victory for the Modern-Day Mistress of Mystery!”

 

“Oh, goodbye, Shinobu.” Wanda waved, which Shinobu could see because she turned her head to look at Wanda to see how incredibly crushed she was.

 

Shinobu stamped out of the Aquarium as loudly as she came in, shutting the door with a loud clang. Ah, it was satisfying. She had come out on top! Victory! Victory!

 

…Hm. She felt like she had forgotten something in all this, but paid it no heed.

 

**6:30 P.M.**

 

“ _Tsumo,_ ” said Aoto. “Thirteen orphans.”

 

“ _And he takes it again, folks!_ ” shouted Stella, at the side of the table. “Four winds, three dragons, and he’s just drawn the 9 of Bamboo to complete a pair with his terminals! It is Thirteen Orphans! We have Thirteen Orphans!”

 

“Impressive,” Claus said, nodding and smiling. “Eight wins in a row, and with a _yakuman,_ at that. Maybe there’s some truth to your title after all.”

 

“Yeah, man. Nice job!” said Gavin. In truth, Gavin barely understood what was happening. He hadn’t played mahjong before in his life, and the rules made him go cross-eyed. All that stuff Stella just said meant basically nothing to him. That said, it was making the rest of the table happy to play, so he was happy to help.

 

“Guess you’re not just full of hot air, huh?” said Yayoi. There was a fire in the Boss’s eyes that told Gavin she wasn’t giving up until she beat him, and well, heck, good luck with that. “Cripes. Here I thought I was okay at this game.”

 

“Just takes practice, guys!” Aoto said, his spiky locks bobbing back and forth. “All there is to it. Well, and some luck, I suppose,” he said, rubbing the back of his head. Wait wait wait. Gavin had this. Inspiration had struck.

 

“I bet when it comes to ladies who like mahjong, you’re a real _knock-Aot_!”

 

Yayoi sighed and put her head in her hand, but Gavin could tell she was smiling. It took Aoto a second to get the pun. Stella wasn’t impressed. Claus, meanwhile, apparently found this joke so incredibly funny that he doubled over in laughter, hands on his stomach, tears flowing from his eyes.

 

“Ahhh, looks like Claus gets where I’m coming from!” Gavin smirked, nodding his head slightly. Another flawless victory for Gavin Sakaki.

 

Yayoi began to set up the tiles for round nine. “Say, any of you guys have any idea what an Abilene is?”

 

Claus recovered from his laughter. “As in, Abilene Hall? No, I—“

 

Actually, Gavin had this one. “Aw, Abilene? It’s a town in Texas!”

 

“Texas?” Yayoi asked. “You mean, like in America? That Texas?”

 

“Yeah, man. I met a guy from Abilene once, he was a real trip.” Gavin said. “Aw man, now that’s a story. So I’m in this back alley, right?”

 

“Here we go again,” Stella groaned.

 

“I’m in this back alley, hanging out, when suddenly this guy jumps out of nowhere and says, ‘Give me all the money you have!’ Now, Ol’ Gav doesn’t walk around with too much money, but I’m like, heck, he’s asking, right? So I give him two thousand yen. And his eyes get all wide and he says, ‘What, just like that? You’re just giving it to me?’ And I say, ‘Yeah man, you need it, right?’”

 

“You just gave a suspicious guy on the street your money?” Aoto said, gaping.

 

“Well, we got to talking. Guy’s name is Jared, and man, he was desperate. See, his mom was real sick back in America. It was bad. Couldn’t move any of her limbs through the pain, she kept coughing up blood and stuff. He wanted to go back to America to see his mom one last time ‘fore she kicked the bucket, y’know? But he’d just been fired from his job for something that wasn’t his fault, I don’t remember what it was. So he didn’t have any money.”

 

“The poor man,” Claus said, shaking his head. “I empathize.”

 

“So I look at Jared and I’m like, ‘well, what’s she got?’ And he says something that ends with –itis, I’ve never heard of it. And I get this crazy idea in my head, like, what if instead of going to see his mom, he went to go _save_ his mom? So I’m like, ‘is there a cure?’ And he says, yeah, there is, but it turns out it’s real rare and only like, Tibetan super-doctors have it or something.”

 

At about this point, Stella’s look changed from vague annoyance to complete shock. “Wait. Was this guy—“

 

“So I’m like, ‘aw snap, actually I know a guy who talks to Tibetan super-doctors or something. Maybe I can grab it for you.’ And he says, naw man, it’s a trade secret. The materials can only be harvested in Tibet or wherever the super-doctors are actually from. But I call up my buddy Wong, he’s this cool cat from Hong Kong, me and him go way back, and I ask, so what goes into the mystical remedy of Inca Dinca Doo or whatever? And he tells me what the stuff is, and I tell Jared, and he’s like, ‘but those are easily replaceable by things you can get at your pharmacy! I can get one of those at my pharmacy!’ And he starts rattling off some list of names like phenenenenenenenalynine or something. And I’m like, hey man, wanna come with me and get some of that stuff?”

 

At this point, Claus had also recognized the story. “Was this Jared _Osterzone?_ ”

 

“Aw man, I think that was actually his last name! So I spot the dude some cash and he spends a few days in my basement going all crazy mad scientist on the stuff we got, and he runs off with some cash I loaned him to fly over to America. Few months later, I get a call, turns out he blew the lid on the whole thing, saved his mom and everything, and now the Tibetan super-doctor trade secret is something you can get a prescription for! Got a Christmas card from him this last Christmas, it was real sweet.”

 

“You mean to tell me that the ‘unspecified Japanese teen’ who Jared Osterzone, renowned doctor who cured one of the world’s worst inflammatory diseases, credited as his greatest ally…” Claus said.

 

 

“ _You_ helped cure the disease that killed our last Prime Minister?!” Stella shouted, eyes wide.

 

“Aw, trip, man, is that what he died from?” Gavin’s eyes widened. “Small world, man. Small world.”

 

“Wow! That was a great story!” Aoto clapped. “I’m glad it all worked out! So Dr. Osterzone was from the town of Abilene?”

 

“Yeah, man. Told me it was dry as hell, and hot, too. Plus apparently the food sucks. But, hey, can’t beat your hometown.” Gavin nodded a little again.

 

“Geez,” said Yayoi. “I guess the walking time machine is pretty useful after all.” She had finally finished setting up the tiles while Gavin told his story.

 

“I try,” said Gavin. Yayoi dealt her tiles, and Gavin sat back for another game where he didn’t understand anything that was happening. Man, it was good to be alive, he thought, as he received his tiles.

 

“And here we go, folks, this is Round Nine of this matchup of four-player mahjong. We all know Aoto’s won eight times in a row, but Yayoi’s got a look in her eyes that tell me something interesting may happen-“

 

“ _Tenhou,_ ” Aoto said. “All green.”

 

“ _Just give me a chance!_ ” shouted Yayoi.

 

**8:30 P.M.**

 

Eriko balanced a plate of squid ink pasta in her arms, wobbling a little as she opened the door to Target Hall. Dinner had been delivered at 8 P.M. sharp, and _almost_ everyone had shown up. Almost, of course, with the exception of Jun Fukuyama, the Net Admin. The reclusive boy hadn’t made a peep all of dinner, and in fact, Eriko wasn’t certain that she’d heard anything from him all day! She fretted a bit as to his safety, but she was more worried that he hadn’t eaten. That came first.

 

Room Sixteen, with its charmingly pixelated image of Jun, with wheelchair included, graced her vision. Luan plodded along behind her, carrying Jun’s drink of water. Eriko felt very happy to have such an agreeable guy on her side, especially to deal with this problematic boy.

 

She rapped on the door with her knuckles. “Excuse me, Jun? Are you in there?”

 

No response. She tried again. Eriko knocked five times in quick succession when she knocked on doors- she found that a lot of people gave up after three, and four was a bit of an ominous number, so five worked pretty well. “Jun! We’ve brought you your dinner!”

 

After a beat, there was a response. The door cracked slightly. “Who is it?” said Jun, peeking out.

 

“It’s Eriko! Eriko Shigure! I pushed your wheelchair this morning?” Eriko said. Jun immediately slammed the door in her face. "W-what?!"

 

“Luan Yun-Fat is also present. Hello.” Said Luan Yun-Fat, who was also present.

 

“…If there’s someone with you, it’s probably fine.” Jun opened his door again, this time completely, and sat in the doorway. “What’s on the menu, then?”

 

“Pasta carbonara with squid ink sauce,” said Eriko, “with roasted asparagus on the side.”

 

Jun was quiet for a moment. Then, he reached out for the plate. “…May I have it?”

 

“Are you going to close the door the second I give it to you?” said Eriko. Jun twitched. Bingo. She’d been right on the money. “Now you listen here, Mr. Fukuyama. I don’t know much about you, but I do know that this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable! Please explain yourself.”

 

“Explain myself.” Jun repeated, blankly. “You want me to explain the logic behind my actions.”

 

“Yes, of course!” Eriko bounced up and down. “I don’t understand why you won’t come out and be with the group. You’re clearly suffering if you aren’t even able to eat! Did you even eat lunch?”

 

Jun’s glance to the side told Eriko everything. “Of course I ate lunch,” he lied.

 

“Hm. I see,” said Luan. Eriko and Jun both reacted to his sudden speech. “He is afraid of Monokuma’s killing game.”

 

“Afraid? I’m not afraid of—”

 

“You believe that due to your physical condition, you are at an inherent disadvantage in a game where the intent is to overpower and assault other people. Correct?”

 

“Well, of course, genius.” Jun grimaced. “In case you haven't noticed, I don’t have use of my legs. What of it?”

 

“And as a result, you are attempting to isolate yourself in your room to protect yourself in the case that someone decides to pick off the ‘easy target’ and escape from your death.”

 

Eriko gasped. “But! Nobody would ever do that! He hasn’t done anything! There’s no way he deserves death!”

 

Jun chuckled. “Well, aren’t you an optimist. People are selfish, Eriko. That’s why sticking to my room—”

 

“Is the worst possible idea,” said Luan.

 

For the first time, Jun looked genuinely surprised. “What?”

 

“You are continually placing yourself in a situation where you are _alone_ in a situation where in order to benefit from your death, one must kill you _without being discovered_ ,” said Luan. “Consider this: Were Monokuma to call another meeting in the Auditorium, and everyone knew you were coming from your room in Target Hall, it would be child’s play to assassinate you in the chaos Monokuma brings.”

 

Jun was digesting Luan’s advice pretty well. Eriko thought it made sense, but found it inconceivable that Luan was able to put this together so easily. Luan continued. “Being in a large group is the best situation you can be in. After all, if one must kill without being discovered, having multiple witnesses immediately present is a horrible idea. As such, you are actively endangering yourself by hiding behind your door, which, I might add, is controlled by Monokuma, therefore making it an unknown variable as well.”

 

Jun looked to the side to avoid eye contact, but then sighed. “You know what? I can’t deny that. I guess you’re right. Hey, short stack, thank the guy for helping you so much.”

 

“You’re only a little taller than me, Jun!” Eriko said, pumping her fists angrily. “But…does this mean you’re going to come out and take care of yourself?”

 

“Doesn’t mean we’re friends, but yeah. It does.” Jun nodded. “He makes a good point." He leveled a very stern gaze at Eriko as he said, "Don't feel the need to wheel me any longer.”

 

Eriko jumped, giddily. She grabbed Jun’s hand. “That’s fantastic! Now you can stay on schedule with the rest of us! But I mean, I can still if you want-”

 

“ _No_ thank you. I would really much prefer to move under my own power, thank you ever so kindly.” Jun said. “Now can I have the pasta? I’m starving here.”

 

Eriko realized she was still holding his dinner, and hurriedly handed it to him. Luan gave him the water, as well. “I hope you enjoy it!” Eriko said, bowing.

 

“Heh.” Jun laughed. “As a matter of fact, carbonara’s my favorite. I think I will. See you tomorrow.” He closed the door, with a pleased smile on his face, eyeing the pasta carbonara as Eriko would a timetable.

 

“I think this went really well, Luan!” Eriko said. “Thanks for your help!” She raised her hand for a high five.

 

Luan stared for a moment before realizing that was what she wanted, then returned the high-five. “Indeed. Good work, Eriko.”

 

**9:40 P.M.**

 

Rin had spent a few hours in the Archive, poking at books. She’d considered spending time reading one of Shinobu’s books, but the books on the shelf were not particularly organized, and as such, the only one she could find was the one that Hansuke had already spoiled the solution of. Instead, she had closed her eyes and allowed her antenna to guide her hand.

 

The book she had grabbed was one called _Twilight,_ by Stephenie Meyer. It was about vampires. Rin resolved that tomorrow morning, she was going to wake up and not think about vampires in the slightest, and do nothing even relating to vampires even slightly.

 

First, though, she would read the book.

 

The vampires described in the book were very little like vampires as she understood them. Certainly, Edward Cullen and his family drank blood, but they also had psychokinetic superpowers, were very attractive, and rather than be burnt by sunlight, Rin learned that the vampires in Twilight sparkled under the sunlight. Even though she’d never seen a vampire, she found this a bit implausible, and wondered if Wanda had read it.

 

The female lead, Bella, was very, very into the male, the aforementioned Edward Cullen, a dark, mysterious vampire with incredible sex appeal. Rin was unsure if it was a cultural boundary; after all, she was Japanese, reading this American story translated into Japanese. Nonetheless, she found Edward Cullen deeply, deeply un-sexy. The adverb-filled descriptions of his smoldering gazes from across the room at Bella sent shivers down Rin’s spine. As it turned out, she had a very active imagination, and imagining these scenes was uncomfortable, at best.

 

She took a moment to ponder this idea. Certainly, cultural boundaries were something to consider, but was it perhaps also that he was a man? Rin pondered the idea of, say, Shinobu giving her that sort of look. Nope, nope, definitely not. That was still really, really creepy.

 

If she wasn’t going to think about vampires tomorrow, she might as well think about vampires now. Her eyes glided over the words on the pages as she considered the concept, nay, the platonic ideal of “vampire.” The thought conjured up frightening images of vaguely Eastern European men flying through the night in the shape of bats but wearing capes that made them look like bats anyway, shouting cliches like, “bleagh, I vant to suck your blood!” to fair maidens in the night, shrieking violently when faced with any number of odd household objects, such as garlic, crosses… running water… she had the idea that they could only be invited into one’s home and could not break in? Well, that wasn’t a problem here, given the Handbooks. Would a vampire need a Handbook? Well, they probably would. Wait, could a vampire even get into their room if the room technically belonged to Monokuma in the first place? Would Monokuma need to come and give them permission every single time? How inconvenient, Rin thought.

 

Her bizarre preoccupation with vampires presumably carried some sort of connotations Rin began to delve into. Given that vampires were originally a metaphor for sexual congress in times where premarital sex was frowned upon, or… or something like that, Rin thought, it was likely that her preoccupation with vampires was sexual in nature. Did she want to do the sex with vampires? No, no, they were probably cold and unfeeling based on what she understood. Even _Twilight_ seemed to agree on this point. She found the idea of grappling with a human-sized being with no actual warmth to speak of unnerving. She had body temperature, right? She was pretty certain she’d touched somebody at some point and they had not reacted as though she were a block of ice. Okay, yes. Not a vampire.

 

Okay, maybe it was just more indicative of a general desire to do the sex with dashingly attractive foreign men with a sort of appeal she didn’t get in her daily life? After all, she reasoned, all the vampire stereotypes were generally male, despite one of the primary inspirations for the classic Count Dracula being a female serial killer. Let’s see, she thought, pretty much that’s just Claus and Luan here, and Luan’s nice and all but he’s only attractive to people who like their boys _very_ grizzled.

 

Rin proceeded to imagine Claus naked.

 

“Aw, augh, oh god, no! Nope! Nope!” She frantically waved her hands in front of her face to attempt to dispel the image she had brought upon herself. Nope nope nope. She did not want to do the sex with dashingly attractive naked foreign men. How horrifying! Let’s avoid this idea in the future! Place this image in a folder far in the back of the files and _shut the drawer under lock and key._ Rin panted. Okay, yes. There we are. The horrors were gone from her mind. She leaned back in her chair and let herself slack. She had won the battle over her own vivid imagination.

 

She looked back to the book. Evidently, this book had had a movie adaptation, because the cover featured Edward’s smoldering gaze embracing a disinterested Bella. Rin looked him in the eye and said, “Thanks, Edward. You’ve been a big help!” She patted the book’s cover gently to thank the fictional, sparkling vampire.

 

Then, she realized something very wrong, something very important that was missing. “Why isn’t this cover glow in the dark or glittery or anything? That’s a total missed opportunity! Ugh! Someone hire me for cover design!” Rin frowned at the book…and then realized something else, something that was actually important.

 

In the course of the story, Edward Cullen sneaks into Bella’s room and watches her sleep at night for several hours. Thinking about Kazuya had brought her mind back into the conversation at the Laundromat, in which Kazuya said his book club friend had told him he should find a man like a fictional vampire who watched his love interest sleep at night for several hours.

 

“Eh-hem. Hope’s Peak Academy’s Executive Committee has an announcement to make. It is now 10 P.M. Please, return to your rooms and relax. It’s another busy day tomorrow. Sweet dreams, everyone. Good niiiiiight…”

 

Ah, there was that question scuppered. She searched around and found herself a bookmark to mark her place in the book to continue it tomorrow, leaving Edward and Bella on the table for the night. After all, he was a vampire, so she was sure they had many gazes to give each other.

 

She exited the Archive and headed through the lounge, waving to the mahjong players as she went. “Did you wind up winning?”

 

“I won two rounds,” Claus said, with his clothes on. Ah, how much nicer he was to look at with his clothes on. “Yayoi has yet to win.”

 

“I’m going to kick your ass to the stratosphere, Maebara, and you are going to bow down to me, the queen of mahjong.” Yayoi grunted as she began packing up the pieces, clenching them horrifically tight..

 

“Uh, please don’t.” Aoto said. “I think my butt couldn’t take your foot.”

 

“Plus, if you sent him into the stratosphere…” Gavin chimed in. “How would we get him back Aot again?”

 

Rin left to the sound of Claus’s uproarious laughter, not entirely certain she understood the joke. From there, it was an uneventful walk back to Room Seventeen.

 

**11 P.M.**

 

Rin flopped down into bed. The sleep attire provided by Monokuma was also very black, she noted. It seemed he, too, understood what she worked. She grabbed at a pillow next to her head, and grabbed onto it as she flopped onto her side (sleeping on her back was far too heavy.)

 

She realized, now, that this would be the first time she remembered actually _going to sleep_ rather than fainting. That was a comforting thought, she reasoned. Her routine had finally been established. She would wake up tomorrow at 7 A.M., just like she had today.

 

All told, she decided, it wasn’t really that bad aside from the presence of the annoying Monokuma. And her mysterious mahjong friend not being there. Who was he, anyway? Other than knowing he was a “he,” Rin couldn’t remember anything else about him, well, that and he probably liked mahjong. That was something she would have to think about. That, and she really needed to confirm with Kazuya whether it was the same vampire.

 

Rin drifted off to sleep, not noticing that she’d already broken her oath to not think about vampires tomorrow.

 

Elsewhere, Hansuke stared intently at a notepad he’d had provided in his room. He’d written down several things on it, but his handwriting wasn’t the best; he was basically the only person who could actually read the stuff.

 

“There’s gotta be something I’m missing, right? There’s gotta be. Some kind of trick to this. Monokuma’s not playing Even Stevens. I’d bet a million yen on it.”

 

He scratched at his beard, and continued to ponder.

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day One.**

 

**No students died today. Seventeen students are alive.**

**Yashiro Narumi is still missing. No other abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**


	4. Day 2 - Laissez-Faire

**8:15 A.M.**

 

It had been decided that the students would switch off breakfast duty. About half an hour ago, Jun, now that he had been coerced to properly leave his room, had been the one to suggest it.

 

“Listen, Glorious Leader,” he had said to Claus. “I know you want to be optimistic and all, but there are precautions we need to take in the process of staying alive here.”

 

Claus's eye had twitched slightly at the comparison to various leaders of the Communist regime of North Korea, but he decided not to press this issue. “I...don't remember becoming a leader in particular, but alright. Explain your rationale to me.”

 

“Well, I for one can't even reach the damned medicine shelves, but the infirmary could easily have some sort of poison in it,” Jun had said. The muffled shouts of Shinobu, insulted by something or another, were blocked from the conversation by Gavin, who had put his hand over her mouth. “If Luan is on breakfast every single day, then it'd be child's play to frame him for murder and get away undetected by poisoning someone's food.”

 

“I can't deny that.” Claus nodded. “Alright. How do you propose we decide who prepares breakfast each day?”

 

Jun had produced a set of fifteen straws of varying lengths. “Simple. Whoever draws the shortest straw loses. I've marked the straw in question to ensure it's not mistaken for another one.”

 

Claus's eyebrow had arched. “There are only fifteen straws. There are, theoretically, seventeen of us.”

 

“We'll deal with Yashiro when the time comes,” Jun had said. “And I can't. I've inspected it and I can't cook breakfast by myself- several of the cabinets are too high and I can't use the stepladder in there. So, the fifteen able-bodied people present will be drawing straws.”

 

“He ain't lying, Claus.” Gavin added, still keeping a strong grip on the flailing Shinobu. “I was there with him. Dude can't grab at some’a that stuff.”

 

“I understand,” Claus had said. “We'll put it into action. Thank you for your cooperation, Jun.”

 

“My pleasure, Glorious Leader.” Jun had said. Was he going to keep calling Claus that?

 

A few of the students had fretted, and Claus questioned whether Rin should be allowed to cook if she had amnesia, but as it turned out, this morning it had been Daisuke who'd grabbed the short straw. The Brewmaster had stayed on point, and being that it was his specialty, Daisuke had produced a list of teas he was capable of making. Rin, who was a stranger to the world of tea, had spent several minutes going over the list, which was several pages long. Her eyes had continually widened as she scanned the list, and Claus could swear the girl had begun honestly glowing with glee in the process of discovering tea.

 

These were the events that led to Claus gingerly sipping a piping-hot cup of green tea. He and his mother frequently drank green tea at breakfast, so he cherished the chance for a familiar drink. Unfortunately, this was not on the agenda. Claus gritted his teeth to prevent from coughing, as the roiling heat sploshed around in his mouth. After a few seconds of struggling, he swallowed, and put down his cup.

 

“Ah.” He began to continue, but coughed.

 

“Claus, are you quite alright?” Wanda asked. She had ordered a Turkish black tea.

 

“That's, uh.” Daisuke lowered his sunglasses and blinked. “Not usually the reaction I get!”

 

“It's fine! I'm absolutely fine.” A few tears rolled down his face. “It's my fault, I forgot to specify. I meant _mild_ green tea. Not—” He coughed again. “Good lord, that's bitter!”

 

Through his pain, Claus was faintly able to register another cup being put down, this one more triumphantly.

 

“Aaaah, refreshing!” Rin shouted. “Excellent! I love tea.” She had finished her cup.

 

Daisuke's ponytail drooped. He ran over to check Claus's tea once Rin had finished. “No, no, that's- definitely green tea. That's the tea you ordered! I mean, kind of.”

 

Claus took a few breaths to steady himself. “Er, yes, it is.”

 

Shinobu, Luan, Stella, and Gavin all also seemed to recognize what Daisuke found so bizarre, if the looks they were giving Rin were any indication.

 

“She...” Stella started. “She just drank a cup of ku ding tea and didn't react at all.”

 

“Indeed.” Shinobu said. “That is, in fact, what happened.”

 

“The girl liked her tea,” Yayoi shrugged, sipping her oolong. “What's the problem?”

 

Claus was too busy dealing with his own weak tolerance for bitterness to chime in, but he too knew the “problem.” Rin had just ingested a cup of one of, if not the, world's bitterest tea, and shrugged it off as though it was nothing. At this point, though, another odd fact about Rin Hashizawa was not of much concern- though he did find the childlike glee with which she'd ordered the ludicrously bitter tea quite charming.

 

“Claus.” Chizuru said. Claus had given up on trying to find her for the time being. “Are you certain you're going to be alright?”

 

“Er, yes.” He was now no longer tearing up. Claus cleared his throat once more to return himself to normal condition. “Sorry to worry you. I'm alright.”

 

He breathed out his nose, and closed his eyes. This was the third day of captivity for the sixteen of them, and while he certainly hadn't been in close proximity with a group of students this _different_ before, he was under the impression that everything was going alright. He had asserted himself strongly enough for even Jun, the most recalcitrant of Monokuma's captives, to have accepted by now that he was in some ways a “leader.”

 

People were, in his eyes, beginning to develop a steady rapport. Out of his left ear, he could hear Hansuke still furiously scribbling on the notepad he'd brought to breakfast this morning, and Yayoi telling him that his handwriting was “as bad as my grandma's, you dope.” Gavin was telling a story that seemed to be keeping Miria and Luan enraptured, but Claus chose to tune out of that in case Gavin told another joke that tickled his funny bone. To his right...

 

Well, to his right was Rin Hashizawa. A very questionable girl in a lot of ways. Enough ways that she took up a significant amount of his attention. In fact, as he listened to the sounds of her jostling about in her seat, drinking another cup of the horrifically bitter tea Daisuke had brewed specially for her, he realized she was in fact taking up _all_ of his attention.

 

His eyes were open now, and he began to scan Rin Hashizawa. Her nose was small, and turned up at the end after a slight bent in the middle of her bridge, which the face-reading members of his family had always called a “celestial” nose. She drank out of the tea cup with her _pinky out._ It was a bit...what was the phrase... “high-falutin'” for her general atmosphere, a discrepancy he found interesting. Perhaps she'd picked the habit up from Shinobu.

 

Claus came to realize, scrutinizing her denim-clad thighs, that it was interesting that she was so light on her feet. Based on the vital statistics in Monokuma's handbook, as well as the general shape of her body, he would think it more logical that if nothing else she would get winded faster than the majority of the other women—by his reckoning, Stella was incredibly thin, and Shinobu seemed about right for a girl who sat inside writing all day, but Miria and Wanda's talents involved significant physical activity, he could not imagine an _un_ -muscular Yayoi, Eriko was a human bullet, and Chizuru's hiding capabilities clearly only came through agility built from years of practice.

 

Rin, meanwhile, was an anomaly. She defied her excess kilograms and moved at a pace that kept Claus gasping for air from following behind, with a running form Claus could marvel at for hours. Her legs were as impressive at rest as they were in motion, though, and Claus wondered to himself whether they couldn't have significantly more muscle under the jeans than he expected. It would be interesting to see the shape of her legs in more detail, he reasoned, and wondered if perhaps her outfits in the dresser didn't contain something that showed a clearer picture. The sweater on her top half, meanwhile, he had no complaints with. Her “layer of pudge,” as his mother, who was similarly weighted (if not as gracefully), had called it, was obvious looking at her from this angle, from the swell of her sides into her hips, to her chest, which, being that it was the largest in the group, also presented a quand ** _what in the hell was he doing?!_**

 

Claus Toranosuke turned his head 90 degrees to the side, and blinked. Miria looked at him, and he waved in response. These small actions were some of the most hard-fought battles Claus had ever engaged in. Rin, for her part, remained blissfully unaware, still delighting in her capacity to consume liquids which the Brewmaster himself thought should be considered war crimes.

**9:30 A.M.**

 

“What the hell are you doing in there?” Yayoi said, rapping her knuckles on the drier.

 

“I'm...hiding.” said Chizuru.

 

Yayoi rolled her eyes. She'd come into the room to do a spot of laundry but found one of the group's eminent problem children making a nest for herself in the equipment instead. Because that, of course, made perfect sense.

 

“And what if someone turned on the drier while you were in it, moron?” Yayoi opened the cover of the drier wider in order to face the orange puffball more directly. “You'd probably _die._ ”

 

Chizuru gulped. “Well, um.” Sweat. “Um.”

 

“Out with it, Inoue.” Yayoi tapped her foot. “I don't have all day.”

 

“Well, there's...multiple sets of equipment, and. Um, well, I mean, you saw me before you even decided which dryer to use, and, so, I, uh...” Chizuru trailed off.

 

Yayoi grunted and grabbed the smaller girl by the shoulders. Chizuru made a squeaking noise as she flailed a bit to resist, but the tight space she was stuck in made it difficult to conduct much actual resistance. A few moments later, Yayoi had yanked the Hide-And-Seeker out of the drier, and Chizuru now sat, embracing her knees, on the ground of the Laundromat.

 

“I'm not even gonna pretend to understand what you were doing in there,” Yayoi said, “but don't do it again. You could get yourself killed, idiot.”

 

“Yes, ma'am.” Chizuru mumbled.

 

“And besides, it's not healthy for you to be cooped up in tiny alcoves all day. Nobody can even see you, idiot. What if somebody killed you? We wouldn't even know you were dead.” Yayoi could feel her pitch rising.

 

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

“Do you actually agree with me or are you just saying yes to get me to go away?”

 

Chizuru's eyes lowered even further. “Um...”

 

“Just get out there and make your presence a bit more known, kid! It's not that hard!” Yayoi threw her hands outward. Chizuru didn't react, and it took a few moments for Yayoi to hear the sound of the smaller girl's sniffling. “Er... Aw, Christ. I say something wrong?”

 

“No, you...” Chizuru's small sobs left her gasping for air. “Y-you didn't say...anything wr-wrong.”

 

Yayoi groaned. She'd _clearly_ said something wrong. She pondered for a minute what to do with the sobbing puffball before walking around the edge of the aisle and out of Chizuru's line of sight. The Foreman sat down in the next aisle, the backs of the washing and drying machines keeping her and Chizuru out of each other’s sight.

 

After a moment, the sniffling stopped. “...Um... Where—”

 

“Is it easier if I can't see you?” Yayoi asked.

 

She heard a bit of rustling. “Er—” Then, Chizuru cleared her throat. “Thank you, Yayoi. I appreciate your consideration. Yes, it is easier if you can't see me.”

 

“Alright.” Yayoi shrugged to herself.

 

“I don't believe you said anything that's incorrect. It is my own social anxieties that led me to begin to break down a minute ago. My apologies for worrying you. However, I do not believe that I can acquiesce to your request based on my aforementioned social anxieties.”

 

“So, what.” Yayoi leaned her head onto her hands. “You're too scared to go out and actually see people?”

 

“That is one way of saying it, yes. These anxieties have been part of my personality for several years now, and unfortunately I do not believe I will be able to doff them as easily as that,” Chizuru said. “I thank you for your concern, but perhaps it would be better spent on people who are not as...” There was a pause. “Eclectic. As I am.”

 

“Given these kinds of speeches before, have you?” Yayoi said. She heard Chizuru make a faint yelping noise. “Geez. Coulda just said 'no.' It's not like I'm some kinda crazy person, y'know, I'll take 'no' for an answer!” Yayoi then considered her own words, and sighed. “No, sorry. Bit too harsh. Look, it's fine, alright? Just don't go doing anything that could get you killed like that again. Being a bit shy ain't a reason to put yourself in mortal peril. If I find you sticking yourself in the incinerator I'm gonna flip my goddamn lid, you know that?”

 

“I apologize for worrying you, Boss.” Chizuru said, and Yayoi could hear her standing up on the other side of the machine, using it as support. “It was not my intention.”

 

“Course it wasn't your intention. You don't really 'intend' to piss someone off if you're not an asshole.” Yayoi stood up too, and walked back around the edge of the aisle, to see zero Chizurus standing there. “What?”

 

“I'm hiding,” said Chizuru. “And I'm not in a drier this time.”

 

Yayoi took a moment to fully process what had just been presented to her, then grinned. “What, you wanna play with the Boss? Is that what you're saying, Inoue?” The silence gave Yayoi the affirmative she needed. “Alright, well, fine then. Haven't played hide and seek since I was a kid. Might be a good time.”

 

She cracked her knuckles, bore her teeth in a grin, and got to hunting. Sometimes, you needed to get down and dirty with a worker to really get to know them.

**11 A.M.**

 

“Hey.”

 

Aoto awakened from having been spacing out something fierce to hear a voice calling to him. The black and gold Lounge table had left an uncomfortable indentation on his elbow, and he wrung out his arm a bit as he craned his head around to see the voice's owner.

 

“Hiya, Jun.” Aoto waved to Jun Fukuyama, the Net Admin, who was sitting behind him. “What's up?”

 

“I need to borrow your Handbook,” Jun said. His face was impassive, betraying not even a bit of eyebrow movement at this statement. Aoto considered the boy's request for a second.

 

“Okay, here you go.” Aoto pulled out his Handbook and held it out for Jun to take. At this, Jun's eyebrows arched, his eyes widened, and he made a noise Aoto wasn't sure how to describe.

 

“What?” Jun's “what” was a real drawn-out one, more like a “hwhat.” “You really are just going to give it to me? Are you serious?”

 

“Sure. I mean, Mom always said, treat others how you want to be treated. That's the golden rule!” Aoto smiled.

 

“You...” Jun's face twisted in something like dismay. “You realize that this thing is the only way you can get into your room, and therefore the only way you could sleep, right? Are you entirely certain you should be giving it away?”

 

“Well, I mean, you need it, right?” Aoto didn't understand why he was acting so weird. “And you said you'd borrow it. You're going to return it when you're done with it, right?”

 

Jun's face shifted through another few emotions before seeming to be defeated. “Well, I'll question your logic later. I do actually need it, yes.” The boy in the wheelchair looked pensive for a moment before saying, “Come to my room with me. I'll show you what I need it for.”

 

“Okay.” Aoto stood up to follow Jun. They passed through the Stairwell, and then the Housing Suite, and then to Room Sixteen. With a cooperative “bing!” the door to Jun's room swung open. Aoto found doors that didn't require any doorknob or physical force at all remarkably cool, and frequently when he was younger he'd stood at the front of supermarkets watching the doors move open and closed. Why he was thinking about this now, he wasn't sure, but oh well.

 

Jun's room was similar to his own, though as opposed to his own room, which was colored with a grey-black scheme, Jun's was painted in a variety of spring greens. Additionally, he saw a few books Jun had placed about the dresser and bed, though all of them looked a bit too big for him. The most notable difference, however, was the laptop on top of the small desk.

 

“Wait, you have a laptop?!” Aoto shouted, running over to inspect it with his hands. It was as pleasantly metallic as he expected a laptop to be, which presented any number of possibilities!

 

“It was in here when I awoke,” Jun said, wheeling up. “It's on an internally connected network, though, and I haven't been able to get an outside signal, so we're still stuck without any communication to the outside world, if that's what you're wondering.” Jun bit at his thumb nail.

 

Aoto felt his mood drop. “Oh. That stinks. So... What do you need my Handbook for?”

 

While the laptop did not have access to the outside world, Jun evidently still saw some use in it, as he opened it up and powered it on. The light of the screen lit up his drooping bangs, making them actually look green instead of how black they usually looked. “I need it to compare the code to mine, and contrast their security privileges to get an idea of how to access the others' Handbooks, too. It's important because I'm in the middle of writing a program that'll—” He stopped, and then looked at Aoto, which Aoto was glad for because he was going cross-eyed. “You need me to slow down, right?”

 

“That would be appreciated, yes, thank you.” Aoto said.

 

“Each of these Handbooks works on basically the same framework,” Jun said. “I can tell that just from looking at them. This laptop has my particular, custom version of ghc installed on it, and it's connected to everyone else's Handbooks, too—they're like even smaller computers.”

 

“Okay, so that laptop's connected to all the Handbooks.” Aoto nodded.

 

“I need yours to compare my Handbook to one that's _not_ mine, to figure out how to get access to the other fourteen...fifteen, whatever—Handbooks so that I can make this laptop do something with them.” Jun said. “The operating system on the Handbooks—UNIX V1, from what I can ascertain—automatically logs us in, but if we were to try and access them from outside, they've got security I don't have the resources to crack at the moment. I've tried.”

 

Jun's fingers were moving with care across the keyboard, typing out messages on the laptop that to Aoto, looked like complete chickenscratch. “So, you want to access everyone's Handbooks? Why?”

 

“To watch them,” Jun said. “I just want to keep an eye on them in case anything happens that shouldn't.”

 

Aoto nodded. This made perfect sense to him. Jun was setting up parental controls on the internet! “But why did you need mine?”

 

“Anyone's would've done,” Jun said. “Yours was just convenient to get.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Aoto nodded. “I'm glad I could help you!” With that said, Aoto stopped looking at Jun and the laptop and turned his attention to Jun's bed. It was similar to his own, which meant it was quite inviting. He flopped down onto it and began to snooze.

 

“What are you doing?” Jun said.

 

“Well, if you're borrowing my handbook for a few hours, I might as well sleep until then so I don't get punished for falling asleep outside while you're working,” Aoto said, slightly muffled by the plush covers. “Don't worry, I sleep like a log. I won't mess anything up... mmmm...”

 

The Lucky Student fell asleep in Jun's bed, snoozing away with nary a sound. Jun had not agreed to this, but by the time Aoto had gotten into bed he already knew it was too late to protest.

**12 P.M.**

 

Kazuya Okudaira was in pain. He sat, leaning against the steel bars in the Stairwell, as he had been for about ten minutes now. Shuddering, gasping breaths escaped from his mouth in an attempt to steady himself as sweat cascaded down his face. He'd actually been in some degree of pain his entire time here, but it had really begun to kill him about an hour ago, and by now he could barely breathe, let alone move.

 

He was sick, and he knew that, but he didn't think that he should worry the rest of the group over something they really probably couldn't help with. He sank further into his coat, its bulk consuming him even more than it usually did. The moist air of his own breath enveloped him behind his scarf. No matter how much he steadied himself, the pain did not go down, but that was fine. All he had to do was—

 

“...I swear, she is absolutely infuriating!”

 

 _Oh no._ Someone had opened the door from Abilene Hall. Kazuya prepared to put on his best face to keep up appearances, and hoped that it wasn't someone who was particularly nosy.

 

“Kazuya? My goodness, are you quite alright?” It was Shinobu. Well, this was the worst-case scenario.

 

Hiding his grimace of agony behind his scarf, Kazuya said, “Oh... Shinobu, it's good to see you. Yes, I'm—” A sudden jolt of pain caused his entire face to wince. “I'm fine.”

 

“You are clearly not fine, young man!” The slender author bounded over, beret bobbing on her head, and squatted down into Kazuya's space. She lifted up his bangs and felt at his forehead. “Not a fever, but you're sweating like mad. Fine indeed. Doesn't seem to be heatstroke... Are you having trouble breathing?”

 

“Yes, but...” Another wince. He couldn't keep them down. “I'm... fine. I'm fine. Really. I'll be—”

 

“Nonsense.” Shinobu said, and began to support him to stand him up. “I swear, this coat is going to be the death of you.”

 

Kazuya would've protested, but he was too busy making sure he continued to get whatever air he could, and so eventually he was leaning on Shinobu's shoulder, being angled along. In his haze, he could see stark white, which meant they were probably heading to Target Hall.

 

“You are very lucky, Kazuya, that we're neighbors,” Shinobu tut-tutted at him. “I'll lay you down in my room and take a closer look at you. If you need anything, I can grab it for you.”

 

“Wh— No, I-I'll be-” _fine, I swear,_ he would've continued if he had any more air to use.

 

Before he knew it, Kazuya was laid down on Shinobu's golden bedsheets, staring up at the ceiling as Shinobu scurried about. He had a really, really bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, unrelated to the crushing pain on his lungs. It was good to be laying down, at least, but he wished he were on his stomach. He laid down easier that way.

 

“First things first, we're taking this darned coat off,” Shinobu said, and Kazuya jolted in panic. He inched away as best he could. “Kazuya,” Shinobu said, with a tone that indicated she meant business. “I'm sure you love that coat very much, but it will not do you much good if you choke yourself to death with it on. Please let me take it off.”

 

“F-fine,” he gasped. “But...nothing else.”

 

“I'll accept just the coat and the scarf for now.” She was over him in an instant, her fingers moving with spiderlike dexterity as she rapidly unbuttoned the coat and removed the boy's scarf, revealing a buildup of sweat on his clean chin and a navy blue shirt which was also just too darned big for the boy. The coat doffed, she began to rifle through it.

 

“H-hey, that's...” His wince in pain, judging from her reaction to it, indicated that that had definitely not been the problem, so she redoubled her rifling and found only his Handbook. She turned to look at him again.

 

“Now, given your behavior, I'm imagining you probably know what it is that's wrong, yes? Blink once for yes, two for no.” Shinobu said. Kazuya wasn't able to keep himself from blinking, so he wound up unintentionally telling her the truth, that he did. “Alright, thank you.”

 

His eyes grew wide as she powered on his Handbook, her expression remaining static as she registered what she saw. He saw her flip through a few pages, scanning information as she went, and the pain in his chest was joined by fear.

 

“How rude that Monokuma is,” she said after a minute or two (Kazuya couldn't keep time very well right now), and put down the Handbook. She then sighed through her nose, in... relief? She smiled. “Ah, but now I have a pretty good idea what's wrong.” She walked over. “I'm sorry for being so pushy, Kazuya, but you know I couldn't very well leave you there like that, right?”

 

“It's...” His teeth were gritted. “Yes. I understand.” This hadn't exactly been the reaction he'd been expecting.

 

“Alright, well, in that case, I know what I need to do.” Shinobu nodded to herself. “Step 1 is to remove your shirt.”

 

“Wh—” Kazuya's eyes flung open. “Why do you need...to take off my shirt?”

 

Shinobu told him.

 

Even through his pain, Kazuya was dumbfounded. “What... R-really?”

 

“Yes, really.” Shinobu ran her hands through the hair behind her head. “I can tell you don't have much experience here, and I want to help you. So, let me say this one more time. For your own sake, it is imperative that you let me take off your shirt right now. Alright?”

 

“...Alright.” Kazuya said, and acquiesced. Soon, his upper body was completely exposed, which it hadn't been in quite a while. Shinobu's fingers continued to dart about like the mandibles of an insect, canvassing his body properly.

 

“How do you feel? Any lingering injury?” she said, while she worked.

 

“Well, there's still some lingering pain, but...” He smiled. “Yes, I do feel better now that I'm topless.”

 

“Good.” Shinobu said, her smile looking positively angelic. “Wouldn't want you to do yourself any lasting injury,” she said, measuring his back with a tape measure she apparently kept under her beret. “That wouldn't be good for either of us. Alright, pay close attention to what I’m doing here, okay? I don’t want to see you collapsed in pain in the halls again.”

 

“Thank you, Shinobu.” Kazuya said, smiling. “I really appreciate your help.”

 

“I, for one, am just glad you’re not giving me any lip about it now that we’re clear,” Shinobu said. “I can scarcely imagine, say, Daisuke letting me get so intimate with him. I do seem to have garnered a bit of a reputation!” The staccato notes of her “ka ka!” rang from her throat again. “Much as it inflames me, though, that does mean people aren’t likely to come to my room. If you have any further issues—oop, that’s not right—do come see me and I’ll do everything in my power to assist you.”

 

“Okay. Thank you.” Kazuya said.

 

“Do you mind if I move your hair a bit, dear?” She said, having moved around to his back.

 

“Oh, no, go ahead.” Kazuya sat, and pondered. “Shinobu?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Well, you’re actually the first person who’s ever found out about this. That I know of, I mean. And I just wanted to say that I really appreciate your help.”

 

“Ka ka! Oh, my dear boy, this was the least I could do!” She had come around to his front again. “But you’re quite welcome.”

 

The least she could do, huh? Kazuya wondered about that. One thing was for certain, and that was that he had not expected to meet a girl like Shinobu here. Her mannerisms were strange, her talent was out of his field of expertise, and she laughed like nobody he’d ever met before, but a curious thing was happening in Kazuya Okudaira’s mind; he was deciding for himself, for the first time ever, that he had a friend in Shinobu Koshimizu.

 

“Do I have to come in here if I’m having issues, or can I just come in to hang out?” Kazuya said, to test the waters.

 

Shinobu stopped cold for a moment before looking him dead in the eyes. “Oh, of course you can! I would relish your company, my friend. Take care nobody thinks I’ve infected you with lunacy, though.”

 

They both laughed amicably. Kazuya felt okay about this.

 

**1:30 P.M.**

 

As it turned out, there had been a closet in the Pile of Things to Do, in which Daisuke had found a second ping-pong table. He’d gotten very excited at this, and that was why Miria was now assisting him in setting up the ping-pong table in the dry heat of the North Wing.

 

“You ever play ping-pong, Miria?” Daisuke asked, grabbing one end of the table, which was folded in on itself? “I mean, if I have my way, you’re gonna play ping-pong. But you ever play ping-pong?”

 

“No, sir.” Miria said. The table unfolded with several clacking noises. It was actually faster than Daisuke had expected, and he almost whacked himself in the stomach, but thankfully he was able to avoid injury.

 

“Damn shame how many of you people haven’t partaken in one of the greatest pleasures known to humankind,” Daisuke said, idly strumming on his sitar. “Damn shame, it is.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Miria said. She went to the closet, to go get the extra paddles that came with the table.

 

“Why do you always do that?” Daisuke asked. “The whole sir, and Mister and Miss thing. Aren’t we all the same age? Kinda weird. ‘s what I’d expect from like, an Ultimate Soldier or something, I guess.” He lowered his head for effect, but this caused his ponytail to droop in front of his face, and he had quite a time fixing that situation.

 

Miria thought to herself. It took her a bit to remember these things. “Mama always said I should respect my superiors.”

 

“Superiors?” Daisuke cocked an eyebrow. “Well…whatever.” He leaned his weight onto the table, stumbling a bit as the table re-adjusted to find its balance beneath him. “What’s your mom like?”

 

“Very angry,” Miria said. “She doesn’t like me very much. Right now she’s probably angry that I haven’t come home on time.”

 

Daisuke sharply inhaled through his teeth, beginning to sweat as he frantically looked for a way out of this uncomfortable point of conversation. “So, uh… What do you think the deal with Monokuma is?”

 

Miria finally found the two paddles, and now stood with them in her hands, facing him. “I think he’s very rude.”

 

“Well, yeah. But what do you think he wants? Money from Hope’s Peak to release us? Do you think he gets some kind of sick kicks out of watching kids run around in a box all day?”

 

“I have a few ideas,” Miria said.

 

“Wha— Well, lay ‘em on me, then! Why haven’t you said anything until now?” Daisuke said, gaping, his eyes growing wide enough to be visible from behind his sunglasses.

 

“Nobody asked for my opinion.”

 

Daisuke was stunned for a moment before deciding not to let Miria Logic get him down. “Okay, so give me your ideas.”

 

“Alright. The first thought I had is that it’s definitely motivated by Hope’s Peak in some way, otherwise he wouldn’t be saying these things.” Miria said. “And the auditorium has an old design for Hope’s Peak’s logo on it.”

 

“Is that what that weird thing is?” Daisuke said. “Huh.”

 

“I don’t know why Monokuma cares about Hope’s Peak Academy, but he wouldn’t kidnap the entire entering class if he didn’t have some good reason for it. Some of us have rich families, but some of us don’t. My family is actually pretty poor.” Miria said.

 

“That sucks,” Daisuke said. “I’m pretty well off, so if you ever need a loan or something…”

 

“Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. My second thought is it’s possible that he only meant to kidnap one of us and the other sixteen are a distraction,” Miria said.

 

“Wait wait wait, what now?” Daisuke said. “What does that mean?”

 

“None of us know who Monokuma really is,” Miria said. “It’s possible he’s someone one or two of us actually know, who’s kidnapped those people for personal reasons—probably vengeance for something—and the others in the group were to keep his motives hidden from the outside.”

 

“Wha… Why would anyone want vengeance against me?” Daisuke said.

 

“I don’t know. Would anyone want vengeance against you that you know of?”

 

“Uh.” About five minutes passed in which Daisuke hemmed and hawed on this point. “I don’t…think…so?”

 

“Alright, in that case, if that is the truth, then it’s probably not you. It’s not me, either, or at least I don’t think it is. I think it’s possible that it’s Rin, because she has complete amnesia, and wouldn’t be able to tell either way if Monokuma was someone she knew,” Miria said. “Gavin is a possibility too. He seems to meet a lot of people and doesn’t question their motives much. And we don’t know anything about Yashiro, so he’s also a possibility.”

 

“Well, I mean-“

 

“The third thought is something I’ve actually been meaning to ask Monokuma,” Miria said. “Monokuma, are you there?”

 

Suddenly, with a noise and a boing and a “puhuhu,” Monokuma appeared atop the table, startling Daisuke enough that he fell flat on his butt. “Howdy, kids! You called!”

 

“Y-you can call him?!” Daisuke shouted.

 

“Yes,” Miria said. “He’s very polite for being so rude. Hello, Monokuma. I wanted to ask: It’s April 10th now, right?”

 

“Unless I’ve missed a few days somewhere,” Monokuma said.

 

“Alright. So we’ve only missed a week,” Miria said. “If it had been any longer, since we’re in the middle of puberty, we’d notice changes in our bodies, but I look exactly the same as I did before I was kidnapped.”

 

“Y-you can summon Monokuma?!” Daisuke said.

 

“Yes,” Miria said.

 

“Kinda thick, isn’t he? And I’m not talking extra thicc, either, this guy’s got a brain like a brick.” Monokuma pointed and laughed at the Brewmaster. “Hey, look! I’m staying on point!”

 

“Aw, shut up, you stupid jerk!” Daisuke said. “You’re…stupid!”

 

“Careful, don’t wanna give my fireplace the stomach flu.” Monokuma said.

 

Daisuke blinked. “Uh…what?”

 

“Cause that was a really sick burn!” Monokuma said. Daisuke screeched in agony as Monokuma cackled, disappearing again. Miria looked and saw him jump into a hole in the ceiling, actually, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

 

“Goodbye, Monokuma.” Miria said. “It was nice speaking with you.”

 

“It was not nice speaking with him!” Daisuke said. “Did you hear that _war crime_ he just committed?! That’s not NICE, Miria!”

 

“Oh,” Miria said. “Okay. It wasn’t nice speaking with him.”

 

“There you go,” Daisuke said. “Now you’re making sense, Miria!” He patted her shoulder. “But seriously, wow. You’re actually pretty quick on the uptake, huh?”

 

“No,” Miria said. “I’m not very smart.”

 

“Are you kidding me?”

 

“No,” Miria said. “I’m not very funny. I’m going to go get Mister Gavin now.”

 

Miria began to walk off. Daisuke was left with more questions than answers, but he felt like he only had the chance to ask one question, and he quickly decided which one it would be. “Hey, Miria. Is there anyone who’d want vengeance against you?”

 

“Yes, I think so.” Miria said. “Two people. But I hope it’s not me. That would be too much effort for them to take.” And with that, she was off to find Gavin.

 

**3 P.M.**

 

“A…ping-pong tournament?” Rin tilted her head to the side, and her antenna swiveled.

 

“Yes, that’s right!” Eriko bounced, her hat bobbing on her head. “Daisuke suggested it, and we’re all heading to the North Wing for it. Why are you in the Archive, anyway?”

 

“Oh, just working on some unfinished business,” Rin said, putting her bookmark in _New Moon_ and putting it down. “The North Wing, huh? Does it have to be? That place is _dryyyyyy._ ”

 

“Is it? I haven’t had much of a problem,” Eriko said.

 

“I’m a sheltered, fragile flower.” Rin said.

 

“Wow! Haha! That’s the wrongest thing I’ve heard all day!” Eriko said. Rin pouted. Eriko had laughed in her face, how rude. “We even got Jun to agree to participate, so you have to come, okay? Right now!”

 

“Alright, alright.” Rin smiled. “I don’t think I can refuse you, Eriko darling.”

 

Everyone had gathered in the North Wing, and Rin and Eriko were almost the last to arrive. Hansuke stumbled in behind him, mumbling something about how he wasn’t done working. Well, Rin couldn’t see Chizuru, but she assumed that that was just because it was Chizuru.

 

“Alright, everybody!” Daisuke said, slamming his hand against a whiteboard Miria had procured for him from somewhere or another. “Games are best of 5. We’ve got enough competitors for eight seeds.”

 

“Wait, I have to compete too?!” Stella said.

 

“You can’t just commentate over _everything,_ ” said Claus. “It’s good to participate once in a while, Stella. I, for one, am wholly in favor!”

 

Stella idly rubbed at her upper arms. “If you say so.”

 

“I, for one, am pretty excited!” Aoto said. “I like playing games!”

 

“Indeed,” Luan said.

 

“I’m not certain how much you expect to get out of me,” Jun said, “But I’ll do my best, I guess.”

 

“Don’t worry, Fukuyama.” Yayoi smirked, and cracked her knuckles. “I’ll try and go easy on you.”

 

Kazuya came up to the table, going up against Aoto for the first match. Rin noted that his coat seemed a bit less restrictive, or at the very least, he was breathing easier than he had been. She wasn’t entirely certain who to root for, but it turned out to be a moot point- Aoto struck the ball twice on the same return, which, according to Daisuke, was “Totally uncool” and “an automatic disqualification.”

 

Kazuya sighed as he sat down next to Rin- and Shinobu, she noticed, who was on the other end of the couch. “I’ve never been any good at this game,” he said, as Claus and Yayoi entered a furiously heated battle of table tennis. The clacking noises of the rackets became a furious din. Rin could tell Stella, a few seats away, was physically halting herself from saying anything.

 

“That’s fine,” said Rin. “I’m learning as I watch! This game seems fascinating!”

 

“Fascinating, eh?” Shinobu said. “Mayhap it was an interest of yours? Oooh, she’d better not lose,” she said, watching Wanda, at the edge of the table, facing an empty space Rin assumed was probably representative of Chizuru. “I won’t let her lose until I’ve had the chance to _destroy_ her!”

 

Gavin laughed. “Geez, Nobe, you gonna make it any more obvious how you feel?”

 

“Mysteries, my dear Gavin, are fascinating, but I feel that in the emotions of a maiden I should strive to have as few as possible.” Shinobu laughed, and so did Gavin, but Rin had the impression that they were laughing at two different jokes.

 

Rin was up next, facing Daisuke. She came up to the table where Yayoi had just routed Claus and sympathetically regarded Chizuru trying her very best to play table tennis without coming out of her nest under the table. She grasped her racket firmly.

 

“Now, I’m _kind of a master,_ ” Daisuke said, “so don’t feel bad when you lose, Rin. You’re a nice girl, you know, and I would hate to make you cry.” The way he was throwing and catching the ball in his hand made Rin feel like he perhaps was a bit overconfident, slightly, just a little?

 

“I haven’t even heard of this game in conscious memory before today, dude!” Rin smiled. “You don’t need to bolster your ego!”

 

“If you say so, Rin, but I’m warning you. Ping-pong is a highly technical game! A game for true champions!” Daisuke wagged his finger. “It’s not something an amateur can just become a master at! If you make any progress at all, that’s something to be proud of.”

 

“Does he ever stop talking?” said Jun, about to face off against Miria.

 

“I don’t know,” said Miria.

 

“Just shut your hole and play already, Harada!” Yayoi shouted from her seat. The booming din of her voice slightly spooked Chizuru, hiding underneath the sofa, who made the cushions jump a bit with her yelp.

 

“Alright, your funeral, Rin.” He threw the ball 1-2-3-4-5-6 inches into the air and struck with the flat of the racket. A switch flipped in Rin’s brain, and she began intently scrutinizing the ball. In an instant, from the force of his strike, the ball fell to strike his end of the court and bounced over the net from the rebound, coming in quickly to strike her own court and coming at her from slightly to her left at roughly 84 degrees assuming that in her field of influence, her left side was 0 degrees and her right was 180, the table itself covering roughly 40-140 degrees.

 

In order to return properly, she had to hit the ball such that it struck in Daisuke’s court, but not her own, before going to him for him to attempt a return. Her eyes darted to him to study his body language. His left eyebrow was higher than the right, and several of his pectoral muscles indicated that he expected her to return his serve to his right- in other words, around the same point that his serve had hit her from, so he assumed that she would strike straight. His posture indicated he was very confident in his own skills, so if she struck the ball in a way that went against what he expected, he would have difficulty striking back. As the ball approached her, she attempted to locate his weakest areas. The answer she came to was that if the ball bounced high, above his left shoulder, that that would be her optimal play. Her eyes returned to the ball, and calculated its air resistance, dimensions, et cetera. 2.7 grams, 1.57 inches, coefficient of restitution of 0.91. Her hand followed her mind’s orders in short order, striking the ball at the angle she had calculated.

 

It was over in an instant. Daisuke hardly even registered the ball whizzing past his head and onto the floor, coming to a stop on the floor with an almost banal roll.

 

A muted “Huh?” was all the Brewmaster could say at this. Yayoi, from the seats, began to guffaw, and Gavin gave a hearty laugh as well. Even Luan snorted a bit.

 

“Wow, this is fun!” Rin said. “You’re right, Daisuke, this game is cool! Okay, let’s go again. I’ll serve this time.”

 

“What?” Daisuke said.

 

The next two games went even faster, if possible. Daisuke didn’t manage a return a single time, and Rin swept him 3-0. Yayoi, Stella, Kazuya, and Jun all seemed to find Daisuke’s misery at being so thoroughly trounced quite amusing. The boy’s blown-out expression as he sat down, muttering “huh?” and “what?” at regular intervals, caused Claus to give him a pat on the back and a sympathetic, “don’t worry, you’re still very cool, Daisuke.”

 

“Trip, Rin, you sure you’ve never played this game before?” Gavin said as she sat back down. “That was some crazy table tennis action!”

 

“She has amnesia, Gavin!” Aoto said. “I don’t think she can be sure!”

 

“Oh my god, someone else said it this time!” Rin said, her antenna pointing straight up. “It’s an Easter miracle!”

 

The cackling Mistress of Mystery solidly defeated Eriko, who was a bit too jumpy for proper form. Shinobu struck some sort of pose with her hand in an L-shape in front of her face. “Your style holds promise, child, but it’s ten years too early to defeat the keen eye of Shinobu Koshimizu! Ka ka ka!"

 

“Is it even possible for you to laugh like a normal human being?” Stella said. Shinobu either didn’t hear her or chose to ignore this remark.

 

“So, Han, whatcha been working on?” Gavin said, as he and Hansuke played at a far more leisurely pace than the rest of the group. “Haven’t seen much of you today.” Serve.

 

“Theorizing,” Hansuke said. “I’ll tell you what I’ve found tomorrow morning, if that’s fine. Haven’t got a total handle on it yet, but hell, it’ll probably come at some point.” Clack. A similarly laid-back return to Gavin.

 

“Good stuff, man.” Gavin nodded. “Hey, Claus, that cool?” Return.

 

“Oh, certainly.” Claus tore his attention away from the heated battle between Stella and Luan. “I’m interested to hear your theories, Hansuke.” Return.

 

“I’ve heard enough theories for a lifetime…” Daisuke mumbled, still blown out from his disastrous loss. Return.

 

“But your head’s so big, Harada.” Yayoi elbowed him in the ribs. “Surely you can fit a few more theories in there.” Return.

 

“Everything is blank,” Daisuke said. “Everything we know and love is chemicals.” Return.

 

Jun made… some sort of face. “Hypocrite that you are, for you trust the chemicals in your brain to tell you they are chemicals.” Rin did not understand. Hansuke finally scored.

 

“ _Damn_ it!” Stella struck the table with her racket as Luan defeated her, 3-2 in his favor. He had begun to sweat slightly. She rubbed at her upper arm.

 

“Don’t feel bad, Stella.” Aoto said. “Sometimes we don’t win!”

 

“You struck out on the first serve, dork!” Stella retorted. “Grrf. Damnit.” She sat down.

 

“You did quite well, Stella. Don’t feel bad.” Claus said.

 

“Booyah!” Yayoi shouted, taking a third victory over Kazuya. Kazuya laughed nervously, and grinned at Rin, Shinobu, and Gavin as Yayoi jumped around, fist-pumping furiously. “Boss is on a roll, baby! Miria, high five! Now!”

 

“Yes, Boss.” Miria gave Yayoi a high-five, though Yayoi had significantly more enthusiasm.

 

Rin’s next opponent was Wanda, who’d been silent up until now. “Hey, Wanda.” Rin said. “How’s it hanging?”

 

“Oh, I’m well, thank you.” The Paranormal Investigator’s angelic smile blindsided Rin to the degree that she almost dropped her racket. “Are you quite alright?”

 

“Yeah, fine!” Rin psyched herself up. All she had to do was play table tennis- what was that buzzing in her ear? Oh, it was Shinobu, animatedly babbling at Kazuya about how she dearly hoped to destroy Wanda in the final match with her Mysterious Force of Ping-Pong. Rin grumbled a “well, gee, thanks.”

 

“A bit offended?” Wanda chuckled. “Don’t take it personally. She seems to care quite a bit about me.”

 

“No kidding,” Rin said. “I wonder why that is?”

 

“Something about us being ideological archenemies,” Wanda said, another chuckle under her voice. “Whatever that means.”

 

“It’s probably Shinobu Speak for something,” Rin said. “I think she’s speaking a different language than the rest of us.”

 

“It’s entirely possible.” Wanda said. “But please, serve.”

 

While a certain part of Rin’s brain thought that perhaps looking at the lovely blonde in front of her was a better idea than playing ping-pong, a much larger instinct told her that winning this game was far more important and she could look at lovely women all she wanted on her own time. Rin’s victory was slightly harder fought inside her own mind, as Wanda’s body language wasn’t quite as obvious as Daisuke’s, but to outside viewers, she dominated just as strongly as she had the last game.

 

“You really are quite good at this, Rin.” Wanda said. “Congratulations.”

 

“Thanks! It was fun!” Rin sat down next to Kazuya again. Shinobu was stewing over at the table, and her heart was clearly not in her duel with Miria.

 

“This is great!” Eriko said to Jun and Claus, who sat next to her. “What a fantastic bonding experience!”

 

“I agree!” Claus laughed. “I’m very glad Daisuke suggested this.”

 

“It’s okay,” Jun said.

 

Hansuke’s leisurely pace was not able to hold up against Luan’s relentless assault, and he fell back into his sofa, above Chizuru, who squeaked slightly at the pressure. “Oh. You need me to sit somewhere else?”

 

“No, thank you,” Chizuru said. “I am perfectly comfortable.”

 

“If you say so,” Hansuke said. He pulled out his notepad again, and began to think over the din.

 

Yayoi laughed loudly. “You’re on a roll, Hashizawa, but it stops now. I’m gonna hit you like a wrecking ball, kiddo! You’re going **_down!_** ” She gave Rin a thumbs-down gesture to accentuate her claims.

 

“Back at you, Boss!” Rin returned Yayoi’s thumbs-down, and they began their game. The sheer force with which Yayoi struck the ball surprised Rin, causing her to miss a return once, but once she was able to calculate it, Boss Murasaki was a problem like the last two, with a simple solution. Yayoi expected her opponents to strike with around the same amount of force that she had, in retaliation, so Rin went with soft strikes to the ball at strange angles that slowed the game’s pace down to one Yayoi was unable to handle. After her initial mishap, Rin won handily three times in a row.

 

“Impossible!” Yayoi shouted. “You’re a complete amateur! How are you so good at this?! It can’t be!”

 

“I donno. It’s just math.” Rin shrugged. “And I’m-“

 

“Yes yes, math satellite, you’re very funny,” Yayoi said, giving a disdainful look. “But I’m not such a wimp I can’t admit when I’m beaten. Good job, Hashizawa.”

 

Miria and Luan’s battle had ended 3-2 in Luan’s favor. They shook hands, and Miria went to sit down respectably.

 

“Alright, everybody!” Stella shouted. “If I may turn your attention to Table #1?”

 

“Our attention’s been there the entire time,” Jun said.

 

“No lip from the peanut gallery!” Stella said. “It’s time for the final match of our Science Building First Annual Ping-Pong Tournament!”

 

“Wait, it’s annual now?” Gavin said.

 

“On the left, we’ve got the Ultimate Masseuse, Luan Yun-Fat!” Stella threw her finely-manicured hand in his direction. “A man of inscrutable mystery, with a steady, rock-hard playing style that wins by slim margins no matter the tribulations in his way!”

 

“Indeed,” Luan said.

 

“And on the right, we’ve got our complete amateur, the Ultimate Amnesiac, Rin Hashizawa!” Rin waved to the crowd as Stella gave her the hand-throw. “Pale as a sheet and black as night, she strikes with unbelievable accuracy and calculates victory effortlessly! She’s only let one ball past her in the whole tournament so far!”

 

“I’ll make you proud, everyone!” Rin said, winking and throwing up the V-sign in front of her face.

 

“Participants ready?” Stella said, looking at the ball in Rin’s hand. “Serve on go! Three… two… one… _Go!_ ”

 

Stella continued saying words, but her commentary was lost on Rin the instant racket struck ball. Her serve was conservative, to get a feel for Luan’s style. The Masseuse’s facial expressions were inscrutable, and his body moved with the clean harmony of a finely-tuned weapon. His first return was similarly conservative to her original play, sending the ball back into her range in roughly 0.8 seconds. He was attempting to gauge her the same way she was judging him, and she knew that. She could not tell from his posture how he expected, so her next strike was to his left, a strong strike to see how he dealt with that. He struck it carefully, sending it in the opposite direction, to her left. Equalizing the ball to keep it on the table was the most important thing to her now, so she returned with a slight angle so it came at him straight on. His parry was similarly straight-on, and the two of them returned to each other 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 times with the same straight-on cadence. Luan’s eighth return broke the cycle with a soft strike to Rin’s right, with a leisurely bounce. She dived to her right to strike at it, but when the ball returned to Luan from her diving attack, he saw opportunity and struck, with a lightning-quick strike careening off the table and right past Rin.

 

Rin returned to the world, and found that the room had gone entirely silent. Even Stella had nothing to say.

 

“Guys… Ping-pong is super intense!” Aoto said. “My mom always said it was for losers!”

 

“Your mom is a loser,” Daisuke said, having recovered from his blowout and intently studying the work of art taking place in front of him.

 

“My mom is not a loser!” Aoto said, and then Eriko put her hand in front of his mouth, muffling him.

 

The second game was on. Rin served again, going for a stronger start than before. The ball was no longer clacking, but _cracking_ against the table, the force of the ball striking the playing field carrying world-shattering gravity. Luan’s left arm swung at the ball as it entered his zone, bringing it back over the net to Rin at a slight incline towards the right. She struck, sending it high- seven feet into the air, its bounce sending it even above Luan’s head (its coefficient of restitution giving it 6.37 inches of air.) The height forced Luan to approach the ball differently, and the instant he went towards the ball, Rin calculated where it would go, and altered her posture such that her racket was away from it. He struck, his return sending it to her opposite side from the racket. Then, Rin spun 360 degrees on her heels, a perfect spin, sending the racket into the ball straight on, returning her to standing position as the ball shot past Luan, whose eyes widened slightly at her spin.

 

“That was an impressive move,” he said.

 

“Thanks.” Rin said. Both of them were sweating, and Rin could feel what she was pretty certain was adrenaline pumping through her veins.

 

The third game started before Rin let herself zone out, with Luan giving a left-side serve with a low bounce, returned in kind by Rin, who sent it towards his right. The two of them formed a figure-eight with their attacks once, then a second time. Luan’s ninth return equalized the ball to straight on, and Rin knew what came next. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13 volleys in the straight-on cadence she remembered from the first game. Luan went for his far right gambit again, but Rin knew not to make any unnecessary movements this time, and stoically kept her posture as best she could as she struck it back onto Luan’s field. His face was stone as he served it in the opposite direction, the left, but Rin predicted his attack, and struck the ball right back in his same direction, keeping the angle as slight as possible. Luan had expected her to equalize the ball, and so it narrowly slipped him by.

 

“Are these two even human?” Hansuke said.

 

“Nothing that isn’t human has been proven to be able to play ping-pong at a level this skilled!” Shinobu said.

 

“Well, there are AIs designed specifically to play ping-pong,” Jun said.

 

“And who are you to say that they aren’t just as human as the rest of us, boy?” Shinobu said. Jun crinkled his nose.

 

Game four. Luan served. Straight on, so she decided to go for a feint- she weaved left before striking right. Luan was unfazed, and struck at the ball’s correct location. At opposite corners now, the two ran across the fields, striking each other’s angled shots with their own angles, escalating to the point where Rin idly wondered as she played whether the two of them were even on the same sides of the table as they’d started on. On the twelfth volley of this paradigm of ping-pong, Luan struck at an angle Rin was just barely able to strike at, with a weak strike off-center of her racket, and she entered a defensive posture as Luan kept up the offensive. The slightest lead in that Rin had given him gave Luan the opportunity he needed, and the solid wall of his strikes eventually caused her to falter, the ball bouncing past her head just as she’d done to Daisuke.

 

“It’s tied,” Claus whispered.

 

“They’re crazy,” Kazuya said. “How can they be this intense?”

 

It was the final game. Rin served. Straight on. Luan returned it, straight on. Rin struck, straight on. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24-25-26-27-28-29-30-31… By now, this was a game of chicken, to see which of the two of them would break from the pattern first. The volleys got faster and faster, the ball becoming a blur over the net that the audience could scarcely keep up with. 60. 70. 80. Soon, the two of them had racked up a solid one hundred straight-on volleys, their clash leaving the entire room bereft of breath. Which one would break first? Who would be just a little too slow?

 

Luan struck the 126th volley. 127. A Mersenne prime. 2^7 - 1. 11111111. The number of moves it took to solve a seven-disc Tower of Hanoi. Rin decided to take a chance, and broke from the head-on clash, striking high to bounce it past Luan’s head. He struck just as high to return it to fly over her antenna, but that was what Rin had hoped for. Rin Hashizawa struck left with incredible force, sending the ball at an almost straight 90-degree angle across Luan’s field, shooting past him and coming to a stop only once it hit the door to the Aquarium some distance behind them.

 

Rin exited the zone, and slumped onto the table. “Holy crap, am I even alive right now?”

 

“ ** _It’s over, everyone!_** That ball is out of here! Three to two, Rin _takes_ it! Rin Hashizawa is the victor! What a game! What a set! What! A! Freaking! MATCH!” Stella jumped up and down, her eyes bulging and sweat causing the light of the room to make her hair shine yet brighter.

 

“That was bananas.” Gavin said, rubbing his eyes to ensure he hadn’t been dreaming. “I mean, like, that was totally bananas, man.”

 

Chizuru had popped out of the underside of the sofa slightly, having been drawn in by the gravity of the match. Her curls bobbed. “That was…incredible. I had never imagined table tennis to carry such powerful intensity.”

 

“See? What did I tell you guys?” Daisuke was standing up now, gesturing towards the group. “Ping-pong rules!”

 

Yayoi blew a raspberry. “You lost in the first round, idiot. Can you even play ping-pong?”

 

Kazuya, Shinobu, and Claus let out a simultaneous breath that none had realized they were holding. “Both of you are absolutely incredible!” Claus said, standing up to clap both Rin and Luan on the shoulders.

 

Luan smiled at Rin. It was the first time she remembered seeing him do it. “You were excellent, Rin. Thank you for the match.”

 

“Oh, no, it was my pleasure! You were excellent, too!” Rin said, as Aoto cheered in the background. “Really! That was way more fun than I was expecting!”

 

“It was a really good match.” Miria said. “Thank you for setting this up, Daisuke.”

 

“Eh-heh.” Daisuke looked away, his ponytail blowing in wind nobody knew the origin of. “It was no problem at all, my friend. Ping-pong is very important.”

 

Jun looked at a clock on the wall. “It’s 6 PM. Weren’t we all supposed to eat lunch hours ago?”

 

A silence came over the group until Eriko let out an unearthly wail. “No! I was so excited about group bonding that I forgot!” She began making tiny, twitchy movements on the couch. “How could I do this!? The Shigure Guarantee! The Shigure Guarantee!” The Conductor continued to wail on the couch, and Claus and Gavin offered her pity.

 

**8 P.M.**

 

In the end, the group had skipped lunch, and all collectively came to the Cafeteria for dinner instead. Today, it was minestrone soup. Luan had never had minestrone before, but it was a thoroughly filling sort of soup, and he found it quite satisfying.

 

The group was animated today. Daisuke was still marveling at how two amateurs who had played the game far less than he could achieve such mastery so quickly, but it seemed that it was beginning to embarrass Rin, whose face was arching further and further towards her bowl. Gavin, ever conscientious, came in with a story about a time that he had tripped and skinned his knee as a child, but because he kept saying “trip” in his everyday vocabulary, it took a significant amount of time for anyone to figure out what he was talking about.

 

“Luan, you’re really good at ping-pong!” Eriko sat across from him. The small girl seemed to enjoy his company. “It’s really amazing! How do you have such good reflexes?”

 

“Yeah!” Aoto said, from a few seats away. “Isn’t your talent massage? You could be in some kind of crazy action movie, Luan!”

 

“It’s nothing special,” Luan said. “I don’t believe it would be impossible for others to achieve the same skill I have.”

 

“It’s easy to say that when you’re the skilled one,” Jun said.

 

“That’s correct,” Luan said. “My viewpoint is not necessarily true.” Jun seemed to be used to people disagreeing more fervently than that, so he became silent quite quickly.

 

“I’m just glad we had some real hard hitters in here,” Yayoi said. “Not like Harada could put his money where his mouth is.”

 

“Hey!” Daisuke shouted, shaking his fist. “It’s not like you’ve won any games of mahjong yet either!”

 

“Claus.” Yayoi intently gazed at the Principal. “I am begging you, let me shove that guy’s face into his bowl.”

 

“No,” Claus said.

 

“Such hostility,” Shinobu said, eating with poise and grace. “Why, Yayoi, are you not aware that being so surly so often could lower your lifespan?”

 

“It’s just how I am,” Yayoi said, taking a drink of a ginger ale Monokuma had provided tonight. “No sense worrying about it.”

 

Miria sat by herself at a table in the corner. Chizuru was in another corner, under a table. Luan did not think that she knew that he saw her, but he did, and he studied the conflicted expression on her face. From her hiding place, she was looking directly at Miria, with an expression that betrayed inner turmoil and confusion, with a hint of familiarity. He had figured out that Chizuru felt some great degree of inner turmoil already from the anxieties that led her to hide herself, but towards Miria? Perhaps the two knew each other. Given Chizuru’s mannerisms, he had never seen the two speak in their three days together. Luan was quite curious, but knew quite well that pushing the issue would only sully things.

 

“This is so _heavy,_ ” Stella said with a whine. “Someone tell Monokuma that I’m on a diet!”

 

“I can call him here if you want,” Miria said.

 

“Uh, no.” Stella frowned. “Don’t do that, please.”

 

“Okay,” Miria said.

 

“If you worry so much about how heavy things are, you’re gonna starve, y’know.” Rin said to Stella, taking a satisfying spoonful of her soup that caused her antenna to twitch gleefully.

 

“Oh, yeah, sure. Of course it’d be _you_ who said that.” Stella rolled her eyes. “Fine, I guess.” She begrudgingly began to eat, but definitely did not look happy about it.

 

Kazuya’s eyes had lit up significantly today as compared to the last two days, and he seemed to be quite more comfortable now than he had been. Claus seemed pleased with the group’s progress. Luan nodded to himself.

 

“You’re so observant, Luan,” Eriko said, pointing her ever-present pen at him. “I think it’s really cool.”

 

“Oh?” He said. “Thank you, Eriko. I don’t think it’s anything special, though.”

 

“I’m glad we’re friends,” Eriko said. The small, bouncing bullet gave a smile that Luan could not help but return. He had not had many friends in his time, so he returned the sentiment. He was glad that she was his friend as well.

 

**9:30 P.M.**

 

“Well, my goodness,” Wanda said. “So it is.”

 

Something she’d overheard earlier from Miria tipped her off, so Wanda had returned to the Auditorium to inspect the podium’s emblem. Indeed, it was the emblem of Hope’s Peak Academy, circa 2015 CE. The school had since updated its emblem several times. Wanda’s striking of the podium told her several things about it, most important being that it was quite old. A relic of a bygone era of Hope’s Peak! She inwardly thrilled at finding such an item, despite the circumstances. It was not, she found, even actually stuck to the floor.

 

Wanda considered, for a moment, taking the podium and bringing it back to her room, before deciding that having it in her room would significantly limit the space in which she could move around for very little benefit, but she made a note to keep this artifact in mind in case the building was going to collapse and she could only bring one item from Abilene Hall. It had happened before, after all, and in all likelihood could very easily happen again. If a story she’d heard earlier from Claus about Gavin was any indication, it was not just her that collapsing buildings happened to.

 

Wanda heard a slight noise behind her and turned. It was Aoto, the Lucky Student. His white-and-red hair was clearly visible even in the dim light. He yawned, stretching his arms widely as he did so.

 

“Hiya, Wanda.” He said as he yawned. “Whatcha doing?”

 

“I’m inspecting this podium,” Wanda said. “It’s very fine wood.”

 

“That’s cool.” Aoto sat in one of the seats, the line of his mouth wobbling a bit as he did so. He yawned again. Wanda found herself about to yawn as well, but caught herself. “Hey, why are you in here? Isn’t Monokuma going to close this room off at ten?”

 

“I was curious about that, actually.” Wanda said. “We know that these two rooms are blocked off, but what exactly would Monokuma do if one of us was in here already?”

 

“I’d force you out,” said Monokuma, appearing atop the podium.

 

“Ah,” Wanda said. “Thank you for the prompt answer.”

 

“Rewards come to smart children, Wanda!” He raised his paw in approval. “Not like Talentless over there. Eurgh, Lucky Students. Something about them just bugs me, you know?”

 

“I can’t say I understand, no.” Wanda said. “Why did you kidnap Aoto if you can’t stand his presence?”

 

“’The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma,’ Monokuma monotoned monotonously,” Monokuma said.

 

“Wait, what did you just say?” Aoto said.

 

“’I didn’t say anything out of the ordinary,’ Monokuma says, as Monokuma has a hearty chuckle at how slow on the uptake Aoto Maebara is,” Monokuma said.

 

“That’s mean,” Aoto said. Monokuma just laughed, but then stopped when he felt lithe hands caressing his ears.

 

“Hey, hey, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” He screeched.

 

Wanda let go. “I was just curious what material your fur was made of. You’re very plush, also, and I felt as though I should caress you as much as I could manage.”

 

Monokuma blushed, and wobbled about a bit. “My goodness, Miss Morinaga. Are you saying I’m a Q.T.3.14?” The pun did not make sense to Aoto. “Would you buy me on a shop shelf?”

 

“If I had money to spare and nothing else looked more attractive,” Wanda said.

 

“I’m a C-Tier Purchase?!” Monokuma’s skeleton suddenly seemed to disappear, as he flattened against the ground, making sobbing noises. “At least I’m not an F-Tier…”

 

A crackle heralded the announcement. “Eh-hem. Hope’s Peak Academy’s Executive Committee has an announcement to make. It is now 10 P.M. Please, return to your rooms and relax. It’s another busy day tomorrow. Sweet dreams, everyone. Good niiiiiight…”

 

“Ah, so those messages are automated,” Wanda said. “I figured, but it’s nice to have confirmation.”

 

“Okay, you two!” Monokuma was back to his original fervor. “Out of the room! Out of the room! I’ll pick you up if I have to! I’m One Tough Bear! Hooargh!”

 

Wanda was already walking out, leading Aoto, who seemed a bit out of it, by the hand. “Goodbye, Monokuma,” Wanda said. “See you in the morning.”

 

The door shut before Monokuma could get in a response.

 

**10:10 P.M.**

 

Stella Masaki flopped bonelessly onto her bed. She was very tired from all the action in today’s events, but she continued to psych herself up replaying them again and again in her head. The intensity, the action of the competitors! It was incredible! They were all so incredible! She squeezed a pillow and squealed thinking about it, rolling around and gussying up her sheets. She was _happy._ She hadn’t been happy in the past few days but she was so gloriously happy again, and she loved every moment of it.

 

The amazing intensity with which Rin and Luan had fought almost seemed otherworldly, like the two of them were on a higher plane inhabited only by _gods,_ beings whose clashes could cause the heavens to shake. Stella wanted to see them fight again. She lived for moments like those. Seeing talents clash with their pride on the line was beautiful, beautiful, oh, it was so beautiful! She loved them! She loved the heavenly beings that could provide her with such a breathtaking sight! She bounced on her bed, hearing springs squeak, as she danced a ritual dance to honor her classmates.

 

 _Of course it would be you who said that,_ the Stella of two hours prior said in her mind. The intensity of Stella’s bouncing slowed greatly. Oh, yes. That was right. She had said something very rude to Rin. She wasn’t sure if Rin had noticed the fact that that was a crack at her weight. No, she probably did notice, and just didn’t say anything. Rin had shown her something so beautiful and all Stella could pay her back with was backtalk and loathing. What an awful, **disgusting, _abominable_** person Stella Masaki was. The open scars on her upper arm began to sting again.

 

Stella had stood up without noticing, and doffed her blazer. She gazed into the mirror at the hideous being before her. A few open scars, and several closed ones, lined her upper arms, front and back. The open scars were bleeding slightly.

 

 _It’s good to participate once in a while,_ the Claus of several hours prior said in her mind. Technically, he was right, wasn’t he? She had had fun, but... No. She had spat and gotten very angry when Luan had won against her. Even though she hadn’t wanted to play in the first place, she was very, very rude to him, and that wasn’t okay. She should apologize. Apologize profusely, get on her knees and sob to him, and Rin too, and tell them how very much she was sorry and how she absolutely hated how poorly she had treated them and they could do whatever they wanted with her and she wouldn’t care.

 

She was very rude to Jun on the regular, as well. _But he’s a total jerk a lot of the time,_ a small part of her brain said, but it was dwarfed by the larger part that said _he deserves it more than I do. He can’t even use his legs, how can I even begin to imagine his suffering?_ The smaller part spat back, _you’d be saying that about him even if he could use his legs,_ and the larger part tut-tutted and said, _that doesn’t matter, he still deserves better treatment than I could ever give him. What an awful person I am._

 

“Maybe I should kill myself,” Stella said to the ceiling. She had moved away from the mirror and back onto the bed, though the image of her horrifying visage was still burned into her mind. “No, no. That wouldn’t do anyone any good. Maybe I should let someone else kill me.” She shook her head, as logic reared its ugly head and prevailed. “No! No, I… No.” She said to herself.

 

She was back up, looking at the monster in the mirror. Her slight frame was _wrong._ She had known for quite some time now that she was an aberration, something that should not exist, but she could never quite pinpoint what it was about the body of Stella Masaki that was so offensive. Several people at her prior high school had even called her attractive, or even asked to date her. It was completely beyond the pale. It was probably just because she was famous, she had reasoned, and if they really knew her they’d know what an awful person she was.

 

On her bed, screaming into a pillow. Her fists pounded into the bed with an impotent rage towards her own foolish soul. Stella missed home. She missed her own bed, with her own covers, that she could sink into and pretend she did not exist for just a brief while.

 

“I want to go _home!_ ” She shrieked, tears that she hadn’t noticed she was crying staining her pillow. “I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go _home!_ Please, God, if you’re listening, let me go home! I’ll never do anything bad again, please, I promise, I’ll be a perfect person, I’ll do everything I can to help the world at my own expense, please, please, please just _let me go home!!_ ”

 

She screamed, and cried, and wailed. The walls were soundproof, a fact she was quite glad of, as it meant poor Aoto in the next room would not have to hear the wails of the banshee he roomed next to. Whether God heard her screams, however, she had no way of knowing. She had already forgotten the happiness of just a few minutes ago, and was back to misery and directionless fury. Soon, her energy had left her, and she again fell against the bed, a few of the covers rubbing up against open wounds.

 

“I want to go home.”

 

**11:30 P.M.**

 

“Done,” Jun said. “You can have your Handbook back.”

 

“Oh, thank goodness,” said a yawning, sleepy Aoto. “I’m kinda tired.”

 

“Fat lot of good that nap did you.” Jun said, handing the Lucky Student his Handbook. He turned back to his laptop.

 

“Wow, you’re a real workaholic, huh, Jun?” Aoto said, having regained some of his vigor. “Well, my mom always says ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.’”

 

“I like working,” Jun said. “Sue me.”

 

“I can’t, I don’t have a lawyer!”

 

“What?” Jun stopped. “Are you seriously that literal?”

 

“Wait, do you actually want me to sue you?”

 

“No, idiot! Go to sleep! In your own room!”

 

“Okaaaaay…” Aoto said, looking suspiciously at Jun. “But don’t work until the sun rises, okay? It’s bad for your health!”

 

“I’ve got it already! _Goodnight,_ Aoto!”

 

“Goodnight, Jun!”

 

And thus was Jun alone in the quiet again. His gaze returned to his work. He had the key, and now he knew how he could get past it. Nobody would be beating him at this game. He’d make sure of that. He’d play by the rules, and blow Monokuma away by _winning._

 

He smirked. _So, Monokuma-Modified ARM-Targeting UNIX V1, it’s just you, me, and armcc. Let’s get friendly._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Two.**

 

**No students died today. Seventeen students are alive.**

**Yashiro Narumi is still missing. No other abnormalities detected.**

 

 **Good night, Administrator**.


	5. Day 3 - The First Turn

 

**7 A.M.**

 

“Eh-hem. Hope's Peak Academy Executive Committee has an announcement to make: The time is now 7 AM! Good morning, everybody! Let's show some enthusiasm and give it our all today!”

 

“Do I gotta?” Rin grumbled, rolling around in her bed and grappling a pillow for dear life. “Mmmrph. Don't wanna.” Then her antenna stood at attention. “Claus and Eriko'll bust a gasket if I don't. I gotta.”

 

She valiantly attempted to rub the sleep from her eyes, but only a blast of cold water onto her face from the sink was able to properly restore Rin's sight after a solid eight hours of sleep. Her face was in a slump. She'd had a nightmare last night. Thankfully, it was not a mysterious nightmare in which all of her friends (and Yashiro) were found brutally murdered on a boat, but instead a completely ordinary nightmare in which she'd been chased by a very large crab. It had, however, woken her up only an hour and a half ago, and she'd only just barely gotten back to sleep when that obnoxious bear's announcements poked at her brain to remind her that she had responsibilities.

 

Roughly half an hour later, a properly dressed and bathed Rin opened her door, expecting to find the ordinary trappings of the starkly-lit corridors of the Housing Suite.

 

“Oh, hello, Rin! How lovely to see you. Good morning!” said Shinobu, who wasn't that, definitely wasn't that at all. Why was Shinobu outside of her room? Rin blinked. “And how are we today?”

 

“Huh?” Rin shook her head. “Uh... Why are you outside of my room?”

 

“Well, I've already greeted Kazuya and Jun this morning, and the Mistress of Mystery thought she should go for a Target Hall Hat Trick! If you will.” Shinobu spun on her heels when she called herself the “Mistress of Mystery.” “Are you prepared for the day, Rin? You seem disheveled.”

 

“I slept bad.” Rin said, finally stepping out of the doorway. “I wish I could sleep more.”

 

“Ah, that is a refrain I hear often,” Shinobu said, hands on her hips, nodding furiously. “I, personally, am never any less excited to be _done_ sleeping, such that I may face a brand new day, the sun's light shining down on all the unsolved mysteries of the wide world of we capricious human beings!”

 

The two Shinobus Rin's unfocused eyes perceived threw their hands out towards the sun, looking as though the exaltation she felt towards the act of _waking up_ could sustain her existence. Well. If Shinobu was this excited first thing in the morning, then nightmare or not, clearly Rin needed to get back on her game.

 

“Well, I!” Rin begun. “I! I, um.” How was she to finish this statement? Should she try to be as loqacious as Shinobu was? No, she didn't have the werewithal for that first thing in the morning.

 

Rin almost didn't recognize the noise Shinobu made; it was a _giggle,_ instead of her bizarre signature laugh. “My goodness, Rin! Are you trying to one-up me? My dear girl, there is no need to be so competitive!”

 

“I'm not trying to _one-_ up, I'm trying to _wake_ up!” Rin said, leaning with one hand on the wall, the other on her waist, crossing her legs. “I'm sure that's something the modern-day Mistress of Mystery can understand?”

 

“Without a doubt, darling. And judging by your jaunty posture, you seem to have done a bang-up job of it!” There was the cackle. Shinobu even brought her hand in for this one, straightening it as though it were a stage upon which her head was performing.

 

“Huh, yeah, I wouldn't be making puns like that or thinking similes if I wasn't awake, would I?” Rin said. “Good stuff!”

 

The two eclectic young ladies—and they were ladies, prancing about their territory, by Shinobu's insistence—walked together to the Cafeteria. 7:40, so aside from Claus and Aoto, they were the first to arrive.

 

“Oh, hey guys,” Rin said, with a wave. Shinobu bowed to them.

 

“Rin! Shinobu!” Claus smiled his award-winning, gleaming smile full of pearly whites that even the Greek gods would shy away from. “Good morning.”

 

“Wait, Rin got here early?” Aoto balked. “But you never wake up early! Isn't that why you have the bedhead?”

 

“My antenna?” Rin began twiddling at her antenna, twinging it back and forth and imagining metallic noises coming from it. “I mean, maybe. I donno why I have this. It's just my thing.”

 

“Now, Aoto.” Claus said. “I don't think commenting on hair is anything _you_ should be doing.”

 

“No, I was really surprised!” Aoto said, his head, as usual, surrounded by a spiky shield of white and red. “She even woke up late on the first day!”

 

“Oh, and you've woken up early every day so far to know this?” Rin huffed, puffing her cheeks out.

 

“Yeah!” Aoto said. “I was even first out of bed on the first day! I think. Unless Yashiro got into bed and then fell out and into the sewer somehow. Maybe there's a manhole in his room!”

 

“Nobody in their right mind would leave a gaping manhole right next to their bed, Aoto.” Shinobu said, tittering.

 

“So when do we get to see your gaping hole, Shinobu?” Jun said as he wheeled in. “I'm sure Rin would love to see it.”

 

“Is it possible for you to not be such a tool first thing _every morning?_ ” said Stella, coming in behind him and whacking him on the back of the head.

 

“I don't think I've ever seen it happen,” Rin said. She pondered. “Wait, but... Nope. I don't think I've ever seen Jun not be a tool.”

 

“Aw, he's not that bad!” Aoto said. Jun was rolling his eyes with an aura that projected levels of “I don't actually care what you think” that Rin could scarcely believe were possible, especially from someone who so obviously did.

 

“I'm sure he has a hidden good side, you're right.” Rin decided to counter Jun's assault with an “I care deeply about your wellbeing even if I think you're a tool most of the time” aura, with a bright, angelic smile and the most demure, feminine posture she could muster, clasping her fingers together and leaning into his space. Jun grunted.

 

Things continued in essentially this manner until all sixteen of the participants had entered the Cafeteria. Kazuya was the last in this morning, and Rin noticed he made an odd face at Shinobu and pointed to his back. Shinobu nodded in assent. Rin didn't know what that meant. It was Eriko's turn to make breakfast, so the small bullet bounded into the Kitchen to get to work on making something or another.

 

“Now, everyone, if you'd pay attention,” Claus said. “I believe Hansuke had something he wished to share with us.”

 

“Yeah, I did.” The scruffy Salesman sat straight up in his seat. “Rin's not the only one missing memories.”

 

“Wait, what?” Daisuke said. “What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Means exactly what it sounds like,” Hansuke said, his brow furrowing. “I spent the last two days going over everything I remember, and there's something important missing, a detail I know for damned certain I'd never forget on my own.”

 

“And this detail is?” Jun said.

 

“Is it my job to explain my entire backstory to you to tell you exactly how I know I've forgotten something?” Hansuke said, glaring at Jun.

 

“Of course it is. How is anyone supposed to believe you if you can't provide evidence?”

 

“I believe him,” Miria said.

 

“You're a sycophant, that doesn't mean anything.” Jun spat.

 

“Mother of _god_ , you're annoying,” Yayoi said, flicking a marble in Jun's direction. “So what are you saying, Yasuda? I'm not following how this is important.”

 

“Two coincidences are more like a pattern,” Wanda said from over by a potted plant. “It's not just Rin who has amnesia, but Hansuke's lost a memory as well.”

 

“Then, you're saying Monokuma must have something to do with it!” Claus said. Hansuke nodded.

 

“I have no idea why Monokuma would take what he took from me,” Hansuke said, “especially since I still know _what_ it is he took. I'm telling you all to take a moment to think—”

 

“Ah?!” Chizuru fell out from under a table, with a loud crash. “What? What, what...what?! Why— Why don't I—” She continued to stammer to herself, as Rin, Gavin, and Wanda ran over to ensure that she was alright.

 

“Oh,” Miria said. “Hm.”

 

A scattered few reactions came following behind. Jun scoffed and looked to the side, looking particularly uncomfortable; Yayoi clicked her tongue; Luan frowned and made a low noise; Stella's upper arms suddenly became very interesting to her, judging by the speed at which she began to rub at them. As Rin and Gavin tried to calm down the disheveled Chizuru, Rin noted that Wanda seemed a bit distracted as well.

 

“Well, there's your evidence,” Hansuke said. “Good enough for you, kid?”

 

“That'll do,” Jun grumbled.

 

“Trip, man!” Gavin said. “So he took something from a bunch of people?”

 

“Seventeen people, to be precise.” said Monokuma.

 

“Oh, thank you for the clarification,” said Aoto.

 

...Wait a second.

 

“Oh good, it's Monokuma.” Daisuke said. “He's my favorite!”

 

“Hooooowdy-dowdy-doodly, folks! It's your old pal, Headmaster Monokuma!” Rin did not really understand why Monokuma was performing some sort of dance atop the table now, but his gyrations certainly were...hm. They were _something._

 

“What do you want?” Claus said. “We don't have time for your games.”

 

“Yes, you do.” said Monokuma.

 

“...We would rather not have time for your games,” Claus said, frowning.

 

“Ooh, don't throw your back out, Glorious Leader.” Monokuma said. “Anyway, speaking of games, it's kind of ridiculously boring that it's now been two whole days and nobody's even gotten a little hurt yet! Well, okay, people have gotten a little hurt by themselves and others, and Jun regularly cuts himself on the edge, but you know what I mean!”

 

“Was that some kinda fuckin' joke?" Yayoi snarled. "Go fuck yourself, ya prick."

 

"Please don't interrupt me while I'm speaking, Ms. Murasaki." Monokuma said. "Anyway, wowzers! I wasn't expecting anyone to figure out Mr. Monokuma's First Motive so soon. Congratulations, Hansuke! You're reasonably smart for a piece of roadkill! Seriously, what is with that coat?”

 

“This coat and I go way back.” Hansuke said.

 

“Wait wait wait.” Daisuke said. “Motive?”

 

“And a damn good one if I can say it myself! So, as several of you have noticed, I've taken a single memory from the lot of you—well, okay, I say the lot of you, one of you has a bit more empty room in her head.”

 

“Hey!” Rin said.

 

“Thus comprises the motive! In your rooms, you'll find a message that tells you exactly what it is that's gone tumbling out of your brain. Aaaand...” A drumroll began emanating from _somewhere._ “If you kill somebody, you get it back!” There was a sudden burst of trumpets causing Chizuru to jump in fright, and confetti rained down from the ceiling, most of it landing on Gavin and Jun. Gavin was much more fine with it. Jun was very, very unhappy.

 

“But...” Aoto blinked. “Why would anyone kill over a single memory? It doesn't really make much sense.”

 

“Hm. Perhaps a boring child like yourself wouldn't understand,” Monokuma said. “Ugh. This is why I hate Lucky Students. Well, there was this one guy from a few years back that was pretty cool...oh, but never you mind that bit!” Monokuma jumped off the table and began walking towards the wall. “That's all from the Headmaster today, folks!” he said as he began walking up the wall. “Hope's Peak Academy hopes you continue to enjoy your stay!” Another hole opened up and ate Monokuma. “See you laterrrrrrrrrrrr”

 

“A thoroughly unpleasant bear,” said Shinobu. “I hope dearly that he does not deign to rear his ugly head again today.”

 

“Shit.” Yayoi muttered under her breath. “Fuck.”

 

“Hey, um, Chizuru?” Rin was squatted next to the stealthy puffball, who was curled into a ball on the floor. “Are you...gonna be okay?” She decided not to tell her that everyone could see her just yet.

 

“I'm—” Chizuru gritted her teeth, and let out a heavy breath with incredible speed. “Fine. I'm fine.”

 

“You don't look fine, dude.” Gavin said.

 

“Everyone, let's stay calm.” Claus said. “I can't immediately think of what it is Monokuma's taken from me, so I can't imagine what everyone here is going through, but destabilizing the group is exactly what Monokuma wants.” Claus pounded his right fist into his open left palm. “We need to keep our heads together. After breakfast, we can all go back to our rooms and learn what exactly it is we've lost.”

 

“Hey, speaking of!” Daisuke said. “Eriko, are you done back there yet?!”

 

“I'm—I'm sorry!” Eriko shouted from the Kitchen, and Rin realized that she'd stopped hearing noise back there once Monokuma had shown up. “I'll be done in just a moment!” Ah, she must've been disheveled from his announcement too.

 

“Take your time,” Luan said.

**10:03 A.M.**

 

After breakfast had concluded, the awkward air that filled the room despite Claus, Gavin, and Shinobu's best attempts to keep the peace forced everyone back to their rooms to learn what exactly they had lost.

 

“Hey, Kazuya?” Rin said to the Orator, who was walking back to Target Hall with her. “It feels really unfair that Monokuma's first motive barely even affects me.”

 

“Do you want it to?” Kazuya said, holding the door to the Stairwell for Rin.

 

“Thanks. No, I'm glad it doesn't, but... It's like, everyone is going through a bunch of stress I can't even imagine. Here you go,” Rin said, and held the door to the Housing Suite for Kazuya in return. “Just 'cause you're such a gentleman,” she added. Kazuya blushed, and seemed a bit less hidden behind his scarf this time.

 

“Thank you, Rin. I don't think that's fair of you to say about yourself. I mean, think about it. Monokuma's taken _all_ of your memories. You didn't even remember your name when you woke up, right?”

 

“That's right.” Rin nodded.

 

“I think it's amazing that you're taking it as well as you are. A lot of people would be really panicking if they had amnesia that severe. They certainly wouldn't be as...well, friendly, as you are.” The last bit of this statement was the first time Kazuya had given Rin direct eye contact. That boy had very striking eyes.

 

“You think?” Rin said. “Well, you saw me break down when I regained even a little bit. What if it turned out I was someone completely different before I lost my memories?”

 

“What?”

 

“I mean, me, Rin Hashizawa, I might be a person that only exists because I've lost my memories. People filter their experiences through their memories, right? If I've lost sixteen years' worth of recollection, that means that me, now, I'm a very different person from the me I was before Monokuma took my memories.”

 

“There's no way.” Kazuya shook his head.

 

“How do you figure?”

 

“Simple. You cried because you missed your friend so much.” Kazuya smiled at her. “If you were a different person now, would you have cried over him like that? A different person wouldn't miss him that way.”

 

They were in front of Kazuya's room now, so the conversation had stopped moving.

 

“I think that you must've been a very strong person well before you lost your memories if you're like this now, Rin.” Kazuya said. “So don't be scared. You're not going to suddenly become a different person if you get your memories back.”

 

Rin blinked. “Wow, you are really good at deriving the points I'm trying to make when I'm falling all over myself.”

 

“It's kind of my job,” said Kazuya. “Well, it's pretty close at any rate.”

 

“Hey, do you have any idea what Monokuma took from you?” Rin asked, tilting her head to one side.

 

Kazuya pondered this for a moment. “I don't think it's good to keep looking at the past. I'd rather continue looking at the future,” he said, finally. “Looking into the past is a good way to distract yourself from what you need to do right now. So no. I haven't thought about it.”

 

“Alright!” Rin nodded. Then, she was unable to control a spontaneous urge, and gave Kazuya a hug. Kazuya made a high-pitched squealing noise, but then acquiesced. “Hm. You're soft, Kazuya. I like it! There's too many muscle hunks in this building.”

 

“There's like, two,” Kazuya said, his head plastered in Rin's bosom. “'Muscle hunks?'”

 

“Muscle hunks!” Rin said. “It's a completely reasonable turn of phrase.” Her grin twisted up like a cat's, and she coyly put her finger on her chin. “Or is it too...sensual?”

 

Kazuya's face scrunched up as he attempted to scrutinize Rin's expression. “What... What are you talking about?”

 

Rin's face froze, and her antenna began to curl. “I'm not... You know, I'm not really sure—” Then, her antenna jumped straight up. “WAIT I JUST REMEMBERED OH MY GOD!” Her legs propelled her out of Target Hall, through the Stairwell, to the Archive, and back in under a minute, returning to a very confused-looking Kazuya. She showed him the book in her hand, and his eyes went wide.

 

“No way,” he said.

 

“Way,” she said.

 

The two spent a pretty solid half of an hour animatedly discussing the intricacies of the social norms of fictional vampires before Shinobu exited her room.

 

“So when does he do the thing with the engine?” Rin said.

 

“That's in the third book, _Eclipse._ ” Kazuya said. “I think he's worried about her going to spend time with Jacob.”

 

“He should be worried for Jacob!” Rin said. “I mean, as far as I can tell, Bella's just been leading him on this whole time while she tries to get her kicks off of killing herself.”

 

“What are you two lovely people talking about?” said Shinobu, strutting up.

 

“The intricacies of the social norms of fictional vampires,” said Rin.

 

“Ah, fictional vampires, the only kinds that exist.” Shinobu sneered. “Well, if you must discuss any type of vampires, that is at least vaguely acceptable, though I would assume that sort of hogwash would come more from Morinaga's mind than anyone else's. This motive of Monokuma's is nonsense! I haven't the foggiest why anyone would be concerned about this.”

 

“What memory did Monokuma take from you then, Shinobu?” Kazuya asked.

 

“Something about one of my classmates from elementary school, if you can believe that!” Shinobu laughed. “What nonsense. Ah yes, I'm certain I want to _take someone's life_ because I forgot about another child in Ms. Busujima's first-grade class! What a fool that bear is!”

 

“Well, it's good to know you're fine, at least.” Rin said. “I should go see what in the world he said about me.”

 

“Wait, you haven't actually been back to your room?” Shinobu said. “If I was not as staunch an anti-fantasy activist as I am, I would want to see what the deal was regarding the intricacies of the social norms of fictional vampires.”

 

“Wait! Oh man, I should do that, bye!” Rin was gone, leaving a stunned Kazuya and Shinobu in the dust. She faintly heard a “my goodness she's fast” from Shinobu as she opened her door and entered her room.

 

The furniture jostled a little as Rin closed the door, and she immediately spotted it: a white envelope on her bed. In an instant, she was on it, ripping open the paper to get at the letter inside.

 

Howdy, Rin! Now, you've forgotten pretty much everything, and ol' Mr. Monokuma can't promise EVERYTHING back if you kill someone, but there is someone very important you've forgotten. I'm sure your dear little brother would be very sad to know his big sister's forgotten all about him, and is even screaming about how much she hates mahjong without even remembering how bad he beats her pants off each time! You're so rude, Rin, but don't worry; I've got the answer! Just kill one of your classmates, and I'll give you back all your memories of your precious little brother, quick as a lick!

 

Sincerely yours,

Monokuma

(puhuhuhu!)

 

Rin blinked at... Well, first she blinked at the fact that this stupid, annoying bear was still writing his laugh, but then she blinked at the actual content of her letter. Huh. So her mahjong friend was her _little brother._ She had a brother? She had family? Well, that would logically follow, but...

 

Rin flopped back on her bed. Her little brother, who always beat her at mahjong. Well, it obviously wasn't anyone here, since nobody had commented that she looked even remotely familiar. So that meant her little brother must be somewhere outside the facility. It was an odd feeling, knowing that there was someone important to you, but not really knowing who that someone was; it made Rin feel a sense of vague confusion.

 

“My little brother,” she said aloud, finally. “He'll let me remember my little brother if I kill someone.”

 

She took a moment of silence before laughing. “As if! What an idiot! If I killed somebody, my little brother would probably NEVER look me in the eyes again! If he did that. Wait, he probably did. Why am I talking to myself? Oh yeah, Monokuma can probably hear me. You're an idiot, Monokuma! I won't play your stupid game!”

 

She knew that deep in her heart, she missed him dearly, but she would wait for her little brother. It wasn't him that she worried for right now, it was everyone else in the facility. Her little brother would probably understand, and if she didn't, she'd roughhouse with him until he understood. Hm, he was probably pretty rambunctious if that was her first thought. Hah! She probably didn't even need Monokuma's help to remember the little guy.

**11 A.M.**

 

Chizuru knocked four times in rapid succession. A second passed in which she did not hear anything, and then she knocked four more times.

 

“Please open the door!” A second later, the door acquiesced, and Miria appeared in the door.

 

“Oh. Hello, Chizuru.” Miria said.

 

Chizuru clutched her letter from Monokuma tightly in the grip of her hand. “I wasn't okay with it before now either but this is clinching it. I can't stand it anymore. It's horrible, I don't understand.”

 

“Don't understand what?” Miria said.

 

“ _Why are you pretending like you don't know me?!_ ” Chizuru said, slamming her fist into the wall. There were tears welling up in her eyes. “I know you got the same thing in the letter! He took the same thing from you, didn't he?!”

 

Miria took the letter from Chizuru's other hand and read it. “Oh. Yes, he did.”

 

“I knew it! I knew you remembered!” Chizuru said. “Why are you pretending you don't know me!?”

 

“I'm not pretending I don't know you,” Miria said. Her face hadn't changed expression once. “Nobody's asked.”

 

“You—” Chizuru gritted her teeth. “You keep looking at me like we're strangers! You told me _it's nice to meet you_ when we ran into each other!”

 

“Oh. Did I?”

 

“ ** _Don't pretend you don't remember!!_** ” Chizuru stamped her foot on the ground a few times.

 

“Chizuru, you might disturb someone if you keep doing this, and then they'd come out to look,” Miria said. “Are you sure that's okay?”

 

“Oh, so _now_ you care about my well-being?” Chizuru spat, her curls wobbling as she moved. “It's really convenient how you care now but you didn't stop people from trying to force me into the open one single time!”

 

“I...” Miria's face did change slightly at this. She looked down. “I did...try. I told Shinobu you were in the Disposal when you had gone to the Darkroom, and I don't think anyone found you.”

 

“Why didn't you tell her not to look for me if you were so worried about me? Why... Why are you acting like you're embarrassed to be around me!?”

 

That did it. Miria flinched, and she made the first proper face that Chizuru had seen her make the entire time: pain. “I'm... I'm not, I'm not acting like— I would never be embarrassed to be around you.”

 

“You haven't spoken to me in...” Chizuru's teeth felt uncomfortable from the force with which she clenched them. “You haven't spoken to me in three months. You haven't been returning my messages. What's going on? And...” Now that she'd gotten some of the rage and fear off of her chest, Chizuru could think a bit more clearly now. “Where...did you get that scar on your cheek?”

 

“Mama gave it to me a few weeks ago,” Miria said.

 

Chizuru's hand flew towards her mouth as she gasped. “Oh my god, Miria—”

 

“I'm sorry, Chi-chan. I thought maybe Monokuma could've been her, but there's no way Mama would've known about how we met. I'm sorry. I should've said something.” Miria's voice was still level, but Chizuru had known her for long enough to know how Miria sounded when she was trembling inwardly.

 

“Miria, I... No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted. I—”

 

“I made you cry.” Miria said. “I promised I would never make you cry again when we were alone in the forest that night, and I made you cry. I broke my promise. I'm sorry.”

 

Chizuru was only crying harder now, and couldn't stop the tears. “Miria, please. May I...” She sniffled loudly. “I don't like standing out here. I want to come in.”

 

“Okay,” Miria said.

 

Chizuru was in Miria's room now, and that was the first time either of them had properly been in the other's room. Chizuru turned right around once the door was closed and gripped Miria tighter than she had gripped anything before in her life.

 

“I thought...” Chizuru sniffled more. “I was so scared I'd lost you.”

 

“I'm sorry,” Miria said.

 

“I don't care if I'm crying now. I never want to lose you again. Please don't let me lose you again. I love you. Miria, I love you!”

 

Miria looked down upon her girlfriend of two years now. Chizuru was just as much of a puffball as she had been when Miria last properly looked at her. Miria had never been particularly good with words, but after so much practice, she knew what to say here.

 

“I love you too, Chi-chan.”

 

Chizuru shook and shuddered in Miria's arms. It wasn't the first time, and Miria, too, was quite upset, but she relished the chance to hold the woman she loved more than anything else in the world again.

 

Incidentally, Gavin had witnessed a solid amount of this lover's quarrel while exiting his room at around the same time, but decided not to mention anything, because he was a very conscientious man.

 

**1 P.M.**

 

 

The prior November, Jun Fukuyama had emerged victorious at the illustrious Marufuji College Tech Expo. He'd shown the world at large his mastery of the internet, of all things programming, and though he'd gotten formally accepted to Hope's Peak a while afterwards, it was, unquestionably, his victory there which had gotten him noticed; after all, they'd even sent a judge for this year's class.

 

As long as he could remember, Jun Fukuyama had been a proud man. There was no doubt in his mind that he would remember every single aspect of that day; the looks of despair on the other competitors' faces as they wilted; the startled reactions of the judges as they realized just what sort of genius they were dealing with; the reaction of-

 

He snarled inwardly. He had enough to worry about at the moment. “Wow!” belted Aoto, one of the things that Jun presently had to worry about. He was widely shrugging, as if gesturing to a crowd. “I can't believe Monokuma thinks anyone would kill someone over a motive this dumb.”

 

“Well, if all of them are as bizarrely poor a motivation as mine...” Claus trailed off, rubbing his chin. “I can't quite imagine it myself, but that doesn't mean we should ignore the possibility. Your thoughts, Jun?”

 

“Hm?” Jun raised an eyebrow. “Oh, Monokuma just ripped from me the memories of the most important day of my entire life.” He snorted. “Nothing important.”

 

Aoto's eyes went wide, and he gasped. “You had memories of when you were _born_?”

 

There was a moment of silence from all five around the table. Yayoi snorted a bit. Jun sighed. “Shut up, Aoto.” He said, and grabbed a bar from the set. “ _Riichi_.”

 

“Huh. _Someone_ 's confident.” Yayoi gave Jun a distasteful smirk, one Jun would've dearly loved to wipe off her face. “Gonna wipe that dumb look off your face like my hand's a bar of soap. You ever touch one, Fukuyama?” In a way, she was refreshing. At least _she_ was honest about how much she disliked him, unlike everyone else.

 

Jun smirked. “Generally, _Madam Murasaki_ , soap-based remarks are more based on a proclivity towards swearing than general unpleasantness. As such, might I suggest that you go assure a kettle that it's black?” He gave all his sweltering unimpressed energy into his stare. “And, _for your information_ , I'm quite clean. I bathe twice a day, I keep regularly shaven. You, on the other hand, _should_ probably go touch a bar of soap.”

 

“You wanna fuckin' start something?!” Yayoi shouted, clenching her fist, a vein throbbing in her temple.

 

“Now, now, you two.” Claus waved his arms loudly to defuse the tension. Not that Jun, ever the cool cucumber, was actually riled up. “We're still playing mahjong here, not... hm. What's a party game that people get mad at each other over?”

 

“Charades?” Aoto suggested.

 

“Mario Party.” Claus nodded to himself.

 

“I dunno, Jun seems like he'd get mad at parties anyway. Doesn't look like he's the 'getting out much' type.” Stella, Claus's simpering belt ornament, said. Jun sneered. He oftentimes waffled over what sort of person it was that he hated most in this world, but Stella Masaki, unmemorable though their introduction might've been, fit so many points on his checklist it was almost comical. Ridiculous suck-ups like her, who clearly only wanted to get into the pants of power, were a pet peeve of his.

 

“That's mean, Stella.” Aoto chided. Then he turned to Jun. “Jun, if you keep sneering like that, your face will get stuck!” Aoto, meanwhile, was astoundingly pure, and the concern in his voice almost sounded genuine, so Jun sighed and just frowned normally to appease him. “Okay, that's better.” He nodded.

 

“Hey. Claus.” Yayoi had taken a _riichi_ bar and was waving it a little at Claus to accentuate herself. At some point, she'd taken to calling him by his first name. “You're looking pretty heavy there. Problem?”

 

Claus sighed deeply. “Ah, well. I'm just concerned.” He looked towards the group as a whole. “This is a great threat to group cohesion, if peoples' violent reactions tell me anything. I'm concerned.”

 

“And does our Glorious Leader,” Jun tilted his head to mock their resident 'amnesiac', not that anyone probably got that, “have any plans to deal with this great threat to group cohesion?”

 

“Okay, seriously.” Stella narrowed her eyes and frowned. “What's with the 'Glorious Leader' thing? First Monokuma and now you?”

 

Opportunity suddenly struck. There was a look in Stella's eyes that Jun recognized all too keenly- and this was a dog-eat-dog world. “It's a cute affectation of mine.” He shrugged. “Much like, say, Gavin and his incessant reprisal of the phrase 'trip, man,' or, for instance, you and the way you rub your upper arms.”

 

Stella's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and her facial muscles tensed. Inwardly, Jun smirked. He saw her reach for her arms briefly, but then stop. “I don't rub my arms _that_ much.” Stella said, her eyes darting around. “...Do I?”

 

“More often than I do, anyhow.” Claus nodded. “Do you get cold easily?”

 

“Uh.” Stella blinked. “Yyyeah, I get. Cold easily. That's the ticket.”

 

The goal of this killing game, unless some freak miracle occurred- and in Jun Fukuyama's world, there were never miracles- was to escape by murdering someone else. Knowing devious bastards like Monokuma, though, there were guaranteed to be several rules suddenly implemented following a death that greatly complicated matters. Jun wasn't about to risk his hide on a plan that could fall apart for reasons he couldn't even predict, so it was better, then, to risk someone else's.

 

Theoretically, it could've been anyone; Stella Masaki, though, was the prime target. Jun knew the look in her eyes. She was someone who could _never_ cut it in a killing game or in life- someone who spent so much time wrapped up in her own insecurities that her vapid brain could never think about anyone else. Vulnerable, weak people like her were, to put it simply, doomed, in a killing game _or_ in life. So, by establishing that he'd noticed the tip for whatever weakness it was that she had, he'd removed her safety. _Losers_ like _her_ lashed out when they noticed that they'd lost their safety.

 

Losers like-

 

 _No!_ Jun snarled inside his own head. She wasn't worth worrying about right now, or _ever_ again. She'd proven that well enough. _Get a fucking grip, Jun._ He dismissed his rival's face from his mind. There was always the possibility that Stella, or whoever else, would decide that he would make an easy mark, on account of his disability; but Jun could deal with that. The calmer and more rational one remained during a crisis, the easier it would be to deal with the ridiculous plots of plebeians like her. All he needed do was ensure that she _knew_ she was not safe.

 

Jun smirked. Victory, as always, was his destiny. Monokuma had no hope of victory. Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin, would never lose at any game of skill. He discarded a tile.

 

“Oh! _Ron_.” Claus smiled, and took Jun's tile, completing his hand and winning him the game. In a rare moment of unity, Jun and Yayoi simultaneously belted out a ' _Fuck!_ '

 

 

**4 P.M.**

 

Over the course of lunch, Luan noted that despite the increasing tensions, whatever stress had come between Miria and Chizuru had been wiped away, and suddenly the two were as friendly as could be—Chizuru was the only person who Miria referred to as just “Chizuru,” without prompting. This was pleasing, and did a deal to counter the unease he felt.

 

Eriko, Luan’s most constant companion in the facility thus far, had shot off somewhere for reasons unknown, and Luan was left in the Cafeteria with the company of two people- Wanda and Gavin. Luan reasoned that this was a good mix, as while Wanda was not much of a conversationalist herself, Gavin had the incredible ability to make conversation out of thin air.

 

“And so like, I’m talking to this guy, and he’s all, thou yen for the five kebabs! And I look over at my squad and I’m thinking like, yo dude, thou yen for five? That’s highway robbery! He’s gotta be trippin’! So I decide to trip back all over him and I shoot back, I’ll take the kebabs for two hundo! And we get into this crazy bartering match where we’re jumping around buildings and shouting at each other like we’re in some super punching anime, all hwatatatatatata and dorararararara and stuff, it’s crazy. So I get the kebabs for three seventy-five in the end, and everyone in my squad’s all like, aw yeah! Another flawless victory for Gavin Sakaki!”

 

“Oh, I think I’ve visited that stall,” said Wanda, left elbow in right hand, left hand on chin. “Regular price is thirty yen for a kebab. You were taken for a fool, Gavin.”

 

“Flawless victory!” Gavin grinned. “Sales guy gets more money and my squad leaves satisfied. No problems here, Wand!” The Buddy leaned in closer. “Now, seriously. Paranormal Investigator? Ain’t no way you don’t have some stories to tell!”

 

“Oh, must I?” Wanda’s twintails bobbed as she looked towards the ceiling pensively. “Hm. Well, what sort of story are you looking for, Gavin? I’ve been at my trade for some years now.”

 

“I wanna hear one about an actual big nasty, man!” Gavin said. “A modern-day Jeanne d’Arc fighting off the veil of the unknown, you dig?”

 

“A modern day Jeanne d’Arc?” Wanda raised her eyebrow. “She was burned at the stake for suspicions of witchery. Wouldn’t I be trying to hunt her down instead?”

 

“No, Nobe would be hunting her down, to burn her at the stake,” Gavin said. “I’ve got it on good authority from a friend of mine that you totally look like her, though.”

 

“I see,” said Wanda, her face betraying as little emotion as she could muster. “Well, I could tell you about the plesiosaur I discovered off the coasts of the Balkan Islands.”

 

“Heck yeah!” Gavin said. “Please your saurs off!”

 

“ _Plesiosaur,_ Gavin. The order of Mesozoic marine animals.”

 

Gavin blinked.

 

“Like the Loch Ness Monster?” Wanda offered.

 

“Aw, trip, man, you discovered the Loch Ness Monster?!” Gavin’s hands were on his Hasselhoff in an instant, pressing it down in shock. “Did you get into some kind of crazy fight?”

 

“No, actually.” Wanda said. “We had an amicable conversation by way of semaphore.”

 

“Plesiosaurs understand semaphore?” Luan said, his eyes widening slightly.

 

“Evidently they’re very fond of flags,” Wanda said, smiling. “As it turned out, there was a family of them in the area that evaded notice due to the noise-cancelling properties of their bodies.”

 

“Whoa,” Gavin said. “Trip.”

 

“I could communicate with a plesiosaur?” Luan said. “What do they have to say with their flags?”

 

“About the same thing as you or I would have to say,” Wanda said.

 

“My goodness…” Luan pondered this. He could communicate with plesiosaurs, which, it should be noted, were by a mile his favorite sort of prehistoric organism. This was truly a glorious day. If nothing else motivated the Masseuse to survive Monokuma’s game, the idea of visiting the Balkan Islands to communicate with plesiosaurs did the trick.

 

“Whoa.” Gavin said. “That is a look of pure bliss. I have not seen anyone this happy in, like, years. That is a happy as hell Lou there, man.”

 

“So what do you both think of Monokuma’s motive?” Wanda said. Luan was torn from his plesiosauric reverie with the grace of a backhoe, and he now stared directly at the Paranormal Investigator, who’d changed the subject as easily as one would talk about their morning coffee.

 

“What, that whole memory thing?” Gavin said. “Trip, man, it’s a bunch of hokum! No way anyone’s gonna kill over some stupid memory!”

 

“I won’t go into the details,” Wanda said, “but he took something I’d really much rather have than not. It is quite unsettling to have an open gap in my mind.”

 

“Mm,” Luan said.

 

“But trip, man, can you imagine? Actually killing somebody, I mean.” Gavin shuddered. “Cripes. That’s one scary think right there.”

 

“Indeed it is,” said Wanda. “Not to mention the terrified gazes of your peers.” When Wanda said this, Luan twitched.

 

“It is not the gaze of your peers you have to fear,” Luan said. “The true fear in another human being dying by your own hand is to watch the consciousness drain from them in front of you. To know that you opened the way by which a person, with their own lives, wants, fears, and dreams, is now being forcibly sucked out of this world to the beyond.”

 

“Er,” Gavin said. “You okay over there, Lou?”

 

“I too am quite unsettled,” Luan said. “I am sorry if I startled you.”

 

“Oh no man, it’s fine.” Gavin said. Suddenly, Luan felt himself strong-armed over the table into Gavin’s arms, and found his head remarkably close to Wanda’s, the Paranormal Investigator’s newsboy cap jostling into his scalp. “Even if people act weird, we all gotta stick together like real classic tried-and-true buddies!”

 

“Sometimes I wonder why I even bother being concerned,” Wanda said, “if Gavin is here to not-worry more than enough to offset anything I might do.”

 

“Mm,” said Luan.

**5:30 P.M.**

 

“Ah, there’s the guy I’ve been looking for.”

 

Hansuke turned his head. The Brewmaster, he was pretty sure the guy’s name was Daisuke, Daisuke Harada, was walking towards him, hands in his pockets like he was real sure where he was going. The light from the main tank of the Aquarium bounced off of the guy’s sunglasses real well, and if Hansuke had the money, he considered maybe trying to look into what brand he used.

 

“You were looking for me?” Hansuke said. Eriko, the Conductor, was also bouncing around the room tapping at things for reasons that were beyond him to figure out. He’d ask, but the girl probably talked too fast for him to understand it. “And what in the world caused that?”

 

“There’s no way you’re an ordinary salesman,” Daisuke said, his ponytail jostling in a way that almost seemed like it was pointing directly at Hansuke. Hansuke raised his eyebrow. “You figured out that you were missing a single memory that fast? No way!”

 

“It took me the better part of two days,” Hansuke said.

 

“And it would’ve taken me a month, dude!” Daisuke said. “No way will some average Joe off the street figure that out that fast. Hey! Hey, Eriko! Eriko, back me up here!”

 

Eriko was bounding from one end of the room with seemingly no regard for either of the two men in the room’s center, so Daisuke opted to put a good foot forward; which is to say, he literally put his foot forward and tripped her. The Conductor spun to the floor over Daisuke’s outstretched foot with an almost comical amount of slide put on her fall, making a noise Hansuke would’ve expected to hear out of a squeaky toy as she met the floor.

 

“Ow!” Eriko hopped up from the ground, patting herself down and checking to ensure she hadn’t injured herself. “What was that for?!”

 

“You were past the sound barrier, kiddo.” Daisuke planted his outstretched palm on Eriko’s forehead, holding her back from flailing into him with the force of a speeding locomotive. “I was trying to get you into the conversation, is what that was for.”

 

“Oooogh!” Eriko huffed and puffed a little. “Hansuke, remind me to tell Claus on this jerk!”

 

“I’ll do it myself after,” said Hansuke. “Not like I have anything better to do.”

 

Eriko nodded and bounced, as Daisuke gave a toothy frown of dismay. “Come on, guys. It wasn’t that bad!”

 

“You tripped a little girl, Harada.” Hansuke gave him a frown right back, and crossed his arms. Eriko did the same.

 

“Wha— She’s the same age as us!” Daisuke pleaded, throwing his arms towards Hansuke, desperate for an affirmative. “…You _are_ sixteen, right, squirt?”

 

“Of course I’m sixteen!” Eriko puffed.

 

“I’m eighteen,” said Hansuke.

 

“Well, that explains the scruff.” Daisuke said. “You’re still in second year, though?”

 

“Couldn’t go until last year,” Hansuke said. “Spent a while not even having anywhere to sleep. Can’t very well go to high school if I’m living by going door to door all across the nation. Hell, I have no idea how Murasaki does what she does. Must just be made of tougher stuff than me.”

 

“Then…” Eriko’s eyes turned down, and her usual motion ceased. “You were…a runaway?”

 

“No. My parents died when I was ten. Spent about four years bouncing around various relatives’ houses until they decided that having the Yasuda kid around brought too much bad karma, and right after middle school I was on the street.”

 

“That’s horrible!” Eriko was back online, and in Hansuke’s face again. “They just left you on the street at that age?! You…” She was beginning to tear up and sniffle. “You poor man.”

 

“Hey, hey.” Daisuke leaned down with a tissue. “Have a tissue, kid. That’s seriously messed up, though.” His sunglasses had drooped enough that Hansuke could see his eyes darting back and forth, a movement that usually meant that he wasn’t sure how to continue after this sudden downshift in the conversation’s tone. “You, uh… Hey, wait. You’re eighteen?! As in, eighteen years old?!”

 

“Uh…” Hansuke looked at the Brewmaster quizzically. “Yeah… I am.”

 

“Sweet Christmas, Batman!” Daisuke shouted, leaping in the air, clapping his feet together and fistpumping into the air. “That means I can get you to try some of my shochu!”

 

Eriko puffed. “Is now really the time to talk about alcohol, Daisuke? We’re in a crisis situation!”

 

“I have to stay on point, Short Round!” Daisuke said. “Listen, Hansuke. You and I, we’re both guys here, hanging out. As a Brewmaster, staying on point, it is imperative that you partake of my strongest output.”

 

Contrary to the expectations of many people he’d met on the road, Hansuke had never actually partaken in alcohol. However, considering who he was talking to… “Eh, screw it. Why not?”

 

“Al-RIGHT!” Daisuke’s ponytail was doing loops, he was so excited. “You won’t be disappointed, my friend!”

 

“How long’s it take?”

 

“About a week, give or take a day,” Daisuke said, making a wave motion with his hand. “Listen up, man. Means we’ve both gotta stay alive until then, got it?” He clapped Hansuke on the shoulder. “It’s a promise between men!”

 

“I don’t know about that, but, hell, I’d rather not go out without one last good drink,” Hansuke said. “It’s a deal. You want in too, Eriko?”

 

“What?!” Eriko yipped. She’d been standing on the edge of the conversation looking somewhat perturbed the entire time, so Hansuke thought it best to include her.

 

“I mean, do you want to drink with us?” Hansuke said. “Don’t give me anything about legal age. We’re locked in this place with no windows out. For all we know, we could be in Antarctica right now, and there isn’t a legal age of consumption in Antarctica.”

 

“I…” Eriko’s lower lip began to quiver. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I should.”

 

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud, Short Round!” Daisuke said, rolling his eyes. “You only live once!”

 

“That acronym can also stand for ‘You oughta look out!’” Eriko said.

 

“Did Monokuma’s motive bother you that bad?” Hansuke said?

 

Daisuke was a bit confused, but Eriko’s posture deflated like a balloon. “…Yes,” she said, after what felt like an eternity of silence.

 

“Well, this’ll give you something to put on your calendar, right?” Hansuke said, causing Eriko to bounce slightly again. “Give you something to look forward to.”

 

“I guess… okay. It goes against everything I stand for, but in a week, we’ll have a shochu tasting!” Eriko said, puffing a bit.

 

“Man, you’re magic, Hansuke. Seriously. How the hell do you keep doing these things?”

 

“Eh,” Hansuke said. “I don’t think I’m doing much special.”

 

**7 P.M.**

 

“Your little brother, hm? Curious.” Claus scratched his chin.

 

Rin had just come to him in the Lounge with the little nugget of information Monokuma had given her. The mahjong game had stopped for the night, but the game was still sitting finished as it had been, because everyone was well aware Yayoi was going to start it up the next day.

 

“There’s nothing else you remember about him, then?”

 

“Naw, not a thing.” Her antenna bobbed up and down. “Well, I get the impression he was kind of a rambunctious little snot.”

 

Claus laughed. “I see! I’m no stranger to that. I actually have four little siblings myself.”

 

“Four?” Rin gaped.

 

“And two older. I’m the third of seven,” Claus said. “Twenty-eight, twenty-two, sixteen, fourteen, ten, eight, and one.”

 

“Uh, wow.” Rin said. Her wide, red eyes blinked incredulously. “That’s quite an age range. Your mom must like giving birth!”

 

“I seriously doubt that,” Claus said. “She has no end of complaining to give my little sister. She has something of a large head, you see, and evidently it was quite a pain to get out!” He laughed, and it took him a moment to realize that Rin wasn’t also laughing. “Oh, er… I guess you had to be there.”

 

“Oooo-kay, then.” Rin looked away, twiddling her thumbs, and Claus was left with the distinct impression that he’d said something wrong for the few moments before the doors to the North Wing swung open.

 

“This is completely ridiculous, I don’t want to talk to you about this,” said Stella, who was not fully running, but was certainly powerwalking, through the doors. Her brows were creased, and she gave Claus the distinct impression that she would like to be anywhere but here right now.

 

“But, my dear girl!” Stella was being pursued by Shinobu, who came through the doors right after, catching them before they properly closed. “Please tarry for just a moment, Stella! It is for the cohesion of the group!”

 

Stella turned on her heel and snarled at Shinobu. “What part of ‘no’ do you not understand? Is that beret cutting off circulation to your head?!”

 

“Alright, you two, calm down.” Claus was upon them in an instant, stopping the two women forcibly with a hand on each one’s shoulder. “What is this about?”

 

“I simply wish to know what it is Monokuma took from her!” Shinobu said, coming to a stop with a small stamp. “That is all.”

 

“And I’m telling you it’s none of your business,” Stella hissed, her teeth gritting, one arm firmly clasping the opposite arm, a vein bulging in her temple. “I don’t want to talk about it, what about that is so hard for you to understand?”

 

“Well, if you will not say what, then at least tell me why you will not talk about it!”

 

“Why do you even want to know? What good does it do you to learn about me?!” Stella said. “Is this part of your Christie fetish? I can’t leave anything secret because my darkest secrets are ‘evidence?’ Because that’s the only way you’d ever manage to talk to anyone?”

 

“Stella!” Claus said, clasping her shoulder. “That was uncalled for.” Stella looked as though she had more to say, but acquiesced under Claus’s gaze.

 

“I… I can talk to people.” Shinobu said. “Really, I can.” Some of the vibrancy of her aura had gone down, and Claus thought to himself that this might be the first time he’d actually seen the Mystery Novelist wounded.

 

“Shinobu, I understand your feelings, but prying is not acceptable,” Claus said to her. “It is Stella’s choice whether she speaks about what she’s lost or not. It’s likely a very personal subject.”

 

“Er…yes. I’m… I’m sorry.” Shinobu stammered. Then, she looked at Stella, and said again, more loudly this time, “I’m sorry. I stepped past my boundaries.”

 

“It’s…” Stella sighed. “It’s fine. I’m sorry I shouted at you.”

 

In the background, Rin clapped to accentuate the reconciliation. “Woohoo! Friendship!”

 

“Everyone is very tense,” Claus said, “so I can understand why you were both out of sorts. Still, though, there is no reason for us to fight. We are classmates, and our only enemy is Monokuma.”

 

“You can say that, but…” Something about Stella’s feet apparently became quite interesting to her, based on how her head moved. “If you don’t have a plan, you’ll just be sitting here waiting to die.”

 

“Yes, I believe you’re right.” Claus said. “I need to come up with something, and quickly.” He sighed, and began to pace. “What should I do?” He sat down, and placed his fist on his chin, making thinking noises. He scarcely noticed Rin, Shinobu, and Stella all around him.

 

“Should we assist him, do you think?” Shinobu said.

 

“Well, it probably couldn’t hurt.” Rin said. “If he keeps frowning like that, it’ll get stuck.”

 

“That’s a myth, Rin,” scoffed Stella. “Who told you that?”

 

“Aoto,” said Rin.

 

“Lovely boy, but perhaps a bit sheltered,” Shinobu said. “I worry that perhaps the poor thing listens to his mother too much!”

 

“Maybe he’s like Norman Bates and he actually is his mom,” said Stella.

 

“Uh. What?” said Rin, looking to Shinobu for assistance.

 

Shinobu shrugged. “I haven’t the foggiest.”

 

And thus did the three of them stand around to help Claus brainstorm.

 

**9:15 P.M.**

 

“Argh! Damnit, move, you stupid bars!” Yayoi pulled and pulled at the iron bars of the Stairwell, working herself into a furious sweat, but to no avail. “Damnit! At least let me have one more floor!”

 

“Boss, don’t hurt yourself.” Miria said. She was there ostensibly to assist Yayoi, but Yayoi had insisted on doing it all herself. “It’d be bad if you got hurt.”

 

“I know, Hayashi.” Yayoi exhaled through her teeth and grunted. “I’m just going a bit stir-crazy, is all.” She fanned herself, taking off her hard hat to get some of the sweat out.

 

“Well, what do you do when you’re locked in small spaces normally?” Miria said. “I lie back and daydream about things I like.”

 

“I don’t _get_ locked in small spaces, Hayashi.” Yayoi said, before recoiling a bit inwardly at the small bit of embarrassment Miria showed. “Aw, hell. You look like I drowned your goldfish. Don’t give me that look.”

 

“What look?” said Miria. Yayoi was about to chide her for being smart, before realizing that the Mountaineer apparently actually didn’t mean any sarcasm. This girl definitely wasn’t anything like anyone Yayoi had ever met before.

 

“It’s— It’s fine, Hayashi. It’s just…” Yayoi growled, and pounded her fists on the bars. “Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit! Let me out of here! I’ve got places to be, you little shit! Stupid fucking bear!” The sounds of Yayoi’s callused fists pounding against the bars echoed through the Stairwell, its height mocking the captive Foreman. Her knees failed her, and she slid down to the floor, still slamming against the bars.

 

“Having trouble?” said a certain stupid smug fauxhawk-wearing _fuck,_ who decided now was a fantastic time to poke his nose into the room.

 

“What the hell do you want?!” Yayoi roared, standing up, her hair flowing in the wind as she did. “What in the _hell_ could you possibly want from me?”

 

“Boss, please calm down.” Miria said, putting her hand on Yayoi’s shoulder.

 

“I was just testing something,” Jun said, “and decided to come a bit further out to see who was around here at this hour. Am I interrupting something? What’s there to be so perturbed about?”

 

“Like I’d tell you, asshole!” Yayoi said, slamming her fist sidelong into the wall. “Only reason someone like you would be curious was if you wanted to get one over on me.”

 

“I was just asking a question,” said Jun, closing his eyes and leaning his weight further back into the chair. “It’s so like you to get mad at me when I’m not doing anything.”

 

“What are you testing?” asked Miria. Her face didn’t change, but Yayoi could feel Miria’s grip on her shoulder tighten.

 

“Nothing major, it’s just a little project Aoto and I have been working on.” Jun said. “I’ll be going back to my room if it pleases the both of you. Goodnight.”

 

Jun left back to the Housing Suite, wheeling off with the occasional squeak of the wheelchair. Yayoi let out a breath, and unclenched her fists. She wiped her brow, and placed her hard hat back squarely on her head.

 

“Something about that guy just really pisses me off,” she said to Miria. “How about you?”

 

“Do you want my opinion?” Miria said.

 

“Well, yeah. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”

 

“He pisses me off too,” Miria said, and then made a small noise that almost seemed like a laugh, looking to Yayoi as though she’d just stolen from the cookie jar and gotten away with it.

 

Yayoi sighed again, more deeply, and slid down onto her rear on the floor. “Hey. Hayashi. What’d you lose?”

 

“Someone I knew,” Miria said, “a few years ago.”

 

“I lost a lead to saving my little sister.” Yayoi said, looking towards the ceiling. Her hard hat began to come down on her head, and her vision was partially blocked by its glaring blue.

 

“Saving?”

 

“When she was little, she had some kinda really horrible disease whose name I can’t remember. It kept turning her organs to stone. The doctors could barely stave it off, but then this super-skilled doctor from out of town came in, and he saved her. A few years later, she starts having aftershocks. Nothing horrible at first, but it’s gotten worse and worse, and by now she can barely get out of bed without going into cardiac arrest. Only doctor they know of that can do anything about it is the guy who operated on her originally, but I can’t get a hold of the guy.”

 

“And…” Miria said. “You had found a way to do it?”

 

“Yeah.” Yayoi said. “That’s what I lost. I’d just about found something, and apparently I _did_ find something on this guy, but it’s all fallen out of my brain thanks to that damn bear. Pisses me off. Wish I could throw Fukuyama at the damn bear.”

 

“Boss.” Miria said, grasping Yayoi’s hand. Yayoi turned to look Miria directly in the eyes. Her eyes were unflinching, when most people tended to recoil under the steely gaze of Boss Murasaki. “Don’t worry. You’ll save your sister. I promise. I know you can do it.”

 

“…Thanks, Hayashi.” Yayoi groaned, and put her hand on her forehead. “And if I kick the bucket, you’re gonna do it in my place, got it? That’s an order!”

 

“Yes, Boss.” Miria saluted. “I will help your sister in your place if you die.”

 

“Damn right you will!” Yayoi clapped Miria on the back, laughing. “You’re a dependable kid, Hayashi. I like you.”

 

“Thank you, Boss.”

 

**10 P.M.**

 

Rin was thoroughly tired of brainstorming, being that she lacked a certain imperious quality to properly assist Claus in moderating an entire gaggle of ornery teenagers. As such, she’d begun to return to her room before running into a certain white-and-red durian of a boy in the Housing Suite.

 

“Hiya, Rin!” Aoto said with a wave. “Just the girl I was hoping to see!”

 

“You were hoping to see me?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “How come?”

 

“I remembered something. I’ve heard your last name before from my mom!” Aoto said, getting a bit closer to her to accentuate the force of his reveal.

 

“Hashizawa is a household name?” Rin said, tilting her head.

 

“Yeah, lemme see…” The Lucky Student began to tap his forehead. “Yeah, I heard it in… middle school, I think. That’s right! The Hashizawas were this old rich family, have you ever heard of the Togamis?”

 

“I have amnesia, Aoto.”

 

“Okay, so the Togamis were this ridiculously rich family that controlled money all around the world. But then the whole family almost totally collapsed, and the Hashizawas, who were distant relatives, got most of the money, except for whatever the new head of the Togamis grabbed to get back into business. So my mom tells me that the Togamis and the Hashizawas spent a while in war, both of them using the Togami money to try and out-money the other family.”

 

Rin blinked. “So, you’re telling me that I might be part of a family embroiled in worldwide fiscal warfare?”

 

“Yeah!” Aoto jumped. “I mean, what if Monokuma is actually an agent of the Togamis here to spend your money while you’re locked in here and can’t go to court to settle identity fraud? Maybe he has your cards, and he’s using them to spend all your hard-earned money from lemonade stands!”

 

“Aoto?” Rin decided to ignore this idea, because she would clearly burn to the crisp under the sunlight, and therefore it was utterly ridiculous to think she’d sell lemonade. “You said they spent a while in war. That means they’re not at war right now, right?”

 

“Oh, uh…” Aoto’s face widened for a moment in recognition. “Well… yeah, mom also said that the Hashizawas lost the war when she was a kid and the Togamis reign supreme, which is probably why you hear about the Togami Conglomerate and not the Hashizawa Conglomerate when you go to buy clothes.”

 

“So Monokuma probably isn’t an agent of the Togamis.”

 

“But what if they want to restart the war between the families?” said Aoto, gritting his teeth. “What if they want to embroil Japan in another nationwide war and bring us back to the Sengoku era? _What if, Rin?!_ ” He had Rin’s shoulders in his arms, and she was moving slightly away from his intensity.

 

“Why would the winning family in the war want to restart the war?” Rin asked, and Aoto stopped moving again.

 

“…Lizard…people?”

 

“Okay.” Rin nodded. “And what does Shinobu always say about lizard people?”

 

“I’ve never talked to Shinobu about lizard people.”

 

“But what do you think she would say if you talked to her about lizard people?”

 

“They…” Aoto began slowly nodding in recognition. “…don’t exist?”

 

“Exaaaaactly.” Rin smiled. She and Aoto were now at a comfortable, arms-length distance from each other. “And if the lizard people don’t exist, that means that the Togami family would have no reason to try and destroy the Hashizawa family if they’d already won the war against them.”

 

“Right, right.” Aoto nodded furiously now. “I’m following.”

 

“And if they have no reason to, then even if I am a member of _that_ Hashizawa family, it’s highly unlikely that Monokuma would be an agent of the Togami family out to steal my money.”

 

Rin and Aoto smiled at each other, content in the knowledge that a financial conglomerate was not out to steal the Amnesiac’s no doubt vast stores of no doubt ill-begotten money. Rin patted him on the head and ruffled his hair a bit, causing him to chuckle, before turning to enter Target Hall.

 

“Oh, so that means you probably do have money, right?” Aoto called from behind.

 

“I mean, given a certain set of variables, yeah.” Rin craned her head. “Why?”

 

“After we get out of this, can you buy me a new fly swatter?” Aoto said. “I already spent my allowance this month and it’s only a few months until bug season, and I really hate those things!”

 

Rin took a moment of silence, and then giggled. “Sure, Aoto. I’ll buy you a new fly swatter.”

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Three.**

 

**No students died today. Seventeen students are alive.**

**Yashiro Narumi is still missing. No other abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**


	6. Day 4 - Goodnight

 

**9 A.M.**

 

Rin had woken up feeling absolutely wonderful this morning, and so in the process of breakfast in the Cafeteria, she’d wiggled back and forth in her seat quite a bit, incurring a number of odd looks from the more skeptical members of the party. Jun had begun to say something about it, but Yayoi had grabbed him on the back of the head and threatened to plaster his head into the table. In response, Jun had just rolled his eyes and said, "I mean, if you really want to." so Rin had been spared his witty remarks.

 

Miria had been in charge of breakfast that morning. She’d professed quickly to a lack of cooking skill, but gave it her best shot. Rin appreciated that fact, even if the oatmeal Miria had wound up making hadn’t been particularly filling. Breakfast had been over quicker than the last three times as a result, and now Rin sat in the Cafeteria with Aoto, Chizuru, and Luan, with Claus at the head of the long table.

 

“You might be wondering why I’ve called you four here today,” Claus said. His hair looked significantly more ragged than usual, and his eyes didn’t seem to be able to keep a solid position for very long, being weighed down by the bags beneath them. “That would be a very good question that I’d be glad if you were wondering.”

 

“Claus.” Chizuru said from under the table. “Have you slept?”

 

“No,” Claus said. “I was up until six thirty hemming and hawing about what to do, and then it was time to prepare for the morning. It’s fine, though! Twenty-six hours is nothing to the Ultimate Principal!” Claus then began laughing, and for a solid minute was laughing at something that none of the other residents of the room understood. “Sorry, sorry, I just remembered this joke about a horse. Maybe I’ll tell you later. Anyway!”

 

“Guys, I’m kind of worried.” Aoto said. “Should we put Claus to bed?”

 

“I will go to bed after I’ve finished explaining this!” Claus said, slamming his fist on the table. “It’s of _fire importance_ that I tell you this.”

 

“Dire,” Luan said. “The phrase is ‘dire importance.’”

 

“The phrase is _mud_ compared to the cohesion of the group.” Claus cleared his throat, adjusted his tie, and sat back down in his seat. “I’ve called the four of you here to assist me in ensuring that any threats on peoples’ lives are snuffed out before they begin. After all, with Monokuma’s motive in play, several students have been put significantly on edge. If we don’t take action now, somebody could do something that they’d regret.”

 

“Why us?” Chizuru said.

 

“Well, that’s simple.” Claus said. “Chizuru, by virtue of your particular social quirks you’ve been hiding all around the building in small nooks and crannies for the duration of our incarceration. Therefore, if anyone were to know where things should be, it would be you. Rin is…” At this point, Claus trailed off, looking like the lack of sleep was holding his point from him.

 

“I’m connected to a math satellite?” Rin offered.

 

“Yes! You have your… math… thing… and that’s probably useful,” Claus stammered. “Aoto, as the Lucky Student, I feel confident that the universal forces of luck will propel you to discover things that might not be obvious, I mean Shinobu slapped me when I said that part to her but whatever I think it makes perfect sense,” he said, and then took a breath.

 

“If you say so!” Aoto said.

 

“And Luan…” Claus said, waving a finger at the Masseuse. “Luan, I… I don’t know, I just have a good feeling about picking you.”

 

“Mm.” said Luan. “I’ll do my best.”

 

“Alright. So, as you can see on this diagram,” Claus said, gesturing to a diagram of the Housing Suite and Abilene Hall he’d had Yayoi draw for him (initially he had tried to do it himself, but he did such a poor job of it that Yayoi forced him to let her do it,) “We have four general sectors. The Housing Suite, the Stairwell and western South Wing, the Lounge and eastern South Wing, and the North Wing. I need each of you to keep vigil over one of the sectors at a time. I’ve brought some spare straws to determine who begins in what sector.”

 

“Why not just let us decide?” Aoto said.

 

Rin’s antenna pointed at a diagonal. “Because if one of us already had a plan involving one specific room, we could ask for that sector to give us an advantage.”

 

“Exactly,” said Claus. “Not to say that I don’t trust you four! I do!”

 

“It’s a precaution,” said Luan. “Perfectly reasonable.”

 

Chizuru reluctantly peeked her head out from under the table to draw straws. The straws decided that Chizuru would get vigil of the North Wing, Rin would take the Housing Suite, Aoto the Stairwell area, and Luan the Lounge area.

 

“Now, I need each of you to make a thorough check of your assigned area at 10 AM. Ensure that everything is in its proper place. Then, you’ll rotate…” Claus’s eyes grew lidded, and his head began falling over. “!” He snapped back to attention. “What was I saying?”

 

“Okay, we need to get him to bed,” Rin said. She headed over to Claus’s side, and tried to support his weight. “Claus, c’mon, stay with me, buddy!”

 

“I’m… _fine,_ ” Claus said.

 

Luan assisted, and he and Rin began dragging Claus off to Room Nine. The Principal made some protests, but his lack of rest prevented any real weight from being put behind them. Aoto and Chizuru followed behind, as the drowsy Principal continued attempting to explain his plan.

 

“Rotate… counterclockwise…” Claus made a snoring noise, and then snapped to attention again in response to Eriko yelping, no doubt at how direly his sleep schedule was going to be thrown off. “Counterclockwise every… two hours after that… final checks at dinner by the same people who started…” Yayoi couldn’t help but laugh at the Principal’s increasingly slurred speech. “Riiiin are you listening to me.”

 

“Yes, Claus, I’m listening to you, now c’mon, let’s unlock the door,” Rin said, gesturing at the door to Room Nine. “Come on, man, you need sleep. Dearly. I have never seen a person who needed sleep as much as you do now.”

 

“How do you know?” Claus said, chuckling to himself. “You have amnesia.”

 

“Aw, shut up, that’s my schtick.” Rin pouted, her antenna pointing into Claus’s face threateningly.

 

“He knows not what he says,” Luan said, grabbing Claus’s Handbook out of his suit pocket and unlocking the door for him. “In you go.”

 

“Oh, thanks Luan. You’re a good guy.” Claus said. “Wait. Have I finished explaining my plan? Uh…”

 

“Yes, Claus.” Rin nodded. “You’ve finished explaining your plan. It’s a very good plan.”

 

“I’m not sure I have,” Claus said. He wagged his finger in his own face. “Have you ever noticed-?”

 

“Go to sleep, Claus.” Rin said, grabbing the doorknob and shutting the door, but not before Luan stuck Claus’s Handbook back in the Principal’s pocket.

 

“Okay,” Claus mumbled from behind the door. “Goodnight, Rin.”

 

“Goodnight, Claus.”

 

**10 A.M.**

 

Claus had ordered a check of each area by the four operatives, but Rin learned something very quickly, and that was that there wasn’t actually much to check in the Housing Suite. She was done within ten minutes of starting her search, having given Source, Spare, and Target Halls, along with the Suite proper, a once, twice, and thrice-over. Given that she was filled with an excessive amount of energy today, this meant that she had eventually begun running into the walls to entertain herself.

 

“See? I told you she’d be going crazy.” Said a voice entering the room from the Stairwell. It was Kazuya, and Shinobu followed quickly behind.

 

“This is a tragic sight,” said Shinobu, tittering. “My darling Rin being reduced to a caveman’s entertainment.”

 

“Hey!” Rin said, bouncing off of a wall. “I don’t think cavemen were that stupid, were they? Please don’t needlessly insult the mighty Cro-Magnon on my behalf.” She re-centered herself. “What can I do you two for? And since when am I your darling?”

 

“Are you complaining about terms of endearment?” Shinobu said, adjusting her beret.

 

“No, no, not at all.” Rin said. “I welcome any and all terms of endearment. Means the plan’s working.”

 

“Er, what plan is this?” Kazuya said.

 

“Oh, you know, my plan to…” Rin stopped. Surely she could come up with something convincing from everything she’d learned. “Overthrow the Togami family… with lizard people… by orbital math attack?”

 

“I didn’t take you for an anarchist,” Shinobu said. “Why would you be overthrowing the Togami family? And how does one perform an ‘orbital math attack?’”

 

“I donno, ask Gavin, he said the math satellite thing first,” said Rin. “What, no comment about the lizard people?”

 

“They’re beneath me,” said Shinobu.

 

“Yes, reptilians are frequently said to live below the Earth’s crust,” said Kazuya. Rin and Shinobu both blinked blankly at the Orator. “What?”

 

“…Anyway,” Rin said, “Am I interrupting something? Wouldn’t want to get in you guys’ way.”

 

“No, Kazuya here just seemed to think it ever so sad that you were to be stuck here by your lonesome, and I deigned to accompany him to liven up the room,” Shinobu said, giving a flourish and a bow.

 

“I seem to recall it was your idea first,” said Kazuya.

 

“Ka ka! No, my dear boy, it was certainly your idea to begin with, clear as my little grey cells do tingle.”

 

“Does it matter whose idea it was first?” Rin said. “Thank you both. I appreciate it.” She smiled, and Kazuya smiled back. Shinobu, of course, had already been smiling because of whatever it was that was going through her head, but that was fine.

 

“Is Claus quite alright?” Shinobu said. “He would not listen to reason when the midnight hour crept upon us, yet I cannot help but think his current state is at least somewhat my fault.”

 

“Yeah, we got him into his room before he passed out.” Rin said. …Wait, she realized. Just because he hadn’t come out of Spare Hall didn’t mean he wasn’t being a goof. Kazuya and Shinobu hurriedly followed along as Rin’s legs propelled her to Door Five. The door had not been disturbed, and unless a sleep-deprived Claus had stealth skills on the level of Chizuru, he was not outside of his room.

 

“Okay, I guess I don’t necessarily know that he’s asleep in his room.” Rin said. “But I’m pretty sure he’s probably asleep in there. Though I mean, I guess I can’t necessarily know that he’s not up in there ranting and raving to himself like a loon…”

 

“I didn’t expect Claus to handle a lack of sleep that poorly.” Kazuya said. “He seemed like the kind of person who could shrug it off.”

 

“No, there’s no doubt Claus Toranosuke is the kind of man who greatly values a proper eight hours,” Shinobu said. “I have met many of his ilk and written about several more. With that said, I do not pity him for when he must sleep tonight.”

 

“Maybe he should just sleep the whole day,” Rin said. “If he gets that messed up from one night up, I don’t want to see him all out of whack.”

 

“We’ll see how he’s doing when lunch comes around,” Kazuya said.

 

Rin turned to respond, but saw Kazuya crossing his arms and frowning instead. She tilted her head. “Something on your mind, buddy?”

 

“Oh, well…” Kazuya’s feet shifted slightly. “I was just wondering about the Halls. There must be some reason they’re named as they are, right?”

 

“Source, Spare, and Target Halls.” Shinobu hemmed. She put her fist to her chin and began looking about. “I can’t say I have any idea what they could refer to.”

 

The three walked back into the stark white hallway outside of Spare Hall, and when Rin turned, she saw something she’d overlooked this entire time. High on the wall atop the Halls, just as it had on the first day, an LED monitor displayed [131071,] in bright, stark font. Rin wasn’t certain how she’d missed the significance of the number until now, but then decided she deserved some slack with all the amnesia.

 

“Hey, Shinobu.” Rin turned to the Mystery Novelist. “You’ve got a tape measure under your hat, right? Can you help me with something?”

 

Shinobu doffed her beret and pulled the tape measure out. “Here we are. Whatever do you need?”

 

Rin grabbed the tape measure. “Follow me, I think I have an idea about the Halls.”

 

The two followed Rin to Room Seventeen, and Rin opened her own door. “I’ll be right back.” She shut the door, and got to work measuring the dimensions of her own room. Thankfully, having spent four days residing in it now, she knew that it wasn’t a particularly hard room to navigate, and had her measurements entirely done in about five minutes.

 

Coming out of the room to greet Kazuya and Shinobu, who were now discussing… hard knock lives, or something, Rin placed the tape measure back in Shinobu’s palm, which was outstretched by coincidence. “Okay, now I need the measurements of your rooms.”

 

“Um.” Kazuya said. “What’s this about?”

 

“Trust me, bud, I’m totally onto… something here?” Rin began to speak, but was stymied when Shinobu produced a piece of paper from her beret. “How much do you keep under that hat, lady?”

 

“As much as I must,” Shinobu said. “I’ve already taken the liberty of measuring my own room.”

 

“Perfect!” Rin said, and grabbed the paper from Shinobu. She quickly scanned the measurements Shinobu gave, and made pleased humming noises.

 

“I’ll go measure my room, then.” Kazuya said, and took the measure from Shinobu to go do so.

 

“I am curious to hear exactly what your theory is, Rin. Is there something peculiar about the measurements of our rooms?” Shinobu said, scrutinizing Rin’s antenna, which was twitching about as she read.

 

“I need Kazuya’s measurements before I say anything further,” Rin said.

 

“Oh, I’m afraid those are quite private,” Shinobu tittered. “He’s told me I am the only person on the planet who knows them! It’s a wonderful feeling.”

 

“Har har, very funny,” Rin said. “Not those measurements. Why would I want those, anyway?”

 

Shinobu shrugged. “Perhaps this was an elaborate plot to attempt to woo him? I’ve seen stranger.”

 

“What?” Rin blinked. “Pbbt, no. I mean, he’s cute and all, but he’s definitely not my type.”

 

“What is your type, then?” Shinobu asked, leaning in with her hands behind her back in faux innocence.

 

“Haven’t thought about it yet.” Rin gave Shinobu a look of faux innocence right back. “What’s yours?”

 

“A girl’s got to have some secrets, does she not? Ka ka ka!” Shinobu laughed, and brushed at Rin’s face with her lithe, well-cared fingers. Hm. That was nice. Maybe if Rin asked nicely, she could get Shinobu to do that again.

 

“I don’t think I have any secrets.” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “I mean, any that I know of. Before I lost my memory I probably had some secrets.”

 

“Rin Hashizawa, you strike me as a girl who has a hard time keeping secrets to begin with.” Shinobu said, placing her beret back on her head and putting it into position. “There is no need to enter into a secrecy arms race with me or anyone else!”

 

“Well, maybe I want to have some secrets. You just said a girl’s got to have some, and I’m definitely that!” Rin said with a huff, putting her hands on her waist.

 

They kept on like this for a while until Kazuya returned. He handed Shinobu back her tape measure and handed Rin the sheet with his room’s measurements on it. “So, does this tell you anything?”

 

“Yes,” said Rin. “I’m beginning to see a pattern. Now, granted, I’ve just got Rooms Thirteen, Fourteen, and Seventeen to work with here, but for the time being, it’s fine.” She cleared her throat in a Claus-like fashion. “Now, what I’m noticing here is that it seems like the rooms in ascending _numerical_ order also ascend in _width._ Kazuya’s room is 0.19 millimeters narrower than Shinobu’s, and 0.76 millimeters narrower than mine.”

 

“That’s an incredibly minute difference.” Kazuya said. “So… why?”

 

“It’s because the Housing Suite is a Tower of Hanoi.” Rin said, her antenna popping straight up as she gave a toothy grin.

 

“A…” Kazuya trailed off. “A what?”

 

“Well, I mentioned it when we first looked at the number together, but 131,071 is a Mersenne number. That is to say, it’s a number calculable by the equation (2^ _n_ )-1,” Rin explained. “The Tower of Hanoi is a sort of mathematical game you can play that can iterate a Mersenne number.”

 

“How so?” Kazuya asked.

 

“Okay, here’s how it works.” Rin kneeled down on the ground to attempt to illustrate with her hands. “You have three pegs and _n_ number of discs on one of the pegs, let’s say, five discs, different sizes, top to bottom is smallest to largest. All five discs are on the leftmost peg: the ‘source’ peg.”

 

“Okay, I’m following.” Kazuya nodded.

 

“In the middle, you have the ‘spare’ peg, and on the right, the ‘target.’ Now, your goal is to move all of the discs to the ‘target.’ The rules say three things. One, you can’t move multiple discs at a time, two, one ‘move’ is taking the uppermost disc on a peg and moving it to another, and three, you can’t put a larger disc on top of a smaller one.” Rin said. “There’s lots of ways you can rationalize the solution, but the optimal number of moves to solve a Tower of Hanoi is always the Mersenne number of the number of discs present. So, with five, you could solve it in thirty-one moves. Six, sixty-three moves, and so on. If there were seventeen discs, it would take exactly the number you see before you to solve.”

 

“But why?” Shinobu said.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Well, why would the Housing Suite be made to resemble a seventeen-disc Tower of Hanoi game?” Shinobu said. “It seems a remarkably arbitrary decision. I see absolutely no connection between a Tower of Hanoi and our current predicament.”

 

“Uh…” Rin pondered. “Beats me. Stylistic decision?”

 

“Curiouser and curiouser,” Shinobu said.

 

“It’s still more information than we had before,” Kazuya said. “That was really impressive, Rin. How in the world did you figure that out?”

 

“I mean, they’re called Source, Spare, and Target Halls, there’s the Mersenne number of the exact number of students that are _theoretically_ being held captive here, honestly it was pretty basic when I took a second to think about it.” Rin said. “Theoretically, of course, being because of our missing friend Yashiro.” Rin trailed off when she noticed the glimmer in Shinobu’s eyes, a predatory glimmer that Rin wasn’t sure how to feel about. “Shinobu. Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“I _knew_ I had a good feeling about you, my girl.” Shinobu cackled. “Ah, yes. This is wonderful! Not just one great detective, but two! Monokuma’s farce of a game doesn’t stand a chance!” She cackled again. And continued cackling.

 

“It’s just math,” Rin said. “I don’t-?”

 

“How intriguing! The modern-day Mistress of Mystery finds this a fortuitous turn of events, indeed!” Shinobu was now not looking at either Rin or Kazuya, but instead exalting towards the ceiling, arms outstretched, cackling wildly.

 

“And there she goes,” Kazuya said. “I think you flipped her switch.”

 

“I didn’t realize it was so easy to flip,” Rin said. The din of Shinobu’s cackling bounced about the room. “Should I, like, tell her to stop, or…”

 

“Just let her get it all out,” Kazuya said. “She’ll be back to her usual in a few minutes.”

 

From behind her, Rin heard the door to the Housing Suite open. She turned to see who it was, but saw nobody enter the room. Judging by the situation, this probably meant…

 

“Is it noon already?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“Yes, it is.” Said Chizuru, who was… where was she? Ah, there she was. Behind the door to Source Hall. It was slightly ajar. “Is she quite alright?”

 

“Who, Shinobu?” Rin blew a raspberry. “She’ll be fine, aces even. I’m off to go get high off of a variety of prescription pharmaceuticals.”

 

“Have fun.” Kazuya said.

 

**12 P.M.**

 

There wasn’t exactly much to check in the Stairwell, and the ever-orange Darkroom didn’t really seem to have much _room_ to it to check. Rin quickly found herself gravitating towards the Infirmary, a room she hadn’t paid much heed to since the day she’d woken up. She entered into the room to hear a cabinet closing, and… ah, that was a squeaking noise.

 

“Howdy, somebody in here?” Rin called. Judging by the bouncing noise she heard, that placed Eriko and Jun as the ones behind the partition. “It’s Rin.”

 

“We know,” Jun said.

 

Rin walked beside the partition to see Jun and Eriko in front of the medicine cabinet. Eriko had acquired the stepladder from the Cafeteria to open the cabinet, and the two seemed to have just finished a search. “Find any sweet drugs?”

 

“Nothing that I think you’d be interested in,” said Jun. “You seem pretty straight-edge…ah, wait, no.” Jun chuckled to himself, but did not elaborate further, and Rin got the distinct impression that he’d just thought something rude.

 

“Jun, please don’t be mean to Rin,” Eriko said. “We were checking the cabinet to see if there was anything contraband! You’re not going to believe this- there’s _no poisons_ in here.”

 

Rin blinked. “Like… really? Nothing? No poisons at all? Hold up, lemme get a look-see in here.” She barged past Jun, who grunted about it because it was Jun, and shoved her face into the medicine cabinet. She gave it a once, twice, and thrice-over as Jun probably said some sort of Jun-isms in the background. Row upon row of chemicals, medications, topicals, probably a suppository or two… “Well, there’s nothing with a skull and crossbones on it.”

 

“Obviously, certain chemicals in certain methods can be hazardous to one’s health,” Jun said. “But it doesn’t look like there’s anything in here that can actually kill a person unless you go _really_ overboard, and at that point, you’d be making yourself obvious. And we all know that just defeats the point.” He groaned. "Do you know how demeaning it is to have to ask someone for _help_ to reach high shelves? This is ridiculous."

 

"Do you not usually?" Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

"'Do you not usually,'" Jun repeated in a mocking falsetto. "Of course I don't usually, idiot, but I can't even find a good pole around here. Imagine if Monokuma had woken you up with one of your arms cut off, or even that stupid hair of yours, that's me right now." He ground his teeth a bit. "Absolutely ridiculous."

 

"Oh, huh, that's... actually pretty unfortunate." Rin said. She gave Eriko a thumbs-up. "Good thing you're here, huh, Eriko?"

 

"I try my hardest!" Eriko saluted.

 

Rin decided to go for a high-five with the Conductor, and it worked out surprisingly well. The Shigure Guarantee must give excellent timing, Rin thought to herself. She considered also high-fiving Jun, but that was a thought that quickly died when she saw him roll his eyes and scoff.

 

“What, I don’t also get a high five?” Jun said (immediately after scoffing.)

 

“No, you’re a dick,” Rin said.

 

“Discriminating against me just on the basis of my being a penis-haver…” Jun shook his head and sighed. “What a deplorable state the amnesiacs of our society have come to.”

 

“Eriko, you’re kind of like a Jun Whisperer.” Rin said. “What the hell is he talking about?”

 

“I have no idea!” Eriko said.

 

“Oh, my apologies,” Jun said. “I made an assumption in error that because you were always thinking about getting into certain peoples’ pants, that the status of my junk would be very important to you.”

 

“Do you wake up in the morning actively thinking about how you’re going to be a jerk, or does it just come naturally?” Rin said. Her brow furrowed, and her antenna pointed threateningly at him.

 

“He’s just lashing out!” Eriko said. “It’s a teen boy’s indiscretion! Watch, once Jun gets a year older, he’ll realize that what he needs is honest companionship and friends to support his peculiarities.” The Conductor smiled.

 

Jun snarled. “Don’t act like you know me.”

 

“I think I might know you better than you think I do,” Rin said. “I think sometimes you should really take a moment to think about how obvious you make the cards you’re holding. You’re really good at tipping your hand!”

 

“Oh, am I?” Jun laughed, and seemed to be really enjoying something that Rin couldn’t see. “Fat lot of good that did-!” Then, he looked downwards, and pursed his lips. He gritted his teeth, and seemed to be chewing on what he should say next. Eventually, he came out with an, “I’m sorry. That was too far.”

 

“Oh, no, I’m very interested in hearing what you had left to say,” Rin said. “Really. I’m sure that apology was completely genuine and not fake at all.”

 

“Just like your ‘amnesia?’” Jun said. The room went cold, and Eriko seemed to be a bit confused, looking between the two of them rapidly.

 

“Uh, excuse me?” Rin said.

 

“You heard me. I think you’re full of it.” Jun said. “Putting on your little ingénue act with your story about having amnesia so everyone will think you’re all cute is a clever trick to some, sure, but you’re not fooling me.”

 

Rin blinked. “What?”

 

“I’m onto your game, Hashizawa. You’re just waiting for your opportunity to strike, right? Get peoples’ guard down with your little class math satellite act and then stab while the iron’s hot.”

 

“I think you’re mixing your metaphors here, dude,” Rin said. “What possible reason could I have for _faking amnesia_ at a time like this?”

 

“I believe I just outlined my theory,” Jun said.

 

Rin frowned. “Yeah, but it’s stupid. For one thing, I had amnesia before Monokuma even showed up. Why would I be faking amnesia before I even had a reason to do it, if you think I’m such a crazed, sociopathic murderer?”

 

“Perhaps because you have some secrets you’d rather hide?” Jun said. “After all, you do share a color scheme with our dear friend Monokuma. Are you calling that a coincidence?”

 

“Man, I don’t know, I have amnesia!” Rin shouted, throwing her hands out. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t! And, look, if I had amnesia, why would I be being honest about the… math stuff that I can do?” She put her brow in her hand. “Wouldn’t that be tipping my hand to whatever my true talent is?”

 

“That’s fair,” Jun said. “I can’t say I’ve fully figured out your game yet. I’m sure your motives are very complex.” He chuckled at that.

 

“Okay, wait.” Rin held up her hand. “Are you laughing at this theoretical ultimate mastermind me for having motives that are not as complex as this theoretical me thinks they are and therefore being stupider than you and also stupider than the actual me that exists, in reality?”

 

“You can draw your own conclusions as to what I’m laughing at,” Jun said.

 

“You are just…” Rin’s face scrunched up and her eyes narrowed as she stared at Jun, attempting to find her words. “You are… a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.” She looked around. “And look, you scared Eriko off. What are you going to say to her parents? That’s no way to treat your girlfriend, dude.”

 

“My _what?_ ” That threw Jun for a loop, and his disaffected countenance gave way to bewilderment.

 

“Uh, I mean, she hangs out with you a lot, volunteered to cart you around, delivered you food, and was helping you possibly gain access to deadly chemicals…” Rin had begun counting on her fingers as she listed off the evidence. “I mean, I have no idea what she could possibly see in you, but that was just sort of the impression I got.”

 

Jun sputtered. “Are you joking?”

 

“I’m serious as a heart attack, man!” Rin said. “I mean, seriously, you heard how she just went to bat for you, even. Even if she’s not into you, you should really understand how rare it is that you find someone who honestly wants to hang out with you.”

 

Jun’s face was scrunching. If Rin had to guess at his current thoughts, her thinking would be that he was attempting to figure out a way to say “nuh uh” that sounded ruder and more Jun-esque. He probably didn’t notice the minutes that passed as she waited patiently for him to retort. Sweat began to drip down his forehead as the gears in his head continued to grind.

 

“Ah, I see.” Rin said. She grinned. “So the hunter has become the hunted. Methinks the Net Admin doth protest too much!”

 

“This isn’t over, Hashizawa.” Jun said. His teeth were gritted, and a vein in his temple began to bulge. “I’m going to destroy you soon enough. You’re going to be on your knees begging for mercy.”

 

“Sure I will, buddy.” Rin patted Jun on the head to hear him make a funny noise, and he did not disappoint. She walked out of the Infirmary humming a jaunty little tune to herself.

 

**2 P.M.**

 

Rin walked into the Lounge, passing by and nodding to Luan, who was off to relieve Chizuru of Housing Suite duty. She waved to Yayoi, Daisuke, and Miria at the table.

 

“Won yet?” she asked to Yayoi, who smirked.

 

“Last game was a draw,” Yayoi said. “I’ve got the little bastard on the ropes.”

 

“How do they keep playing mahjong this much.” Daisuke said tonelessly, his sunglasses somehow reflecting the blankness of his eyes, his ponytail falling straight down. “I do not comprehend. I thought only grandmas played mahjong. This cannot continue.”

 

“Okay,” Rin said. “I’m gonna go check out the Laundromat.”

 

Aisles upon aisles of machines, and not a drop to drink… well, there were probably drops to drink if Rin decided to bust open one of the washing machines like a cactus. She wasn’t that thirsty, though.

 

Rin checked ten, then twenty, then thirty, then forty sets of machines. “Good god, why in the world would we possibly need this many machines? There are seventeen of us.” she mumbled, cracking open set number forty-six in a manner akin to a dryer, and not to a cactus. “Appearance’s sake, maybe? Or… maybe they intended to kidnap more people but were only able to grab us?” Forty-seven. “That’s one theory. Oh, but wait. The Housing Suite is built with seventeen rooms. Would they be able to deconstruct any number of rooms that quickly?” Forty-eight. “Okay, table that idea.”

 

Eventually, Rin had gone through the total of sixty-two sets of washer and dryer, and had found nothing out of place in the entirety of the Laundromat. Good work, Rin, she thought to herself. Good work. That clear, it was off to the Disposal next.

 

“Still having an existential crisis, Daisuke?” she called as she passed between doors. Yayoi was gone, and now Daisuke and Miria were sitting at the table.

 

“We will all become one at the end of days.” Daisuke said.

 

“Glad to hear it!” Rin said, opening the door to the Disposal. There wasn’t much to check out here, but… hm? There was someone in here.

 

“Stella?” Rin said. “Taking care of trash?”

 

The Commentator jumped from in front of the steel bars. Her eyes were wide as dishpans, her face was red, and her makeup was slightly running. “R-Rin! What are you…?”

 

“Calm down, Stella. I’m not a boogeyman.” Rin laughed. “Something wrong? You seem jumpy.”

 

“I’m…” Stella gulped. “I’m fine.” She rubbed her upper arm.

 

Rin was slightly taller than Stella, so that gave her an advantage in leaning in sympathetically. “Are you sure? It’s okay if you’re not. If you have something you need to talk about, you can talk to me. I mean, I know we haven’t known each other that long, but…” Rin trailed off. She didn’t want to push Stella past her limits, but she couldn’t help but be concerned. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m _fine,_ Rin.” Stella said, this time with a bit more vigor in her voice. “I just, uh. You know, I’m kind of a celebrity,” she said with a self-effacing chuckle, “so I can’t have people know when I’m kind of messed up or else they might be a bit let down! I mean, it’s uh… It’s like if you told a kid Santa Claus didn’t exist.”

 

There were several things Rin could’ve said here. For instance, she could have asked why Stella would choose a, while unpopular, public room to cry in if she was so distraught, rather than going back to her room. She could’ve told Stella that, having no memory of the outside world, her celebrity status did not matter to Rin, and continue to offer her shoulder to cry on if need be.

 

What Rin actually wound up saying was, “Who’s Santa Claus?”

 

Stella blinked. “What, you’re serious?”

 

“Amnesia, Stella.” Rin said, pointing to her head. “I’ve got spotty reception on this thing.”

 

Being regaled on the intricacies of Father Christmas by Stella was something Rin found quite enjoyable, but even so, Rin decided to keep Stella’s state her in the back of her mind. She could not help but be worried.

 

“There you are!” said the voice of Eriko Shigure from the door, a while into Stella’s Santa lecture. Rin turned to see her carting around four bowls of, ah, was that ramen? Shoyu, by the looks of it. “It’s lunch time, Rin! I brought you a little something!” She offered a bowl to Rin.

 

“Oh, thanks. Didn’t realize how hungry I was,” Rin said, taking the bowl. “I appreciate it!”

 

Eriko huffed at Stella. “Now, you, on the other hand, have no excuse. A certain someone I know should really eat. You’re all bones, young lady!”

 

“I’m _fine,_ ” Stella said, huffing right back. Her stomach growled. “…Sorry. I should go eat.”

 

“Yeah, seriously,” Rin said, putting noodle into her mouth. “Hunger is a psychological construct for a reason.” Oh yeah that was good. Good stuff. She carried her bowl with her to the Archive. Mm, noodles and books.

 

Rin resisted the urge to just pick up where she’d left off with sexy vampire stories and instead began to comb through the shelves. The Archive didn’t have much of a filing system, and Rin decided it could direly use one, given how much clutter there was. It was entirely possible that there was more information in this mess of a room than was in Rin’s entire brain, she decided after being buried under a pile of books. The majority seemed to be fiction, with the occasional nonfiction or educational book being thrown in. Rin had no frame of reference for judging a person by their literary tastes, so she had no idea what to make of this.

 

It was then that Rin noticed one large file folder had stayed on the shelf after her little tumble, so she stood up out of her bed of literacy and grabbed it.

 

_Details of Ultimate Despair’s School Lives of Mutual Killing_

 

Well, _that_ was certainly an interesting title. The file was emblazoned with the same logo that the podium from the Auditorium was. Rin still didn’t know what the file meant, but whatever.

 

She flipped open the folder and began to scan. The basics, as she gathered, were that, following some manner of world-ending calamity caused by a social uprising movement slash cult known as “Ultimate Despair,” the 78th Class of Hope’s Peak Academy had barricaded themselves inside the school building. However, the leader of Ultimate Despair, one Junko Enoshima, was a member of that same class, and-

 

“Rin?” Chizuru. Under a table? Behind a shelf? Whatever. “It’s time to switch.”

 

“Er, right.” Rin was pretty interested in this file, and decided she wanted to pocket it. Hm. Wait. It didn’t fit in her pockets.

 

“Rin. You can just take that folder you’re holding. I do not think anyone will complain,” Chizuru said.

 

“Haha, yeah, you’re right, aren’t you?” Rin said. “I’ll get out of your way, then.”

 

**5:30 P.M.**

 

Rin slumped in a seat next to Hansuke. “You ever feel like you aren’t actually contributing much?”

 

“Occasionally,” Hansuke said.

 

Rin had finished combing over the North Wing and had found very little of note. Aside from a few scuff marks on the Auditorium stage, which Wanda had professed to doing while inspecting the podium two days ago, her search had shown her nothing of interest in the entire North Wing.

 

“I mean, really.” Rin sighed, and her antenna drooped. “I mean, I’ve found a few things for myself, but… is it really necessary to get so worked up about this all?”

 

“How do you mean?” said Wanda, sitting nearby. “This is a life or death matter.”

 

“Yeah, but… isn’t putting people into guard shifts and stuff just going to rile them up more? If the leader of the group is taking it too seriously, then that lends credence to Monokuma’s threats. It makes them more legitimate. Who’s to say that the four of us charging around the place in shifts isn’t doing more to threaten people than it is to protect them?” Rin said.

 

Wanda hummed. “That’s astute of you, but if that’s how you feel, why didn’t you voice these opinions beforehand?”

 

“Well, two reasons.” Rin said. “One, they weren’t really fully formed, and two, I was more concerned with the fact that Claus was dying on his feet.”

 

“That’s fair,” Wanda said. “So, are you going to stop following Claus’s orders?”

 

“Yeah, I think so.” Rin said. “I’m sure he’ll understand when I see him again, after he’s slept… Actually…”

 

**6 P.M.**

 

_Hey, Claus! It’s Rin. Around 6, the four of us got together and decided to cut the plan off early. We left you this note so that you could get properly mad at us in the morning. Have fun sleeping!_

 

_P.S. If you haven’t slept properly, young man, I’m going to have Luan break your legs so that you have to stay in your room._

 

_-Rin_

 

“Your penmanship is quite skilled,” Luan said, reading the note that the four of them left on Claus’s doorstep.

 

“Aw, thanks.” Rin said, blushing. Her antenna bent into a sort of pen shape for the occasion. “I haven’t really written much, but I guess some things the body doesn’t forget.”

 

“So, uh…” Aoto said, looking at Rin, Luan, and a spot on the wall where Chizuru probably was. “What do we do now?”

 

Rin took a moment to consider, then shrugged. “I’m gonna go read sexy vampire stories while cleaning up that mess I made.”

 

“I’m gonna go play games that grandmothers play!” Aoto said.

 

**9:20 P.M.**

 

“Hm.” Wanda hummed, from inside the Kitchen. It was well after everyone had finished dinner, so the Cafeteria was not a popular place to be at the moment.

 

Luan heard her from outside, and came in. “Is something amiss?”

 

“The stepladder’s not here,” Wanda said. “I wonder where it is.”

 

Luan gazed upon the Kitchen, and saw that it was so. The stepladder was indeed missing. The Masseuse’s honor prevented him from leaving this grievous error uncorrected, so he knew very well that he needed to go find it.

 

Outside in the North Wing, Gavin and Eriko were putting away a few supplies into that wonderfully vast closet. Eriko moved remarkably quickly even with boxes in her hands, whereas Gavin seemed to be taking it easy.

 

“Have either of you two seen the stepladder?” Luan said.

 

“The stepladder?” Gavin said. “Uh… hm… naw, man, Gav’s coming up blank.”

 

“Oh, I remember!” Eriko bounced. “I had to take it out to help Jun in the infirmary around noon. After that… um…” Eriko frowned. “Where _did_ I put it?”

 

“Aw, you forgot?” Gavin grabbed at his hair. “Trip, man, I didn’t think you forgot anything, Shig!”

 

“I have my off moments too!” Eriko huffed.

 

“Alright.” Luan nodded. So Eriko had taken it out of the Cafeteria and used it, and after that, its whereabouts were unknown. That essentially placed it anywhere. Luan scratched his chin.

 

“Oh, trip, man.” Gavin had wandered off behind him and opened the door to the Aquarium. “It’s in here. How’d it get in here?”

 

“In the Aquarium?” Luan said. Gavin hefted the stepladder to show Luan that it was, indeed, in the Aquarium. “Hm.”

 

Now what in the world was the stepladder doing in the _Aquarium?_

 

**10 P.M.**

 

“Eh-hem. Hope’s Peak Academy’s Executive Committee has an announcement to make. It is now 10 P.M. Please, return to your rooms and relax. It’s another busy day tomorrow. Sweet dreams, everyone. Good niiiiiight…”

 

Rin lay on her bed with the folder open ahead of her. She had admittedly been somewhat distracted by the ongoing war between vampires and werewolves or whatever, but now that it was Night Time, it was the right time for her to go over the details of this file folder.

 

_The 78 th Class had fallen for Ultimate Despair’s plot, and were trapped inside barriers of their own creation. Using techniques perfected by the Ultimate Neurologist, the memories of the students’ time at their school before the Tragedy was erased, and longtime classmates and friends were pitted against each other in a game of life and death._

 

_In the end, only six of the class’s sixteen members survived. Among them was the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto Naegi, who was rechristened the Ultimate Hope after the final battle against Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Despair._

 

There was a photo of Makoto here- hey, that rhymed! Rin noted that he had a similar antenna to her own. That was a nice feeling, that it wasn’t just her with this weird hair thing. She pondered on these ideas. “Hope,” and “Despair.” They were remarkably abstract concepts for her to attempt to understand. She knew essentially what the words meant, yes, but the idea of either concept as a world-defining ideology seemed, to her, a bit out there.

 

The game had been set up in a similar fashion to the game Rin found herself in now, though, she noted, it was actually in the Hope’s Peak Academy building, as opposed to this probably-not-an-actual-Hope’s-Peak-building. There had even been an amnesiac participant! Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Hm. Rin decided she was quite cute.

 

Of course, the most glaring similarity was that Junko Enoshima had communicated with the class through the guise of an animatronic bear called “Monokuma.” Rin was both surprised and not even remotely surprised to see the exact same bear glaring up at her from the pages in the file folder, and she could tell even from a photo of the stupid bear that he was making that same “puhuhuhu!” that he made nowadays.

 

Despite the death of Junko Enoshima, it seemed that Ultimate Despair had not collapsed. Several other killing games appeared to be detailed in the rest of the folder, which Rin now realized was quite large.

 

Rin took a moment to ponder this information. An obvious conclusion one could make would be that they, too, were Hope’s Peak students who had been kidnapped by Ultimate Despair for the purpose of furthering despair through their deaths, whatever that meant. It would naturally follow that the Tragedy had destroyed the world, and outside was a ravaged hell-scape of some degree, assuming, of course, that this folder was not fiction.

 

Rin wasn’t particularly fazed by the idea that the world had been destroyed. After all, she had no concept of what the outside world was like at all. Her only recollections were faint hints at her younger brother, and that wasn’t much reason to get in a tizzy about the state of the entire world. Of course, there were other questions to be raised. For instance, how could this file be here? Why was this file here? What in the world did “despair” mean?

 

Rin decided to table her questions and continued reading the details of this School Life. After detailing the sixteen participants (Rin laughed for longer than she cared to admit at the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader’s hair and the Ultimate Fanfic Creator’s _everything,_ ) it went into detail regarding the cases that had occurred. In this School Life of Mutual Killing, it seemed that after a killing had occurred, the remaining students were given a set amount of time to investigate the crime, and then came together in a “Class Trial” to debate and attempt to come to a conclusion as to who the killer was. If the killer was successfully found, said killer was killed. If the killer was not found, everyone else was slated to die instead.

 

This little detail was what sent shivers down Rin’s spine. If someone killed one person, that essentially meant dooming the entire rest of the class as well. She found it an abominable setup… but then, most of Monokuma’s setups seemed to be abominable to some degree.

 

The first victim had been Sayaka Maizono, the Ultimate Pop Sensation. The leader of a hit idol group that had been rising up the ranks, when Monokuma revealed his first motive, she attempted to frame Makoto for murder- but her emotional instability and the Ultimate Baseball Star’s retaliation led to her death instead.

 

It was a moment before Rin realized she was shivering. Why was she shivering? There was something in the back of her mind. A teen celebrity put into an unfamiliar situation, who let her emotions prey on her and do something she’d regret.

 

Rin’s legs began to propel her out of bed and out of her room. She had a bad feeling. A very, very bad feeling. Room Seventeen closed behind her as she charged out of Target Hall. Claus had placed his trust in her to help keep people safe, and her gut told her, this, this was how she would do it.

 

She exited Target Hall into the Housing Suite. The stark lighting attacked her eyes, which had been in low light for some time, reading by lamp light, but her ears still worked. She still heard the small gasp to her left, coming from Spare Hall.

 

“Uh… Rin.” Stella said. Rin could hear her voice shaking. “What are you doing up?”

 

Rin’s eyes adjusted quickly to the light, and she looked over at Stella. She had her usual blazer on, but her pants and shirt were clearly sleep attire. Her right hand was inside of her blazer, and Rin was unable to see what she held in it.

 

“You want me to be honest?” Rin asked. “I got worried about you. You seemed really out of sorts earlier and I wanted to be sure you were doing alright.”

 

Stella’s flat mouth flickered downwards for a moment. “Uh, yeah. I’m doing fine. Like I said, it wasn’t anything serious.”

 

“Then why are you up?” Rin asked.

 

Stella was avoiding making eye contact with Rin for dear life. “I, uh… I wanted to get some tea.”

 

“The Cafeteria is closed,” Rin said, “and Daisuke’s room is in the other direction.”

 

Stella gulped. “I, uh…”

 

“What do you have in your blazer, Stella?” Rin said.

 

The Commentator’s eyes began darting about even more quickly. She was sweating at an incredible rate, and her palms, evidently, were so slippery that what she had been holding slid out of her hands. A kitchen knife clattered to the floor, thankfully not cutting any of her body. Stella instinctively stepped away from it as it fell.

 

This was a tense situation, so Rin wasn’t entirely certain what to say. She grew thankful that it didn’t seem like anyone else was deciding to come out just yet, so she gulped. She was sweating a bit too. “Stella?”

 

“S-stay back,” Stella said, grabbing the knife from the floor and pointing it at Rin, stepping back steadily. “I’ll, I’ll use this!”

 

“Stella, please calm down.” Rin was trying her best to remain calm herself. “I don’t want to hurt you. I just want to talk. Please put the knife down.”

 

“I-if you don’t stop, I’ll- I’ll kill you!” Stella said. Both of her hands held the knife tightly, and her entire body was shaking. “I will, I’ll do it!”

 

Rin had begun to advance before she’d realized she’d done it. She took steps closer to Stella, bridging the gap between them. She moved slowly, cautiously, so as not to provoke any sudden movements. She was right in front of Stella now, staring down the point of the knife that came unnervingly close to her chest. Rin didn’t think she was very good at crisis situations, so she rapidly ran through 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11 ways this encounter could go before giving up, and doing something she _felt_ she should do.

 

She hugged Stella. Avoiding the knife, she came in slowly from Stella’s right, placing her arms around the smaller girl’s torso and being as gentle as she possibly could.

 

“Hey, listen.” Rin was quiet now, careful to seem as unthreatening as possible. “Please calm down. I don’t want to hurt you. All I want to do is talk to you. I’m worried about you, Stella.”

 

It took Rin a second to realize Stella was sniffling. “W-what, what are you _doing?_ ”

 

“I’m trying to protect you,” Rin said. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I meant what I said before. You’re my friend. Please put down the knife. I want to talk to you, and know you better.”

 

“L-let go of me.” Stella said. “Stop- stop _hugging_ me.”

 

“Are you going to put down the knife if I stop?” Rin said. She felt Stella nod her head, and let go. True to her word, Stella dropped to the ground, and put the knife down as well. “Okay. That’s good.”

 

“W-what the h-hell do you th-think you’re doing?” Stella said between sobs.

 

“Honestly? I just had a feeling in my gut like I should come check on you,” Rin said. “Turns out I have pretty good instincts, huh?”

 

“How can you _joke_ at a time like this?” Stella shouted. “I could’ve killed you! I still could!”

 

“But you didn’t, and you haven’t,” Rin said. “That’s good enough for me to trust you. You’re not a murderer, Stella.”

 

“I might as well be!” Stella shouted. “I’m disgusting! I’m horrible! Why don’t you hate me?!”

 

“Hey.” Rin sat down with Stella on the floor, and put her arms around her. “Listen. I, uh… I really don’t know what you might’ve gotten up to outside of this place. You might’ve done some really horrible things. I don’t know.”

 

“You don’t know the h-half of it,” Stella said. “I’m horrible.”

 

“But! But.” Rin said, wagging her finger. “I’m here, now, and what I see is a girl who’s scared and in pain and is lashing out. Not a monster, Stella.”

 

“Y-you’re just saying that because you want to _fuck_ me.” Stella sniffled, gritting her teeth.

 

Rin blinked. That came so far out of left field that her brain was stunned into silence for a moment. Then, despite what all common sense told her was the reasonable response in this situation, she guffawed, and then gave a full on laugh. She laughed harder than she would later care to admit at Stella’s assertion.

 

“W-what the hell are you laughing about?!” Stella said, now staring wide-eyed at the cackling Amnesiac.

 

“Oh, oh man, oh my god I’m sorry- aha, ahahahahaha- that’s just the funniest thing I’ve heard all day! Oh my god I need air!” Rin pounded her fist on the ground before frantically gasping. “Oh my god!”

 

“It wasn’t a joke!” Stella said. “It- it wasn’t _funny!_ I-I mean…” She waved her hands frantically. “You’re gay, right?!”

 

Rin slowed down, and wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh, man, no, it’s hilarious actually, that you would say that! I mean…” Rin sighed loudly to get the laughter out of her lungs. “I mean, yeah, but out of every girl in this place you’re, like, the _last_ one on my list! You’re not my type at _all,_ Stella!”

 

Stella blinked. “…what?”

 

“Oh my god, no, I would _never_ do that.” Rin was still smiling. “Not for you, anyway! I mean, yeah, I want to be your friend and all, but _date_ you? No way! Oh man, wow, I just realized that’s actually pretty insulting, I am so sorry! But, I mean, it’s pretty rude to think that just because I’m a lesbian it naturally means I want to have sex with you, so I think we’re even, right?”

 

Stella was staring, mouth slightly ajar, at Rin. “Are you serious? Are you… I… _I just tried to kill you!_ ”

 

“No, you didn’t.” Rin smiled at her, but instead of her laughing, jovial smile, it was serene, and calm. “You had a knife in your hand. That’s all.” She gave Stella another hug. “Hey, this floor is really hard. Do you want to… go back to your room?”

 

“…Can I go to yours?” Stella mumbled. She had begun to cry again.

 

Rin stood up, and offered her hand to Stella to help her up. “Of course. Need a change of scenery?”

 

“Yeah, I do.” Stella said.

 

A few minutes later, Stella was sat on Rin’s bed. Rin had set aside her nighttime reading to give Stella some space (the knife, incidentally, Rin had placed in the folder, safely out of sight for the time being.) The blue girl quaked on the bed, her makeup having run a marathon across her face by this point. Rin sat beside her, with her hand on Stella’s leg.

 

“Take as long as you need,” Rin said. “I’m here.”

 

“Oh… oh my god.” Stella sniffed. “I just tried to fucking kill somebody. Oh my god, what the hell is wrong with me?”

 

“You’re stressed out, and in a bad situation.” Rin said. “It’s okay.”

 

“It’s not _okay!_ I could’ve _killed somebody!_ ” Stella said, flinging her head to look at Rin.

 

“But you didn’t,” Rin said. “So it’s okay in my book. I don’t think you should spend so much time worrying about could’ve-beens and spend some time thinking about the now. You’re here, right now, in a beautiful girl’s room, and you have not murdered anybody. Everything is okay.”

 

“It’s not okay,” Stella sniffled. “I’m- I’m so fucked up. God, I’m so fucked up.”

 

“…Stella?” Rin asked, after a moment of silence. “Can… Can I ask how you’re fucked up?”

 

Stella gritted her teeth. Rin saw, in Stella’s eyes, a vast confliction, like she was on the border of a cliff that she could never climb back up if she went down it. Eventually, she choked out an, “Okay,” and took off her blazer.

 

Rin couldn’t help but gasp. Stella’s arms were in a _horrible_ state. Long, slim scars raced up and down the upper halves of her arm, several of which were still open, and one of which looked very fresh. From the state of the healing, it seemed like they had vastly different ages. Every inch she looked, Rin only saw injury and pain, almost as though Stella Masaki’s arms were more scar than skin.

 

“Oh my god, Stella…” Rin said.

 

“See? I’m fucked up.” Stella said, gritting her teeth and fighting back yet more tears. “Yeah, I did all these to myself. Okay? That was why I had the knife in the first place. I even pick open my own scars,” Rin couldn’t help but wince in sympathy and pain at that one, “because I like to have them open, it reminds me how much of a fucking worthless scumbag I am. And now I tried to kill you and it’s just proof I should throw myself off a cliff and save everyone the trouble of-!”

 

“Stop.” Rin said, weakly, trying to fight back her own tears. “Please stop.”

 

“Stop what? Stop wasting your time with my bullshit? Because I think that’s what everyone wants by this point!”

 

“No.” Rin said. “Please stop saying that about yourself. Please… please stop.” It wasn’t working. She was crying now. Rin was well and truly crying.

 

“Why?” Stella’s eyes were filled with a swirling mixture of rage and pleading. “Why should I stop? Tell me why.”

 

“Because…” Rin gulped, and looked Stella directly in the eyes. “Because I don’t care, Stella.”

 

“You don’t _care?_ What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means I don’t care,” Rin said. “I don’t care… what you think you’ve done, or what you’ve actually done, or… or whatever. You’re hurting yourself. You’re hurting yourself both physically and mentally, and I don’t like it, and no matter what you’ve done nobody deserves that, okay?!”

 

“I deserve it,” Stella said. “I deserve everyth-?”

 

It was the second time Rin had blindsided Stella with a hug that same night, but this time, it was different. Rin was sobbing, sobbing into Stella’s arms, and Stella felt some of the salt from Rin’s tears seep into an open scar and sting her.

 

“Stop!” Rin said into Stella’s neck. “Stop, stop it, please. A bad person wouldn’t feel this bad about whatever they’ve done, a bad person wouldn’t want to suffer, a bad person would’ve stabbed me with that knife the moment they saw me! I don’t want you to hurt yourself!”

 

Stella was crying again too. “You’re so… _weird._ ”

 

“I know,” Rin sniffled. “Is that okay? I just want to be your friend. Please.”

 

Stella choked. “I… I… I did something… really terrible, to my best friend, a few years ago, and she- and she died, b-because of me. She’s dead and it’s all my fault. I’m already a murderer, I killed her!” She had been crying for a while, but at this point, Stella was shrieking, letting out horrible wails of agony into Rin. “I _killed her!_ ”

 

“What…” Rin sniffled, once the hug had disconnected, and the shrieks had died down. “What happened?”

 

“Her name…” Stella was making retching noises from the back of her throat now, working against the buildup in her throat to say anything. “Her name was Kei, Kei Sagami, and she was so wonderful, everyone loved her, she was so fucking sunny and wonderful and, and she made everyone smile just by being in the room. But, but she had… a _secret,_ a secret that she didn’t want people, especially the adults in the town where we lived and especially her parents, she didn’t want them to know it. And I, I was so _desperate_ for approval, for people to look at me and approve of me, that I didn’t even think for one second for _why_ she would be so secretive about it, and when her parents came around asking I cracked and I told them everything, everything I wasn’t supposed to tell them.”

 

Rin was silent. Stella began sobbing again, and was unable to continue for a few minutes.

 

“She ran away from home within a month because she couldn’t handle it there,” Stella said at last. It seemed like she had finally run out of tears, and was now grey in the face, drained of all of her energy. “And then a few weeks later she turned up in the obituary. She’d been hit by a train. And I kept looking at it and thinking to myself, why wasn’t it me? Why did she die and I wasn’t the one hit by that train instead? She hadn’t done anything wrong, not really. I was the one who did something wrong. It was me. I blew it. I should’ve been dead on those train tracks.”

 

“And you’ve been…” Rin winced again. “Hurting yourself ever since?”

 

“Yeah,” Stella said.

 

“Have you ever been to a doctor or anything about this?” Rin said.

 

“No,” Stella said. “I hide it from my mom. I don’t want to waste the resources that other people could use to get help.”

 

“That’s bullshit,” Rin said. “The only person whose time and resources you’re wasting is yourself.”

 

Stella laughed, a hollow, empty laugh. “Myself? All I’m good at is saying what other people are good at. That’s the only time I feel alive, you know, is when I’m commentating, saying what other people are doing, and how great they are. When I can pay attention to someone who isn’t me, for once. I guess I’m good at it.”

 

“Stella, you got into Hope’s Peak Academy for it!” Rin said. “Of course you’re good at it!”

 

“But what use is a talent like mine?” Stella said. “It’s stupid. All I’m doing is telling people what they should be cheering about.”

 

“Do you really think that most of the people who watch the things you commentate over would know what to cheer for if you weren’t there?” Rin said.

 

Stella snorted. “Okay, that’s a fair point.”

 

“See?” Rin said. “You’re fine.” Rin looked down at her feet. “I think everyone makes mistakes when they’re a teenager, and some are worse than others, but… You’re only hurting yourself if you beat yourself up like this.”

 

Stella sniffed. “…I’m so fucked up. I wish I could be normal.”

 

“Well…” Rin said. “Hey. Stella.”

 

“Yeah?” Stella said.

 

“I want to make you a promise. When we get out of here, I’ll still be your friend, and I’ll help you get help. Okay?” Rin said, pulling out her pinky. “Pinky swear.”

 

“Pinky swear?” Stella scoffed. “That’s… total kid stuff.”

 

“Pinky swear!” Rin said.

 

Stella looked at Rin’s hand, and then gave her pinky to it. “You kind of remind me of her, you know. She was just like this, too. Always telling me what a good person she knew I could be.” Stella laughed harshly again. “Had the same hair thing, too.”

 

“Betcha mine’s more expressive, though.” Rin, her face still moist and red from tears, still found the energy to make her antenna bob back and forth.

 

“You’re horrible,” Stella said, laughing. This time, it was a real laugh, if a weak one. “I still don’t think I get it, but… thank you, Rin.” Stella fell backwards onto the bed. “I’m really relieved. You saved me. Thanks.”

 

“Well, apparently, you need a lot of saving from yourself.” Rin said, falling backwards. “Okay, I think now I need to sleep. You wanna go back to your room, or…”

 

“No,” Stella said. “Do you mind if I sleep in here? I don’t think my legs will work again until morning.”

 

“Gotcha,” Rin said. “You can have the good pillows, then.”

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Four.**

 

 **_Abnormality detected in 1_ ** **_st Layer, Sector E. Error #303030. _ **

**_Initiate notice protocol?_ **

 

**_Understood. Notice protocol initiated._ **

 

**Good night, Administrator.**

 

 

**8 A.M.**

 

Bright and early the next morning, Rin and Stella had come in together, much to the derision of a chuckling Jun. Yayoi had slammed his head into a table again, in what was becoming a tradition, much to Eriko’s dismay as the Conductor shot around like a bullet again. Gavin laughed it off, and patted Hansuke on the back. Miria and Chizuru sat in a corner as usual, and Shinobu was locked in a deadly battle of wits of some sort with Wanda. Kazuya was attempting to rouse Daisuke from a funk he’d entered after hearing the word “mahjong,” and Luan was actually physically rousing Daisuke from his seat for the same reason.

 

Rin sat down. “Geez, already pretty loud, huh?”

 

“Well, we were almost the last ones here.” Stella said, taking a seat. “It’s only reasonable.”

 

“The universe’s darkness is infinite,” Daisuke said. “I am the omega. I am the Grandma.” He was offering significant resistance to Luan, amazingly enough.

 

“Daisuke, please, entropy is really far off.” Kazuya said. “Please don’t fall into death spirals now.”

 

Tramping footsteps up to the Cafeteria resounded at 8:20, as Claus swung open the door. His eyes quickly scanned the room. His expression did not seem happy in the slightest.

 

“Hey, Claus!” Rin said. “Sorry about leaving you in the dust last night and all. If you wanna throw a punch, you can throw it at me.”

 

Claus looked Rin dead in the eyes, and said, with a tone of fear Rin hadn’t heard from him before, “Where’s Aoto?”

 

Rin stopped dead. Several other members of the group did, too, and Daisuke immediately snapped out of his funk.

 

“Uh, maybe he just slept in?” Gavin said.

 

“No, that’s impossible.” Eriko said, sweating and gritting her teeth. “Aoto is always up early, he’s one of the first ones here every day!”

 

Luan, Shinobu, Miria, Yayoi, and Wanda were the first to jump and dash out of the Cafeteria, barging past Claus, who quickly turned as well. Rin followed, too. Soon, it seemed like everyone was out and ready to search; but the search was not long.

 

Luan grabbed at the door to the Aquarium. A clicking and banging noise indicated that the door, for the first time, was locked. He pounded his fist on the door and grunted.

 

“Monokuma,” Miria said. “Please come out here and unlock the door.”

 

Monokuma appeared from a hole in the wall. “Wow, top of the morning to you too, kiddo! You suuuuure you want me to do that?”

 

“Yes, we are _sure,_ ” said Chizuru.

 

“Okay!” Monokuma said. “Surf’s up!”

 

Rin didn’t have time to ask what he meant by that before the door unlocked. In an instant, the Aquarium doors became a gushing fountain, barreling over Luan and Miria with ease. Rin was able to stand her ground, but only barely, against the rushing waters, which poured and poured out of the Aquarium with seemingly no end. A few tropical fish she recognized from the Aquarium swam past her legs in the water, which was rising, but was combated by several holes in the floor Monokuma had opened up for venting.

 

Eventually, though, Rin was startled by a large piece of debris that had floated out of the Aquarium. It didn’t feel like a fish. She looked down on it to inspect it.

 

“…ah,” she said, for she had nothing else in her throat. She distantly heard someone-multiple someones- begin to scream, but Rin had no noise to make. Her world was silence.

 

The blood in the water surrounded his hair, leaving it to seem as though his blood had drained right out of his head into the water. He floated inelegantly on the water’s surface, one yellow eye half-opened. The other was gone, for a hole, a great circular hole, had been shot through his skull. Rin could see the gore through his head and straight out the other end.

 

As the water lapped at the legs of the fifteen students, Aoto Maebara, the Ultimate Lucky Student, floated lifelessly in the drink.

 

**Sixteen students remain.**


	7. Monokuma Theater 1

**Swept Away by the Tide**

 

Four years ago, there was an unimpressive young man. We'll call him Boy A. Boy A was in a middle school the same as any other child, took classes the same as any other child, ate food the same as any other child. Really, he was thoroughly boring in every single way.

 

Boy A also nursed crushes the same as any other child. There was an absolutely stunning girl in another class, we'll call her Girl B. Boy A thought she was the bee's knees! So, Boy A decided he wanted to become friends with her the same as any other child, and got to know Girl B one day, along with Girl B's friends.

 

One of Girl B's friends, an unimpressive young girl, we'll call her Girl H because Girl B had _so_ many friends, you really must understand, was in a similar situation to Boy A. She was in middle school, took classes, ate food, and nursed crushes the same as any other child, and she also had a crush on Girl B. Unlike Boy A, she actually had something she was good at, though it wasn't the sort of thing people liked to hear about, so she was still thoroughly boring in every way.

 

Boy A never noticed that he had a rival for Girl B's affections. With his incredible skill at being the same as any other child, he managed to win over Girl B through exceptional pluck and skill at being a median value human being. Girl H was always running around in the background, being a joke in comparison to Boy A's amazing skill at just being so average he could never possibly fail at anything. Girl B never even noticed that her unimpressive friend felt the same way as Boy A, because it wasn't the sort of thing people liked to hear about.

 

Boy A and Girl B became a couple, and though Girl H had lost without anyone ever noticing her, she wished them well the same as any other child. But then, just three months later, Boy A and Girl B broke it off! Boy A was just so average that the two of them didn't really have any chemistry, and so there wasn't any point. Seeing Girl B's crying face, Girl H was absolutely furious, because she knew, the same as any other child, that if Girl B had chosen her instead of Boy A, she would've treated Girl B right, and it would've been a love that lasted eternally!

 

Anyway, it wasn't really very important in the long run, and both Boy A and Girl H all but forgot about the incident as anything other than the indiscretions of children. It was a story as thoroughly boring in every way as the two unimpressive children were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading thus far. This begins the investigation. Good luck on your battle.


	8. Day 5, Part 1 - BOX 15

“A body has been discovered! After a certain amount of time has passed for the students to investigate, a class trial will convene!”

 

An ear-piercing shriek from Stella was the first thing Rin consciously noticed after the body bumped into her. As she came back to reality, she heard it wasn't just Stella. Several people were screaming. She was one of them.

 

“Holy shit, what the hell!?” Daisuke said. “Is that— He's fucking dead!”

 

“Oh man, oh man...” Gavin was grabbing at his hair, which was absolutely soaked through by the torrent that had come from the Aquarium. “Oh man, oh god, oh man!”

 

Monokuma was the only one who hadn't lost his cheer, bouncing around the room and opening up holes in the wall to cart away the spilled water. Soon, Rin felt the real weight of her soaked clothes on her body, and Aoto's body crumpled like a ragdoll against the floor. Her throat finally ran out of screams, and she fell to her knees, eyes wide. She could barely comprehend the sight she saw before her.

 

“Monokuma!” Shinobu said, twisting her beret out. “What is the meaning of this chicanery?”

 

“What do you think, chica?” Monokuma said, taking a sip of some tropical drink, complete with umbrella. “You know, this one time, a bunch of people got on my case about 'meaning,' and I got real mad about that. I, for one, think that our society ascribes far too much importance to this ephemeral idea of 'meaning,' so—”

 

“You know very well what she _meant,_ Monokuma.” Claus's suit had taken pretty significant damage from the water, but at the very least, his hair looked better than it had a day ago. “Aoto is _lying dead on the floor with a gaping hole in his head._ ”

 

“Oh, I don't know, I've seen people come back from worse!” Monokuma laughed at Claus's face. “But nah, that idiot over there is dead as a doornail. Just ask whoever killed him!”

 

“What, you mean ask _you,_ asshole?!” Yayoi poured water onto the floor out of her hard hat.

 

“No, obviously, he means ask the killer.” A squeak heralded Jun's entry into the room. He'd stayed in the Cafeteria, so he was completely dry. “Oh, so Aoto died? That's a shame.”

 

“ _That's a shame?!_ ” Yayoi said. “For the love of god, what the hell is wrong with you?”

 

Hansuke clicked his tongue. “So what you're saying is, one of us killed him?”

 

“Correctamundo, my friend!” Monokuma said. “That's right! One of you fifteen little ornery buggers was the one who put a hole in Aoto's head!”

 

“This can't be happening...” Stella mumbled. “There's no way this is happening...”

 

“This is horrible.” Shinobu said, fists clenched. “I failed.”

 

“So...” Miria began. “Does that mean whoever killed him gets to leave?”

 

“Not yet, Little Miss Rock-Grabber!” Monokuma said. “I mean, if you'd been listening to the Body Discovery Announcement I just so helpfully gave, you might be a bit further on the uptake, but don't worry. I get it. You're too busy fretting about how this woefully boring child is dead to pay attention to your lovely Headmaster.”

 

“Shut up,” Yayoi said. “Just... Shut your mouth.” She had walked over to Aoto, and tears were beginning to stream down her face.

 

“Now, let me drop a little knowledge on you! It's all in the Electronic Student Handbook, rules pages 8-10 just recently added. So! **When three or more students discover a body, the Body Discovery Announcement will play.** Thankfully, a whopping fourteen people discovered the body at basically the same time, so there's no confusion today!” Monokuma said. “I've had some real annoying people get up in arms about the technicalities of my courtesy.”

 

“ _Right_.” Hansuke said. “I'm _so_ sorry for you.”

 

“I'm choosing to hear only your words and not your tone, young man.” Monokuma said. “ **You guys now have to conduct an investigation to try and determine who the killer is! You have until I say so to gather up all the evidence that you can, and you will then gather for a Class Trial-** "

 

"Wha-?!" Even staring at Aoto's corpse, Yayoi couldn't help but turn and shout at the bear. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?! 'Investigation?' 'Class Trial?' This some kinda fuckin' joke?! What kinda sick-?!"

 

" _Eh-hem._ " Monokuma cleared his throat loudly, extending his claws. His bat-wing eye glowed with an ominous light. "I am  _speaking_ , Yayoi.  **You will then gather for a Class Trial, wherein** **you will debate who you think the culprit is! Please note: Attendance is mandatory. Failure to attend will have _consequences._** ” 

 

“And if we discover the culprit?” Wanda said.

 

“ **At the end of the trial, you'll all vote on who you think the killer is. If you guess it right, the killer is _executed!_** ” Monokuma pulled out some party poppers and tooted on a chintzy little horn. “Wowie zowie, I love that part!”

 

“No, no, no way man, this isn't happening...” Gavin said. “No way. Gav's gonna wake up any second now.”

 

“ **Buuut, if you get it wrong, the killer gets to go free...and _everyone else is executed instead!_** ” Monokuma said, this time blowing on a very sad-sounding trombone. “And that's no fun for anyone! Except me. It's very fun for me.”

 

“Wh- _what?!_ ” Eriko said. “That's...ridiculous! That's absolutely insane!”

 

“We're not the police!” Daisuke said. “How in the hell do you expect us to do something like this!?”

 

“Very carefully,” Monokuma said. “So, for the trial, I've put together a little autopsy report for y'all that we in the urban media like to call...the Monokuma File!” Canned applause played in the background as Monokuma bowed towards an imaginary audience, before zipping around to all fifteen of the students present and giving them each a small tablet. Rin numbly accepted his gift. “Now have fun, kiddies! Toodle-loo, and a pu hu hu to you, too!” Monokuma disappeared with the last of the water, taking several fish with him in a baggie for later use. The fifteen students in the room now stood without their captor, facing something most of them imagined they would never see.

 

“Trip, man, there's no way!” Gavin said. “I just don't believe it, man! How could one of us have killed Aoto? I mean...” He gestured towards the body frantically, looking like a man prophesizing of doomsday. “It's _Aoto!_ ”

 

“Of all the people...” Claus clenched his fist, and tears began to roll down his face as well.

 

Of all the people indeed. Rin mulled over this fact. Aoto Maebara, the Ultimate Lucky Student, was dead. An unassuming, kind of dumb young man with the power of luck and his mother's insight on his side, had been found amidst a torrent of water with a hole blown straight through his head. It wasn't a merciful killing by any means. One of her classmates had done this. One of the fourteen people in the room with her at this very moment had blown a hole through Aoto's head, and if they didn't find out who, they would all wind up dead.

 

“Huh,” Rin said at last.

 

Last night, she had seen Stella holding a knife. If Rin had not come out at that very instant, there was a good chance Stella would have murdered someone with that knife. She had already seen the urge to kill in one of her classmates' eyes. It was difficult to admit, but Rin had known this was coming. Some part of her knew there was no way their peace would last.

 

“Everyone, we cannot give up hope.” Shinobu said. “It is a tragedy, yes, but we must overcome it. To give in here would be to give in against Monokuma!”

 

“ _Aoto is dead, you lunatic!_ ” Yayoi said. “What the _fuck_ are you going on about? How the hell are we supposed to do anything here?!”

 

“If we get this wrong, we all die!” Daisuke said. “It's insane! We're just students! This is just fucking crazy!”

 

“You are an embarrassment,” Luan said. Several heads turned to face him, as these were the first words he'd said all day. “I recommend you accept the fact that he is dead yourselves. Shinobu has the right of it. If you cower in fear of his death instead of trying to find the reason he died, then his death, as well as ours, shall be completely meaningless. We will have time to cry after we have finished.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin stood up. Her sweater was heavy against her skin. “Yeah. Let's get to work.”

 

“Oh, come on!” Daisuke said. “Shinobu and Luan I can get, but I thought you'd have my back, Rin!”

 

“I think they're right, too.” Kazuya said. He had been some distance from the door, so only his legs were wet. “We need to do what we can.” Daisuke blinked, and from a quick glance at Yayoi, who was making gross noises and mumbling something like 'god damnit I am not an investigator you stupid bear,' he realized that he was quickly being outvoted, and his posture signaled that he had resigned himself to his fate.

 

Rin stood up very straight, and thought to herself. _I swear I'll find whoever killed you, Aoto. You didn't deserve to die like this._

 

**Let's Begin the Investigation!**

 

Rin powered on her Monokuma File. A pleasant and clean visual depiction of Aoto's body slid onto the screen, with the marks of wounds depicted in bright pink. His body was labeled with a large, red “DEAD,” which Rin found a bit tacky. According to this depiction, aside from his obvious, gaping head wound, Aoto had suffered no wounds.

 

The Autopsy Report read the following. _The victim is Aoto Maebara, the Ultimate Lucky Student. He died during the Night Time of Day Four. His body was found in the Aquarium, submerged in water, with a roughly circular wound piercing cleanly through his skull. Despite his submersion, his lungs do not contain any water._

 

“This is all well and good...” Wanda said. “But how do we make sure that the culprit doesn't somehow tamper with evidence?”

 

“That's a good point.” Claus said. “Does anyone have a solid alibi for that night? If there's anyone we can be certain is not the killer, then setting them to guard the crime scene would be my first course of action.”

 

“Hm.” Shinobu said. She then got on a very impish little grin. “Say, Monokumaaaa~?”

 

“I can't resist that siren call!” Monokuma appeared from one of his ever-present holes.

 

“Obviously, this game is winnable by the non-killers. Correct?” Shinobu said. “After all, if it wasn't, this would be completely unfair and you would be absolutely ridiculous.”

 

“Well, duh.” Monokuma said. “Of course.”

 

“Now, you are putting forth a mystery here,” Shinobu said. “Am I wrong?”

 

“Uh, I guess not?” Monokuma looked a bit uncertain.

 

“So, obviously, being that you are a fair and generous host, this case must _naturally_ follow Knox's Decalogue, yes?” Shinobu said.

 

“Er.” Monokuma said. “What?”

 

“The ten rules _any_ fair play mystery simply _must_ adhere to?” Shinobu said. “Why, this is elementary for any true master of mystery, my dear bear.”

 

“O-of course I know about Knox's Decalogue!” said Monokuma, his voice growing frustrated. “And _naturally,_ this case follows all ten rules!”

 

“Excellent,” Shinobu said, smiling. “Claus, you can trust Luan. He is unrelated to the crime.”

 

“What?” said Claus, Luan, Monokuma, and Rin simultaneously.

 

“Knox's Fifth,” Shinobu said. “No Chinaman must figure into the crime. Luan is of primarily Chinese descent, and therefore cannot be the culprit.”

 

“What?!” Monokuma said, his jaw agape. “What in the world is this chicanery?!”

 

“Why, Monokuma.” Shinobu said, a look of faux innocence on her face. “Are you going to tell me that Luan is the culprit and you were _lying?_ Because that would be utterly _horrible_ of you. I mean, to promise a poor, innocent lady like me a fair play mystery and then to take it away...” She shuddered, and frowned. “Dreadful, utterly dreadful.”

 

Monokuma grunted and groaned. “Fine! Fine! **Luan Yun-Fat is not the culprit!** Rassafrassin'... See if I talk to you again, jerk!” He did not even have time to make that annoying bouncing noise as he disappeared in a flash.

 

Shinobu bowed to Claus. “There you are, my friend. Straight from the Headmaster's mouth.”

 

“Er.” Claus said. “Thank you, Shinobu. I'm not entirely certain what you just did, but... Thank you. Luan, can I trust you to keep a vigil on the crime scene?”

 

“Of course,” Luan said, nodding.

 

The group as a whole had begun to mill about Abilene Hall as Rin kneeled down with Luan to begin inspecting the body properly, making a mental note to ask Shinobu what in the world just happened a bit later. In inspecting Aoto's body, Rin found frustratingly little. The only thing the boy had on his person was his Handbook- his Handbook! Rin's antenna fought against the weight of the dripping water to point straight upwards.

 

“Hey, Luan.” Rin said. “Aoto's Handbook is in his pocket. Should we check it?”

 

Luan nodded. Rin powered on the Handbook, which, amazingly enough, actually still worked. Other than confirming the new rules Monokuma had added, it seemed to offer very little. “Well, that was disappointing.”

 

“I don't agree,” Wanda said. “If his Handbook still works, that means we have access to his room.”

 

“Oh, right!” Rin said. They did, didn't they? “There could be something pretty important in there.” She left the Handbook with Luan for the time being, and headed into the Aquarium.

 

The once-serene room of fish viewing had been shattered open. Quite literally, in fact. A gaping hole in the great screen of the main tank, about three feet off of the ground, had been the opening through which the water had escaped. A few fish still floated around in the water beneath the hole. Water dripped onto Rin's head as she entered.

 

“If I were not incensed at the death of our friend,” Shinobu said, “I would be marveling at the culprit's setup.”

 

Rin jumped. “S-Shinobu! You, uh, you're following me.”

 

“That's correct.” Shinobu said, smiling. “Two minds are better than one, and out of everyone here, I have a very good feeling about placing my bet on you as the Hastings to my Poirot.”

 

“Uh.” Rin said. “What do you mean, the culprit's 'setup?'”

 

Shinobu cleared her throat. It was a much smaller noise than Claus's. “Are you familiar with the term, 'locked-room mystery,' my dear?”

 

Rin thought. Her antenna bobbed back and forth. “Not that I know of, no.”

 

“Ka ka!” Shinobu smiled, and placed her hands on her hips. “Ah, to be so blissfully ignorant. A locked-room mystery is one of the finest sorts of mysteries known to mankind, from the brain-dead simple to the painfully complex! Our culprit has chosen quite an ostentatious manner of it, though. Essentially, a locked-room mystery is a mystery where by all appearances, _the crime scene was sealed until it is opened by the investigators._ ”

 

“Oh.” Rin said. “But how does the culprit get out, then?”

 

“That question and its many answers form one of the hearts of detective fiction.” Shinobu said. “In this case, our seal is quite obvious. Look above the door.” She gave a grand flourish towards what Rin only now noticed. Above the door, a great metal gate hung, dripping wet.

 

“So...” Rin said. “Well, that gate wasn't there before, was it?”

 

“Indeed it was not,” Shinobu said. “However, no water escaped from the Aquarium until the door was opened.”

 

“Miria told Monokuma to open the door,” Rin said. “That means he probably controls it, right? This gate, I mean. And he raised it up to let the water bust down the door.” Rin looked at the bottom of the regular Aquarium entrance to confirm. They did not quite reach the ground.

 

“That was also my thinking.” Shinobu nodded. “With the room sealed by this gate, no leaks occurred. However, no water _at all_ left the room. The area in front of the door was in no way wet. After all, none of us noticed anything amiss, and if that area had been damp, surely _someone_ would have noticed.”

 

Rin blinked. “Huh. That is weird, isn't it?”

 

“Indeed,” Shinobu said. “If the Aquarium were broken open, water would travel reasonably quickly towards the door. Especially considering that we have seen no actual controls for this gate that would indicate anyone would be able to operate it without Monokuma, we have our conundrum. How did the culprit kill Aoto and manage to escape the sealed room without bringing any water at all with them?”

 

“Hey, Monokuma.” Rin said. “How does this gate work?”

 

“I'm glad you asked, Rinny-Rinny Bang-Bang!” Monokuma popped out of the ground. “This here's my patented Monokuma Water-Blocking Gatematron 2000! Quite simply, during Night Time, if the Gatematron detects any water out of its holding cell, it shuts immediately to let the problem mellow! It only activates during Night Time, though.”

 

“So, in other words,” Rin said. “You're saying that if a tank breaks while someone's in there at Night Time, they're doomed because you're asleep? Seems pretty poor design to me.”

 

“How cruel!” Monokuma said, being struck by an imaginary lightning bolt. “These puppies are pretty tough to break, y'know! You'd really have to be trying to shatter this glass.”

 

“So you're saying there's no way to do it on accident?” Rin said, turning her attention from the gate over to the shattered tank. “None whatsoever?”

 

“None whatsoever!” Monokuma said. “These puppies are pure kludgite! Utterly immune to player idiocy.”

 

“If they were immune to player idiocy, would Aoto be dead right now?” Shinobu said, crossing her arms and giving Monokuma an askew glance.

 

“I'm not talking to you right now,” Monokuma said, turning away from Shinobu in a huff.

 

Rin ignored the two of them to inspect the less than three feet of water remaining in the tank. A few hardy fish had managed to stay inside the tank despite its shattering. Rin commended them on their work. Several of them flitted about the tank, whereas a few of them lay on... Wait.

 

“That's not a fish,” Rin said. Embedded in the sand at the bottom of the tank was a dark, metallic object that definitely had not been there before. Rin began running calculations from its angle- less than 90°, so it wasn't perpendicular, but it was definitely greater than 45°. “Monokuma, what is that?”

 

“Why, that's a Monokuma Purgatorial Stake X!” Monokuma said. “A powerful weapon indeed!”

 

“Purgatorial...” Rin mumbled. “You know what, I don't care. Shinobu, what do you think? I can't tell entirely from here, but it looks like this was probably what broke the glass.”

 

“It would have to be traveling at quite a speed to shatter it, though.” Shinobu said. “I don't believe I've ever seen a device around here that would lend itself to such muzzle velocity.”

 

Rin's antenna perked up. “Wait! I think I have an idea. Not related to that, I have no idea where it got that, but...” Her legs began to propel her back towards Aoto's body, outside of the Aquarium. “C'mon, I don't think there's anything left to find here.”

 

“Ah, a detective at work.” Shinobu said. “Intriguing.”

 

**North Wing**

 

Luan was still there, as well as Claus, hovering over the corpse like an oddly concerned vulture. Hansuke and Gavin were milling about the floor.

 

Rin jogged over to Aoto's body. “Hey, Luan. I need to take a look at Aoto's head wound. Can you, uh...”

 

Luan lifted up the top half of Aoto's body from behind, placing his head in a proper light. “Here you are.”

 

Giving a nervous chuckle, Rin leaned in to inspect Aoto's head. Aoto's head was very dead. Whatever projectile had opened up his skull had obviously entered and exited, so Rin craned her head around his head to find that the wound in back of his head was not only slightly smaller, but at a higher point on his head than the wound on his front. “Shinobu, exit wounds are usually larger, right?”

 

“In my experience, yes.” Shinobu said. “That is usually the case.”

 

“What are you thinking, Rin?” Claus said. “Is Aoto's wound telling you something? I can't say I have much experience here.”

 

“Well, a few things,” Rin said, standing up. “First off, Aoto was probably attacked from above and behind. The wound on the back of his head is higher up _and_ smaller, so that means whatever shot through his head was _losing altitude_ as it was falling.”

 

“That's...reasonable.” Claus nodded. “Second?”

 

“Second, it tells me that I did indeed find the murder weapon in the Aquarium,” Rin said. Claus's eyes widened. “There was a stake embedded in the ground in the sand of the main tank eight inches away from the hole that blew open the tank.”

 

“Interesting,” Claus said. “So you're saying that this stake was shot through Aoto's head and then broke the tank?”

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's roughly consistent with the angles, allowing for the resistance of blowing through Aoto's head and the glass.”

 

“But what in the world would be able to do something like that?” Claus asked.

 

At that point, Hansuke walked up, holding...something in his hands. “This thing, maybe? I found it lying on the floor by the Elevator. Figure it got washed over here by the water.”

 

Rin and Shinobu took a look. It was a black, square apparatus, plastered with an unmistakable Monokuma face. There was an open indentation in the center, roughly circular, that appeared to be inviting you to place something inside. On the backside were four adhesive suction cups and two large, red buttons.

 

“I have no idea what this is,” Rin said. “But it's probably suspicious.”

 

“A good rule to live by,” Shinobu said. “I frequently find myself wondering as to the nature of suspicious objects myself.”

 

Gavin walked up too. “Yo, man, don't count Gav out! Guess what I found! Iiiiiit's...” He produced in his hand...a mahjong tile. “Aaaaa mahjong tile!” His goofy grin fell. “Aw man, Han's over here finding weird thingamajigs and I've just got tiles on the brain.”

 

“Don't count yourself out just yet,” Shinobu said, picking up the tile. “Every little thing could be useful.”

 

Rin looked at the tile as well. The coloration was green and red, and— And there was some _dried blood_ on one side! “Holy crap, there's blood on this.”

 

“Well yeah, but I figured it was just from the body, man.” Gavin said.

 

“No no, Gavin, this is really important!” Rin said. “This is the only blood from off the corpse we've even found! The rest was washed away in the water!”

 

“Whoa, for real?!” Gavin said, startling back. “No way!”

 

“Where'd you find this thing?” Hansuke said, rubbing at his stubble. “I didn't see it.”

 

“Aw, trip, man, it was lying on top of one of Monokuma's holes.” Gavin smiled. “Or well, where it used to be, anyway. Dude had them grated over while he was draining the water, so this thing couldn't go through.” Gavin began to do a little jig. “Aw yeah, I'm contributing to the investigation! Go Gavin! It's your birthday!”

 

“Huh,” Hansuke said. “A seven of bamboo lying around near the crime scene. That's not suspicious at all.”

 

“With blood from the victim...” Claus said. “A seven of bamboo, you said?”

 

Rin blinked. “That's one of the suits in mahjong, right? Something's telling me it's been a while.”

 

Hansuke pointed at the markings on the tile. At the top of the tile was a single, red marking. Beneath it were two blue markings. To the sides of those, two green marking each. A total of seven. “That's generally how bamboos work,” he said.

 

“Alright,” Rin said. “So there was a seven of bamboos at the crime scene, close enough that it had blood on it... Hm.” She began to stare harder at the blood spatter. “The question is, how did it not get washed clean?”

 

“If I had to guess,” Hansuke said, “the blood was probably already dry by the time it came into contact with the water.”

 

“That seems the most reasonable explanation to me as well,” Shinobu said.

 

“Luan, would you hold onto this?” Rin said. “You know, for...evidence...reasons.”

 

“Yes,” Luan said, taking the mahjong tile.

 

“Hey, Claus.” Hansuke said, walking up to the Principal. “Didn't see you all of yesterday. You stay asleep the entire day after your little... _thing?_ ”

 

Claus adjusted his tie. It was still damp. “For most of the day, I was asleep, yes. I believe I only woke up once, and I don't remember what time it was or what happened while I was awake. It was brief, I can tell you that.”

 

Rin tilted her head to one side, and her antenna curled. “Really? That's odd. Do you usually sleep that soundly after an all-nighter?”

 

“No, not usually.” Claus said. He shook his head. “Unfortunate that the one time I do, it prevents me from saving a life.”

 

“Huh.” Rin said. “That's interesting. I'm gonna go ahead and keep that in mind.”

 

“Why?” Gavin said. “What's Claus's sleeping habits got to do with Aoto being dead?”

 

“I don't know,” Rin said. “But anything that's out of place is worth remembering.”

 

“You learn quickly!” Shinobu said. She cackled.

 

“Oh!” Rin said. “Luan, do you remember anything out of place that you saw? Anything at all.”

 

Luan frowned for a moment, then looked at Rin. “The stepladder was out of place.”

 

“The...” Rin blinked. “The stepladder from the Kitchen, you mean? That stepladder?”

 

“Yes,” Luan nodded. “At around 9:30 last night, Wanda noticed it was missing from the Kitchen. Gavin found it in the Aquarium. I was there, so I can confirm this information.”

 

“You found it in the _Aquarium?_ ” Rin said. “The stepladder was at _the crime scene?_ Well, how about that. Thanks, Luan. C'mon, Shinobu, we've got places to be.” Her legs began to propel her again, in the direction of South Wing.

 

“My goodness you're fast,” Shinobu said, frantically trying to keep pace.

 

“I want to go check Aoto's room next,” Rin said, opening the door. “There might be something worth finding there—”

 

**South Wing**

 

With a crashing noise, Rin came tumbling down. “Ow!”

 

“Are you two okay?!” Chizuru shouted. Regaining her bearings, Rin saw that she had just run smack dab into Miria, who was still on the ground.

 

“I'm fine.” Rin said, gritting her teeth and standing up. “Sorry, Miria.”

 

“It's alright.” Miria said. “We were just coming back from Aoto's room.”

 

Rin blinked. “What, for real? We were just heading there. Did you find anything worthy of note?”

 

“We found a note,” Miria said, handing the note to Rin. “I think that's worthy of note.”

 

“That was downright dire,” Shinobu said, groaning.

 

Miria looked confused for a moment before recognition came upon her. “Oh, haha.”

 

_I may have found a way out of here. Come to the Aquarium at midnight. Don't tell anyone else._

 

Rin studied the note. Several things immediately jumped out at her, but she was uncertain of what exactly this note proved.

 

“Chi-chan thinks that the culprit must've written it,” Miria said. “I agree with her.”

 

“That is not an unreasonable assumption,” Shinobu said, crossing her arms. “Not definite, but rather likely.”

 

“Do you guys...mind if I borrow this?” Rin asked, still scrutinizing the note. “I want to check something with it.”

 

“No, that would be fine.” Chizuru said. “In the interest of equivalent exchange, though, what is that apparatus you're holding?”

 

Rin darted her head around to find Chizuru...hiding behind Miria. Huh. She showed it to the two of them. “Hansuke found this on the ground in the North Wing. We think it was at the crime scene.”

 

Chizuru viewed it for a moment before her curls all bounced in shock. “Oh my!”

 

“Do you recognize it?!” Rin's antenna shot straight up. “We were wondering what it was!”

 

“Yes, I do.” Chizuru darted out from behind Miria to grab it. “I definitely know what this is... Okay, you two go check whatever you're doing, and I'll go make sure this is what I think it is. Come on, Miria, let's go!” And she began running off.

 

“Wow.” Miria said. “She's not trying to hide. You have quite a way with ladies, Miss Rin.” Miria walked behind Chizuru. They were off, by the look of things, to the Darkroom.

 

Rin's expression was vague and empty until Shinobu put her hand on her shoulder. “Please don't space out at a juncture like this. We can follow up with them later, dear. What is the note telling you?”

 

“Ah, right!” Rin jolted. “We need to go find Stella. I need to ask her about this note.”

 

“Stella?” Shinobu said. “Why her?”

 

“Long story,” Rin said. “But it's got to be her. Let's see...” Rin poked her head into the Incinerator. “Daisuke! Have you seen Stella?”

 

Daisuke's ponytail turned before he did. His face was in the Incinerator, and judging by his expression, he was finding nothing useful. “Last I saw she was off to the Housing Suite. Why?”

 

“Thanks!” Rin said, closing the door and not answering his question. “To the Housing Suite, Shinobu!”

 

**Room Twelve, Spare Hall**

 

Rin knocked on Stella's door. “Stella? Stella, it's Rin! I really need to talk to you! Please come out!”

 

Shinobu stood awkwardly at Rin's side as the door creaked open. Stella had been crying again, by the look of things.

 

“R-Rin, I, I swear—” Stella opened the door and grabbed Rin by the shoulders. “I didn't do it, it wasn't me, I swear I didn't do it, it wasn't me, I didn't kill Aoto, I didn't-”

 

“Stella!” Rin shouted. “I do not think you did it.” She pulled Stella into another hug. “Please, calm down. I need your help, okay? It's important.”

 

“W-what—” Stella sniffled. “Oh my GOD I am tired of crying. Why have I cried so much in the span of just like eight hours. And...” It was then that Stella registered the third person in the area. “Why is _she_ here?!”

 

“Er.” Shinobu stammered. “Am I interrupting something? Would it be better if I left?”

 

“Yes!” Stella said.

 

“Stella, please.” Rin said, as evenly as she could. “Shinobu is helping me a lot. We're making really good progress, and I trust her. I know you didn't do it, and I know Shinobu will believe you too, but in order to really solve this crime, I need to know everything that happened that night, and so does she.”

 

Stella made a honking noise as she sniffled. “Fine. Fine, okay. I...” She swallowed. “I trust you, Rin.”

 

Rin smiled and let go of Stella. “Okay, great. So.” Rin opened the note, and handed it to Stella. Stella flinched. “Did you write this note?”

 

“...Yes,” Stella squeaked.

 

“You did?” Shinobu said. “Rin, I feel as though I'm missing something here.”

 

“You are,” Rin said. “Stella and I spent last night together in my room. She...” Rin gritted her teeth. The only way through was forward. “I had to talk her down. She had a knife in her hand, and she was about to try and kill somebody.”

 

“Oh, my goodness.” Shinobu said, looking crestfallen. “I'm so sorry, Stella. I'm sure my pushing you didn't help matters one bit.”

 

Stella took a moment before breathing loudly outward. “It didn't, but... Whatever. I guess there's... I guess there's more important things right now. Yeah.” She nodded to Rin. “I... I wrote that note. I meant to lure Aoto out to...the Aquarium, and...y-you know.” Stella closed her eyes as she finished her statement.

 

“Why Aoto, if I may ask?” Shinobu said.

 

“Because he was gullible,” Stella said. “I thought... God, I thought that if I could get anyone out, it'd be him. I-I swear, it wasn't me. It wasn't me! I didn't do it!”

 

“Stella, calm down!” Rin said, putting her hands on Stella's shoulders. “Don't freak out on me. You didn't do it, and we're going to find out who did. I have one more question for you.”

 

“Okay,” Stella said.

 

“Was that knife the only part of your plan?” Rin asked. “As in, your plan was to wait in the Aquarium until Aoto showed up, and then stab him?”

 

“Y-yeah,” Stella said, beginning to tear up again.

 

“You didn't touch the stepladder?” Shinobu asked.

 

Stella stopped crying, and looked confused. “The...stepladder? Um, no. I didn't touch it once yesterday. What happened with the stepladder?”

 

“It showed up in the Aquarium last night,” Rin said. “I think the real killer used it somehow.”

 

“The real...” Stella mumbled. “Someone else...killed Aoto... Why?” She sniffled. Ah, the tears were coming back. “Why did someone else kill him? Why did they do that? Why...why was his body like that?!” She was crying. “He had a hole through his fucking head! It's _horrible!_ How could anyone do that to... It's _Aoto!_ ”

 

“That's what I want to find out.” Rin said. She stood up straight, and put her hand across her heart. “I won't rest today until I know why Aoto died like this. It's what I owe to him, as his friend. You stay here if you need to for now, Stella. Don't worry.” Rin smiled. “I _will_ find Aoto's killer, and bring them to justice.”

 

Shinobu whistled. “My goodness, Rin, when did you become so dashing?”

 

“It's a skill I have naturally, I think.” Rin said.

 

“Okay.” Stella said. “I'll... I'll be out in a minute. I... Okay. I won't lose, either, if you're this confident.”

 

Rin and Shinobu left Stella to her own devices and headed back to Abilene Hall, but as they crossed through the Housing Suite, the door to Target Hall opened. The squeaking meant it could only be one unpleasant little boy, and certainly enough, Jun rode in atop his mighty chariot.

 

“Oh, it's Rin and Shinobu.” Jun said. He laughed to himself as he read through a sheet on a notepad he carried. “Investigation going well, Mistresses of Mystery?”

 

“It's going lovely, thank you.” Rin said. “Do you have anything to add?”

 

“Ah, I'm not certain I should.” Jun said. “After all, what if one of the two of you is the killer? That would throw quite a wrench into things if I were to show you my decisive piece of evidence.”

 

“Your _what?_ ” Shinobu said. “You have a decisive piece of evidence? Please share with the class!”

 

“I just said I'm not going to, idiot.” Jun said. “Besides, there's no point. I already know who the killer is. It's as plain as the nose on your face, Hashizawa. Not hers,” he said at Shinobu. “Hers is too small.”

 

“...And...is the killer one of us, according to you, O Net Admin par excellence?” Rin said.

 

Jun laughed. “You're too thick to do it, and if it was her, she wouldn't shut up about it. Of course it wasn't either of _you._ Besides, Shinobu has a perfect alibi for the time of the crime.”

 

Shinobu blinked. “I...have no such thing. I was alone in my room all night.”

 

“Exactly,” Jun said, and wheeled away.

 

“What a frustrating young man he is,” Shinobu said. “Why, if I wrote a character like him I feel as though my audience would want to strangle me.”

 

“What if you made him have unsteady romantic tension with the lead character, sort of a tsundere kind of appeal?” Rin said. “I mean, the whole standoffish ultra-genius thing is probably always in, you just have to make sure he has enough hidden sweetness to make him actually worth looking forward to seeing.”

 

“I suppose there's something to that,” Shinobu said. “But if I were to force it, that would make it even worse. After all, the mystery is first and foremost, and frequently romance itself ties into mysteries.”

 

“Oh, that reminds me!” Rin's antenna shot up, and she pounded her fist into her hand. “What's this about knocks? You keep bringing it up and I'm not sure I understand.”

 

“My dear girl!” Shinobu cackled. “You mean to tell me you aren't familiar with Knox's Decalogue? Ah, wait wait,” she said, her eyes suddenly glaring with recognition. “You have amnesia. Of course you wouldn't be. My bad, my bad!” By the look in her face, Rin decided that Shinobu must really relish explaining this. “The Decalogue is a set of ten rules set out by Monsignor Ronald Knox, a clergyman and detective author from the 20th century, as to what generally consistutes a 'fair play mystery.' I should note, of course, that the rules are frequently broken by any number of the inveterate mystery classics of our time, but it is a list that I try to stand by.”

 

“And the fifth rule is that there can't be any Chinamen?” Rin tilted her head to the side. “That's a weird rule.”

 

“Well, the societal factors of the time that led to the fifth rule being penned as such are a wonderfully interesting topic I would love to discuss at length some time later, when we are not in the process of a murder investigation.” Shinobu said.

 

“Oh, right.” Rin said. “Yeah, we should definitely get back to that.”

 

**Lounge**

 

“Damnit,” Yayoi grunted. “God damnit.” She was bent over hunting under the table for any sort of clue, but Rin had the impression that her heart wasn't entirely in it.

 

“Oh, Rin.” Kazuya entered the room behind Eriko, the bullet and the boy entering from the Laundromat. “Hello. How's your investigation going?”

 

“I'm sorry to report we found nothing of worth in the Laundromat!” Eriko said, clicking her pen. “No clothes were in the wash and nothing out of the ordinary was found in the room!”

 

“Well, that's a clue in and of itself,” Rin said. “There definitely weren't any wet clothes or anything in there?”

 

“No, nothing.” Kazuya said.

 

Yayoi banged at the table from beneath. “ _Damn_ it. Stupid fucking table. Gonna kill this stupid table.”

 

A lightbulb went off on Rin's table, and she checked the table from above to find just what she expected. The everpresent mahjong set that had graced it for the past few days was nowhere to be seen. If they had put away the set, that probably meant...

 

“Yayoi?” Rin said. “Did you ever manage to beat Aoto at mahjong?”

 

“Yeah,” Yayoi grunted from beneath the table. “Just once. God damnit. Kid didn't deserve to go out like this. _Fuck,_ this is ridiculous.”

 

“And did you guys put away the mahjong set after that?” Rin asked.

 

Eriko bolted up to the table quick as a lightning bolt. “Gavin and I put away the mahjong set last night along with the rest of the recreation supplies!” She bounced, and her hat jiggled a little on her head. “There was nothing out of the ordinary with it.”

 

“All the tiles were present and accounted for?” Rin asked.

 

“Well, I was playing at the time, so...” Kazuya said. “Yes, as far as I could tell, every tile was present when the game ended and Eriko and Gavin began putting it away.” He tugged at his scarf. “At least, I _think_ so.”

 

“No, you're right.” Yayoi had gotten out from under the table, blowing a wet bang out of her face. “Every last tile was there when the game finished around 9 PM. Why? There something wrong with that?”

 

“It just places the timeline pretty narrowly,” Rin said. “We found a seven of bamboo tile with Aoto's blood on it. If it wasn't missing then, that means it must've gone missing afterward.”

 

“What?!” Eriko said. “A tile missing from the set was found at the crime scene?!” She clicked her pen against her clipboard, furiously tapping away at the board. “Perhaps there's some hidden meaning behind it... Maybe Aoto, in his love of mahjong, brought the set with him, and used the seven of bamboo to give us some sort of secret message pointing to the culprit!”

 

“Uh, Eriko?” Kazuya said. “The rest of the mahjong set wasn't found at the crime scene.”

 

The Conductor drooped. “Oh... I thought I might be onto something...”

 

Rin patted Eriko on the hat. “Never change, Eriko. Anyway, you two said nothing was up in the Laundromat, right? Alright, I don't think we'll need to check that then, Shi-” Rin turned. “Shinobu?”

 

The door to the Archive swung open. Shinobu stood proudly in the doorway, currently sweating and slightly panting. “Nothing out of the ordinary in here,” Shinobu said. “I decided I would- hah- check while you were talking. Gavin helped,” she said, throwing her hand backwards towards a spun-out Gavin Sakaki, currently floored by the Mystery Novelist's fervor. “Thank you, Gavin.”

 

“Nobe problem,” Gavin mumbled from the floor. “See, it's a joke because Gavin's out, yo.”

 

“Well.” Rin said. “I guess that takes care of that. Thanks, Shinobu! Thanks, Gavin!” She waved to the blown-out Hasselhoff, who might've responded if he weren't so blown-out. “Okay, so Miria and Chizuru are in the Darkroom, probably... huh, where's Wanda? I haven't seen her since everyone dispersed.”

 

“Morinaga's in the Infirmary.” Yayoi pointed her head at the Infirmary door. “Harada joined her. No idea what they're talking about in there.” She sat at the Lounge table and put her head in her hands. “Christ. What a morning.”

 

“I feel you,” Rin said, walking towards the Infirmary.

 

**Infirmary**

 

“Look, I'm telling you, this was _not_ there before! This is a huge clue!” That was Daisuke.

 

“I'm sorry, but you're mistaken.” And that was Wanda. “It's been there since the beginning.”

 

“What are we talking about?” said Rin, turning the partition, Shinobu close behind. Daisuke made a yelping noise, and looked rather like a cornered rat as he quickly turned to face Rin.

 

“God don't SCARE me like that you're gonna give me a heart attack!” Daisuke said, clutching at the sections of his robes over his heart. “Oh it's...just Rin. Okay. And Shinobu. Okay. Great. You know, you didn't—”

 

“Hello, Rin.” Wanda said. “Hello, Shinobu.”

 

“ _Morinaga,_ ” Shinobu said.

 

“Down, girl.” Rin said. “What are you two arguing about back here? Getting high off of prescription pharmaceuticals?”

 

“Something like that,” Wanda said. “Daisuke is saying that there's a bottle in the cabinet that was not here before. It was here before. I saw it with my own two eyes on the day we arrived here.”

 

“Well, I saw _not_ it with my own two eyes just yesterday!” Daisuke said as Rin walked forward to see the cabinet. Mostly the same array of bottles as yesterday met her eye, but, surprisingly enough, Daisuke seemed to be right; there was a bottle here that Rin definitely did not remember seeing before. A small, black-and-white bottle sat right in front of Rin's face. She reached out to grab it.

 

“Was it this bottle?” She showed the bottle to Wanda, who nodded. Daisuke seemed to take this as an indication that he was right, and fistpumped. “Oddly enough, I don't recognize it either. What about you, Shinobu?”

 

Shinobu's brow was furrowed, and her eyes narrowed as she inspected the bottle. Rin could almost hear the gears turning inside Shinobu's head. The look in her eyes said she did recognize the bottle, but on the other hand, if she agreed, that would mean essentially being on Wanda's side in this debate, and considering whatever vendetta Shinobu had against her was still there based on her response to seeing the Paranormal Investigator in the first place, that was clearly unacceptable. But on the other hand, this could be a critical-

 

“I recognize this bottle,” Shinobu said, finally. “I've seen it several times.”

 

“Aw, great, now we're tied again!” Daisuke said. “That's just fantastic. What are we supposed to do now?”

 

“Daisuke.” Rin said, a gear turning in her own mind. “When did you first look in the cabinet?”

 

“Huh? Yesterday. Right before dinner.” Daisuke scratched at his head. “I had a headache from all the mahjong, so I decided to see if there was anything to help with that.”

 

“Wanda?” Rin said. “When was the last time you looked in this cabinet?”

 

“Just before breakfast yesterday,” Wanda said. “This is...interesting.”

 

“Okay, I checked this cabinet out yesterday when I was on patrol in this area, so around 12 to 2.” Rin said. “So, at some point between those two times, this bottle must've gone missing for some reason. But...”

 

It was at this point that Rin realized she hadn't looked at the bottle itself, so she did so. Its label read, _Monokuma Somnia Memorias X!_ Complete with exclamation mark. _This incredible Monokuma-brand sleeping aid will knock you out for a solid twelve hours! Ingest one capsule orally or, if you're a whiny baby, you can open the capsule to apply the powder inside onto food or water. Sleep carefully! ~ Monokuma_

 

Rin stared at the bottle. “Okay, so now there's a sleeping drug involved here.” She opened up the bottle to see four blue capsules rattling around inside the bottle. “That's... Okay. Hm.”

 

“Man, my pop could use that stuff,” Daisuke said. “The guy snores like a bastard, wakes up in the middle of the night, like, every night!”

 

“I can't help but feel that this is a very generous application of Knox's Fourth,” Shinobu said, “but evidence is evidence.” (“Knox's what?” Daisuke asked, but nobody heeded his question.)

 

“Okay, gotta go to the Darkroom. Thanks, guys,” Rin said to Daisuke and Wanda before scurrying out, for after all, Monokuma's time limit could come up any moment now, so she had no time to waste. “Shinobu, let's go!”

 

“Right behind you!” Shinobu said. “Goodbye, Morinaga. May your...investigations...be fruitful... Or something.”

 

“Bye, Shinobu.” Wanda said.

**Darkroom**

 

“This room is...” Rin hummed. “Still really tiny. Miria and Chizuru can't have gone too far, can they?” Neither Miria nor Chizuru was visible, and while Rin would not find Chizuru being invisible strange, Miria was not the type to suddenly disappear.

 

Shinobu hummed as well. “I haven't visited the Darkroom much myself, so you would know better than I would, my dear. Who's to say there's not something hidden here?”

 

Rin closed her eyes, and let her mind guide her. This was the Darkroom, after all, so visibility should be unnecessary. Her hands grabbed at something soft.

 

Wait, no. That was Shinobu's face. “Sorry, thinking.” Perhaps the room held some sort of secret? Perhaps it—

 

Wait.

 

“Wait,” Rin said. “Wait, wait, wait... Wait. Okay. I think- I'm remembering something, okay yeah I'm remembering something.”

 

“Don't keep me waiting!” Shinobu said. “I would so love to hear it.”

 

Rin fell to the ground and began inspecting under the various cabinets. “This room is on a 4° incline,” she said. “It's an architectural quirk that no other room in this facility as of yet has had. I only visited this room once, so I didn't think much on it, but...”

 

“An incline?” Shinobu said. “...Are you suggesting—”

 

“Hidden rooms have weight,” Rin said. “I'm thinking there must be a hidden room somewhere in here that's weighing it down.”

 

“A classic!” Shinobu laughed.

 

“Chizuru spent a lot of time getting to know the floor in here,” Rin said. “So if anyone would figure it out...eh?” At roughly the same place she'd seen Chizuru a few days ago, she found a switch on the underside of one of the...photography...things. Why couldn't there be an Ultimate Photographer here to explain what any of this _was,_ Rin griped. They would probably be more helpful than Jun.

 

Rin's head felt the wall swoosh by it as it sank into the back, and slid away to reveal a metallic chamber inside. Chizuru yelped as the wall sank away, for indeed, she and Miria were inside. “Oh, uh! Rin! Hi.”

 

“Hello, Misses Rin and Shinobu,” Miria said. “It's good to see you.”

 

Rin stepped inside. The room wasn't much larger than the Darkroom itself, and it wasn't nearly as lavishly furnished as the rest of Abilene Hall. A single-bulb light fixture hanging from the ceiling was the only light present, swinging from the room being opened. A small bookshelf lay in the corner, and a wooden roundtable sat in the center of the room with four chairs. Aside from that, the only decoration was on the longer shelf on the far wall, and it was one Rin found very interesting. On this shelf lay six of what Rin was pretty certain were Monokuma Purgatorial Stakes X, sitting in the indentations of six similar apparatuses to what Hansuke had found earlier. A seventh was missing from the middle of the roster.

 

“Aha,” Rin said. “I see. So this is where you knew them from.” Rin nodded her head, tapping her chin. “I see, I see. ...So, uh...” She looked at Chizuru. “What...is this room?”

 

“I'm not sure,” Chizuru said. “I found it by accident. Until now, I hadn't told anyone else about it. I, er...” She looked away. “I thought it might be best to keep the presence of stabbing implements hidden.”

 

Rin walked up to the Stakes and their stands to inspect them, and Miria handed her something. “Huh, what's this?”

 

“It's the manual,” Miria said. “I've been reading it. Chi-chan showed it to me.”

 

Shinobu peeked over Rin's shoulder as she began reading the manual for... Rin sighed. “Monokuma Stake-Shooting Device X?”

 

“Well, by now he's just being smarmy,” Shinobu said.

 

The Monokuma Stake-Shooting Device X is your ticket to win big on the Devil's Roulette! Place a Monokuma Purgatorial Stake X in the Stake Slot and go, go, go! This baby's more effective than any gun, and can blast through just about anything!* This fabulous device has three modes. Using the stealthily-disguised trackball in the center button, you can use Manual Mode to aim the stake yourself for some run-and-gun action! On the other hand, you can plant it somewhere using the Monokuma Suction Cups for the right button's Trap Mode! Set it to go off at a specific time or when a laser sensor is tripped for tactical espionage action- but it can only fire once every 24 hours in Trap Mode, so be careful! Finally, in Audio Mode, set the angle using the trackball, then use the left button to record a trigger word! If the Device hears that word, it'll immediately fire the Stake at the desired angle! But remember, the trigger word also only stays for 24 hours. Please enjoy the Monokuma Stake-Shooting Device X responsibly.

 

*This does not include Monokuma's furniture and walls. Don't break my sofas, jerks.

 

“So.” Rin said, after finishing her reading. “That was enlightening.”

 

“Did this teach you anything?” Chizuru said. “I certainly hope so.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin said. “This thing here is definitely the murder weapon. I'm sure of it. I just... Thanks, you two.” She nodded to Chizuru and Miria. “This is definitely going to help, a lot. Now I just need to put all the pieces together- argh, but Jun still has whatever stupid nonsense he has to spout off, and I feel like there must still be something I'm missing,” she says. “Think. Think. Think, Rin. You've got this. You've-!”

 

“Heyyyy youuuu guyyyyyys! It's ya boy Monokuma here to tell you it's time for the long-awaited class trial! Gather at the round table in the Abilene Hall Lounge post-haste, and let's show some enthusiasm!”

 

“ _Argh!_ ” Rin shouted. “Stupid bear!”

 

“He is quite annoying,” Shinobu said. “But don't worry, Rin. I have absolute faith that we'll be able to find the true culprit in time. I am with you.”

 

Rin sighed, looking downtrodden. “Thanks, Shinobu. Okay. Let's go, guys.”

 

**Investigation Concluded!**

 

The four in the Darkroom exited at once, and all fifteen students were present around the table. Jun looked deeply, deeply pleased with himself. Yayoi looked as though she was resisting the urge to punch his face in quite hard. Rin sat next to Stella, who looked more determined than Rin expected. She patted Stella on the back, and Stella weakly smiled at her.

 

“Well, that's that, I guess.” Daisuke said. “I don't have a freaking clue.” He leaned back and groaned into his hands. “Can the killer just raise their hand and say 'hi, I did it?' That'd be swell.”

 

“No, I seriously doubt that would happen.” Claus said. “Whoever committed this crime has covered their tracks enough that I think they're determined to see this through to the end.”

 

“Sheesh.” Hansuke said. “An easy morning too much to ask?” He huddled into his coat.

 

Kazuya looked up. “Are we going to just sit around the table and debate, now?”

 

“No way in heck!” Monokuma bounded down from the ceiling and landed atop the table. “Fifteen warm bodies present, how lovely! You kids ready for an exciting Class Trial? Sure you are!”

 

“And what in the hell does that even mean?” Yayoi said. “You gonna pull up a podium?”

 

Suddenly, the round table of the Lounge began to rumble. Daisuke was toppled over as it rose up into the air, revealing, underneath it, a massive Monokuma head whose mouth opened into an elevator.

 

“Wow.” Rin said. “Are you actually serious?”

 

“I'm going to have nightmares about this,” Eriko said, gripping at her clipboard and cleaning off her glasses. Monokuma fell into the floor, giving a chant of, enter! Enter! Enter my mouth! Chaos reigns! Puhuhuhu!

 

“Well.” Claus said. “Nowhere to go but forward, I suppose. Everyone, let's be off.”

 

Fitting like packed sardines into the elevator, Rin found herself stuck into the back corner behind Jun's wheelchair. Jun, for his part, seemed to be a bit claustrophobic between Chizuru frantically trying to use his wheelchair as a hiding place and Luan standing right in front of him. Claus stood at the very front, his eyes burning with a desire for justice, or at least that was what Rin imagined because she couldn't see his eyes. Shinobu seemed particularly antsy considering she'd been stuck next to Wanda.

 

The elevator rumbled as it descended further and further into depths the fifteen students could not perceive. Eventually, its doors opened, sliding open into a massive, circular chamber. Black and white checkerboard floors contrasted with great azure carpets and curtains between dull, red walls with candle fixtures. The room's eight carpets, each of which came from one of the curtains leading off to who-knows-where, came together in the center in a raised platform upon which stood seventeen open stands and a great throne (for Monokuma, no doubt.) A massive mess of TV screens hung ominously above the central space between the stands. Rin had no idea what they were for.

 

“Nice to see you guys here!” said Monokuma, suddenly bounding from above into the throne. “Take your positions! You'll find each one has your numbers, so if you're all literate, you should be able to find yours pretty easily.”

 

“Er.” Gavin said. “What's...that supposed to be?”

 

At Position Eleven, a portrait of Aoto had been hung on a stand. It was in greyscale, with a red X drawn over it in, probably intentionally, blood-esque paint, and adorining the north, south, east, and west points of the portrait were the insignias of the four wind tiles of mahjong.

 

“It's a portrait of Aoto, dummy!” Monokuma said. “What, just 'cause he's dead means he's gotta miss out on all the fun? Our classmates are always with us, that's the Hope's Peak way!”

 

“That's...rather macabre,” Kazuya said.

 

People began to get into their positions, some more quickly than others. Fifteen more stands were quickly filled, Rin taking her place between Jun and Gavin. Eventually, every stand but Fifteen was filled.

 

“Didn't you say attendance is mandatory, Monokuma?” Jun scoffed. “What are you going to do about Yashiro? I thought our classmates were always with us.” He turned back from looking at Fifteen to Monokuma, only to find the bear had left the throne.

 

“Hup!” Monokuma grunted, placing...something at Position Fifteen.

 

“Is that a...straw effigy?” Wanda said. Indeed, it appeared to be a human-shaped straw effigy, life-sized, with a crude angry face drawn on it, a large, red wig draped over its head that gave Rin a very lion-esque impression, and a tan leisure suit with a pink shirt on its torso.

 

Suddenly, with a crackling noise, a speaker installed in the effigy began to blare. “Confound you, Monokuma, you vile blackheart! What is this treachery?” a booming voice roared. The students then heard a loud crashing noise from the other end of the speaker.

 

“Whoa whoa!” Monokuma shouted, sweating. “Calm down, Hercules. Attendance is mandatory for class trials, so I've just given you a radio connection to the trial room. Geez, give a guy a break.”

 

“A radio...” The voice on the other end of the line made a noise Rin would write out as “waugh!” “Then, are you saying that my classmates are able to hear me right now!?”

 

Claus cleared his throat. “Er, yes. We can hear you.”

 

“Excellent!” The effigy rumbled. “A pleasure to make your acquaintances at last, indirect as it may be! I am **Yashiro Narumi, the Ultimate Strongman!** My sincerest apologies for not being able to greet you all before, for you see, I've been up to my waist...in waste!” A booming laugh echoed from the speaker. Claus was laughing too.

 

“Wow.” Jun said. “Seven sentences and I think this guy's already the stupidest person in this group.”

 

“I’unno, J, he sounds like he's got some real chutzpah!” Gavin said. “I like this guy!”

 

“Ultimate Strongman?” Yayoi said. “Geez, I could really use a guy like you down at the yard if you're breaking the bear's pipes that easy.”

 

“You are _horribly_ late!” Eriko squeaked. “Your teachers would be giving you the demerit of a lifetime!”

 

“Aw god, he's trying to distract us.” Daisuke said. “Let's just...trial...already!”

 

“Trial?” Yashiro boomed. “Am I on jury duty? I'm sorry, this treacherous mudstain has explained very little to me regarding your situation.”

 

Rin coughed. “Well, um... One of us has been murdered. (“Egads,” Yashiro shouted.) And another one of us did it. (“By the gods!”) So we've got to figure out who killed him...or else we all die. (“How vile!”) And you had to be here, so Monokuma stuck a box in a voodoo doll of you.”

 

“Soon, my comrades, I swear that I shall conquer Monokuma's vile sewer maze and arrive properly to your defense!” Yashiro said. “It is a great shame against my honor and my family that I was unable to save...the deceased.”

 

“Aoto,” Miria said.

 

“Aoto,” Yashiro agreed. “Thank you, er...”

 

“Miria.” Miria said.

 

“Thank you, Miria.” Yashiro said.

 

“Maybe we should sound off for him,” Stella said. “Or else he's going to keep being confused the entire time.”

 

As people hastily introduced themselves for Yashiro's benefit, Rin went over the situation in her mind. Aoto Maebara was dead. He'd been shot with a stake through the skull, and locked inside the waterlogged Aquarium. One of the people she'd ridden the elevator in with... was his killer. One of her classmates was a murderer, and it was their job, in this unfamiliar environment Monokuma had trapped them in, to navigate their way to the truth.

 

“My name's Rin Hashizawa,” Rin said as the buck was passed to her, “and I—!” She had a whole big speech ready for her introduction and all.

 

“Rin Hashizawa?!” Yashiro said. “My goodness! It's been months! How have you been?”

 

“Uh.” Rin said. The world went blank as she processed the _things_ that just came out of a goofy-looking straw doll with a red wig.

 

“Yo, man.” Gavin stepped in for the rescue. “Rin's got amnesia, so she's lookin' kinda blown away that you know her. Mind tabling this talk for later?”

 

“Oh, certainly.” Yashiro said. “My apologies for startling you, friend! Let us ride forth to do battle on the fields of logic!”

 

Rin flailed her head back and forth, her hair flailing with it. Okay, back online. “Yeah. Let's do it.”

 

Rin did not remember much. She only had faint recollections of her younger brother and her time in the facility to her mind, but even with just that little, she knew that Aoto did not deserve his fate. He was a sweet, silly little boy who loved his mother and was blissfully unaware of danger, who, she had no doubt, went to his grave still holding out faith and trust in his classmates. He was her friend, and, she believed, she was his, too. She owed it to him, and to the rest of her classmates, to find the truth. So, she would find that truth. Letting it be lost was simply not an option.

 

Thus did the curtains rise on Rin Hashizawa's first Class Trial.


	9. The First Trial

**Commencing the Class Trial for the Murder of Aoto Maebara.**

**_ALL RISE!_ **

 

“Let's begin our Class Trial, everyone!” Monokuma said, making some sort of high-pitched, whistling cheer. “All sixteen of you will debate the evidence to determine who you think the culprit behind Aoto's death was. At the end of the trial, you will all cast your votes, and if you vote correctly, only the killer will be punished! Choose incorrectly, though, and everyone _except_ the culprit will be punished!”

 

“Alright, well.” Claus cleared his throat. “Aoto was found dead in the Aquarium, a hole blown through his head.”

 

“Got it!” Daisuke said, pounding his fist into his hand. “Gun. Culprit used a gun.”

 

“You idiot,” Yayoi said. “Where the hell would they get a gun in this place? There's no guns here! Bet you the bear would just fill 'em with blanks anyway.”

 

“Now, uh...” Gavin waved his hand. “There's something I don't get, man. So, Aoto was in the Aquarium, right? But until Lou opened the door, _pah_ , no water anywhere. Wait, did anyone find any water?”

 

“They would've said something if they did,” Kazuya said, “so I don't think so.”

 

“There was a curious fact I discovered,” Wanda said. “It doesn't match up with the wound _per se,_ but there was a knife missing from the Cafeteria. Is it possible it had anything to do with the case?”

 

“I doubt it,” Claus said. “Aoto's only wound was his head wound.”

 

“A hole was blown through his head, you say?” Yashiro said. “What sort of hole was this?”

 

“A roughly circular hole, entering from high atop the back of his head and exiting through his left eye,” Luan said. “Clean.”

 

“Gavin mentioned water?” Yashiro said.

 

“When Luan opened the door to the Aquarium at roughly 8:20 A.M.,” Shinobu explained, “the Aquarium had been completely submerged, and the water came rushing out. Some of us have dried off, though I fear my poor beret might have taken some damage...”

 

Yashiro's booming laugh echoed from the speakers. “That's quite alright! I know the feeling of being submerged! Why, I'm up to my knees right now!”

 

Daisuke grimaced. “I don't want to hear about this.”

 

“Anyhow,” Wanda said, “Gavin's right. Until the door was opened and we found Aoto's body, we didn't find a drop of the Aquarium's water anywhere.”

 

“But the door was sealed, wasn't it?” Kazuya said. “I remember someone found a gate?”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said. “There's a gate to the Aquarium. The... It had a 2000 at the end. It shuts automatically and seals the room if any water gets out during Night Time.”

 

“So in other words,” Hansuke said, “Our mark's pulled a vanishing act. How'd they get out of the room after breaking the glass?”

 

“I'd really like to know what the murder weapon was,” Stella said. “It was a weird wound.”

 

“That's quite simple, my dear.” Shinobu cackled, and produced a stake that she'd taken from the hidden room. “It was one of Monokuma's Purgatorial Stakes X!”

 

“Monokuma's...” Stella said. “Purgatorial _what?_ ”

 

“Fiend!” Yashiro said. “Surely, he intends it for use in some dark ritual to resurrect an ancient god!”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Yayoi said.

 

“Er, excuse me.” Eriko said. “What exactly is that? I haven't seen anything like it around here.”

 

“There's a hidden room in the Darkroom,” Miria said. “Chi-chan found it. It had seven of these.”

 

“A hidden room?!” Claus said. “In the Darkroom... I wondered why there was a Darkroom, of all things, here.”

 

“Trip, man, it's like we're in some kinda crazy samurai mansion!” Gavin said, pushing up his hair. “Hidden rooms and trap doors and evil bears!”

 

“Wait, hold up.” Yayoi said. “So Monokuma's got some kinda pagan stakes or whatever, but how's that shoot through the guy's head?”

 

“Well, with this,” Rin said, producing the Stake-Shooting Device. “It's a sort of launcher for the Stakes. If you put one in, it can shoot it out.” She began to spin the trackball in the back around. “See? You aim with this.”

 

“What in the hell kind of gadgets is Monokuma playing with?” Yayoi said. “This thing's ridiculous.”

 

“So the killer shot Aoto with this...” Kazuya said. “Wait, but...that still doesn't solve how they got out of the room with the gate.”

 

“Wait.” Gavin said. “I bet it has some kinda crazy hidden feature, like it can stick to walls and stuff!”

 

“They obviously just shot him through the open door!” Yayoi said. “If the killer was outside the room, doesn't matter if there's a gate.”

 

“No, that's wrong,” Rin said. “The murder weapon was inside the room when Aoto died. Gavin's right, the launcher does have the ability to stick to walls.” She leaned over her stand and placed it on hers. “See?”

 

“Aw, yeah, baby!” Gavin said. “Score two for Gavin Sakaki!”

 

“Shut up,” Daisuke said.

 

“So, what.” Yayoi scoffed. “You saying the killer was clinging to the wall like Spiderman? Get me photos, Parker, or I won't believe it.”

 

“I'm sorry, Boss,” Miria said. “but the launcher has two other settings besides shooting manually. It can be set to go off when it hears a specific noise or when it's a specific time.”

 

Hansuke chuckled. “So the culprit wasn't _in_ the room when he died at all, huh?”

 

“You're overcomplicating this, damnit!” Yayoi said. “They shot him and he died! You got proof it was clinging to the wall?”

 

“The wound,” Luan said. “The angle of the entry and exit only make sense if he was shot from above.”

 

Yayoi clicked her tongue. “So, what? How's the glass break then?”

 

“Okay, so...” Rin said. “The launcher was above the door, and angled downwards. It shot the stake through Aoto's head, and then through the glass. The stake landed in the sand inside the tank. I almost didn't notice it under all the fish,” she said, laughing a little.

 

“This thing's that powerful?!” Daisuke shouted. “Holy hell, get it away from me!”

 

“It's evidence,” Wanda said.

 

Yashiro laughed. “It's a simple projectile! I have no doubt I could deflect it without breaking a sweat!”

 

“...Anyway,” Rin said, “I did the math, and the launcher would've had to have been above the door a pretty solid distance to hit at that angle. Even Claus couldn't make that, and he's kind of huge!”

 

“...Am I really that tall?” Claus said, adjusting his necktie.

 

“You're taller than Luan,” Yayoi said, rolling her eyes. “Yes, you're tall.”

 

“Height is nothing to be ashamed of!” said Yashiro, maxing out the volume on the speaker and causing it to crackle. “Wear it with pride, my friend!”

 

“But!” Eriko piped up, bouncing. “There's something I don't understand. You said that the Stake-Shooting Device goes off at a certain time, right?” She clicked her pen. “How would the culprit have known when Aoto was going to be in the Aquarium?”

 

All of a sudden, Jun chuckled. “Oh, you want to know?”

 

“Oh, great.” Daisuke said. “This guy's talking now.”

 

“It's quite simple, really.” Jun said. “The culprit lured Aoto of his room to the Aquarium by giving him a note that specified a certain time; midnight.”

 

Stella gasped a little, and Rin could see her flinch. Oh, hell. So that was his angle? I mean, granted, she wasn't sure she had a consistent theory yet, but...

 

“They set the trap during the night and needed to simply wait to confirm their kill,” Jun said “Once the door was sealed, they knew their plan had worked.”

 

“Wait, J, hold up.” Gavin said. “What's this about a note?”

 

“It was in Aoto's room,” Jun said. “It stated that the culprit had, ahem, 'found a way out,' and to come to the Aquarium at midnight without telling anyone.”

 

“How did you know about that?” Miria said. “I didn't show it to you.”

 

“Presumably, I must've gotten to the room before you did,” Jun said. “Given that I wasn't preoccupied with platitudes over a dead man's body, no doubt I got a head start,” he said, with a self-satisfied smirk.

 

“And you didn't tell anyone?” Claus said, fixing Jun with an unpleasant look.

 

“Should I have?” Jun said, feigning an innocent smile.

 

“That's all well and good...” Wanda said. “But unless you can prove who the culprit was who wrote the note, then it's meaningless.”

 

“Then it's a good thing I came prepared,” Jun smirked again, closing his eyes and looking just insufferably punchable. “I know exactly who wrote this note, and therefore, I know who the killer is.”

 

“Whoa, what?” Gavin said. “Spill, J!”

 

“The culprit...is you!” Jun raised his pointer finger into the air, and directed it straight at Stella. “Stella Masaki!”

 

“W-what?!” Stella began to rub her upper arms. “No, i-it...”

 

“What reason do you have to suspect Stella?” Kazuya said. “Did you see her do it?”

 

Jun smiled an impish little smile, raising one eyebrow. “No, I didn't see her do it. However, I have solid evidence that she has by far the widest frame of opportunity. Two people, last night, exited their rooms and never returned: Stella and Miria.”

 

“What?!” Stella said. “How—?”

 

“Miria,” Jun spoke over Stella. “Where were you at the time?”

 

“Uh...” Miria gulped. “I was in Chi-chan's room that night.”

 

“Wait, why were you in Chizuru's room?” Daisuke looked at Chizuru, who had remained silent this entire time, as she appeared to be attempting to merge with her stand. “Isn't that kind of fishy?”

 

“She was in my room,” Chizuru squeaked from her stand.

 

“That lines up,” Jun said. “Chizuru's room opened at 10:05:37 and didn't reopen again until the morning.” He grinned. “In other words, Stella, who left her room at 10:38:17 and did not return until this morning—”

 

“Whoa whoa whoa, hold on, Gonzales.” Hansuke said, waving his hand to slow Jun down. “Where are you pulling this info from?”

 

“It's quite simple,” Jun said. “Over the past few days I've used the computer console in my room to install... Hm, how to explain it so even Harada can understand...”

 

“Hey!” Daisuke said. “I know basically how computers work!”

 

“You have a computer console in your room?” Claus said. “Why didn't you tell anyone, Jun?”

 

“I did,” Jun said. “He's dead now.”

 

Claus grimaced. “Oh.”

 

“Anyway, basically, I know exactly when someone uses their Handbook to open their door, and whether that opening was from the inside or outside.” Jun said. “I have it all logged here on this piece of paper.” He held up the sheet of paper he'd been fiddling with on his notepad.

 

“So, this was your decisive piece of evidence?” Shinobu said, pouting. “Hardly worth hiding. We could have made more progress had you spoken up before the trial!”

 

“But I didn't,” Jun said. “Anyway, Stella returned to her room at 10, but left it at 10:38, and didn't return until morning. Other than her...” He looked at the paper. “Eriko left her room from 10:05 to 10:10, Rin left from 10:40 to 11:00, Aoto of course left at roughly 11:55 and never returned, Hansuke left his room from 2:00 to 4:30, and Eriko left her room again at 6:30 and has not returned, but we all know where she's been since then.” He looked up. “Five minutes is obviously not enough time to set this up, so I don't really care about what Eriko was doing—”

 

“Bright and early every morning!” Eriko beamed.

 

“—But I must wonder what you were doing up that late, Mr. Salesman.”

 

“Reading,” Hansuke said. “Couldn't sleep. Had a crick in my back.”

 

“Rin, what were you doing awake?” Wanda said, with a tone as though she were asking about the weather.

 

“Well...” Rin said. She looked at Stella, who seemed to be getting very, very cold. “I'm going to let Jun finish before I explain what I was doing up.”

 

“Very well,” Jun said, laughing. “Not much left to explain, though. Stella is the obvious culprit.”

 

Rin stared. “What, that's it?”

 

Jun reacted as though he had been physically struck. “What is that supposed to mean, Hashizawa?”

 

“It means you're full of it,” Rin said. She heard Stella take a sharp breath inwards. “It's impossible for it to have happened the way you said it just happened. Have you even been listening?”

 

“Oh?” Jun raised his eyebrow. “And how exactly is it so impossible?”

 

“You said that she set the trap up during the night,” Rin said, “but that's impossible. She couldn't reach that high!”

 

Jun scoffed. “Maybe you don't get this whole 'standing' thing...”

 

“Maybe you need to stop projecting,” Rin said. “The only way someone could've set the trap where it was placed was by using the stepladder from the Cafeteria, but Gavin found the stepladder in the Aquarium at 9:20. Luan, what did you do with the stepladder after that?”

 

“I had it in my possession until 9:50,” Luan said, “and then returned it to the Cafeteria.”

 

Jun gritted his teeth and growled. “There's no reason Luan couldn't be an accomplice,” he said. “Perhaps he has some reason to protect Stella—”

 

“This case follows Knox's Fifth,” Shinobu cut in to add, giving a grin to Monokuma, who began attempting to rip apart the arm of his throne. “Luan's word is completely trustworthy.”

 

Jun was grinding his teeth now. No doubt, somewhere, his dentist was very unhappy. “Then she used something else to prop herself up! The podium from the Auditorium, she stood on that!”

 

“The Auditorium is closed off during Night Time,” Miria said. “She couldn't.”

 

“One of the chairs from the Archive!” Jun shouted. He spat a little, and a bit of it got on Yashiro's effigy.

 

“Have you even seen one?” Hansuke said. “No way it's tall enough.”

 

“ _A tower_ of chairs from the Archive!” Jun was full of spittle now.

 

“What in the world is your deal?” Yayoi said. “You got some kind of grudge?”

 

“My calculations are perfect!” Jun said. “There's no way it _wasn't_ Stella! It had to be! Alright, Hashizawa, then explain where she was. Why didn't Stella return to her room that night? Where was she, then?”

 

Rin turned to look him dead in the eye, and said, “Well, she was in my room, of course.”

 

There was a moment of silence as Jun calculated. “ ** _What?_** ”

 

“She was in my room,” Rin said. “She slept in my bed. Not, uh...” She blushed to the rest of the group. “Not licentiously or anything! It was a _friend_ thing I did for _friend_ reasons.”

 

“Oh, is that right?!” Jun shouted. “ ** _Prove it._** ”

 

“She's...she's not lying.” Stella finally said, squeaking it out under her breath. “I was in her room.”

 

“Oh, so the culprit is saying that she has an alibi?” Jun scoffed. “Of course it'd be you who gave a pretty girl her alibi, Hashizawa. Prove it.”

 

“Prove _what?_ ” Rin said, her antenna growing spikier by the minute.

 

“Prove she was in your room,” Jun said. “After all, it's entirely possible you could be an accomplice to the crime.”

 

“ _I will literally die if I lie to protect a killer,_ ” Rin said.

 

“Yes, but if you had sex, maybe it'd be worth it to your addled chimpanzee brain,” Jun said.

 

The courtroom was silent. “Er,” Yashiro said. “Is... Is he...always like this?”

 

“He's gone into maximum overdrive today,” Daisuke said.

 

“Can you, like...” Rin began stammering to figure out the words to deal with this... _this._ “Am I some kind of mastermind who's playing next-level mindgames with you or a sex-crazed primate, can you please pick and choose? I can't be both! You can't just say I'm both!”

 

“Are we sure Jun isn't the culprit?” Miria said. “He seems really worked up about this.”

 

“He couldn't use the stepladder,” Claus said. “It's impossible for him to have set the murder weapon.”

 

“Prove.” Jun said, between gritted teeth, laughing a little under his breath. “She was in.” He pointed his finger at Rin. “Your room.” Judging by the sweat running down his forehead, the redness of his face, and the manic look in his eye, Rin had no doubt that if his legs worked, he'd be jumping up and trying to strangle her right there.

 

“Okay,” Rin said. “I will. Hey, Luan?”

 

“Yes?” Luan said.

 

“Wanda mentioned that knife,” Rin said. She closed her eyes. She hoped Stella could take this. “Was it missing when we finished up dinner?”

 

“No,” Luan said. “Wanda and I both saw it in there with our own eyes at 9:20.”

 

“Did I ever go to the Cafeteria after 9:20?” Rin said.

 

“No,” Luan said. “You did not. As I recall, you were in the Archive the entire time until Night Time began.”

 

Stella started. “Wait. ...Wait. Oh my god!” Realization filled her eyes. “I— I went to the Cafeteria, at 9:35! Luan saw me, and he had the stepladder!”

 

“Indeed,” Luan said. “But how does this prove that Stella was in your room?”

 

“I...” Stella said. She began fiddling with her hands. “I took the knife.”

 

A few people gasped. “Trip, man!” Gavin said. “Why'd you do that?”

 

“We'll get to that in a second, Gav.” Rin said. “Alright. So we're clear here that I could not possibly have taken the knife, right?”

 

“Er, yes.” Claus said.

 

“The knife's in my room,” Rin said. “I put it in between the pages of a file folder I was reading in my room when Stella came in.”

 

“W... What?!” Jun shouted, and reacted even harder. “You're lying!”

 

“Puhuhuhu! She's gotcha there, kiddo!” Monokuma laughed. “Normally I wouldn't step in, but seeing you shout is one of the funniest things I've seen all day. It actually is in Rin's room!”

 

“W... Well...” Jun gritted his teeth. “You... You left your room for twenty minutes!” He frantically waved his finger at Rin. “She gave you the knife, and you took it and put it in your room while she went off to set up the trap!”

 

“Using this mysterious method of getting up there that you have yet to establish?” Rin said. “Why would she do that?”

 

“To— To give herself an alibi!” Jun said.

 

“No, I mean, why would she go to all the trouble of setting up the trap if she had a perfectly good knife?” Rin said.

 

“To set up the closed room!” Jun said. “She stabbed him in the brain and then posed his body for the stake to shoot him through the head to disguise the wound and close off the Aquarium, then gave you the knife and stayed in your room, and you kept the knife in your room!”

 

“What time did Aoto leave his room?” Rin said.

 

“11:55!” Jun said, then twitched when he realized what he had just said.

 

“So, in other words,” Rin said, “there's no way for the knife to be involved in Aoto's actual murder, since it left the Cafeteria and wound up in my room in the time before Aoto even left his room to go to the Aquarium. _In other words,_ adding the knife to the equation could only possibly have complicated matters and implicated Stella, meaning it's completely ridiculous to think that she could've taken the knife and then given it to me to go set up a crime _that she couldn't set up after Night Time began anyway._ ” She frowned at Jun, and her antenna pointed at him. “Oh, and she took the knife after the stepladder was already in Luan's possession, so you can't say she grabbed the knife to help with setting up the crime beforehand, and if she'd already set up the trap, she would have no reason to grab the knife.” She put her hands on her waist, and puffed. “Are we done?”

 

“I've never been prouder of another human being,” Shinobu said, stars in her eyes. “You have learned well, Rin.” She breathed deeply through her nose. “You have learned well.”

 

Jun made some sort of bizarre grunting noise a few times, his eyes twitching at Stella as he stared her down like a feral dog stares down its prey, leaning dangerously close to the edge of his wheelchair against the stand, breathing heavily. “Hashizawa,” he said, not even looking at Rin. “You yipe too much. You'll see. This does nothing to save Masaki from the crushing weight of her obvious culpability, Aoto's blood running down her hands just like her own blood runs down her arms.” Stella visibly flinched at that one, her eyes widening. Jun leaned his elbow on the stand in order to visibly clench his fist. “I will—”

 

“J.” Gavin said. He was uncharacteristically serious, his face sat in a frown. “If you don't stop talking, man, I am gonna throw you out of your wheelchair and make you sit in the corner with a dunce cap on until you say sorry for wasting all our gat dang time. Give it a rest.”

 

“You wouldn't dare,” Jun said. He then looked at Gavin, whose steely eyes said he very much would. “Fine,” he scoffed. “She still did it, though.”

 

“Fucking _finally,_ ” Yayoi said. “I was worried he was never going to shut up.”

 

“He...” Stella croaked. “He was...right about one thing, though... I...” She gulped. “I did...write the note.”

 

Jun physically held himself back from shouting something or another as a few members of the class reacted in shock.

 

“You— You did?!” Eriko said. “But why?!”

 

“I...” Tears began to well up in Stella's eyes. “I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, everyone. I... I was planning t-to...to kill him. I was planning to kill Aoto.”

 

“What?!” Claus said. “Then, you stole the knife to...”

 

Stella nodded. “I was... I was gonna use it on him. I'd taken the knife before and nobody had noticed when I returned it the next morning, so I didn't think anyone would notice this time, either. I slipped him the note as he was leaving from the mahjong game... I was walking right ahead of him, so I just...left it on his name plate.” She shivered. “If... If Rin hadn't stopped me, I'd... I really would be the killer.”

 

“Why did you take the knife before?” Kazuya said, his face twisting in concern for the girl standing next to him.

 

“I...” Stella said. She swallowed, and then took off her blazer. Rin knew what was under it already, but that didn't stop most of the room from being filled with gasps and shouts of dismay at the ravaged state of Stella's arms. “Um... Yeah. You can see.”

 

“Holy shit, kid.” Yayoi said, her eyes wide. “That... Holy hell!”

 

“... _Trip,_ man.” Gavin shook his head.

 

Claus clenched his fist and shed a few tears. “I'm... I'm so sorry, Stella. I should've noticed and tried to help you. I... I'm sorry.”

 

Stella shook her head. “No, don't be. I've been trying to hide it. Though... I guess I didn't do a very good job if _he_ figured it out,” she said, looking at the unpleasant little goblin in Position Sixteen. “I'm sorry. I tried to kill him. It's... It's probably my fault he's even dead in the first place. I gave him the note. I'm a murderer anyway.” Tears began to well up in her eyes.

 

“You're wrong,” Luan said. The tears stopped as she looked at him. “You are not a killer. I've faced down real killers, and I see none of the chill from their eyes in you. You are a girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He stared her down. “I do not believe that, even had Rin not intervened, you would have been able to stifle your feelings for long enough to even wound him. You are not a murderer, Stella. Do not listen to Jun. He speaks only lies,” he said, and then his face returned to its normal, stoic position.

 

“Yeah, man!” Gavin said. “Listen to Lou, he's a smart guy. You didn't do nothing, Stel.” He blinked. “Wait. Uh... Y-you know what I mean.”

 

“You're fine,” Miria said. “We're your friends. Please don't be sad.” Chizuru slightly un-merged from her stand and nodded in assent to Miria's statement.

 

Stella began to cry again. “Y-you guys, I... God DAMMIT I am so sick of CRYING jesus CHRIST _can I just shut off the waterworks for one fucking second._ ” She gritted her teeth, furiously blinked, and stifled her tears. “Thanks, you guys.”

 

“Happy ending!” Rin clapped. “Hooray!” She jumped up and down in place, her antenna bouncing with her.

 

“You are the biggest dork I have ever seen in my entire life,” Daisuke said, rolling his eyes.

 

Suddenly, Yashiro cleared his throat. “I'm...sorry to kill the mood, I'm told I'm somewhat of a party crasher. However, with this information, I'm somewhat confused as to one factor of the crime.”

 

“What's that?” said Eriko.

 

“Stella, tell me something.” Yashiro said. “Would it be possible for anyone to have seen the note you wrote Aoto other than he himself?”

 

“Um, unless he told someone...” Stella said. “No, I don't think so. He was right about to enter Spare Hall when I left the note in his name plate, I heard him come in right behind me. Why?”

 

“How, then, did the culprit know he would be arriving in the Aquarium at midnight?” Yashiro said. “The murder weapon was set to go off at a specific time, no?”

 

“That's right!” Eriko gasped. “Then...”

 

“Um.”

 

“It'd be impossible for the culprit to know?!” Daisuke said. “Then we're just back to square one! Argh, fuck, just admit it already!”

 

“Well.”

 

“No way!” Gavin said. “Gotta be something we missed, man!”

 

“Excuse me.”

 

“Guys, Chizuru is trying to talk,” Rin said at the same moment Miria said, “Chi-chan is trying to speak.” They looked at each other and shared a nod of camaraderie.

 

Chizuru's curls peeked up from behind her stand. So did a little bit of her forehead. “The, um. The. The Stake-Shooting Device...can't aim in a specific direction in Trap Mode.”

 

“What?” Yayoi said. “Can't aim? The hell's that supposed to mean?”

 

Chizuru yelped and receded slightly before coming back up. “It can only aim in Manual and Audio Mode, using the trackball. While it's in Trap Mode, it can only shoot straight forward.”

 

Rin blinked, then pulled out the manual, which she'd brought with her. “This fabulous device has three modes. Using the stealthily-disguised trackball in the center button, you can use Manual Mode to aim the stake yourself for some run-and-gun action! On the other hand, you can plant it somewhere using the Monokuma Suction Cups for the right button's Trap Mode! Set it to go off at a specific time or when a laser sensor is tripped for tactical espionage action. However, it can only fire once every 24 hours in Trap Mode, so be careful! Finally, in Audio Mode, set the angle using the trackball, then use the left button to record a trigger word! If the Device hears that word, it'll immediately fire the Stake at the desired angle! But remember, the trigger word also only stays for 24 hours.”

 

“Wow, her impression is fantastic!” Monokuma said.

 

“It...” Shinobu stammered. “It really doesn't say anything about being able to aim in Trap Mode, does it? That seems a somewhat poor design decision!”

 

“It's Monokuma,” said Claus. “Doubtless he intended to make it annoying to use.”

 

“So...” Yayoi said. “The culprit really _did_ shoot him through the door?!”

 

“No, it must have been in Audio Mode,” Kazuya said. “That's the only way it could've happened, right?”

 

“But what the hell was the trigger sound, then?” Hansuke said. “How could the killer have banked on anyone making some specific noise that they themselves couldn't make while setting up the damn thing?”

 

“What do you mean?” Daisuke said.

 

“I mean that it'd have to be facing you for you to stick it on the wall,” Hansuke said. “The buttons are on the opposite side from that. You're liable to shoot yourself more than anyone if you make it something like, 'oh' or 'ugh' or something like that. It's not like there's a timed delay on the damn thing.”

 

“He's right!” Wanda said. “How could—?”

 

All of a sudden, everyone heard some sort of whooshing noise. Rin was the first to figure out it was coming from Gavin, who was bending backwards at a bizarre angle, making what she could only describe as kung fu noises to himself as he threw his hands outward from his face repeatedly. “Um, Gavin.” She said. “What are you doing?”

 

“Ohhhhhh mannnnn, triiiiip mannnnnn, _it's all coming together, whooooaaaaaooaoaaoooaaaoooooohhhh!_ ” Gavin said, sounding to Rin like a man gone completely mad. “Watch and amaze, ladies and germs, as Gav blows the lid off the culprit's _entire trick!_ ” He said, suddenly slamming into the podium again.

 

“Gavin.” Claus said. “Are you okay?”

 

“Feast your eyes on this puppy!” With a flourish, Gavin grabbed into his pocket... And then patted around in it, making surprised grunts. “Huh? Oh, uh, that's right. Lou has it. Hey Lou, uh, can you pull out my _lid-blower?_ ”

 

Luan blinked, and began to furrow inside his own pockets. He pulled out the only thing remaining inside them; the bloodied mahjong tile. “Is this—”

 

“Yeah, man!” Gavin said. “Yeaaaaaaahhhhhhhh! Whooooooo!”

 

“Oh, so he can hoot and holler like an idiot,” Jun said, “but when I'm nailing the culprit I'm a fool.”

 

“Shut up, Jun.” Rin said. “I kind of forgot about this thing for a while, but it is pretty confusing.”

 

“Is that a...” Wanda studied it. “Seven of bamboo tile with blood on it?”

 

“You know it!” Gavin nodded. “I found it on the grates that 'Kuma used to drain the water, and all. Alright, I'm gonna blow your mind here. This thing's the culprit's trap!”

 

“Trap?” Shinobu said. Then, her eyes widened. “Oh! _OH!_ How did I not notice before?!” She put her hands on her temples. “I'm not sure whether to call that genius or completely idiotic!”

 

“Care to fill the rest of us in?” Daisuke said.

 

Rin pondered for a moment the implications, before her antenna started up. “Oh! I get it!” She pounded her fist into her hands. “So you're saying the culprit planted the tile at the crime scene because it would make Aoto say the trigger word?”

 

“Bingo!” Gavin said. “This thing's got blood on it, right? But it's already dry, which means that it didn't get washed clean same time as the rest of the blood, which means it musta been covered by something.” He leaned in, holding his hand open like he was about to grab a mug from across a bar. “I think Aoto musta picked it up, man! Had it in his hand when he got shot, and his hand protected it from the water! Then when everything came flying out of the Aquarium and his body bumped into Rin, it shook loose of his hand and came out, but the blood was already dry so it stayed on!”

 

“Then what's the trigger word?” Yayoi said.

 

Gavin paused, then rubbed the back of his head. “Anyone got a stake to test it with?”

 

“I brought one,” said Miria, holding it.

 

“Why did you bring one of those things?!” Daisuke said. She shrugged and handed it to Gavin. Rin handed him the Stake-Shooting Device to test.

 

“Now, says the word stays for 24 hours, so if I got this right...ergh, there we go!” Gavin said, clicking the stake into place. “Aim it just right and...”

 

“Wait, Gavin.” Claus said. “That thing shoots very fast. Where are you going to aim it?”

 

Gavin took a brief look around, then settled on a point. “Hey Yashiro, you mind if I shoot you in the head?”

 

“You go right ahead!” Yashiro laughed.

 

“Cool.” Gavin nodded. He stepped into the center of the platform and aimed the trackball towards the head of Yashiro's effigy, holding it steady. “Alright. Um... Seven of bamboo?”

 

At the sound of the word “bamboo,” the Purgatorial Stake shot off like a rocket, blasting straight through the head of Yashiro's effigy with a loud blast. It shot into the distance through one of the curtains, and none of the students could hear it make an impact against the wall.

 

“Wow,” Eriko said. “It's very fast.”

 

“Kinda like you, eh, Short Round?” Daisuke said.

 

“Well, that settles it.” Wanda said. “It seems we've finally _properly_ reconstructed the state of the Aquarium that night.”

 

“I don't get it, though.” Miria said. “How could the culprit have known Aoto would come to the Aquarium?”

 

“...Wait,” Kazuya said. “Wait... What if they didn't?” He looked up. “I mean, anyone could've come in, right?”

 

“How could they have not?” Yayoi said. “He's dead! They left a tile on the floor for him! The thing was set at an angle that went right through his head-”

 

Rin blinked. Wait. No, wait. The angle? The angle meant... What happened in the room? There was something here—

 

“The _water!_ ” Rin shouted. “Oh my god!”

 

“Don't scare me like that!” Daisuke said. “Geez. Give a guy some warning.”

 

“No, no, I get it!” Rin said, leaning in. “Kazuya's right, _because the stake wasn't the intended murder weapon!_ ”

 

“How do you figure?” Claus said. “Please, enlighten us.”

 

“The stake was set to go off the instant anyone said the word 'bamboo.' In other words, they could've been anywhere in the room when the trap went off. It makes it kind of a weak trap for shooting, but what happened right after Aoto was shot?” Rin said.

 

Claus's eyes widened. “The room... _was completely filled with water!_ ”

 

“Exactly!” Rin nodded. “We were all thrown off by the wound, but the trap wasn't meant to specifically shoot Aoto. It was meant to _drown_ anyone who came into the room and triggered the trap! The stake was just to shatter the glass! Aoto got shot in the head by chance!”

 

“By _accident?!_ ” Jun spat. “Is this supposed to be some sort of joke? He's the Lucky Student, you idiot! How could he get accidentally shot in the head?!”

 

Luan grunted. “Lady Luck had mercy on him in his final moments. Being killed by the stake was far kinder than the culprit meant to be.”

 

“What?” Jun said.

 

“Drowning...” Miria said. “It's...horrible. But Aoto died instantly from the stake. He was dead the instant any water came into the room.”

 

“His lungs were clear,” Wanda said, and nodded. “He had already stopped breathing by the time any water had entered the room.”

 

“Then...” Stella's eyes grew wide. “I could've...”

 

“Yeah.” Hansuke said. “If Rin hadn't stopped you, there's a good chance it'd be you we'd be investigating instead of Aoto.”

 

“In other words...” Yashiro's now-headless effigy said. “The culprit is narrowed down to whoever could've taken possession of that mahjong tile!”

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah, and there's a narrow time zone for that.”

 

“The mahjong game!” Yayoi said, eyes wide. “We wrapped it up at 9, and the tile was still there! Me, Okudaira, Sakaki, Shigure, we all saw it there! Hey, Yun-Fat!”

 

“Technically, if you're referring to people with their surnames, you should still call him Luan,” Eriko said.

 

“Who cares?” Yayoi said. “You're the best witness we got, Devil's Hand! Who came through the North Wing from 9 to 10?”

 

Gavin piped up. “Well, from 9 to 9:20, Shig and I had the mahjong set to ourselves, nobody came into the North Wing since everyone just ate and all.”

 

Luan's face sunk inwards slightly, and his lips straightened. “Myself, Wanda, Gavin, Eriko, Stella, Jun, Daisuke, Kazuya...and Aoto.” He frowned.

 

“ _Aha!_ ” Jun said, suddenly leaping forward, almost falling out of his chair.

 

“Will you give it a rest already?!” Daisuke said, slapping himself in the forehead. “It's not Stella!”

 

Claus shook his head. “Jun, please stop.” He looked downward, and sighed. “If only I'd managed to wake up... I had actually planned to make a thorough check myself once night had almost come, but I hadn't finished informing everyone when I fell asleep.” He shed another tear, and clenched his fist. “I could've saved him...”

 

Wanda perked up. “Wake up?” She put her fingers on her chin. “That reminds me of something.” As Wanda hummed, Shinobu gritted her teeth, and Rin thought it looked oddly like Shinobu had come to a similar conclusion, but didn't want to give Wanda the pleasure of agreement.

 

“The _sleeping drug!_ ” Daisuke shouted. “Monokuma's sleeping drug! That's it! That's the missing piece of the puzzle, you guys!”

 

“Sleeping drug?” Stella said. “What sleeping drug is this?”

 

“There's a sleeping drug in the medicine cabinet,” Luan said. “It's ingestible in pill form or in powder. The label itself recommends placing it in food or water, and states that it guarantees sleep for at least twelve hours.”

 

“Someone must've drugged Claus!” Daisuke said. “No doubt about it! The culprit thought they couldn't get anything done with him watching, so they knocked him out so they could set their trap in secret!”

 

“But his room was locked,” Kazuya said. “How did they get inside?”

 

Rin gasped. “Claus! Didn't you say you woke up once?”

 

Claus's eyes widened. “Why, you're right, I did! I don't remember when it was, as I was still quite hazy, but... I definitely let someone into my room!”

 

Rin was about to respond, but then Jun started laughing again because of course he did. “Ahhhh, yes.” He said. “I understand now. I understand your _game,_ Masaki.”

 

“What game?!” Stella said. “I didn't do it, you psychopath!”

 

“Don't think I haven't noticed you sticking next to Claus's side during all those mahjong games,” Jun said, his lips twisting into a scowl. “I understand people like you, sucking up to power so you can get into power's pants. You've been _seducing_ Claus, haven't you?”

 

“That is completely out of line, young man!” Yashiro said. “Why, if I were there right now, you would be in a very, very brutal arm lock!”

 

“Yes, I can see it now.” Jun said. “Sidling up to his door all pathetic-like, maybe slipping off your blazer a bit to get his sleep-addled brain to pay attention before you slip a dose of Somnia Memorias into his cup,” he waved his finger at Stella. “A truly nasty plan! I almost fell for it, but you won't beat Jun Fukuyama today, murderer.”

 

“She's not a murderer.” Miria said.

 

“I—” Claus said. “ _What?_ Where in the world is this coming from? Jun, I can assure you I have not been seduced by anyone!” He began self-consciously wiping his brow. “I... I am a very capable man!”

 

Shinobu made a little cough. “Ehem, everyone, I believe that even if Jun thinks it reasonable to spout off whatever nonsense he sees fit, the point is that we can all agree that Claus was indeed drugged with Monokuma's narcotic, no?”

 

“Yeah, seems about right.” Yayoi said. “But who did it, and when? I'm blanking.”

 

“Well, obviously it was the culprit,” Daisuke said. “But who's the culprit? It's, uh, it's not me.”

 

“The problem is that we don't know when the culprit drugged Claus,” Wanda said, crossing her arms, “or when they took the drug itself. We have a few vague time frames for both, but nothing definite.”

 

“Oh, Claus.” Kazuya said. “When did you wake up? It was 'at least twelve hours,' right?”

 

“Mm, yes.” Claus said. “I believe I came to when Monokuma gave his morning announcement, so, 7 A.M... Though I feel as though I should note that I was still very tired when I awoke to let the culprit in, or else I would properly remember who that person was. So, I think it's possible that I slept for longer than twelve hours after being drugged.”

 

“So.” Hansuke said. “Our culprit drugged Claus somehow, set up their trap some time during dinner when everybody was basically running around doing whatever, and nabbed the mahjong tile to set it some time after 9. And the rest of it was just chance because of what Stella and Rin were getting up to.”

 

“No way we can prove who knows about the Darkroom, huh?” Daisuke said.

 

“Anyone could've found it the entire time we've been here,” Claus said. “Unfortunately, lying is a simple matter.”

 

“All the pieces must be here,” Shinobu said. “No crime is unsolvable. It's just a matter of putting together the evidence.”

 

Rin took a moment to ponder. There were two questions she had, aside from the culprit's identity, at this point. The first question was, what vector did the culprit use to drug Claus? And the second question was, when exactly did the culprit obtain the drug? If she could figure out... If she could figure out _either one_ of these, she felt certain that she could grasp the truth with her outstretched hand. It was right there. It was right there. Somewhere in some innocuous comment someone had made, some detail that was just slightly off—

 

Rin's antenna pointed straight up. She looked directly at Luan, whose usually-stoic face displayed the same realization. Both of them knew, perhaps through different paths, but both of them _knew,_ for a fact, the truth of this case.

 

“Everyone,” Rin croaked. “I think I know who did it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, you have everything you need. If you wish to play along, tell me below: Who do you think killed Aoto Maebara?


	10. Day 5, End - The Runaway Girl

Rin had gone silent for a moment after her assertion, as thirteen heads swung towards her. Luan's didn't. Judging by the noise Yashiro made, his probably would have too.

 

“Jun,” Rin said. “Tell me something.”

 

“Oh my god,” Jun said. He smacked his forehead. “You can't be serious. I can't use a stepladder, you mongoloid!”

 

“No no, you're not the culprit,” Rin said. “But you just said something I think is very interesting. You used Monokuma's sleeping drug's real name, Somnia Memorias.”

 

“And what's so odd about that?” Jun scoffed.

 

“When did you learn that drug's name?” Rin said. “You checked the Infirmary right before I did, right?”

 

Jun rolled his eyes. “Yes, Rin. Yes, I did. It was right there. I read it off the pill bottle. With my eyes? I'm rolling them right now?”

 

“Congratulations on your eyes,” Rin said. “But there's a contradiction there. A huge one, in fact. Because when I looked into that cabinet, the drug wasn't there.”

 

Jun blinked. “What?”

 

“It wasn't there,” Rin said. “The drug had been stolen by then. The culprit had already taken it.”

 

“But that's completely impossible!” Jun said. “You must've just missed it. Nobody could've taken it then.” Pause. “Well, I could've, sure. But you just said that I'm—!”

 

“No,” Rin said. “There's one person, and _only_ one person, who could've taken Monokuma's sleeping drug. This same person was the one who took the mahjong tile, the one who set up the Stake-Shooting Device...” Rin took a breath. “The one who killed Aoto. The culprit.”

 

All eyes were on Rin as she raised her pointer finger into the air. She let out her breath, and lowered her finger, to levy it at the culprit. “The culprit...” Her finger came to a rest, pointing right at Position Five. “Is you, Eriko Shigure. You're the only one it could be.”

 

The small Conductor began to sweat, and bounced beneath the fourteen gazes that were now levied on her, ranging from shock, to rage, to bewilderment. “What... What are you talking about, Rin?!” she said, leaning into the stand. “How could I have—”

 

“You were the one helping Jun check the cabinet,” Rin said. “And you disappeared while the two of us were arguing. You left with the drug, right? You took it right after you and Jun saw it, right before I came in.”

 

“That's...impossible!” Jun said. “You're saying _she_ stole it right out from under my nose?! _Her?!_ Are you kidding me?!”

 

“No,” Rin said. “Because she also had opportunity to take the tile. She and Gavin were the ones who were putting away the mahjong set in the first place, remember? She had more opportunity than anyone except Gavin to steal it.”

 

“Trip, man...” Gavin said. “It...it was happening right in front of me?!”

 

“But how could she have drugged Claus?!” Jun said. “What reason would Claus have had to let her in?”

 

“The plates,” Luan said.

 

Chizuru's eyes grew wide behind the stand. “Oh my god,” she said. “She had...she had _three..._ ”

 

“What?” Jun said. “What the hell are you talking about?”

 

“Eriko was the one who delivered lunch to the people executing Claus's plan,” Rin said. “When she came to see me in the Disposal, she had four plates. Stella was there too, so she can confirm it.”

 

“Well...” Stella said, looking down at her feet. “There were four people on duty, so wouldn't that just make sense?”

 

“No,” Rin said. “It wouldn't. To get to the Disposal from the Cafeteria, she'd have to pass through the North Wing.”

 

Claus's eyes widened. “Aoto was on duty in the North Wing at that time! He would've taken a plate already!”

 

“So there were _five_ plates?” Daisuke said. “Four for those four...”

 

“And a plate for Claus,” Luan said. “When Eriko came to give me mine, she had one left, and went to visit Claus.”

 

“Well, I'll be,” Hansuke said. “That's pretty crafty, kid.”

 

Eriko had gone pale, and her clipboard was beginning to crack from under the stress of her grip. “No,” she said. “No... No, it wasn't me... I didn't...”

 

“You left your room for five minutes after Night Time,” Wanda said. “You had an opportunity to plant the mahjong tile after the stepladder had already been removed.”

 

“No...no, no, no, no...!” Eriko had begun sinking into herself, shaking her head frantically as her body rattled.

 

“You’re _wrong,_ ” Jun screeched, slamming his fists onto the table, a bit of his sweat flying onto Rin’s face. “It’s a coincidence! It’s _her!_ How could _Eriko_ possibly kill someone? You’re spouting absolute nonsense, and I won’t accept it!”

 

“No!” Rin said, slamming her own hands onto the stand, hoping a bit of sweat slammed Jun in retaliation. “You’re wrong, Jun, and I’ll show you. This is the only way it could’ve happened!”

* * *

 

**Finish the Thought!**

 

“The culprit’s plan begins yesterday, on Day Four. Well, I suppose I don’t know that for certain, because they could’ve discovered the hidden room behind the Darkroom at any time. Said hidden room contained our murder weapon; one of Monokuma’s Purgatorial Stakes, and the Device that can shoot it.

 

The Device has three modes, but the culprit chose to use it in Audio Mode. In Audio Mode, the Device is set to a trigger word, and when it hears it, it fires the Stake in the direction set by the user. The culprit needed a way to use the Device to set up a trap; and the Aquarium was the perfect room. The Stake could be set to pierce the tank and flood the room, and thanks to the gate, if it was after Night Time, the victim couldn’t possibly escape.

 

The culprit considered Claus, the leader of the group, the greatest threat to their plan. After all, he’d stayed up all night trying to figure out how to keep the best vigil across the entire area. They hatched a plan to drug him with Monokuma’s sleeping drug, the Somnia Memorias, to keep him from getting wise.

 

Since Jun was in a wheelchair, he hadn’t been able to inspect the Infirmary’s medicine cabinet just yet, so the culprit used him as their alibi for the drug; they showed it to him so he could confirm it, and then immediately stole it from right under his nose. Since the culprit was so short, this also gave them convenient access to the stepladder for a reasonable purpose. Unfortunately, I showed up right after they’d stolen it, and looked in the cabinet myself; but since I hadn’t looked either, I didn’t suspect a thing.

 

Claus had set me, Luan, Chizuru, and Aoto on rotation, so the culprit’s next step was to drug Claus under the guise of feeding the rest of the group. They woke Claus up to deliver the food, and Claus, still in a daze, wasn’t able to remember who it was that had fed him before he fell back asleep. He was knocked out until the next day.

 

The culprit bided their time until dinner. Since the culprit was so punctual, they would’ve known how people generally acted around dinnertime, so they found their opportunity to use the stepladder and set up the device; but they still needed one more thing.

 

Yayoi and Aoto’s long mahjong rivalry came to an end when Yayoi finally won, and the group began putting the mahjong set away. The culprit, while putting the set away, took the seven of bamboo tile and pocketed it. The stepladder was noticed and returned to the Cafeteria by Luan without any further fuss. After Night Time began, the culprit dashed out of their room and set the tile in the Aquarium. The trap was finished, and the culprit returned to their room, having only left for five minutes.

 

Anyone could’ve visited the Aquarium, but it was Aoto who did, lured out by Stella’s note at midnight. Stella had been dissuaded by me, but Aoto came to the Aquarium from her note to meet someone who no longer intended on coming. He noticed the tile, and fell for the trap.

 

Aoto was the perfect height, so he was shot through the head by the Stake and was killed instantly instead of suffering for ages by drowning, but this also was the wrench in the killer’s plan. He had been holding the mahjong tile in front of his face when he said the word, and some of the blood splatter from his wound got onto it- but he’d been clutching it in his hand when it happened, and he fell forward, his grip protecting the tile from getting washed clean until the blood had dried.

 

After that, the culprit woke up early to ensure that their trap had worked, and when it had, they just had to blend into the crowd at breakfast, and discover the body with the rest of the group.”

 

“The only one who could’ve stolen the drug, the only one who could’ve drugged Claus, the only one who could’ve placed that trap… is you. Eriko Shigure, the Ultimate Conductor!”

 

* * *

 

 

Jun sputtered at the stand, hacking and coughing out of a mix of emotions Rin didn’t have the wherewithal to understand right now. “No! God damnit, _no!_ You’re _wrong!_ You have to be! Say something, Eriko!” He looked like a man possessed, his eyes both enraged and pleading.

 

“Eriko...” Rin said. “I'm sorry. You're the only one it could've been. If you have a counterargument, please. Something... Anything at all that could prove your innocence.” Despite herself, Rin looked towards the shaking Conductor, hopeful for even the slightest argument.

 

Eriko looked at Rin, looked her right in the eyes, and broke. Her glasses fell off of her face and hit the ground with a small crash, shattering the glass into pieces. She sank to her knees, planting her face into her hands, sobbing without end. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.”

 

“...I suppose she didn't have anything,” Shinobu said, looking away.

 

“Eriko...” Claus said. He looked lost. “Why? Why did you...?”

 

“I'm sorry,” was all she could say in response.

 

“Well, it looks like it's Voting Time!” Monokuma said. “Look towards the screen that is now appearing on your stands and cast your votes! Choose wisely!”

 

Rin looked down. The same cheerily retro images of the students that adorned their doors now sat, in numerical order, on a screen, inviting her to send her classmate to her death. Rin swallowed, to force back the tears in her own eyes, before selecting Student #5, Eriko Shigure, as the culprit.

 

After each of the fifteen students present had placed their votes, Monokuma cackled. “Alright, now everyone look above! Did you choose the lovely correct choice, or were you a bunch of absolute morons? Let's seeeeee...”

 

The mess of screens above the courtroom lit up, and each student looked up to see the screens flashing rapidly between the pixelated images of the students with noises akin to the din of a pachinko parlor. Eventually, each screen stopped on the image of Eriko, and the entire mess of screens lit up green with an insultingly cheery beeping noise. Even more insulting was the mess of confetti that began to rain down from the ceiling behind and in front of the students. To cap it all off, the speaker that had carried Yashiro's voice to the students sparked and died, leaving him stranded once more.

 

The trial was over.

* * *

 

“Aaaand... Bingo!” Monokuma said. “You guys were right! The killer who so heartlessly slew the ever-boring Aoto Maebara...was Eriko Shigure!” He pulled out a party horn and tooted on it. “Hooray! Good job, everyone! You really showed your enthusiasm!”

 

“I can't believe it,” Jun said, staring into his hands. “It was her? She stole it out from right underneath my nose? Eriko tricked me? I miscalculated… I lost… to her? To _you?!_ ” he said, shouting straight at Rin.

 

The raised platform began to sink into the ground, and soon the stands were gone, leaving Eriko Shigure a sobbing lump on the floor. Daisuke looked down at the girl to his right, removing his sunglasses and placing them in the pocket of his robes.

 

“Eriko...” he said. “I thought we were gonna go drinking together. You killed him? You killed Aoto?”

 

“I'm sorry,” she said.

 

“Quit— Quit saying that, dammit!” Yayoi said. “It doesn't matter if you're sorry or not, tell us why! Why'd you do it? Why'd you kill him?!” She stamped her feet. “Why?!”

 

“I...” Eriko choked. “I... I didn't...want...”

 

“What I find curious,” Wanda said, “is why you chose such an indirect method of killing.” She crossed her arms, tilting herself quizzically. “Setting a trap in the Aquarium that could only go off at night seems rather roundabout, don't you think? If you wanted to kill someone...”

 

“She was afraid,” Luan said. Rin could barely hear it, but it was there, a faint croaking noise to his voice. “Fear was her motivation.”

 

“Lou... Whaddya mean?” Gavin said.

 

“I have said it before, but... To take a life, to watch as a person is drained from this world and to know that you yourself opened the hole through which they were sucked into the afterlife, is not something that the faint of heart can stomach,” Luan said. “Eriko chose this method such that, if someone did die, she would not have to see it herself.”

 

“You coward!” Yayoi roared, stomping over. “You goddamn coward! You killed Aoto like that because you couldn't stand to watch him die?!” Her hard hat fell off of her head from the vibrations of her rage.

 

“I didn't...” Eriko sobbed. “I... I didn't...”

 

“And then you sat back and were going to let every last one of us die too?” Yayoi said, now a quiet quaking as she stood in front of Eriko, looking down. “All because you couldn't stand to do the deed your own god damned self?”

 

“No,” Shinobu said. “I don't think that's the case.”

 

Yayoi turned to Shinobu. “Oh yeah? And what is the case, then?”

 

“Eriko chose this method because a large part of her wanted to fail,” Shinobu said. “Do you truly believe that this girl is a cold-blooded killer? No,” she said, shaking her head. “Eriko is not a cold-blooded killer. As Luan said for Stella... She was a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her plan had so many possibilities for failure that I cannot possibly believe that it was truly the plan of a rational actor.”

 

“Like...” Rin said. “What if someone had just picked up the tile, or left it, and not commented on it?”

 

“What if nobody even visited the Aquarium at all?” Kazuya said. “She didn't have any way of knowing anyone was going to visit the room.”

 

“How...” Claus said. “How did you even know about the gate to begin with?”

 

“I...” Eriko choked. “I...was in the Aquarium on the second day. I was worried what would happen if anything broke, so I asked Monokuma if there were—” Sniffle. “—Any precautions.”

 

“And I told her!” Monokuma said. “Just take a glare, it's in a bear! Reading Two-Tone!”

 

“When I...” Eriko shivered. “When the door was locked in the morning, I... I didn't know what to do. I woke up early to try and un-set the trap, but...but it had already gone off...and Aoto was dead.” She squeaked. “And then... And then Monokuma...said that... I'd die if you guys found out!” Her teeth were chattering. “I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I'm such a coward...”

 

Stella was staring at Eriko, but her eyes seemed to be in the distance. “So if I...if I hadn't written that note...” She collapsed to the ground. “It really was my fault, after all!”

 

“It was all a coincidence,” Claus said, shaking his head and shedding a tear. “A cruel, cruel coincidence.”

 

Yayoi sunk to her knees as well, and pounded her fists on the ground. “God damnit... Who the hell am I supposed to get mad at?”

 

Jun, at this moment, decided it was a good time to butt in. “You ruined my calculations, Shigure!” he spat, scowling. “Masaki was supposed to be the killer! You threw it all off, you idiot! Now I've lost to Hashizawa, and I look like a damned fool, and you’re going to die like a fool!”

 

“Threw it all off?” Daisuke said. “What the heck does that even mean?”

 

“What do you think it means, you buck-toothed leech?” Jun said. “Every action I've taken was in the aim of ensuring _Masaki_ was the one who killed! This _damned stupid trainyard fool_ had to go and concoct this idiotic plan to upend everything I've done to set up my game plan! Now I'm left with a neurosis-addled dermatillomaniac among my threatening variables, and not only have I gained nothing for it, I've lost both Aoto _and_ Eriko!”

 

The room went silent. “What, was I speaking too fast for you, Harada?” Jun said. “I can slow it down if you want.”

 

“Jun...” Claus's eyes widened. “You've...what?”

 

“You've been trying to manipulate Miss Stella into murdering someone?” Miria said.

 

“Of course I have!” Jun said. Stella ceased crying and began to stare directly at him, her face stunned into neutrality. “If an army squadron enters a minefield, each death means one less landmine can possibly exist! Sacrificing the most mentally unstable pawn to increase your field of knowledge is basic logic in this situation, and I don't see anyone less suited to be called 'stable' than the wreck at Position Eleven—!” He would've continued, but just then, Yayoi began lifting herself up.

 

“Thanks, Fukuyama,” she said. “I needed that little wake-up call.”

 

“Ah, well that's great,” Jun said. “Maybe at least someone is finally understanding what's coming out of—”

 

The sound of Yayoi grabbing Jun by the collar, lifting him up, and decking him in the face, sending him falling back to the ground and tumbling over himself, his wheelchair left alone and forlorn, was surprisingly quiet. The impact wasn't soft, though; her fist buried itself into his face with incredible force, and there was a bit of blood on Yayoi's hand from where she'd struck him.

 

“I was just asking who I should be mad at,” Yayoi said. “I'm really glad you offered yourself, you piece of shit.” She began to stomp over before Luan grabbed her arm to halt her. “Let me go, Yun-Fat. I'm not done with him yet.”

 

“Not yet,” Luan said. “He can wait. Eriko is more important right now.”

 

Rin had gone over and kneeled by Eriko, and she and Shinobu were now joined by Stella. The small girl was still crying, and where Rin's determination to find Aoto's killer had been, she now found the tears that she had wished to shed. One of her friends had died, and by the hands of the girl in front of her, but even still, Rin could not bring herself to hate Eriko for it.

 

“Eriko,” Rin said. “I don't care what happened. You're still...” She choked back a wad of phlegm in her throat. “You're still my friend, Eriko.”

 

“Rin...” Eriko sobbed. “No... No, don't say that, I'm a coward, I always have been, Yayoi was right...”

 

“Eriko,” Stella said, not making eye contact. “You're... It hurt you a lot too, didn't it? Losing your memory. If it had been me... I'm sorry. We both fucked up. We both fucked up really bad.” Stella pulled Eriko into a tight, squeezing hug. “I'm so sorry.”

 

“Wow, this pity party is getting really sappy!” Monokuma said. “Unfortunately, I have some unfinished business to take care of~”

 

“The execution,” Wanda said, gasping slightly.

 

“No,” Rin said, standing up, throwing her arms towards Monokuma, sweat beginning to form, her knees unsteady. “No, no, please don't! Why would you do that now? What, what do you get out of it?!”

 

“You are a monster,” Luan said. “The one truly at fault is not Eriko, or Stella, or even Jun, but you.”

 

“You killed Aoto!” Rin said. “It's your fault he's dead, not hers! What is this about? What is your problem!?” Images from the file folder flashed through her mind. “Is this how Ultimate Despair operates, you monster?!”

 

Monokuma chortled, before breaking into a full-on cackle. “Ultimate Despair?! Bwahahahahahaha!” He struck at his own stomach, clutching it as he laughed. “Oh man, is that what you think this is about?!” He wiped a tear from his eye.

 

“Yeah, I read your stupid folder!” Rin said. “You and your lady Enoshima or whatever destroyed the world and now you're running killing games with Hope's Peak students because you're mad the 78th Class killed her, because you want to spread despair, or whatever that even means!”

 

She heard a laugh, but it wasn't Monokuma. It was Jun, weakly laughing from the floor. “Oh my god,” he said. His laugh was pained, but there was humor in it nonetheless. “There's no way. You can't actually be that stupid, can you? She's joking, right? Ow,” he said.

 

“What?” Rin said. “What... What is he talking about?” She turned her head to Claus. “Claus, what is he talking about.”

 

“Er.” Claus adjusted his necktie. “Rin... Junko Enoshima died almost two hundred years ago.”

 

Rin blinked. “Excuse me?”

 

“We're the 263rd Class of Hope's Peak,” Claus said. “It's the tail end of the 22nd Century right now. Ultimate Despair died out completely one and a half centuries ago. The Tragedy it caused was the seven-year period that Hope's Peak closed for.”

 

A cold feeling swept over Rin. “What... Huh?”

 

“That logo on the podium is Hope's Peak's logo from back then,” Jun said. “Way back in the halcyon days of the early 21st... hahahaha! Quit living in the past so much, Hashizawa!” He was bleeding a bit on the floor. “Ow.”

 

“The 21st...” Rin said. “Almost two hundred years... The _263 rd Class?_” Her antenna bent. “But... if this isn't about Ultimate Despair, then why...” She turned back to Monokuma, more confused than ever. “Why are you—?!”

 

“Ooops, we're out of time, folks!” Monokuma said. “Now, we've got a lovely punishment prepared for our culprit today!”

 

“Wait!” Hansuke said, suddenly starting out of his standing position to rush over to Eriko. “Eriko, if you killed someone, you got that memory back, right? What did Monokuma make you forget? Hurry, tell us!”

 

“I've...” Eriko began to shake again. “I've always been a coward...ever since I can remember. Aoto's dead because of me... because I'm such a coward...”

 

“Eriko, please, no.” Rin said. “No, no, please, don't say that.”

 

“Rin...” Eriko looked right into her eyes. “No, please...don't look at me like that... Don't give me your sympathy. You...especially not...”

 

“What?” Rin said.

 

“Let's give a big hand to our star tonight!” Monokuma clapped. “Our very special inmate, Eriko Shigure, the Ultimate Conductor!”

 

“That day...the thing I forgot...” Eriko said. “I've always been a coward... I've never been able to really stand up to anyone... and especially not my father...”

 

“Your father?” Claus said. “The Minister of Transportation?”

 

“If I'd just been braver, I could've stopped that train,” Eriko said. “I could've saved her, Rin. You don't even remember her. I could've told Daddy to stop the train, to not let it through, but I didn't. I'm a coward.”

 

“Eriko, what are you talking about?!” Rin said. In the background, Stella's eyes began to slowly widen.

 

“That night, at the trainyard...” Eriko said. “After the train went through, you were there, you were the other girl that night, the one I forgot, you held her body, you kept shouting her name, you were crying, telling her to please wake up, to please be alive, and you don't even remember it!”

 

Rin felt a cold pang of pain in her heart, as she grabbed onto Eriko's shoulders. “Eriko, what do you mean? Please, please, tell me!”

 

“Everybody ready?” Monokuma said.

 

“It was you I forgot, Rin!” Eriko said. “So when you get your memories back, you'll know that I'm a coward. You were the other girl there that night. I don't deserve your forgiveness, because...”

 

“And awaaaay weeeee go!” Monokuma said.

 

Rin would never forget the last words Eriko Shigure spoke. Eriko looked her directly in the eyes, and with her last moments of freedom, said:

 

“Because _I'm the reason Kei Sagami died!_ ”

 

**GAME OVER!**

 

**Eriko Shigure has been found Guilty.**

**Time for the Punishment!**

 

Before Rin could react, a massive metal claw shot out from behind one of the curtains and grabbed Eriko by the neck, dragging her at an incredible speed behind one of the curtains lining the room. Soon, the remaining students saw nothing of Eriko from behind the curtain, but Monokuma reclined back in his throne and pulled out a Monokuma-brand TV remote, clicking on the mess of screens above the courtroom.

 

Rin looked above to see Eriko displayed on the screen, having been thrown into the middle of an empty crosswalk, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 roads leading off of it, an artificial sun designed after Monokuma's head just beginning to rise over the horizon. Eriko looked around, her mouth hanging open; no, she was panting, panting for air after having been thrown so forcefully, when the same claw from before shot in and forced two flags, one black, and one white, into her hands before retracting into the distance. The Monokuma sun rose to its proper position in the sky. Seven A.M., on the dot. The morning had begun.

 

The first traffic light turned green.

 

**Eriko Shigure's Punishment**

**RUSH HOUR**

 

Vehicles began to flood into the crosswalk at a pace Rin could scarcely imagine as all the crosswalk's traffic lights turned green simultaneously, leaving Eriko's position caught in the crossfire. The language of the Shigure Guarantee was not used to black and white, but Eriko's tight grip on the flags as she raised them into the air indicated she would do battle nonetheless. Watching her now was the first time Rin truly understood what it meant to be the Ultimate Conductor. Despite the vehicles of vastly different sizes and speeds clogging the crosswalk from all directions, Eriko used only two flags to direct them all without any collisions. Sports cars, school buses filled with cardboard cutout children, trucks carting hauls of who-knew-what, all blazed along over the course of the dreaded rush hour without a single accident, under Eriko's guidance.

 

Sweat was beginning to build on Eriko's forehead as her small frame began to slacken, but she continued her defense against the onslaught of traffic nonetheless as the Monokuma sun continued to rise into the sky. Her movements began to resemble a ritualistic dance, her hat having long since flown off in the breeze from the vehicles. Her teeth gritted, but she continued to breathe. Soon, rush hour would be over. Soon, she would be safe. Soon, she could properly begin to face her own cowardice, to apologize, to repent-!

 

She never noticed the shadow falling in from above. Eriko was suddenly gone, crushed beneath an airplane which had crashlanded from above right in the middle of the crosswalk. Without her guidance, the vehicles driving in all ran straight into each other, creating a massive landmass of broken metal wreckage all throughout the crosswalk, originating from the great, white airplane emanating smoke in the center. Not even a hint of Eriko Shigure, the Ultimate Conductor, remained beneath the disastrous traffic accident.

 

The pilot of the plane, one Mr. Monokuma, landed near the site of the crash, having successfully used his parachute to avoid damage from the fall. He gave the screen a thumbs up.

 

All that remained of Eriko was her pen, which she had dropped when the claw dragged her to her fate. Rin numbly picked it up, placing it in her pocket mostly out of instinct.

 

The broadcast came to a close, Monokuma cheering. “EXTREEEEEEEEEME!” He hollered, jumping out of his throne and bouncing around. “That was a real whopper, if I do say so myself! Yeah, ironic punishments are the best! Puhuhuhuhu!”

 

“What...” Daisuke said. “What the hell... What the hell was that?”

 

“How?” Shinobu said. “How could such a disaster be real?”

 

“Oh my god,” said Miria, raising her hand to her mouth. Rin had never before seen the Mountaineer particularly emote, but now she was clearly in pain, her hand raised to her mouth and tears in her eyes. She lurched forward suddenly, and by the look on her face, Rin thought it looked like she was trying to keep herself from vomiting all over the floor.

 

“Alright, folks!” Monokuma said. “It's been a long day for you all, so your Headmaster recommends you go back to your rooms and sleep the night away, confident in the fact that you lovely citizens of the twilight years of the 22nd century are alive. You know, unlike Eriko. I mean, she's dead and all, it's _plane_ to see.” He snickered, and fell into one of his holes. He was gone, until he popped his head back up. “Leave the way you came, but don't forget Jun. He has to come too.”

 

“Thank you, Monokuma,” Jun said to the disappearing bear.

 

“So... Trip, man,” Gavin said. “She knew you, Rin? That's bananas, dude!”

 

“I don't know what she could've meant by her last words, though,” Claus said. “Who is Kei Sagami? Do you know, Rin?”

 

Only the sound of her name managed to get Rin to notice that he was talking to her. “Kei Sagami... She's...”

 

“You...” Rin heard Stella take a step towards her from behind. “You were there...when Kei died? And...” Rin turned around to face her, and Stella had the same look on her face that Rin imagined she herself had: complete and utter shock. “Eriko was, too?”

 

“Okay, seriously, who's Kei Sagami?” Daisuke said. Nobody answered his question.

 

“I'm... I'm as confused as you are, Stella,” Rin said. Her antenna had begun curling up again. “This is...crazy!”

 

“Well,” Hansuke said. “Seems like Monokuma's game might be getting a bit more complex...”

 

“Wait,” Chizuru piped up. She was behind the throne, but peeking out from it, so Rin could see her expression of bewilderment. “Rin, you...and Stella... you both knew Kei, too?”

 

“Wait, 'too?'” Yayoi said. “No way,” she mumbled, as the implication hit her.

 

“ _What in the world is going on!?_ ” Daisuke said. Nobody answered his question.

 

**Students Remaining:** **15**

 

**#1 - Gavin Sakaki, Ultimate Buddy**

 

**#2 - Hansuke Yasuda, Ultimate Salesman**

 

**#3 - Wanda Morinaga, Ultimate Paranormal Investigator**

 

**#4 - Miria Hayashi, Ultimate Mountaineer**

 

**#6 - Daisuke Harada, Ultimate Brewmaster**

 

**#7 - Chizuru Inoue, Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker**

 

**#8 - Luan Yun-Fat, Ultimate Masseuse**

 

**#9 - Claus Toranosuke, Ultimate Principal**

 

**#10 - Yayoi Murasaki, Ultimate Foreman**

 

**#12 - Stella Masaki, Ultimate Commentator**

 

**#13 - Kazuya Okudaira, Ultimate Orator**

 

**#14 - Shinobu Koshimizu, Ultimate Mystery Novelist**

 

**#15 - Yashiro Narumi, Ultimate Strongman**

 

**#16 - Jun Fukuyama, Ultimate Net Admin**

 

**#17 - Rin Hashizawa, Ultimate Amnesiac**


	11. Monokuma Theater 2

**Facing Down the Bull**

 

Two years ago, there was a girl – we'll call her Girl E, since we already had A and B, and C and D will probably show up somewhere. Girl E was a very cowardly girl. She'd never liked to talk back to people in positions of authority, so even if she saw something wrong, Girl E always just sat back and let it happen.

 

Girl E's father was a very important man. He was the minister of transportation in the Japanese government, and so he was in charge of all the vehicles all across the nation. Every train, especially, all answered directly to him. Girl E's father was a very important man politically as well, because he'd used the power of money to get in with people in even higher places. It wasn't the sort of thing Girl E approved of, but Girl E was a very cowardly girl, so she sat back and let it happen.

 

One day, a train was set to come through a train yard Girl E was assisting with at 9 P.M. This train was carrying people, of course, but it was also carrying some very illegal stuff that was very important to Girl E's father. Everything had to go perfectly, or else Girl E's father could lose some of his clout.

 

Girl E's father called her on the phone, and ordered her to let the train through fifteen minutes earlier than schedule. He was very dodgy about what exactly was on the train, but Girl E had the sense that it was something he would rather not talk about. Girl E knew very well that keeping to schedule above all else was their family motto, and she had taken it to heart a long time ago, so she didn't agree with her father's ideas. Unfortunately, she was also a very cowardly girl, so even though she tried to protest, in the end, she crumbled like a graham cracker and let her father do as he pleased.

 

What Girl E wasn't expecting was someone to run onto the tracks at the train yard at just that time. Another young girl, we'll call her Girl K, frantically dashed into the train yard, like she was trying to escape something or another. Girl E tried to tell the train to stop, but she'd already given her father the go-ahead, so there was no stopping. The train killed Girl K. She was dead, she was dead, and she was dead. There was no question of it because she was dead.

 

Girl E was in shock, falling onto her knees. Another girl, we'll call her Girl H to split the difference between E and K, had run onto the tracks after the train had left. Girl K's body was in a pitifully mangled state, and there was no question of her death, but nonetheless Girl H held what was left of her, crying, “K! K! Please, wake up! Please don't leave me! I don't know what I'll do without you!” or something along those lines. She screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed. But Girl K was dead, of course, so nobody answered. Girl H looked up, and looked right at Girl E. Girl E couldn't take it, and she ran away from the scene as fast as her tiny legs could take her.

 

The police ruled Girl K's death as an accident, of course. Girl E had called them to tell them about the dead girl lying splattered on the trainyard and the living girl crying over her. Eventually, she found out who exactly Girls H and K were, after the police had blown her father wide open. You see, thanks to Girl E's cowardice, the police had found out about the very illegal stuff that was on that train, and while Girl E's father wasn't arrested, his reputation took a big hit. Soon, he was the laughingstock of the entire government! Nobody blamed Girl E, though. After all, she hadn't done anything wrong.

 

Girl E was a very cowardly girl, so she'd never do something as scary as finding Girl H and admitting it was her fault. She had taken this lesson to heart, though, and become obsessed with timetables so that nobody else would die like Girl K did. She saved many a life, and eventually, her sheer diligence got her a place in Hope’s Peak Academy! And all it took was one girl dead beneath the train tracks. Congratulations, Girl E! Maybe some day, you’ll stop being a coward, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I intended to get a bit further in writing this story before publishing any of it, but I actually had never used the writer's interface on Archive of our Own before, and so I wound up publishing Day 3 accidentally while testing it out for editing. As such, there were a few little kinks I had yet to work out. There probably still are! Either way, though, I hope you enjoyed the First Case. 
> 
> When reading other peoples' stories in this sub-genre, and even the main games, I always found there to be a bit of a problem with the first killer being unmemorable, someone who exists to be the first culprit and basically nothing else. It was honestly pretty hard for me to pull the trigger on Aoto and Eriko both, so I hope you enjoyed them too.
> 
> This ends the First Case, "Runaway Girl." Next is the Second Case. 
> 
> Thank you for reading thus far.


	12. Day 6, Part 1- Goodhart and Campbell

“Eh-hem. Hope's Peak Academy Executive Committee has an announcement to make: The time is now 7 AM! Good morning, everybody! Let's show some enthusiasm and give it our all today!”

 

Rin was already out of her room by that point, which she owed to the fact that she barely got any sleep. Her sleep had been fitful and uncomfortably sweaty, haunted by images of the corpses of her friends (and Jun.) She had had the dream about the cruise liner again.

 

Her legs were on autopilot on her way out of Target Hall, wandering essentially aimlessly until she saw a curious fact in the Stairwell. The iron bars blocking the way to the second floor were gone without a trace, leaving the second floor open for the group to peruse at their leisure. She didn’t go up, but the brief surprise let her figure out exactly where she was going.

 

She was headed for the Aquarium.

 

The doors to the Aquarium opened with no unusual resistance. Rin counted the fish she saw in the tanks, which were again sealed and full of water. None were out of order. In fact, a Moorish idol she saw swimming around, she recognized as one that had skirted by her head while she was standing her ground. It had a small scar on its left side, so it was certainly the same fish.

 

In other words, only one life had been lost in this room. The fish were all alive and healthy. The fish that had been in this room the entire night, floating about with Aoto’s corpse, were all alright.

 

The Aquarium she remembered was calm, almost meditative. It was easy to become lost in the circling patterns of marine life as they floated about, blissfully unaware of the human nonsense on the other side of the glass. Now, as she stood here, she only remembered force, blinding pressure, and then horror, pure and unbelievable horror forcing itself into her world.

 

Yesterday, after the trial, it had turned out she was a very popular girl. Not only did Eriko know her, but she knew her in connection with Stella’s old friend Kei. What’s more, Chizuru knew Kei as well. And Yashiro, of course, the elusive Ultimate Strongman, was apparently acquainted with Rin. This information all combined had made the group very frazzled, and Claus was very insistent that everyone go to sleep so that they could combat it all with fresh minds.

 

“What is this supposed to mean?” Rin said, to nobody but the fish. “What am I supposed to feel?”

 

“That’s a great question,” she heard from behind herself. A man’s voice. A bit gravelly, somewhat world-weary…

 

“Hansuke?” She said, turning to face the Salesman. He was as scruffy as ever, perhaps more. Did they have razors in this place?

 

“Come to see the Aquarium, did you?” He said, walking up into the glow of the main tank. “Can’t blame you.”

 

“They’re dead,” Rin said. “Aoto and Eriko are dead. They’re never coming back.”

 

“Yeah.” Hansuke said.

 

“Hansuke…” Rin trailed off. Her antenna drooped. She went back to staring at the fish.

 

“I’m looking for somebody,” Hansuke said. “That’s the memory I lost.”

 

Rin turned to look at him. He continued staring at the fish. “What?”

 

“I say ‘somebody,’ cause I have no clue who they are right now. But I’m looking for someone. To apologize.” Hansuke said.

 

“What are you apologizing for?” Rin said.

 

Hansuke turned to look at her. “Something my dad did. I don’t remember exactly what that was, either, but I can hazard a guess knowing what he got up to.”

 

“Oh,” Rin said. “But he’s dead, so you’re apologizing on his behalf?”

 

“Something like that,” Hansuke said. His head turned back to the fish. “Not that I necessarily have to, it just feels like it’s something I should do, you know?”

 

“Well…” Rin said. “Why are you telling me this?”

 

“What would you do if it turned out that I’d been looking for you?” Hansuke said. “That you were the person I’d forgotten about.”

 

“What?”

 

“Just humor me here.” Hansuke said.

 

“Hm.” Rin hummed. Her antenna bobbed. “I mean, I guess I’d accept your apology. Why?”

 

“Would it change anything about how you viewed yourself or me?” Hansuke said.

 

“I mean, probably not.” Rin said. “Even if your father did something horrible to me, you’re you, not your father.”

 

“Alright.” Hansuke said. “So why’s it matter if Eriko thought something different about you?”

 

Rin blinked. “What?”

 

“Now you can stop me if I sound crazy, but I think you’re worrying a lot about what Eriko said in her last moments.” Hansuke said. “You feel like you’re expected to feel something other than what you actually feel, cause you’re technically not ‘the same person’ as you were before you came here on account of your amnesia.”

 

Rin looked at her feet. “Well…yeah, I guess. I mean… Aoto and Eriko are dead, and all of a sudden, this new person, Kei, gets shoved into my life, and Eriko’s last words to me are that I should hate her because of Kei.” She opened her palms and looked into them. “Hansuke… I feel horrible.”

 

“We all do,” Hansuke said.

 

“I’ve… This is like, only the seventh day I’ve been _alive._ ” Rin said. “And Aoto and Eriko… they’re gone, and they’re never coming back. I’ve known them since I was born and now they’re dead.” She began to tear up. “They were like family to me, Hansuke. I guess I don’t know what family was like but you guys are all I have. I hate this.” The tears were rolling down her face, burning the bags beneath her eyes. “I don’t want to think about games or what the me of the past might’ve done or felt or anything. What matters is what I’m feeling right now, and what I’m feeling is that _two of my friends are dead._ ”

 

She felt a weight on her shoulders, and the room suddenly became warmer. It took her a second to realize Hansuke had put his coat on her shoulders.

 

“You were shivering,” Hansuke said.

 

“Am I wrong?” Rin said. “Is it wrong for me to be sad like this? I’m scared! I… She said I shouldn’t forgive her, but that’s just… I can’t _imagine_ that, Hansuke! Was I the kind of person who could _never forgive_ somebody? Eriko was a good person, I know she was! She doesn’t deserve that!”

 

“You’re a real interesting lady, Rin.” Hansuke said.

 

“W-what?” Rin stammered, her tears beginning to dry up after her shouting spell.

 

“Well, if you ask me…” Hansuke stretched his arms out, and Rin almost thought she heard something in his back pop. “Doesn’t matter what you might’ve done before. Here’s what I know about you. You’re the kind of girl who wakes up with no memories to her name locked in a killing game run by some kind of bear-bot, and decides she wants to make friends with everyone. You think just anyone could do that?”

 

“Well…” Rin said. Her face was red, but she was no longer crying. “Yeah, I guess. Isn’t that just natural?”

 

“No,” Hansuke said. “It’s not. But you think it is, and that’s a hell of a thing. Take it from me, kid. A girl like you is one in a million, especially one with as good a head on her shoulders as she’d need to steer us through the trial as well as you did yesterday.”

 

“Aw,” Rin chuckled bashfully. “I didn’t do that much.”

 

“Yeah, you did.” Hansuke said.

 

“You’re right, I did pretty great.” Rin’s antenna bounced and she made pleased huffing noises.

 

The sides of Hansuke’s lips tilted slightly upward. “That’s better.”

 

“Thanks, Hansuke.” Rin pulled him in and hugged him. “I needed to talk to somebody.”

 

“Yeah, I figured.” Hansuke choked out from beneath Rin’s powerful grip. “Seems like…that’s the case…more often than not. Too hard!”

 

“Oh, sorry.” Rin laughed and softened her grip. “That better?”

 

“I mean, I don’t get hugs often.” Hansuke said. “Not an authority. But yeah, that’s fine.”

 

“You can have a hug whenever you want, buddy!” Rin said, beaming towards the wall. As she grinned, she could feel Hansuke’s stubble scratching up against her face. Wow, yeah, he really needed a shave.

 

**8 A.M.**

 

Thirteen people gathered in the Cafeteria this morning. Today, it was Yayoi who came in last, stumbling in the door with an unsteady gait. Well, not quite “last,” so to speak…

 

“Er.” Kazuya said. “Where’s Jun?”

 

“Off fucking himself,” Yayoi said. “Least that’s where he should be. Asshole.”

 

“Well…” Rin said. Her antenna wobbled. “I tried to find him before I came in, but, well, he wouldn’t leave his room… I didn’t try very hard though, honestly.”

 

“Tried harder than I would have,” Daisuke said.

 

“Other than Jun, it seems we’re all accounted for,” Claus said. Twelve heads present, and Hansuke in the Kitchen, preparing whatever breakfast. He had grimaced about it and said something about how he “couldn’t cook worth a damn”, but he’d gone back nonetheless. “Wait, no…” He craned his head around, and Rin followed his gaze over to the table where Miria sat. This time, Chizuru was under it. Yes, that was all thirteen of them.

 

“A few new rules have appeared on the Handbook,” Wanda said. “Before we get to the main thrust of today’s discussion, I think it would be best if we went over them.”

 

Claus blinked. “They did?” He turned on his Handbook. Rin noted 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 electronically generated page-flipping noises. “So they did.”

 

Rin leaned over to Stella, who she had sat next to, and almost went to elbow her in the arm before thinking better of it and tapping her on the back instead. “Hey, you doing okay?”

 

“Wha-- Huh?” Stella blinked a few times in rapid succession. “Oh. As okay as I can be, I guess.”

 

“That’s good, that’s good.” Rin nodded. “Claus is reading the new rules and I bet you anything that once he finishes he’s going to call you up so he can have another roundtable discussion. Are you up for that?”

 

Stella looked distant. “Yeah, I guess so.” She hissed out a short, sharp sigh. “I feel like shit, though.” She was avoiding Rin’s eyes.

 

“I can imagine,” Rin said. “Hey, Stella.”

 

“What?” Stella said.

 

“I’m your friend,” Rin said. “I just want to tell you that no matter what happened between me and Kei, right now, you’re the real person in front of me who is my friend, and that isn’t going to change even if Jun is taking up necromancy.”

 

Stella breathed out through her nose. “Please. No god of the dead would ever let that prick make deals with them.”

 

“But even in that incredibly unlikely hypothetical, I would still be your friend and care greatly about your well-being.” Rin said. “I know I probably can’t stop you from feeling bad about the whole thing, but I just wanted to get out there that I don’t think this should come between us and I’m not going to let it stop me, at the very least.”

 

Stella crossed her fingers together and laid her head upon the bridge of her hands. “Well.” There was a moment’s pause. “Thank you, Rin.”

 

“Stella?” Claus said, right on schedule.

 

“Coming.” She scooted out of her chair and stood up.

 

“Yo, Hans, you listening back there?” Gavin said as Stella took her place at the head of the table. “Rules and stuff, man!”

 

“I’m listening,” Hansuke yelled back.

 

Stella set herself into projection position. “ **Rules Seven through Nine are just what we learned yesterday,** ” she said. “The whole investigation and trial rigmarole.”

 

“What a ghastly process it all is,” Shinobu said. “Completely ludicrous.” She shook her head.

 

“Isn’t this kind of crap what you get paid for, Koshimizu?” Yayoi said. “Sure looked like you were having fun charging around yesterday.”

 

“My word, Boss!” Shinobu said. “There is a vast difference between finding thrill in investigation and enjoying murder happening around oneself. A wiser man than I once said, ‘always look on the bright side of life.’ My unfailing character is half of my appeal, and what sort of help would I be if I were to collapse onto the ground and wail upon my comrades’ graves?” Her nose crinkled. “Also, I am paid to _write_ mysteries, not _find myself in them._ ”

 

“Must be why Rin did all the work yesterday.” Yayoi said.

 

“Wait, I’ve got it!” Daisuke said, his robes fluttering like the angel wings they were printed with. “I bet Rin’s the Ultimate Detective!”

 

“I doubt it,” Wanda said. “Her surname isn’t Kirigiri.”

 

“Trip, Wand, you think this school’s got nepotism that bad?” Gavin said. “Why’s that gotta mean anything?”

 

“There’s never been an Ultimate Detective who didn’t possess the Kirigiri surname,” Claus said. “She’s right about that.”

 

“Kirigiri.” Rin said, her brow furrowing. “Like, Kyoko Kirigiri? That’s the only Ultimate Detective I know.”

 

“Yeah, man, Headmaster Naegi’s wife!” Gavin said.

 

“Headmaster…” Rin blinked. “Okay, can we slow down for a bit? I think I’ve made a few mistaken assumptions I need cleared up.”

 

“Such as?” Yayoi said.

 

“Okay, first of all.” Rin leaned over. “When is it right now?”

 

“All things considered…” Claus said. “Hm. Hansuke? You said you were kidnapped the day before school was to start, yes?”

 

“Unless I’ve got amnesia too,” Hansuke said from the Kitchen.

 

“In that case…” Claus said. “We could’ve been kept under for a few days, but it is somewhere in the vicinity of **April 14** **th , 2196 C.E.**”

 

“And we’re…” Rin said. “You said we were **the 263** **rd class of Hope’s Peak, right?** ”

 

“Deffo,” Gavin said. “Ol’ Gav remembers his acceptance letter clear as day, yo!”

 

“So, if I were to say the name ‘Junko Enoshima,’ what would that mean?” Rin said, her antenna curling.

 

“That’s the leader of Ultimate Despair,” Stella said. “A cult that almost destroyed the world in the early 21st century.”

 

“It’s the ages-old question, really.” Daisuke said. “If you could time travel, which one would you kill: Hitler or Enoshima?”

 

“Both of their misdeeds were largely possible due to the cultural climate of their respective nations at the time,” Wanda said.

 

“Then… Wait.” Rin said. “Why didn’t you guys recognize Monokuma, then?”

 

Wanda cocked her head to the side. “You mean you all didn’t?”

 

“You mean you _did?_ ” Yayoi said, standing up. “The fuck didn’t you say anything about it, then?!” A bit of spittle splashed onto Rin’s face.

 

“Hm.” Wanda said. “I’m sorry. I thought everyone recognized the iconography and didn’t think it was important to mention.”

 

Shinobu clicked her tongue. “Were you not a fool and a charlatan, Morinaga, you would follow the rule of Knox’s 8th!” She sneered. “Ghost story people. What a load of bunk.”

 

“I asked J about it after we left the trial last night,” Gavin said. “He said, well okay he was kinda snotty on account of Boss slugged him so hard, but he said something like,” and at this Gavin raised his face and began sneering, ‘cultural drift left the specific iconography of Ultimate Despair particularly obscure due to an effort by Hope’s Peak to erase its prior logo from all that it had touched, so idiots like most of you wouldn’t recognize it.’”

 

“Your Jun impression is really good.” Miria said.

 

“So it’s like a hipster thing?” Stella said, raising her eyebrow.

 

“He would be into that kind of thing, wouldn’t he.” Daisuke said. “Geez Louise, that guy.”

 

“Okay, I’m getting it all so far.” Rin said. “So, the student who defeated her, Makoto Naegi?”

 

“The most legendary of all of Hope’s Peak’s headmasters,” Claus said. “He was responsible for the school reopening after the Tragedy caused by Ultimate Despair, and under his guidance the school became far more… Hm.” He tapped his foot. “What’s the word I’m looking for?”

 

“Humane,” Shinobu said, “is how I would put it.”

 

“Humane!” Claus said. “That’s good, thank you Shinobu. The prior leadership of Hope’s Peak committed several particularly _inhumane_ acts which Headmaster Naegi would not accept the likes of. His unfailing optimism and hope led him to become a legendary figure in the school’s history even beyond his reopening it from such a fall.”

 

Rin tilted her head to one side. “Like, what kind of inhumane acts?”

 

“Izuru Kamukura!” Wanda said, standing up. Rin was pretty sure this was the first time she’d heard Wanda use an exclamation point. “That’s who you remind me of!”

 

“Er,” Rin said. “Wait, I thought I looked like a vampire. Is Izuru Kamukura a vampire? Oh wow uh,” she said as Wanda got very, very close to her backside. “Hello?”

 

Wanda ignored her and began mumbling. “Red eyes, pale skin, dark hair, processing skills I could only dream of… The resemblance is uncanny. It’s shorter, but even her hairstyle is reminiscent!”

 

“Wow, you are really close up in my personal space right now,” Rin said.

 

“I’ve investigated reports of possible Kamukura sightings before, but this takes the cake!” Wanda said. “The spitting image of the Ultimate Hope in the flesh, before me!” She began- oh god, she was feeling up Rin’s sides. “Well, maybe there are a few differences, sure, but the spirit’s there!” Her eyes were glowing.

 

“ _Help me,_ ” Rin said to someone, anyone who would listen.

 

“Wanda, please.” Claus came up to put a hand on Wanda’s frantically moving shoulders. “I think you should give Rin some space.”

 

Wanda stopped, and blinked. “Oh.” She stood back up. “Apologies. I forgot where I was for a moment.”

 

“Morinaga, you clown!” Shinobu said. “Have some common decency!” Daisuke said something about pots and kettles.

 

“Don’t worry,” said Rin, blushing beet red, her antenna pointing straight up. “I’m fine,” she said, quaking in her shoes. “No problem at all.” She laughed nervously, fixing her face on the table. A bit of sweat trickled down her forehead.

 

“Oy vey.” Yayoi said, putting her forehead in between her thumb and her index finger.

 

"It would do certain interested parties well," Shinobu said with an aggressive huff, pointing a finger in Wanda's direction, "to control their _yonic impulses_ a touch better."

 

“What?” Daisuke said, as Kazuya blushed into his scarf, his eyes going wide. Nobody answered Daisuke’s question.

 

“Okay,” Rin said once Wanda was a safe distance away. “Now that…that isn’t happening anymore, who’s Izuru Kamukura? You said he was the Ultimate Hope?”

 

“Gav knows this one!” Gavin said. “Dude was the smartest guy Hope’s Peak ever had. All those old guys in the higher-ups called him the Ultimate Hope cause he could have any talent. But the truth was, he was actually an experiment they conducted to _create_ the Ultimate Hope by making a regular dude into a dude whose brain didn’t have any interests or personality or nothing so he could be a talent sponge!”

 

“What?!” Rin said, gasping. “And they used a regular person for that?!”

 

“He became almost superhuman,” Wanda said, “or so the stories go. He was an enigmatic figure during the Tragedy, and despite reportedly being on the side of Despair, he disappeared shortly after Enoshima’s death. Considering his reputation, rumors of Izuru Kamukura’s survival persist to this day.”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Daisuke said. “I read in a magazine a few weeks ago that some lady had a mystery super-baby with him.”

 

“I thought that was the Chupacabra,” Miria said.

 

“Who’s to say they’re not one and the same, man?!” Daisuke said, pounding his fist into his open hand. “Gonna crack this case wide open.”

 

“Knox’s 2nd,” Shinobu said, whacking Daisuke on the head with her beret. “Supernatural or preternatural agencies are disallowed as a matter of course.”

 

“Those rules don’t even mean anything!” Daisuke wailed.

 

“Those rules,” Claus said, smiling, “gave us a reliable witness in the last case that we could’ve utterly floundered without.”

 

Daisuke looked at Luan, over in the corner, who hadn’t said anything yet today. “Fine, fine.”

 

“So, you think Rin looks like Izuru Kamukura?” Stella said. “I mean, maybe, but…”

 

“Not just that,” Wanda said. “Izuru Kamukura was a separate identity from his original identity with separate memories. When he awoke as Izuru Kamukura, he would naturally not have any recollection of his former identity.”

 

“So…” Kazuya said. “You’re saying you think Rin is like him? Some kind of Ultimate Hope?”

 

“I think it’s a possibility,” Wanda said. “The question, then, would be why was a second Ultimate Hope created?”

 

“I do not think the possibility is impossible,” Chizuru said from beneath Miria’s table. “In fact…though it pains me to say it, the implications do seem to line up.”

 

“Why do you change the way you talk when you’re hidden?” Daisuke said. “Is this an ‘unfailing character’ thing too?”

 

“Er,” Chizuru said.

 

“It’s a long story,” Miria said.

 

“Whatever floats your boat, then?” Daisuke said.

 

Rin processed. So, she, a member of the 263rd class of Hope’s Peak, bore a resemblance to Izuru Kamukura, the artificially-created Ultimate Hope from the era of the Tragedy. But… “Monokuma said that this incident isn’t related to Ultimate Despair. So… I guess that’s because Ultimate Despair doesn’t exist anymore?”

 

“Correct,” Claus said. “The last known holdouts of Ultimate Despair died out around seventy years ago.”

 

“Isn’t it possible that this person just happened across it and…sympathized?” Kazuya said.

 

“It’s such a self-destructive ethos, though.” Stella said.

 

Rin’s processing completed and she made a little dinging noise. Yayoi cocked an eyebrow. “Alright, I think I’ve got everything cleared up.” Rin said. “Sorry to take up all that time, guys.”

 

“Naw, it’s fine.” Gavin said. “Gave me time to sort things out too! I was totally lost, man.”

 

Stella cleared her throat. “ **Rule Ten. A single culprit can’t kill more than two people, or they’ll be executed.** ”

 

“That’s consistent with what I read about the first game,” Rin said. “It seems like kind of a weird rule, though.”

 

“Our captor savors the chase,” Luan said. “If one person were to simply murder everyone else to escape, it would deprive them of the opportunity to see us flounder.”

 

“ **Rule Eleven,** ” Stella said. “ **After each trial, another floor of the Science Building will be made accessible to the participants.** ”

 

“Giving us more noose to hang ourselves with,” Yayoi said. “What a fucking kindness.”

 

“I believe we all saw the stairway to the second floor is now unbarred,” Claus said. “Seems we have more reconnaissance to do today.”

 

“But, wait.” Rin said. “Monokuma said this place only has five layers. Wouldn’t that mean he’d run out of new content after four murders?”

 

“Could’ve been lying,” Daisuke said.

 

“I imagine that either something _special_ would happen once that point was reached…” Claus said, adjusting his necktie. “Or that, after the fifth floor had been breached, we would perhaps reach the exit.”

 

“Wait, you think we’re underground?” Daisuke said.

 

“It’s definitely a possibility,” Claus said. “I haven’t seen an exit on our bottom floor, at least. Either there is more to the trial floor, or the exit must be above us.”

 

“ **Rule Twelve,** ” Stella said. “ **The definition of littering is leaving a personal belonging in a non-designated area after you yourself have left that room.** ” She rolled her eyes. “Does this really need to be in the rulebook?”

 

“You never know, man.” Gavin said. “You never know.”

 

“ **Rule Thirteen. If a lone student is rendered incapable of performing the regular actions needed to return to their room, Monokuma will assist them to perform any actions that an average human being may perform.** ” Stella blinked. “What in the world is this rule?”

 

“Look!” Monokuma said, bounding in from a hole to lean his head in. “I had to add something to appease Jun or else he wouldn’t get off my case, okay? Even after Gavin so kindly wheeled him back to his room, he kept going on and on about hypotheticals!”

 

“Okay, but what does it mean?” Rin said.

 

“So, say his wheelchair got broken,” Monokuma said. “I, in my magnanimity, would assist him to get back to his room. He’d get a replacement come 7 A.M, I’m not a miracle worker unless I literally have to be for someone to be able to have an alibi at all. So basically, it’s cases like that this rule applies to.”

 

“Thank you, Monokuma.” Miria said. “We appreciate the explanation.”

 

“You’re welcome, Monokuma grumbled, as Monokuma sank back into the recess from whence he came,” Monokuma grumbled, as Monokuma sank back into the recess from whence he came.

 

“And the last one is **Rule Fourteen. Unless otherwise specified, the mastermind will in no way assist with a murder plot.** ” Stella said. “Past that, it’s just the Last Rule again.”

 

“Ugh.” Daisuke said. “The number of rules doubled in one day! This sucks.” He leaned back, and his sitar made a clanging noise as it struck against the floor. “I wanna go home,” he groaned.

 

“Whining ain’t helping.” Yayoi grunted. “What the hell’s taking Yasuda so long?”

 

Right on cue, Hansuke clambered out of the Kitchen, slowly pushing the cart with thirteen bowls atop it. On the plates was… Hm… Rin wondered. It seemed to be some kind of…stew? Red. Looked tomato-based?

 

“Aw snap, man, it’s Brunswick!” Gavin said. “Haven’t had this stuff since the Fire of ’87.”

 

“It’s _what_ now?” Stella said, crossing her arms and giving the bowl a sidelong stare.

 

“A tomato-based vegetable and meat stew,” Luan said. “Its consistency is very thick.”

 

“Stew…for breakfast?” Kazuya said. “That seems like an odd choice.”

 

“I spent a while eating whatever I could to survive,” Hansuke said. “I have more dollars than culinary sense, and I’m broke as a joke. You’re lucky it’s edible.”

 

“Indeed,” Luan said.

 

Breakfast passed uneventfully. There was more on the table to talk about, but the students, who hadn’t really had a good meal since breakfast _yesterday,_ were one and all united in their desire to not be hungry any longer. Hansuke ate rapidly as usual, and Rin, courtesy of Daisuke’s preparation and concern for her palate’s safety, drank some more normal teas, which were not so bitter. They were good in their own way.

 

“So,” Stella said, head in hand bridge again, this time over her now-empty bowl. “We, uh… Mm. Yeah.”

 

“No doubt you refer to the matter of Kei Sagami and the prior acquaintanceship of members of our group,” Shinobu said. “I won’t lie and say I’m not deeply curious.”

 

“Wait!” Daisuke said. “Spouting this idea first off, what if this Kei’s the one controlling Monokuma?”

 

“No,” Stella, Miria, and Chizuru said simultaneously. Stella was glaring particularly hard at him.

 

“Well, that’s all I’ve got.” Daisuke threw his hands up and leaned back in his chair again. “Continue.”

 

“It’d be pretty difficult for her to be controlling Monokuma,” Miria said. “She’s dead.”

 

“Right, Eriko did say that.” Claus said. “Who is Kei Sagami, first of all?”

 

Stella cleared her throat. “Kei was…well, to me, she was a friend of mine in middle school. We met in 7th grade. She was…well, a lot of people, it seemed like they only wanted to get near me because I was a celebrity. But, well, Kei found me sobbing my eyes out in a back alley a few weeks after school started, and she sorta just…sat there and listened. I don’t think I was really sad about anything important, but… Well, anyway, then we were friends.”

 

Claus nodded. “I see.”

 

“In 9th grade, I… I did something really bad to her.” Stella said. “And she ran away from home. And…then I saw her name in the obituaries.”

 

“So you’re the one she meant,” Chizuru said, her curls bouncing, or at least it seemed that way with what little Rin saw of her. “She…mentioned you, a few times.”

 

“What?” Stella said.

 

“She said she didn’t blame you, and that she still wanted to be friends,” Miria said.

 

Stella blinked once. Then, she blinked three times in rapid succession. Her hand went up to her hair and began to ruffle it, first softly, then very hard. She blinked three, no, four more times. She fidgeted a little in her seat.

 

“Oh,” Stella said. “I… Oh.”

 

“What exactly did you do?” Wanda said. “It could be important, couldn’t it?”

 

“No, I don’t think so.” Miria said. “I know what Miss Stella did, and I don’t think it’s important that everyone has to know.”

 

“Fair enough,” Wanda said. Her hand came up to her chin, which rested between her fingers.

 

“Chi-chan and I both ran away from home when we were fourteen,” Miria said.

 

“Wait, what?!” Daisuke said. “That’s a hell of a thing! Like…together?”

 

Miria shook her head. “It was a coincidence. We only met each other after we’d run away. We lived kind of near each other, so when we ran, we both ran into the same wooded area.”

 

“Two young girls running away from home and meeting each other in the process.” Shinobu said. “That’s…actually quite romantic, if you ask me.” She smiled.

 

“Running away like that was when Chi-chan discovered her talent,” Miria said. “I don’t know how to avoid notice, really, but she helped me stay hidden from police who were looking for us and stuff. She’s really good at it.”

 

“That’s…” Claus closed his eyes. “Certainly one way to discover your talent.”

 

“We’d been on the road for about a month,” Miria began.

 

“A month?!” Daisuke said. “Where did you, like… _sleep?_ ”

 

Hansuke rolled his eyes. “It’s really not that hard once you get used to it.”

 

Miria nodded. “That was when we met Kei. She’d run away from home, too, along with another girl. Neither of them was very good at it, so when we saw them, we brought them along to try and help them.”

 

“Another girl.” Rin said. “You mean…”

 

Miria nodded. “Chi-chan and I both lost our memories of Kei’s girlfriend, but with what Eriko said, I think it must be you.”

 

“I ran away from home too.” Rin said. It was a statement, rather than a question. She had questions, certainly, but it wasn’t as though Miria or Chizuru could answer them. “Huh.”

 

“The four of us stayed on the road for a while,” Miria said. “Kei was…a really nice girl. I liked her a lot.”

 

“She had a way of keeping the whole group motivated,” Chizuru said. “It…is because of her, I think, that I accepted admission to Hope’s Peak.”

 

“Kei…” Stella was shaking in her seat. “Yeah… She always did want to go to Hope’s Peak.”

 

“She was hoping she’d be accepted as a Lucky Student,” Miria said, “and she thought Chi-chan and I were talented enough to get in. I…think she felt that way about Miss Rin too, but I’m not sure. I know that she thought it was possible, though.” Her eyes were cloudy. “She wanted all four of us to be in the same class together.”

 

“And then she died,” Yayoi said.

 

“Yes,” Chizuru said. Her voice was quivering. “We all took shelter, that night, in a shack in the forest. Judging by its state of disrepair, I didn’t think it was very likely that anyone was residing there.”

 

“But then someone was,” Miria said. “A few adults had been living out of it and came back when we’d already arrived, and they were very angry. One of them drew a knife. Chi-chan and I were together, and so we were hidden, but Kei and Miss Rin were in the open, so they had to run away.”

 

“And then, she…” Rin closed her eyes.

 

“She was the faster of the two of you, so she ran ahead, beckoning you onward,” Chizuru said. “We had memorized the schedules of the nearby train stations, so it should have been safe for her to at least get the lay of the land there…”

 

“But…the train was early.” Miria said. She wasn’t making eye contact with anyone but the table now. “It came, right after the last train had left. Chi-chan and I only saw it in the distance. It was so fast, it was over in an instant.”

 

“The shack’s residents had already given up the chase,” Chizuru said. “So we were left with Kei’s body. The police came before we knew it.”

 

“We didn’t have a chance to escape,” Miria said. “All we could do was split off. So…we all got taken home separately. And that was it.”

 

The room was silent.

 

“So Eriko must’ve been the one who let the train through early,” Hansuke said. “I mean, that’s gotta be why she reacted the way she did.”

 

“So, Stella, Chizuru, Miria, Eriko, and Rin are all connected through Kei Sagami.” Claus said. “And… I imagine from the way you spoke, then, that similarly to Eriko, you two lost your memories of Rin?”

 

“Yes, sir.” Miria said.

 

“Don’t forget, dude.” Gavin said. “Yash the Stampede down in the sewers knows Rin too! Who knows if he’s got some connection to this whole Kei shebang?”

 

“Who can say?” Claus said. “Either way, though… Were it just two people, that’d be one thing, but six coincidences in a row seems a bit more like a pattern to me. I think it’s very likely that the connections don’t end there.”

 

“This isn’t a story about Ultimate Despair…” Rin said. “So it must be about something else. Right?”

 

“I don’t think there’s any reason it can’t be just some random psychopath,” Yayoi said. “I mean, unless some of us _paid_ our way in or something.”

 

“What do you mean?” Kazuya said.

 

“I’ll tell you what our connection is,” Yayoi said. “We’re this year’s class for Hope’s Peak Academy. You seriously think the whole class is just gonna wind up, what, knowing this one girl? I’ve never heard a lick about this Sagami kid in my life, and I can tell you she ain’t gonna wind up being my secret sister-in-law or some shit.”

 

“Hm,” Shinobu said.

 

“Got something to say, lady?” Yayoi said.

 

Shinobu raised her teacup and took a sip, pointing her pinky outwards as she did. “I have no doubt that Kei Sagami is an important part of this tale,” she said, placing her cup back on the table. “However, you’re correct that it would be highly implausible for us to all know this one person. That said, though, she is just that. One person. And a dead one, at that. Were Kei Sagami to be the entire axis upon which this story revolved, it would, to me, seem a very dissatisfying conclusion.”

 

“Talk normal.” Yayoi said.

 

“I am,” Shinobu said. Yayoi scoffed. “Neither you nor I can claim to understand the logic of our captor just yet, but we needn’t all be connected in the same way, nor need we all be importantly connected. Two people connected to Kei Sagami took action at the same time, and her role in this story came to light first. That’s all.”

 

“Uh…” Yayoi blinked. “I mean, I guess.”

 

“In fact,” Shinobu said, and Rin saw Yayoi grimace when she realized Shinobu wasn’t done. “I find several logical fallacies with the idea that Kei Sagami could be the lynchpin of this story even beyond my own personal dissatisfaction with the theory. First and foremost, of course, is the fact that even if Kei Sagami is the person that I personally have forgotten, she and I would have shared such a fleeting, meaningless connection that I don’t believe that neither she nor I would remember it without provocation such as this. However, there is another question that I feel must be asked.”

 

“I think I know,” Kazuya said. “Why Rin, right?”

 

“Exactly, my dear Kazuya.” Shinobu said, cackling softly, raising her hand beneath her chin as she did. “Were Kei Sagami the important party here, then no doubt, all five relevant individuals would have forgotten _her._ However…” With a flourish, she gestured to Rin. “We see here before us not Kei, but Rin, having been wiped from the memories of all who witnessed Kei’s death, her own mind stricken with amnesia. What motivated this? What secrets could Rin’s memories hold?”

 

“I don’t fucking know,” Yayoi said. “You tell me!”

 

“All I know is that I know nothing,” Shinobu said. “I have no insight as to the true nature of our captivity. It is…” She stared into her teacup. “Regrettable, indeed, that I am lost so.”

 

“God, you’re weird.” Yayoi said. “Do you ever just _stop_ reading into things? How the hell do you keep this up so long?”

 

“It’s my nature, I’m afraid.” Shinobu closed her eyes. “I do often grow weary of my own thoughts, but giving this case any less than my all would be an insult to the memory of those we’ve lost, those I’ve failed to protect.”

 

Yayoi and Shinobu shared a moment of silence. Rin’s antenna drooped. She wasn’t certain what she liked less; the laughably large pile-up of questions facing the group, or seeing Shinobu so distraught.

 

“Welp,” Gavin said, his arms flopping into his lap. “Gav’s officially brained out. Think I’m gonna move on up and check out the second floor.” He stood and left. The prevailing air in the room was that that seemed like a much better place to be than in the Cafeteria now that conversation had died down, and soon Rin was nearly alone. She began to walk out the door, but stopped when she heard a voice.

 

“Hey,” said Yayoi to Shinobu, the only others remaining. “You mean all that?”

 

“I generally mean what I say,” Shinobu said. “Why do you ask?”

 

“Shinobu, right?” Yayoi said. “You’re still a loon, but… Guess I might’ve been treating you a bit shit. Sorry.”

 

“No offense taken,” Shinobu said. “I know very well that I can come across as quite the oddball!” She cackled.

 

“Ugh,” Yayoi said. “Weirdo.”

 

Rin looked back. Yayoi was smiling.

 

**1 P.M.**

 

Rin was at the Stairwell now, and-

 

“Oh, Rin.” Wanda was there too. Rin hadn’t noticed her, as she’d been quite still as Rin walked in. “Hello.”

 

“Hi, Wanda.” Rin said. Act natural, she thought to herself. This girl got very close to you earlier today but that’s fine, that’s totally normal, a reasonable thing to do. Rin’s antenna spiked. “I’m heading up to the second floor. Have you been up?”

 

“No, actually.” Wanda said, adjusting her hat. “I was waiting for you.”

 

“Waiting.” Rin said, with as straight a face as she could muster. “For me?”

 

Wanda wasn’t as close now as she had been, but she was quite close to Rin’s face, and Rin could not help but be conscious of the Paranormal Investigator’s bare, slender arms, her light, nearly unblemished skin, Rin’s own reflection in Wanda’s eyes. She felt a slight bit of air from Wanda’s nose hit her face. This was very, very dangerous. She had been waiting for Rin.

 

“Yes,” Wanda said. “I’d like to explore the second floor with you.”

 

“Um!” Rin said. She hoped greatly that her emotional state was not as obvious as it felt. “I mean, I’m flattered? I just don’t know why you would want to go with me specifically??”

 

Wanda gave a low giggle, and oh no no no no DEFCON 1, DEFCON 1, _she had just grasped Rin’s hand, their fingers were intertwining._ Rin’s breathing had reached a fever pitch, and from the heat in her cheeks she guessed she was probably redder than their breakfast had been.

 

“I just think you’re interesting,” Wanda said. Rin meeped.

 

The second floor of the Stairwell looked roughly the same as the first. The same grey color scheme, the same things on the walls. There was even a sheet of iron bars blocking the way to the third floor. To Rin’s right as she came up was a red door labeled “Campbell Hall,” and to her left, a cyan door labeled “Goodhart Hall.”

 

“I’ve been considering the naming scheme of this building’s sectors,” Wanda said. “They appear to be named after effects of unintended consequence.”

 

“Huh?” Rin said. Her antenna curled. “What does that mean?”

 

“The Abilene Paradox,” Wanda said, “is the name of the phenomenon where in a group of sufficient size, all members participate in an action that no member of the group actually desires out of a mistaken belief that in doing so they please the other members of the group. It is named after the town Gavin posited it to be named after, though, so he was not wrong about that theory.”

 

Rin had heard about this theory a few days ago from Claus after Gavin had said it. “Oh, well… Huh. That’s an interesting naming decision.”

 

“Campbell’s law and Goodhart’s law are a pair of similar ideas to one another. Campbell’s states that any quantitative social indicator that becomes itself used for decision-making is subject to corruption and can distort the processes it is intended to monitor.” Wanda said.

 

Rin blinked.

 

Wanda chuckled, smiling. “I’m sorry. Here, think of it this way. Consider schoolchildren taking a standardized test. The test scores indicate the students’ essential understanding of the material.”

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“However, if emphasis is placed upon the test scores _themselves_ instead of the students’ understanding, it can distort the students’ education by teaching in order to pass the test, rather than to obtain an understanding the students then use to pass the test.” Wanda said. “That is the essential nature of Campbell’s law.”

 

“Okay, I think I get it.” Rin nodded more fervently this time.

 

“Goodhart’s law is a bit simpler. It states, basically, that any statistical regularity or relationship tends to collapse once pressure is put upon it to determine policy.” Wanda said.

 

“I’m pretty sure I get that one,” Rin said. “But why would Monokuma name the halls after these ideas?”

 

“I’m quite certain I have no idea,” Wanda said. “Perhaps he has a taste for unintended consequences?”

 

Rin looked to the doors. “Whatever. He can do whatever he wants.” Her gut told her to go into Campbell Hall first, so go she did.

 

The red of the door fit the hall inside. The main brunt of Campbell Hall was a large, red-painted, cylindrical chamber with a number of large crates around. Monokuma-brand forklifts and other loading vehicles puttered about in the background, placing said crates who knows where. It was not very aesthetically pleasing. According to a sign on the wall, this was Campbell Hall’s “Loading Zone.” On the left side of the cylinder were recesses leading to two doors, “Class 2-A” closer to Rin and the “Pantry” farther. The right side had similar recesses; a “Bar” closer and a “Navigation Room” farther.

 

“Wow!” Rin said.

 

“Something come to you?” Wanda said.

 

“No, I’m just surprised there’s actually a classroom,” Rin said, walking to Class 2-A, giving a forklift an assuring pat on the chassis as she walked. “I mean, Monokuma says this is supposed to be adjoined to Hope’s Peak, but there haven’t been any class rooms until now. You’d think he’d be smarter about it if he actually wanted to pretend that.”

 

Wanda walked behind Rin at a leisurely pace. “I doubt he actually wanted to keep that pretense up. Perhaps it’s some sort of joke to amuse himself with.”

 

The first classroom Rin saw was about as drab as she’d expected a classroom to be. Bland walls, wooden floor… there was green trim along the walls, but that was about it. Stella sat in one of the sixteen desks, arranged in four rows, four columns, around the room. There was a window to Rin’s left as she entered, but it showed nothing but blackness. Apart from that, there was a chalkboard, with… with something drawn on it.

 

“Do you see this crap?” Stella said to Rin, as she entered. “Look at this.”

 

Three stick figures were drawn on the chalkboard in a comic. Read left to right, it seemed to depict two stick figures having a romantic conflict over a third. One, marked “Boy A,” had…

 

“Oh my lord,” Rin groaned. The only distinguishing figure of “Boy A” was his hair, but with that white and red durian-esque mess, there was no mistake. That one was intended to be Aoto.

 

“This seems in remarkably poor taste.” Wanda said.

 

The other two were marked Girl B and Girl H. Girl B’s hair was long and largely purple, but with some form of swirly, rooster tail-y grey coiffed bit on the top- Rin was unsure of how _exactly_ to describe her interesting choice in hairstyle, but had to salute Monokuma’s ability to give that much detail in what she assumed must be an intentionally low-effort, low-detail drawing. The other, Girl H, had black hair, not as long as Girl B’s but reasonably long. It was particularly straggly near the ends, which—

 

“ _Oh come on,_ ” Rin said. She sank into a chair and groaned, her head in her hands.

 

Wanda looked to Rin and Stella, who were similarly frustrated. “What’s the problem here?”

 

“You don’t see any problem with Monokuma scribbling something about Aoto and Rin fighting over some girl after Aoto’s just died,” Stella said.

 

“Oh, is Girl H supposed to be Rin?” Wanda said. “I didn’t realize.”

 

“It’s even Girl H for Hashizawa,” Rin groaned. “Ugh.”

 

The plot of the comic depicted Aoto and Rin being in love with the mysterious Girl B. However, Aoto continually, obliviously showed up Rin, leaving her in the dust. Eventually, Aoto took Girl B for himself, but broke up with her later.

 

“We never did establish what it was that Aoto forgot,” Wanda said, “but he didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.”

 

“Hey Monokuma.” Rin said in a monotone. “Is this the memory you took from Aoto.”

 

“Yepperooni!” said Monokuma, popping in from behind an intercom on the wall.

 

“Have you considered going into art instead of locking us in here?” Wanda said. “Your flair for evoking character even in such a low-detail environment is quite something. Even without any dialogue or character detail other than hair, I can really feel the frustration the Rin character in these drawings expresses. I’d be interested in seeing more!”

 

Stella craned her head to look at Wanda. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

 

“D’aww, you shouldn’t have.” Monokuma blushed and looked away. “If you keep complimenting me like that, you’ll get me pregnant.”

 

“Huh?” Rin said. “I thought you were a boy bear.”

 

“I am,” Monokuma said. “The internet is very magical, Rin. It can make anything happen.” He nodded sagely, making some sort of kung-fu noise, at Rin’s best guess.

 

“There are documented instances of men giving birth,” Wanda said. “And biological sciences are progressing at a rapid pace these days, so it’s not impossible for Monokuma to give birth to his own children in the near future.”

 

“Can you imagine?” Monokuma said, with a faraway gaze. “Me, a proud father… Actually, that sounds horrifying, never mind.”

 

“Junko Enoshima did raise a few children,” Wanda said.

 

“Wait, what?” Rin and Monokuma said simultaneously.

 

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” Wanda said. “One of them returned to Earth after a sixty-year-long space voyage, having made first contact with a live alien species. She was hailed as a worldwide hero! Of course, distance means that continued contact is slow, but we are making progress towards it at the very least.”

 

Rin blinked. So did Monokuma.

 

“This is like, upending everything I understand about the world,” Monokuma said. “Rin, why are you hanging out with this weirdo?”

 

“Um,” Rin said.

 

“Reportedly, it is a similar race to the race that created the alien transporters that are currently in the possession of the German government,” Wanda said. “Fascinating objects, really. Have I ever told any of you about them?”

 

“Wow,” Stella said. “I had no idea paranormal investigation meant you sound like you’re taking drugs literally 24/7.”

 

“So, if Junko Enoshima can raise children, as abominably as she no doubt did it,” Wanda said, “I don’t think there’s any reason you couldn’t do it too, Monokuma.”

 

“I’m leaving now,” Monokuma said, jumping up and disappearing back behind the intercom. The room was silent.

 

“I think we should go now,” Rin said.

 

Rin began walking very quickly alongside Stella as they both exited the room. Stella went off somewhere or another, she and Rin exchanging quick nods of understanding, as Wanda continued to follow behind Rin on her advance to the Bar.

 

The bar was not brightly lit, but it was warmly lit, a few light fixtures on the wall giving it a casual atmosphere. The bar itself ran along Rin’s left, with small, two-person tables lining the right wall. Behind the bar was an interminable wall of bottles Rin could not parse, and glasses for the aliments inside said bottles. There was a space behind the bottles, as well, but Rin couldn’t see what was back there.

 

“I am in _heaven,_ ” said Daisuke, poking his head out from behind the bottles. “This place _rules._ I am in my element! Yeah!” He fistpumped. “Brewmaster stays on point once again! Hey, hey, Chizuru I know you’re under there,” he said. “Do you want to try some _Courvoisier VSOP._ ”

 

“No,” Chizuru said. She must’ve also been behind the bottles, Rin supposed.

 

“Good,” Daisuke said. “I could make you better brandy anyway. The equipment back here is ridic! Way better than the crap Monokuma gave me in my room. Yeah! Whoo! I love life! Praise Buddha!” Rin heard him jump up and clap behind the bottles.

 

“I’m glad you’re excited!” Rin called. “I have no idea what any of this means!”

 

“I could explain it to you some time if you want,” Daisuke said. “Trivia night is my favorite night of the week.” He sighed. “If only I could sleep here.”

 

“There aren’t any beds,” Wanda said.

 

“I could sleep on the floor,” Daisuke said. “There are plenty of nights I just fall asleep at the bar back home! It’s no big deal.”

 

“Respectable,” Wanda nodded.

 

“By the way, Rin, you have great taste in hair.” Daisuke said, poking his hand out for an OK hand gesture. “But watch out for the grey coif. Least in my experience, grey coifs are real dangerous.” It shifted to a waving gesture.

 

“I don’t even know who that girl was,” Rin said.

 

“Just looking out for my detective bud!” His hand changed to a thumbs up before pulling back into the space behind the bar. “Let’s get to _work!_ ” He shouted.

 

Rin didn’t have much interest in waiting around for Daisuke to explain the particulars of brewing any sort of alcohol, so she headed next to the Pantry. A forklift bumped into her on the way, but there were no hostilities and they left on amicable terms.

 

The Pantry was, Rin decided, the drabbest room she’d seen in the entire facility thus far. Gunmetal grey walls, a steel, grated floor. An orderly assortment of identical, small cubbies operating on a control panel to the left, and to her right, a set of large shelves with small wheels on them.

 

“Hey, Miria.” Rin said to the Mountaineer, taking a look through the shelves. “What’s the sitch?”

 

“It seems like there’s a lot of food here,” Miria said. “If we needed to, I think we’d be able to all survive for quite some time with this.”

 

“Are all of those stocked?” Wanda said to the cubbies on the left. “Why, there’s…”

 

“365.25,” Rin said. It was an easy calculation. “They’re organized like the days on a calendar. See? There’s…there’s a little quarter-hole here where…” She came up and began gesturing at the quarter-hole. “Where February 29th is.”

 

“Depending on how deep they go, that could be quite a variable amount of supplies,” Wanda said.

 

Rin turned around, and looked behind the shelves. There was a shutter behind them. That implied… “Oh, maybe the crates the forklifts are moving are supplies for in here?”

 

“Maybe,” Wanda said, “but I doubt they’re all for this room. It’s too small for that much.”

 

“I don’t think this is the food we’ve been getting in the Kitchen,” Miria said. “It’s got a different consistency and packaging and stuff. It’s definitely different orange juice.”

 

Rin blinked. She finally took a look in Miria’s hand. There was an empty carton of orange juice in it. “Did you drink that whole thing just to check?”

 

“I like orange juice,” Miria said.

 

That was as simple a point as you could get, so Rin didn’t feel the need to contest it any further. Instead, she headed on to the last point in Campbell Hall; the Navigation Room. Her new friend, the forklift, sputtered cheerily at her. She waved back.

 

As she entered the Navigation Room, Rin could not stop her own gasp. Kazuya and Luan, who were in the room, turned their heads towards her. Kazuya’s brow furrowed in concern.

 

“What’s wrong?” Kazuya said. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, I just…” Rin trailed off. “Just” was an interesting way of putting the déjà vu she was currently experiencing, but, well, there you had it. The blue walls, with a wide window in front that peered into darkness. Charts along the wall, depicting a timetable that meant nothing at the moment. The steering wheel in the center of the room, the cabinets and drawers along the walls in oaken shelves. “…Mm.”

 

She had seen this room before, in her dreams. This was the Navigation Room of the cruise ship. Of that, she was certain.

 

“It’s all very orderly,” Wanda said. “A bit out of place for this Science Building, certainly, but it doesn’t seem like an unused room. What purpose could this place serve?”

 

“Eriko would’ve loved this room,” Luan said. A chill struck Rin’s stomach.

 

“…Yeah, probably.” Rin rubbed the timetable on the wall. “The Shigure Guarantee. How many timetables just like this do you think Eriko read in her life?”

 

“It’s weird,” Kazuya said. “She was here just yesterday morning, and…now she’s gone.” He seemed smaller than usual behind his scarf. “It’s quieter now.”

 

Rin gave a self-effacing chuckle. “I miss her already. I keep expecting her to jump through a door and start peeping at us to get our butts to the Cafeteria or something.” She rustled in her pockets, and Kazuya’s eyes widened when he saw what she kept in them. “And she’d be clicking this the whole time,” Rin said, holding Eriko’s pen.

 

“You kept it?” Kazuya said.

 

“Yeah, but…” Rin walked over to Luan, whose narrowed eyes widened slightly as she held the pen out to him. “You were better friends with her than I was, Luan. You should have it.”

 

“…What?” Luan said.

 

“You saved us yesterday, Luan.” Rin said. “Without you, we never would’ve gotten anywhere. And…” She looked away. “Well, she fought in her last moments, and I think without what you said to her, she wouldn’t have had the strength to do that.”

 

Luan gently grasped the pen from Rin’s hand, and held it as though it would shatter with the slightest touch. His eyes closed, and his nostrils flared a little. It took a small sparkle from the side of his eyes for Rin to realize that he was crying.

 

“Thank you,” he choked, his voice shakier than Rin had ever heard it. “I’ll keep it safe.”

 

**3:30 P.M.**

 

“So that’s Campbell Hall,” Rin said. “Abilene Hall was shaped like the town of Abilene, right? What do you think Campbell is shaped like?”

 

“A Campbell’s soup can?” Wanda said.

 

Rin blinked. “I guess.”

 

Next on the itinerary was Goodhart Hall. “Red and cyan?” Rin said, her antenna curling. “They’re complementary colors, but is that really school standard?”

 

Wanda hummed. “The Housing Suite is white and Abilene Hall is black. It seems our captor has a taste for theming.”

 

Rin looked up. “But there’s five layers. Even if it is complementary colors, they’d run out on the fourth floor.”

 

“Claus had a point,” Wanda said. “I agree with him that the fifth floor is likely something unlike the first four floors.”

 

“Monokuma’s weird,” Rin said with a sigh as she opened the doors to Goodhart Hall.

 

Cyan walls befitting its door lined Goodhart Hall, across whose walls were lined a large number of plaques, photos, and portraits. To Rin’s left past a few of said plaques was a large double door labeled “Gymnasium,” and right past that as the wall bent to the right, “Class 2-B.” The information on the walls bent right, right, and right again, with a large alcove on that side of the room, then a corner, then there was an unmarked door. Another corner, then a door labeled “Woodworking.” There was a small, sharp alcove in the walls that seemingly served no purpose, which connected to the wall to Rin’s right. The room itself had several square pillars around, with more of the information. A sign hanging from the ceiling declared this area the “Hope’s Peak Historical Exhibit.”

 

As Rin stepped in, she heard footsteps from behind her. “Oh, Rin!” Claus said, coming up the stairs. “Good to see you. Wanda,” he nodded, and Wanda nodded back.

 

“Hey, Claus.” Rin said. “What are you coming up the stairs for?”

 

“Well, while I was taking in this lovely exhibit,” he said, with an earnest smile, “I happened across a secret passage in this room.”

 

“What?” Rin said. “Another one?” She was unsure of why, but she felt as though Shinobu would be having an aneurysm right about now if she were here.

 

Claus nodded, and walked over to the small, sharp alcove Rin had noted before. He then knocked on the wall to his right as he entered the alcove. “It was somewhere around here… Ah!” He pushed in a slightly grooved panel on the wall, and it made a clicking noise, causing the wall to recede. “Right here.”

 

Rin’s antenna spiked. “Wow! Huh. So what’s in there?”

 

“A stairway,” Claus said. The wall closed again. “It’s one-way. You can’t come back up through it once you’ve gone in. It leads to the secret room in the Darkroom.”

 

“It does seem to be in roughly the same position,” Wanda said.

 

“But never mind that,” Claus said. “Look at all this!” He gave a grand, sweeping gesture. “The entire history of Hope’s Peak collected in one location! It’s in incredible detail!”

 

Rin walked up to a portrait of an old, white-haired man. Not bald, yet, but balding. “This says ‘Izuru Kamukura, founder of Hope’s Peak.’ Wanda, I don’t look like this guy at all.”

 

“The Ultimate Hope was named after him,” Wanda said. “They’ve got a picture of him over here.” Rin turned to see Wanda gesturing to an artist’s depiction of a dour, red-eyed young man who did, in fact, have similar hair to hers, if longer. He also wore only black, it seemed. He was on a boat.

 

“I suppose I can see the resemblance,” Claus said. “He seems a bit too dark to really be like Rin, though.”

 

Rin began to read over the text before her eyes glazed over and she realized she didn’t really care to absorb that much new information about long-dead staff and figures in the history of a school she had yet to actually attend. She wandered off and began looking at other pictures.

 

“Izuru Kamukura also got bored easily,” Wanda said. “It was perhaps his greatest flaw.”

 

“I don’t think Rin gets bored easily, really.” Claus said. “Perhaps history just isn’t her strong suit.”

 

“So sue me, I’ve had a long day,” Rin said, studying a small portrait of the 78th Class. “I’m better at looking at pictures. The pale one with the purple hair, Kyoko Kirigiri, that’s his wife, right?”

 

“Yes, that’s right.” Claus said.

 

“He was a lucky man,” Rin said. “An Ultimate Detective and she looks like that?” Rin found herself unconsciously making a “rawr” noise, which she could tell she had not done before. “Ooh, but the really muscular one is nice, too.”

 

“Sakura Ogami?” Claus raised an eyebrow. “You think?”

 

“Definitely,” Rin nodded to him with a dreamy look in her eyes. “Definitely.” Then she saw Mondo Owada’s hair again, and couldn’t help herself from laughing.

 

Wanda smiled. “She’s quite the character, isn’t she?” She said to Claus.

 

“Ah, there’s no doubt about that.” Claus said. “But I suppose you could describe most of us that way.”

 

“Most?” Wanda said.

 

“Minus Kazuya,” Claus said, and Wanda nodded in agreement.

 

“Okay, that’s enough looking at attractive historical figures for one room inspection,” Rin said, her antenna puffing. “Back to inspection!” She trotted to the Gymnasium.

 

“Shall I come with?” Claus said. “I am not priorly engaged.”

 

“No,” Wanda said with a smile, and waved at him. Rin shrugged at him in response. They walked through the doors to the Gymnasium, leaving a befuddled Claus behind.

 

They walked through the doors, and then through another pair of doors, to hear grunting and ball-striking noises. Yayoi had doffed her safety vest, and her glistening muscles flew through the air, giving a volleyball a drive straight past Shinobu, who was panting, her hands on her knees, drinking a bottle of water like it was the last thing she would ever drink (having changed out of her dress into a bright red tracksuit that Rin was certain wasn't supposed to be as frilly as it was.) Rin thought it was a breathtaking sight, all told.

 

“Geezus, Shinobu, you’re winded already?” Yayoi said as she landed. “It’s not that hard!”

 

“I,” Shinobu horfed. “I am just…preparing to unleash…my true power!!” She shook her fist. “I will not,” she panted, wheezing. “Lose that easily…not to you, or to anyone! Uwooooaaaaah!”

 

“Yeah, you get ‘em, Shinobu!” Rin cheered.

 

Shinobu turned around with one eye closed to give Rin a thumbs up, but a vein in her temple began to bulge upon seeing Wanda next to Rin. Her nostrils flared, her eyes widened, and she stood up straight.

 

“ _Morinaga,_ ” Shinobu hissed.

 

“Hello, Shinobu.” Wanda smiled, looking positively angelic next to the whirling pool of mystery-writing outrage that was currently giving her its best frown.

 

“Hello yourself, you _child._ ” Shinobu spat. “I’ve been over here playing the noble sport of volleyball with my good, _intelligent, rational_ friend Yayoi, who doesn’t believe stupid things.” She began doing amateurishly incompetent arm stretches. “My friend, with whom I will be doing interesting, and fun sports experiences!”

 

“Shinobu, have you ever played volleyball in your life?” Rin said.

 

“I have played volleyball for roughly one hour!” Shinobu said. “Today, which is before now!”

 

“It’s been 20 minutes,” Yayoi said.

 

“ _What,_ ” Shinobu said. “That’s impossible, it’s been at least an hour since we began playing. It must’ve been.”

 

Rin began looking around. It was a spacious, wooden-floored gymnasium, the kind where if you walked around in your socks you would slip and slide around. It had a higher ceiling than the rest of Goodhart Hall that Rin had seen until now. To the far ends of the room were your standard steel bleachers, or at least for some reason Rin had the assumption that they could be described as standard. Around, sat against the walls in various states of construction, were sets for several sports. Rin recognized a pair of basketball hoops, for instance, or goals, presumably for soccer, though perhaps they could also be used for hockey. Oh, and there were a few tatami mats like in the Auditorium before in here, too. To Rin’s right at the far wall were two doors. They were a bit far, but Rin was pretty certain they said “Changing Rooms,” one marked with a Mars symbol and one with a Venus symbol.

 

Yayoi grunted. “You wanna play me, Rin? Bet you’d do better than this goofball.”

 

“Excuse me!” Shinobu said. “While I would be interested in seeing that myself, I don’t believe we’re done yet!”

 

“You’re dying,” Yayoi said.

 

“I am doing nothing of the sort!” Shinobu said. “With my fabulous audience watching, I cannot simply back down!”

 

Rin walked up to Shinobu and put her hand on the exhausted lump of a girl’s shoulder. “Shinobu… You don’t need to push yourself this much. You might pull something.” Her antenna puffed sympathetically, and she gritted her teeth in prayer that Wanda would keep quiet.

 

Thankfully, she did, and Shinobu panted out a, “Well, I suppose I can let it be just this once.”

 

Yayoi rolled her eyes. “Weirdo.” She was smiling.

 

“Have you looked around the place, Shinobu?” Rin said. “You and Yayoi left after me, so I’d think you’d be investigating.”

 

“Well, my darling, dearest Rin, whose input I value greatly,” the loquaciously overacting Shinobu intoned by the vibration of her vocal cords, “we headed for Goodhart Hall first, but Yayoi was so ecstatic to see the Gymnasium that, why, I simply couldn’t stop her.”

 

Yayoi swung her arm around, with her hand on that shoulder. “Having shit to punch makes me feel a hell of a lot better.” She clicked her tongue. “Wish Aoto were here. Kid said he liked… pfft.” She snorted. “Normal people sports. God. The hell does that even mean?” She was pacing around now. “Bet he woulda liked this place too.”

 

“Do you play many sports?” Wanda said.

 

“I play as many as I need to to get the proper level of respect from the idiots I lead around,” Yayoi said. “Meatheads on construction duty listen a lot better if you can kick their ass at whatever game they’re into.”

 

Rin nodded. “That’s good to know.” She wandered over to the Changing Rooms. Each door had a card reader next to it, and oh, look, another handy-dandy note from Monokuma.

 

These card readers are the same as the ones for your doors! Be careful, though; your keycard can only unlock the correct changing room! We wouldn’t want any licentious affairs occurring between you, after all, puhuhuhu~

 

“There’s so many problems with this note, I don’t know where to begin,” Rin said.

 

“Yayoi and I shared a riveting discussion on several of them!” Shinobu said. “It was very intelligent,” and at this her body posture shifted over in the direction of the room where a certain Paranormal Investigator stood, “and full of logic, and grounded in reality, rather than fiction!”

 

Wanda giggled. “I’m sure it was.”

 

“Yes, I’m sure you are sure,” Shinobu spat, “since people like you believe anything you read in the tabloids, any tall tale sounds reasonable to you!”

 

Rin weighed her options. On the one hand, she actually found herself with the desire to speak with Shinobu one-on-one, but on the other hand, how much was she really capable of pulling apart Shinobu and Wanda once they got started? After all, Shinobu was very…enthused… about her relationship with Wanda, whatever, exactly, it _was_ that she thought they had between them. But then, it was Shinobu. She was reasonable, really, a good person with a good head on her shoulders who just, it seemed, possessed a few, very strong quirks. But then, it was Shinobu and Wanda, the object of her burning rage, the woman whose conversation turned Shinobu into the very image of a spiteful devil from hell.

 

She sighed. _I’ll just come back later when I’m not with Wanda,_ she thought.

 

“We should, uh…” Rin mumbled. “Go.”

 

“Oh?” Wanda said. “But Shinobu seems very enthused on telling me about… what was that again?”

 

Rin wasn’t even listening to whatever Shinobu was saying at this point. “We should go,” she said, walking away. “Bye, you two.”

 

“And a good day to you, and you _alone,_ Rin, for only you of the two of you have earned the right to be bid a good day by me, the Modern-Day Mistress of Mystery, whose mighty machinations will _mulch_ the malignant masses who…” Shinobu continued talking, probably, but that was when the door closed behind Rin and Wanda, cutting her off.

 

“What an interesting girl she is,” Wanda said. “What do you think of her, Rin?”

 

“What do I think of Shinobu?” Rin said. She tilted her head to one side, looking at the wall. Claus was still there. He waved. She waved back. “Um…” This was an oddly hard question for her to answer. What did she think of Shinobu?

 

“Mm, never mind.” Wanda smiled. “We should keep going.”

 

“Huh?” Rin blinked. “Uh…okay.”

 

Their next stop was Class 2-B, inhabited by one Hansuke Yasuda, who was studying the chalkboard drawing. The room was exactly the same as 2-A, except for the chalkboard drawing. Today’s list of characters included Girl E, Girl E’s father, Girl H, and Girl K. Girl E let a train go through early for her father, and Girl K perished because of it, and Girl H was very sad. Girl H, of course, was the same Girl H from earlier. Girl E was Eriko, and simple logic told Rin that Girl K was, well, Kei. She was a brunette, her hair rather frizzy, with a similar antenna to Rin’s own. That was all the detail that the picture told, but that was well enough, Rin supposed.

 

“Well shit,” Hansuke said. “What was the point of all that thinking we did earlier if Monokuma’s just gonna spell it out like this?”

 

“I don’t think that’s true,” Rin said. “It’s not really new information, but…”

 

She gazed at the chalkboard drawing intently. It was the same as earlier, but there was something… something about this. What was it? Rin made loud humming noises. It lined up with everything she understood about the incident, but there was something she couldn’t quite place her finger on about it. What was it? Was it Girl E’s father’s horrible hair? Maybe it was Girl E’s father’s horrible hair.

 

Hansuke looked at Wanda. “Why are you following her around now?”

 

“Hm?” Wanda tilted her head at him. “Well, I thought she might have some insight I’d find valuable.”

 

The Salesman said nothing, but he scratched at his scruff, giving Wanda a sidelong look.

 

“Ugh,” Rin said. “Had something. Lost something. Dang it.” Her antenna drooped.

 

“Happens,” Hansuke said. “How’s the other hall?”

 

“Daisuke found a bar,” Rin said.

 

Hansuke gave a satisfied chuckle. “Well, I’ll be.”

 

Next on the itinerary was the Woodworking room. Rin left Class 2-B in a bit of a funk, Wanda following close behind and patting her on the back, but when she opened the Woodworking door, she suddenly got the impression that she felt worse. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe there was something in the air? Perhaps she’d been infected by some sort of new disease. No, that wasn’t quite right, it was the atmosphere of the room.

 

“Oh,” she heard a voice say. “Well it’s about time you showed up.”

 

She looked up. Oh, well that explained it.

 

“Hi, Jun.” She said to the Net Admin, who was sitting in his wheelchair with a cock-eyed expression like he found Rin’s very existence amusing, waving a crooked wooden cane in his hand.

 

“Come to inspect the power tools, have you?” Jun said. “Or…no, you’re probably in the mood for some other kind of tool.”

 

“How did you even get up here?” Rin said.

 

Jun was about to open his mouth when Gavin popped out from behind a cabinet. “Trip, man, I brought him up here.” The walking fashion disaster gave a goofy grin.

 

“Really?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “That was nice of you. Did you say thank you, Jun?”

 

Jun scoffed. “Of course I said thank you. And I said thank you for him being the one to put me back in my wheelchair yesterday, as well.”

 

“He did,” Gavin nodded. “Heard it with my own two ears.”

 

Jun clicked his tongue. “So, found yourself a new piece to interest yourself with, have you, Hashizawa?” His gaze was directed at Wanda. “Typical.”

 

“I’m really not interested right now, Jun.” Rin shook her head. She looked around. The Woodworking room felt an awful lot like the inside of a garage, or at least that was the impression she had. Wooden tables, wooden cabinets. Piles of lumber in the corner there. Hung up on the wall were several power tools that Rin wasn’t certain she knew how to operate. Smaller chisels for sculpting were also present, as were plain blocks of wood for the same purpose. There was another window. It still showed only blackness.

 

“Jun?” Wanda said. “May I have a moment of your time, actually? I’d like to confer with you.”

 

“With me?” Jun smirked.

 

“With him?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“Well, yes.” Wanda looked Rin in the eyes, her gaze inscrutable. “He may have made some particularly poor decisions last trial, but he is still locked in here with us, and he is by no means stupid. I thought perhaps he might have some insight he could share with us regarding the situation.”

 

“Very well,” Jun said.

 

“Have you seen the classrooms?” Wanda said. “With Aoto and Eriko’s lost memories on them?”

 

Jun snorted. “And Hashizawa’s failures in romance? I saw them, yeah.”

 

“Well, I was curious,” Wanda said. “What memories exactly did you lose?”

 

Jun went silent for a moment. He looked to Gavin, who gave a nervous grin, then to Rin, whose antenna spiked, and then he looked at Wanda. “I lost the memory of a specific day from one year ago,” he said. “The day of the Marufuji College Tech Expo.”

 

“Oh, man, I think I heard of that,” Gavin said. “Some kinda big techno-whozits get together to see who’s got the biggest chops or whatever?”

 

“Sure,” Jun said. “I was the standout participant at the Expo, and it’s the main reason I was accepted to Hope’s Peak. However, the mastermind saw it fit to remove the memories of the actual day from me.”

 

“Removing the memories of the day you proved yourself worthy of going to Hope’s Peak…” Wanda said. “How cruel.”

 

“Slightly spiteful, yes,” Jun said. “It’s not as though I’d been dreaming of proving my mettle by going to Hope’s Peak for my entire conscious life, so it wasn’t really a big deal. It’s easily equal to Aoto forgetting about _a middle school fling._ ” He gritted his teeth.

 

Rin gave Jun a once-over. So he’d lost what was probably the proudest moment of his life? He was a spiteful little gremlin who’d, of course, tried to manipulate Stella through jabbing at her emotional insecurities and almost gotten them all killed by refusing to believe his plan hadn’t worked, but _ouch,_ that had to hurt something awful.

 

“…I’m sorry,” Rin said. “For your loss.” It was a bit stilted, but she tried anyhow.

 

“Oh, you’re _sorry,_ are you?” Jun spat. “Head Honcho Hashizawa is feeling sorry for the poor little cripple boy?” He glared daggers at her, waving his cane a bit.

 

“J, cool it, dude,” Gavin said, grabbing an end of Jun’s wheelchair. “What’d she even do to you, man?”

 

“I told you,” Jun said, “and I told her, too.” He looked right at Rin. “I don’t trust you as far as I can throw you, Hashizawa.”

 

“Jun…” Rin sighed. “I really don’t want to fight with you. I mean, I don’t like you, sure, and you did some crappy things, but… well, you were friends with Aoto, right?”

 

“What?” Jun said. “What in the world gave you that impression?”

 

“You said that he was the only one you told about your program to monitor the Handbooks,” Rin said. “And he’d been hanging out in your room a few times, right? So, you lost two friends yesterday too. You don’t have to trust me, but that’s no reason to try and shun _everyone._ ”

 

Jun clicked his tongue. “I know that. I’ll cooperate with the group for my own safety. It’s just logical,” he said. “But try anything, Hashizawa, and I’ll know. I’m watching you.”

 

Gavin sighed. “J, you’re impossible, man.”

 

“I’m no such thing,” Jun said. “Gavin, I’d like to see the Gymnasium next. Would you please wheel me away before this idiot spouts more sanctimonious tripe at me?”

 

“Well, someone’s gotta do it.” Gavin chuckled and began wheeling Jun’s chair away. “Who better than Ol’ Gav, right? Later, dudes.”

 

It wasn’t until they were gone that Rin remembered that Jun could pilot his wheelchair on his own, and so there wasn’t really any reason Gavin needed to wheel him around. Rin laughed, and her antenna bounced.

 

The final door was the unmarked one from Goodhart Hall. Rin opened the door, and Wanda followed. An unmarked cyan-painted hallway continued on, and in the distance was a small door labeled “Basin.” The hallway continued to the left from it, but Rin looked in the Basin first, to be sure. Warm, autumn colors lined the walls of the small room, which led from a few stairs to a low, sinking floor with a small hole in the middle. It was, certainly, a basin, though Rin was uncertain of why, exactly, this room existed.

 

She closed the door. “Just a basin,” she said to Wanda. Wanda nodded.

 

There was no sound in the long hallway, which twisted and curved slightly but kept on nonetheless, save for Rin’s footsteps, and Wanda’s just behind her own. The light became dimmer and dimmer as progress was made, until eventually, they reached the end. They were greeted only by a few blinking lights, and the large, grinning face of Monokuma.

 

“The Elevator,” Wanda said. “This must be where it stops on this floor, no?”

 

Wanda’s voice echoed in the Hallway, as Rin walked up and pushed a few buttons idly again. Nothing, still. So, that was it. The end of the second floor was just Monokuma, again.

 

Rin turned, but stopped before she continued on. Wanda was behind her, of course, framed against the light coming from behind her in the rest of the hall. The Paranormal Investigator’s small twintails bobbed as she stood, her arms behind her back, looking at Rin intently.

 

“…Wanda?” she said, finally. She gulped. She was here, in the darkness. She could easily fall into the blackness of the Elevator, sink in with nobody noticing, but she felt struck, suddenly shone on by a thousand spotlights.

 

“Yes?” Wanda said. Inscrutable as ever.

 

“Why… Why are you following me?” Rin said. She had pushed back the feelings from before, but now that her goal was complete, and now that she was here, alone, the same feelings had begun to take root again. “You told Hansuke it was for my insight, but… I don’t think that was true, was it?”

 

Wanda lightly chuckled, closing her eyes, giving her a serene, angelic look. “It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth, either, you’re right.”

 

She took a step towards Rin.

 

“Have I ever told you, Rin…” Wanda began, opening her eyes again, shifting her hands from behind her back to in front of her, crossed fingers. “…what it is I admire most in people?”

 

“Um.” Rin began to sweat. Wanda took another step forward. She would be in arm’s reach in 1-2-3-4 more steps. “No, I don’t think you have…”

 

“Resolve,” Wanda said. 3 more steps. Her eyes were glowing now. “The courage to chase a dream, even when it seems impossible, no matter what the cost.”

 

“I… I don’t get it,” Rin said. 2 more steps.

 

Wanda chuckled. “His motives were shaky, certainly, but Izuru Kamukura voluntarily underwent his procedure out of love, unabashed love for Hope’s Peak, a desire to become truly worthy of the school he admired so greatly. Even if he did become a monster, I cannot help but admire his drive, his conviction.”

 

1 more step. A little voice in Rin’s head told her she knew what Wanda was getting at, but she ignored it, out of…what was it? What was she feeling? Her head was at once racing and still, frighteningly still. Wanda shone in front of her. The light was not coming from behind her, not anymore. The light was coming from her. Wanda’s eyes were shining, gazing intently into Rin’s.

 

“What does this have to do with me?” Rin stammered out, her tongue feeling odd, foreign in her mouth.

 

0 steps. Wanda was within arm’s reach.

 

“Let me tell you what it is I see when I look at you, Rin.” Wanda said. “I see a girl whose resolve to accomplish a dream, given to her by her life’s late love, was so great that she threw away her memories, her identity, to accomplish it.”

 

-1 steps. Rin was sweating very greatly now. Wanda’s fingers, moving calmly in contrast with Rin’s quaking body, reached out and lightly grasped Rin’s chin. Her other hand, her left hand, grasped Rin’s right hand tightly, with a force Rin did not expect from the smaller girl.

 

“I see a girl who has truly become the Ultimate Hope,” Wanda said. “To accomplish her dreams, and fulfill the dream of her late lover.” -2 steps. “It’s beautiful.”

 

Rin tried to avert her eyes, but Wanda pulled her chin down to maintain eye contact. Rin’s legs felt like they would fail her. Her body wanted very badly to sink onto the floor, to sit, to rest. She felt boneless, pinned against the wall by Wanda’s presence, their bodies in such close proximity that Rin could feel Wanda’s breath.

 

“ _You’re_ beautiful,” Wanda said. She took her fingers from Rin’s chin, and lowered her arm to slowly stroke up Rin’s waistline, before curling it around Rin’s back as though they were about to dance. Rin shivered.

 

“Oh,” Rin said. It was the only noise she could make.

 

Wanda’s left arm released Rin’s arm to flop numbly, and snaked atop her other to complete Wanda’s grasp around Rin’s stomach. Rin suddenly became very aware of the fact that she and Wanda weren’t that different in height, when Wanda’s grip caused their chests to press together. She squeaked. None of the sensations she was experiencing now were familiar, of course, but this in particular caused her brain to jolt. In an instant, Rin was keenly aware of every inch of her body that Wanda had wrapped around, of a scent that could only be the scent of the woman keeping her held aloft filling her nostrils, of the paradoxical quiet that somehow still filled the hallway despite the momentous, earth-shattering event occurring within it.

 

At her squeak, Wanda, eyes half-lidded, laughed a low, breathy laugh that Rin could feel from Wanda’s diaphragm. Then she leaned forward. Her face touched Rin’s. No, that wasn’t quite it, Rin realized, their faces weren’t just touching. Their lips were touching. Wait, that didn’t quite describe it either. It was on the third process in this brief instant that Rin realized Wanda was _kissing_ her, that the wet sensation she felt on her mouth was Wanda’s own lips, that she could feel Wanda’s breath going into her own mouth, that she could feel Wanda’s tongue brushing greedily against her teeth and the nerves behind them, even, she could hear little noises, weak little whimpers of a small animal caught in the headlights, except wait, no, those noises were her, her little moans and whimpers as Wanda continued doing as she pleased—

 

It was over. Wanda, apparently, was placated. She returned to simply grasping Rin by the waist, her eyes further lidded now, a satisfied smile on her face as she gazed at Rin.

 

“I’d like to get to know you more intimately,” Wanda said. Oh. So that was when she decided to say that.

 

“Oh,” Rin said. Heat and chill were tearing apart her chest in a furious battle as sweat ran down her body, every inch of her skin sending thousands of signals that might as well have been in a foreign language for how familiar they were, her legs having sold off their stability for a lark, and all she could say to describe it was, “Oh.”

 

The blonde woman in the newsboy cap, with the sleeveless blouse and the pencil skirt, removed her arms from around Rin, but then grasped Rin’s left hand with her right, and began to move to walk back through the hallway, back into the light. Rin couldn’t move.

 

Wanda giggled. “Come along,” she said, looking back past her shoulder at Rin, whose gaze felt lost, far away. She began to pull, and Rin, with no momentum of her own, began to follow. Where Rin had led on the way in, now Wanda led on the way out, leading Rin along by the hand. It was still deathly quiet. Rin’s antenna had drooped, and was almost in line with the rest of her hair.


	13. Day 6, Part 2 - New Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize for the long time in between updates. In truth, this chapter has been written for some time before this, but extenuating circumstances kept me from writing for a week or so, and I prefer to remain a fair distance ahead of how far I've published (roughly three chapters' worth.) I hope that the wait hasn't soured you, and that you enjoy the new chapter; and if you're only reading from after I published this chapter, I hope you're enjoying the story as well.
> 
> Dangan Ronpa V3 comes out tomorrow in the US, and I'm greatly excited for it. I hope you enjoy it, too.

**6:15 P.M.**

 

“So whaddya think?” Daisuke asked. His glasses were off, revealing the look of anticipation in his eyes.

 

Hansuke looked down at his glass. The ice jostled around in it as he shook it to see if there was any whiskey actually left in the glass. Nope.

 

“It’s pretty good,” he said. And it was true; the whiskey had, in fact, been pretty good. Miria, next to him, seemed pleased as punch by her glass of water, as well.

 

“I knew it,” Daisuke said, leaning in on his right elbow. “I knew you were a man of taste, of culture, Mr. Yasuda. You know—”

 

 _Oh, no._ Hansuke knew that look. That was the look people got when they really wanted to talk your ear off about something just so they could talk.

 

“Have you ever heard of the term, ‘angel’s share?’” Daisuke said. Hansuke blinked. Yup. Right on the money.

 

“Oh, is this trivia night?” Miria said. “That seems fun.”

 

“No, no, good lady.” Daisuke shook his head, his ponytail moving more than his head did. “This is just the natural way of things when you bartend,” he said, and started pacing around behind the counter.

 

“I thought you were a brewer,” Miria said.

 

“I do many things,” Daisuke said. “I am a man of many talents.” He smiled, and swiveled around in a manner that showed off the sitar he was still lugging around on his back.

 

“Oh. Neat,” Miria said. “So what’s an angel’s share?”

 

“Well, you see.” Daisuke leaned back in. “While whiskey ages, some of it’s lost to evaporation. But if you seal it so it doesn’t evaporate, the whiskey never gains its unique aroma. So, in order to create the experience the world’s societies desire with whiskey…” He threw his hands out and gazed skyward. “You’ve got to give the angels their share, and let it go with the grace of God.” He took a deep breath in through his nose, and then let it out through his mouth. “Ain’t the world beautiful?”

 

“Huh,” Hansuke said. “Haven’t heard that one before.” That was a lie, of course, as a man he’d met in Sapporo while still homeless had talked his ear off about the ins and outs of whiskey creation, but better to humor Daisuke than to crush his dreams.

 

“Mama drinks a lot,” Miria said.

 

“Er…” Daisuke grimaced. “Oh yeah? How’s that work out for her?”

 

“I don’t think it works out very well,” Miria said. “She’s madder when I get home from climbing if she’s been drinking.”

 

“She, uh…not like rocks?” Daisuke said, his ponytail drooping.

 

“She doesn’t like me leaving the house,” Miria said. Compared to Daisuke’s overacting, Miria’s stating this information in such an even tone obviously had an effect on the Brewmaster.

 

“Oh,” Daisuke said. “That’s, uh… That sucks.”

 

Hansuke had seen this sort of thing before. The boy who came from a reasonably well-rounded family didn’t know how to process misfortune. He chuckled to himself, wondering for a grim moment what poor little Harada would think if he told him what his father got up to.

 

“So you start going up mountains as rebellion or something?” Hansuke said to Miria.

 

“Oh, well... Sort of,” Miria said. “That wasn’t how it started. I miss the mountains,” she said.

 

“When was the last time you went up?” Daisuke said.

 

“Three months,” Miria said. “When I got this,” and she pointed to her cheek scar. Daisuke blinked, then paled as he realized the implication, then _really_ paled, Hansuke noticed, when he connected the other, more likely possibility.

 

“Geez, I’m sorry,” Daisuke said. “Didn’t mean to, uh…bring up bad memories.” And he turned to himself and mumbled, “again,” under his breath.

 

“It’s alright,” Miria said. “I’m okay.” She closed her eyes and smiled. Hansuke knew that smile, too. That was the smile of someone who was most definitely not okay, but was trying to hide it from themselves and from you. “Do you think there’s a place to climb on any of the next three floors? That’d be nice.”

 

Daisuke chuckled nervously. “Shouldn’t we be trying to, you know, not go to the next three floors?” He put his sunglasses back on. His robes almost looked like the angel wings were drooping. “Shouldn’t we be like, going outside?”

 

“I like it here,” Miria said. “If we could have something for me to scale, that’d be all I’d need.”

 

“You _like_ it here?!” Daisuke said. “What?! We’re trapped in here! We can’t leave! And…and Monokuma’s here!”

 

“I don’t mind,” Miria said. “I don’t really want to leave.”

 

“Got everything you need right here,” Hansuke said, looking up. “If you’ve got nothing you want to go back to, I guess I can see that.”

 

“Don’t tell me you agree with her!” Daisuke said, clasping his hands repeatedly like he was grasping at any loose strand of sensible talk he could find.

 

“Don’t agree,” Hansuke said, “but I can see why. Everything’s taken care of, there’s consistent rules, plus she’s got her ladyfriend with her.”

 

Daisuke leaned his head on the bar and groaned. “That’s great, but I’m still single! I haven’t had a consistent ladyfriend at all yet! Aaauuugh…” He pounded his fist on the table. “There’s so much I have to live for! Songs to play! Drinks to brew! Ladies to woo, even! I can’t stay on point if I’m stuck in here my whole life!”

 

Miria smiled. “That’s okay, Mr. Harada. I’m sure you’ll find somebody after we get out.”

 

The Brewmaster’s ponytail sank over his head. “I thought you didn’t want to leave,” he said.

 

“I don’t,” Miria said. “But it can’t last forever. Eventually, Monokuma will be done with us, and he’ll have no reason to keep us anymore.”

 

“So you think he does have a reason to keep us here,” Hansuke said. “Well, maybe if you asked nicely, he’d let you and Chizuru stay here even afterwards, keep him company.”

 

Miria sat up straight. “That’s a good idea,” she said. “I think I will. Thank you, Mr. Yasuda.” And just like that, she was out of the room.

 

Daisuke sighed. “You know, you really shouldn’t joke like that, a girl like her’ll take it seriously.” He pushed his ponytail back into normal position. “You want another, dude?”

 

“Hell,” Hansuke said. “Why not. I’ll take another whiskey.”

 

“At least somebody will, right?” Daisuke grinned.

 

Minutes passed between the two men in silence before the door opened again. Daisuke had put a bell he’d found in the Auditorium on top to give it the proper feeling.

 

“Howdy,” Daisuke said to Claus, looking around quizzically. “What’ll you have?”

 

“Oh, er…” Claus stammered. “Do you have any tea in here?”

 

Daisuke whistled. “Wow, look at the gumption on this guy, eh, Hans? Real hardcore kind of guy, living on the edge.” He snickered.

 

“Well, I never!” Claus said. “I’ll have you know I have quite a bit of gumption! Wait, no.” Claus shook his head. “I’m not here for a drink. I’m, er… Have either of you two seen Rin?”

 

Hansuke thought. “Not since she and Wanda came to Class 2-B about an hour ago. Something happen?”

 

“Well, yes,” Claus said. “When Rin and Wanda returned from investigating the hallway that leads to the Elevator in Goodhart Hall, Rin seemed particularly out of sorts. It took four calls for her to realize I was even speaking to her, and Wanda was having to lead her by the hand. And her…her, uh…” He gestured towards his head.

 

“Her antenna?” Daisuke said.

 

“Is that what that’s called?” Claus said. “I’ve never been certain… A-anyway,” he said, adjusting his tie, “her antenna was drooping so far it almost looked like it was just part of her hair.”

 

“That’s unusual,” Hansuke said. “Definitely unusual. Asked Wanda about it?”

 

“Apparently, Rin disappeared when Wanda went off to her room for a moment. She’d asked Rin to wait outside her room, but wasn’t there when she came out,” Claus said. “I’m…concerned, so Shinobu and I are looking for her.”

 

Hansuke scratched his chin. He’d had a feeling something was off earlier, so he wasn’t surprised Rin was acting oddly. If Rin had gone and done a runner, that could mean any number of things. “You tried her room?”

 

“If she is in there, she’s not responding,” Claus said. “It worries me.”

 

“Well, she hasn’t been in here,” Daisuke said. “I’d know! I have a bell!” He smiled.

 

“Yes, it’s very professional…” Claus probably meant it sincerely, knowing him, but it came out sounding sarcastic as he stared off into the distance.

 

**6:45 P.M.**

 

“You’ve got no chance, Sakaki!” Yayoi roared as she furiously drove a volleyball towards Gavin’s zone of control. He fumbled, and she took another score, laughing like a madwoman.

 

“Fourteen to four!” Stella said. “You two need to step it up a bit,” she said to Gavin and Kazuya.

 

“Somehow I feel like this is a bit unfair,” Kazuya said, looking at Yayoi, whose teamwork with Luan made the ball a very difficult thing to handle.

 

“You scored a few points,” Yayoi said. “It ain’t _impossible._ ”

 

“It’d be easier if you took off that coat, my dude,” Gavin said to his smaller partner.

 

Kazuya considered this for the briefest of moments. “No,” he decided.

 

“Mm,” Luan said. He had Eriko’s pen clipped to the pocket of his scrubs.

 

“Seriously, little dude, you doing alright?” Gavin said, frowning. “You’re sweating like it’s a hundred degrees.” He put his hands on his hakama.

 

“I’m not really used to sports,” Kazuya said, wheezing a bit. “I never played them as a kid. I, uh, only figured out the rules once they’d already scored six times.”

 

Yayoi snorted. “For real? Then you’re going two to one against me, kid. Not half bad.”

 

“Maybe you’ve got a talent for it,” Stella said, smirking. “What would you be then, dual-enrolled? Maybe we could kick out Jun from the class and give you his seat too.”

 

Yayoi gave a barking laugh. “Well, wouldn’t that be nice!”

 

“Er, no,” Kazuya said. “Let’s not do that. One seat’s enough for me,” he said, pulling his scarf up and fidgeting a little.

 

“You’re really quiet for a public speaker,” Yayoi said. “You sure they enrolled you for the right thing, Okudaira?”

 

“Well, he’s apparently good at _writing_ them too,” Stella said. All eyes, or at least the room’s loudest eyes, were on Kazuya now.

 

“I don’t like standing out,” Kazuya said, shrinking a bit. “Never have.”

 

“And you’re going to Hope’s Peak?” Yayoi snorted. “Well that’s a hell of a fumble for you, ain’t it?”

 

Kazuya shook his head. This was actually a line of thought he himself had had in the not-so-distant past, when his acceptance letter had come. His parents were, of course, utterly ecstatic that… Well, they were utterly ecstatic about a lot of things, when it had come in the mail for him.

 

“No, I don’t think so,” Kazuya said. “I want to…reinvent myself, at Hope’s Peak.” He came out from behind his scarf. “I want to become someone I can be proud of.”

 

“Which you’re not now?” Stella said. “I mean, I get it, but…”

 

“I’m…” Kazuya chuckled nervously. “Well, I’ve always been a bit of a coward, in a lot of ways. I’ve always let people drag me along with whatever they wanted.”

 

“Which is why you’re playing volleyball now,” Yayoi said.

 

“Er, well. Yes,” Kazuya said. “People have never really…seen me before, if that makes sense. Even on the Student Council, I always felt like I was missing something, like I wasn’t whole, and I think it showed. I didn’t have many close friends,” he said.

 

“Ain’t that the way of the world,” Yayoi said. “People always ran from me when I was a kid, cause kids talk a lot of shit, and if you talk shit you get hit. It’s a simple philosophy, not complicated, damnit.” She spat off in nobody’s direction.

 

“I envy your straightforwardness,” Kazuya said.

 

“Well, hell.” Yayoi walked over and patted him on his shoulder, towering over her. “Maybe I’ll teach you sometime. Lesson one, this is called a ‘fist,’” she said, balling her right hand and clonking Gavin on the Hasselhoff. (“Yow,” he cried! “Trip, man, education is painful!”)

 

Kazuya laughed. People had always called his laugh “pleasant, like the chime of a bell.” He didn’t hear it, really, but oh well. “I know that much,” he said, smiling. “But thank you.”

 

“Don’t think I’ll be much help,” Stella said, leaning back onto the bleachers. “I’m good at about two things, yelling and being miserable.” She grinned slightly, and shrugged while still looking at the ceiling.

 

“Yelling can be a useful skill,” Luan said. “I’m uncertain about the latter.”

 

“Hey, so am I,” Stella said. “Crazy how that works out, huh?”

 

Kazuya looked around. “I think you’re all great,” he said.

 

“Aw, you shouldn’t have, Kaz!” Gavin leaned in and put his arm around Kazuya’s shoulder. “What a nice guy you are,” he said. Stella seemed more confused as to where the compliment had come from.

 

It was true, though. Kazuya thought his classmates all seemed great, and he was glad to be around them. And maybe, some day, even soon, he could take off his coat around them.

 

**7 P.M.**

 

It was getting late, and it had been an exhausting day for Chizuru Inoue. Obviously, she was not used to being in the spotlight, but at the same time, an entirely new floor meant searching far and wide for venues to stick herself in to please the part of her subconscious that enjoyed being in small spaces (Miria had called her “Miss Kitty” before they had properly introduced themselves.) While the forklifts in Campbell Hall were accommodating, even kind individuals when you got to know them, hiding amidst the crates was a no-go. She had, however, found a few nice places in the Pantry, the Navigation Room, and the Gymnasium.

 

However, she had overheard Jun and Gavin mention something earlier; a one-way passage to her beloved secret room in the Darkroom in Goodhart Hall. Well, it wasn’t particularly secret any longer, but it was still a nice place to sit and be by oneself. The idea of this passage, however, intrigued her more than anything. It was not a logical place for a person to spend much time. After all, if one even wanted to enter the secret room, the sensible way would be to go through the Darkroom itself. Additionally, the room was inaccessible from the secret room itself, being a one-way passage. In other words, if she were to enter it, only someone entering from Goodhart Hall would be able to find her, and there was little reason why anyone would do that.

 

This was all prelude to the fact that when she entered the hidden passage to scout it, someone was already there, and that someone was crying. This surprised Chizuru, but she made no sudden movements. The voice sounded distinctly feminine, but she looked around and did not see much within the passage. Which meant, in all likelihood…

 

“R-Rin?” Chizuru said.

 

“Oh,” the Ultimate Amnesiac choked. “H-hey, Chizuru.”

 

The path closed behind Chizuru, leaving the room even darker. This was truly a Dark Room, as opposed to Rin’s insistence on the actual one being an Orange Room instead. It felt as though their positions had been reversed from the last time they’d met this way.

 

“You don’t…” Chizuru gulped. On the one hand, she and another person were now right next to each other. On the other hand… it was Rin, who by all rights was probably her friend, and she was crying. It was her duty to try and help, wasn’t it? It must be. “You don’t usually hide this way. Is… something wrong?”

 

“Hey, Chizuru?” Rin sniffled. “What does love feel like?”

 

Chizuru was stunned cold by Rin’s question. “What?” she said. In the scant light, Chizuru saw Rin, sitting on the stairs, turn to face her. She sat down as well.

 

“I’m, I’m really scared, Chizuru,” Rin said. “I, um, things are happening in my body that I don’t understand and it’s really confusing and I’m scared.”

 

Rin’s way of describing her emotional state reminded Chizuru, more than anything, of herself at about 13 years old. It was then that it occurred to Chizuru that Rin had _amnesia,_ and likely had just stepped into a minefield of physiology that, in her reckoning, no person should have to go through twice.

 

“Er…” Chizuru said. “How do I put this?”

 

“What did it feel like when you fell in love with Miria?” Rin said. “Was it…scary?”

 

“What? No,” Chizuru said. “Well, honestly,” oh no her valve had been flipped, “honestly meeting Miria was the first thing in my entire life that actually made _sense_ , like I’d just thrown myself out of my own house and was hiding from the police when all of a sudden there’s this beautiful angel helping me up a hill and telling me I look like a cat when I’m all scrunched up inside a box, and she took me in her arms and they were so _strong_ and she told me she’d protect me from any bears that happened by which is good because I’m actually kind of afraid of bears.” Chizuru gasped for air. “Sorry.”

 

“Oh, um…” Rin laughed a bit. That was good. “You’re okay. That doesn’t sound like what I’ve been feeling, though.”

 

Chizuru blinked. Here she had been expecting for Rin to go “oh yes, that makes sense,” and then have her confidence renewed to go off and confess her love to… Hm. She’d have to think about that later. “What have you been feeling?”

 

“Um…well, it’s really confusing,” Rin said. “There’s parts of my body telling me that good things are happening, but I have this deathly chill in my stomach and my brain that is telling me I should be running away.” She looked down, and Chizuru noticed a glint from off of Rin’s crimson orbs. “While it was happening, I kind of just felt…numb. Like I was watching it happen from outside of my own body, after a while. I mean, there were parts of it that, I think felt nice? But it was all really _weird._ ” Chizuru heard her begin to sniffle again. “And I don’t really know what to think?”

 

Alright, time to fire off the million dollar question, Chizuru decided. “What happened, Rin?”

 

And Rin told her.

 

Chizuru blinked. “ _What?_ ” she said, and it was the loudest she’d been since she’d shouted at Miria a few days ago.

 

“Er, should I start again?” Rin said. “So, Wanda and I were—”

 

“No, I heard you.” Chizuru was shaking. “Oh my god, Rin… oh my god.” Bad. Bad, okay. Bad. This was bad. “How long have you been in here?”

 

“Um,” Rin said. “Well, Wanda took me back to her room at 6, and—”

 

“She _took you back to her room?_ ” Chizuru said. “Did… Was…” She was stammering now. “Ohhhhh, my god.”

 

“And so, like, I mean, I know I’m feeling weird things,” Rin said, “and I’m really glad you showed up because I wanted to see if I’d fallen in love with Wanda.” A moment of silence. “This…isn’t love, right?”

 

“Of course not!” Chizuru said, lunging forward and grasping Rin by the shoulders. “Rin, she took advantage of you. That’s not okay. That’s not okay at all.”

 

“Well…” Rin said. “I… I mean, I didn’t say no…”

 

“Not saying no is _not_ the same thing as saying yes,” Chizuru said. She could barely see Rin’s eyes widen, as though that idea had lit a spark in her head.

 

“Not saying no…” Rin mumbled. “...isn’t the same thing as saying yes.” She started nodding to herself.

 

“Did you want her to do that?” Chizuru said.

 

Rin looked down. There was a second before she spoke. “No,” she said. “I was… I was really, really scared. I felt like I was going to die the whole time. That’s why I ran.”

 

“Was she there when you ran?” Chizuru said. “Where did you run from?”

 

“Outside her room,” Rin said. “She went in for a bit and asked me to wait outside, and, um… I ran. Here.”

 

“Why here?” Chizuru said, to give herself time to let out a breath. The worst case scenario had thankfully been avoided.

 

“Well, it’s not a very logical place to spend much time,” Rin said. “So I thought it was unlikely she’d check here first, and so I’d have a few moments to collect myself.” She laughed a little. “I’m, um, not good at collecting myself. By myself. It’s a lot easier now that you’re here.”

 

“Rin,” Chizuru said, letting out a sharp breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “You just had a pretty traumatic experience, and it’s okay for you to be upset. But, um, we are going to have to leave this room eventually.” After that, Rin was silent for a moment. “Er…”

 

Suddenly, Chizuru felt a significant weight and warmth pressed against her. Rin was…hugging her. “But what if she’s out there? What do I do? What if I just shut down again and I just let her do whatever she wants? I don’t love her, so that’s not okay, right, but if I don’t love her, why did I let her do it in the first place?”

 

“She forced herself on you,” Chizuru said. “You didn’t have a choice, Rin. You were…you were scared.”

 

“I _hate_ being scared!” Rin said. “I was scared when I woke up and I’m scared now! She said all that about Izuru Kamukura, but it didn’t even seem like she was looking at me, it was like she was looking at someone else right behind me!” She sobbed. “I don’t understand,” she said. “Who am I? I don’t feel like I’m who Wanda thinks I am, but if I’m not that, then who am I?” Her teeth were gritted, and her nose buried against Chizuru. “I just want something to hold on to. Something, anything to tell me I’m a real person, that I’m real, that feels like it’s _mine._ ”

 

Chizuru was most decidedly not used to this, having usually been the one crying in this sort of situation. She awkwardly patted Rin on the back. Her shoulder was wet now. “Um… I’m sorry, Rin,” she said. “I don’t know. All I know about you is this week, but… I like you.”

 

“I don’t know Kei,” Rin said. “I don’t know Kei, and I don’t know about Project Kamukura, and I don’t know this Girl B, and I just _don’t know any of these people,_ and I want to throw up.” She sniffled loudly, making quite the noise, and started lightly pounding her fists into Chizuru’s chest. “I bet when Yashiro finds his way out of the sewers, he dumps a whole bunch of new names on me that don’t mean anything, that don’t _tell me_ anything. What does it mean to have been in love with a girl I don’t know? That doesn’t tell me anything about myself!”

 

“You hate mahjong,” Chizuru said, and she felt Rin’s antenna point up.

 

“…Huh?” Rin said, choking back a few tears.

 

“You hate mahjong, right?” Chizuru said. “Miria told me. You hate it because your little brother always beats you at it.”

 

“…Yeah,” Rin said. “Yeah, you’re right. I remember…my little brother, I remembered my little brother.” She had let go of Chizuru, and was now staring into her hands. “He’s real, he’s… I have a little brother,” she said. “I have a little brother, I have a little brother. He’s—!” She groaned. “I’m Rin and I have a little brother, and I love him very much!”

 

“I think that as long as you remember him,” Chizuru said, “you can remember that you’re you, and not what other people think you are.”

 

“He’s always such a little snot,” Rin said. “When I want to eat he’ll tell me that hunger is just a psychological construct, or something, to try and get me to hang out with him more!” She was laughing now. “God, he’s so annoying. Sometimes I just wanna smack him for being such a punk.” Chizuru smiled. It was kind of remarkable how the two of them kept having these heartfelt moments in dark rooms, but it seemed like the Amnesiac had a way of lighting up the darkness.

 

Wait, no. That was the literal light from the passage being opened. “Rin!” Shinobu cried, entering the room. Chizuru yelped and hid behind Rin as quickly as she could. “Oh, thank goodness, Rin!” Shinobu ran over and hugged Rin about as tightly as Rin had been hugging Chizuru earlier, just barely missing Chizuru as she did it.

 

“Oh, um, Shinobu?” Rin said. “Huh? What? Is something wrong?”

 

“I was so worried about you!” Shinobu said. “Don’t go off and disappear like that! Oooh, I shudder to think what might’ve happened to you.” Her beret had begun to slide off of her own head and onto Rin’s.

 

“Um, oh,” Rin said. “I’m sorry, Shinobu. I’ve been kind of scared so I’ve been hiding in here. Chizuru’s been helping, though.”

 

“Thank you, Chizuru.” Shinobu nodded to Chizuru. Chizuru gave a tiny nod back, still slightly paralyzed. Shinobu breathed sharply outwards. “Alright, I’ve found you, now please tell me why you suddenly disappeared like that.”

 

And Rin told her.

 

**7:45 P.M.**

 

“So, what do you think about our captor?” Wanda said. Naught but she and Jun were in the Lounge now, as it seemed everyone else was off doing their own thing.

 

“Well, I have a few theories,” Jun said. “A lot of it depends on whether Monokuma is autonomous or not, though.”

 

“As in, whether Monokuma is remote-controlled or a being in his own right, you mean?” Wanda said. “I hadn’t really considered the idea of him being his own person.”

 

“It’s a long shot, sure,” Jun said. “But it’s possible, so I haven’t put the possibility out of my head. AI advanced enough to respond to us like this _does_ exist, after all, albeit rare. You’ll remember, I’m sure, the works of Doctors Fujisaki and Klim in the 21 st century?”

 

“Did Chihiro Fujisaki get a doctorate posthumously?” Wanda said. “I wasn’t aware of that.”

 

“Indeed,” Jun said. “In any case, their works have led to the creation of several so-called ‘strong AI.’ While the propagation is still limited, it’s not impossible for Monokuma to be an AI in such a body.”

 

“What exactly are the limits of AI?” Wanda said. “I can’t say I’ve studied the field much.”

 

Jun smirked. “As expected. Humanistic debates are still occurring, of course, and the process of implanting AI into human bodies is a slower one than even that, but several leading politicians and philosophical thinkers have already begun to consider sufficiently advanced AI people in their own right. It’s entirely possible Monokuma, if he is indeed an AI, could obtain Japanese citizenship of his own. He’d probably have to change his face, though, seeing as it’d be like walking up to someone and saying your name was Mr. Swastika.”

 

Wanda nodded. “That might cause a few problems.”

 

“In any case,” Jun said, “AI aren’t fully complete yet. While AI with free will and thinking have been developed, there’s still something missing that nobody’s been able to pinpoint. The tests for it are…” He looked around. “Do you hear something?”

 

Wanda looked around. There did seem to be a bit of shaking from somewhere near them. A muffled, thunderous noise, like heavy footfalls of a rampaging beast.

 

Suddenly, the door to the Darkroom blew open, and Wanda saw Shinobu in the doorway, having just kicked it open.

 

“Morinaga,” Shinobu said. Usually, her quaint outbursts were much louder, but right now she was cold as ice. Perhaps she actually had something to be mad about.

 

“Oh, it’s you,” Jun said. “Fancy a cup of tea, oh Mistress of Mystery?”

 

“You,” Shinobu said, punctuating each word with a stamping footstep, “are not my quarry, Mr. Fukuyama.” She was now right in front of Wanda. Wanda stood up to meet her.

 

“Whatever could be the matter, Shinobu?” Wanda said. It was definitely different this time.

 

“Are you seriously asking me what could be the matter?” Shinobu said. She clutched Wanda’s blouse in her fist, to drag her closer. “What do you think is the matter, Wanda?”

 

Wanda sent her gaze to the distance to think. “Oh, are you still scared about that story about the ghosts?”

 

“What?” Shinobu said. “Are you actually serious?”

 

“Should I not be?” Wanda said. She looked behind Shinobu to see Rin, nervously peeking out from the doorway. She waved. “Hello, Rin. Is that where you were?”

 

Rin squeaked behind the doorway as Shinobu tightened her grip. “Don’t act so casually, you…you _predator!_ ” she said.

 

Jun snorted. “Predator? Now this I’ve got to hear.”

 

Shinobu scoffed. “You want to hear, then? Very well. This scum just saw fit to sexually harass Rin and is now acting like nothing’s wrong.”

 

“Wow.” Jun whistled. “Well, ain’t that a blockage problem.”

 

“Sexually harass?” Wanda said. “Well, that’s a bit of an odd claim. I made clear my interest in her. Are you certain you’re not just jealous?”

 

“Wha— _Jealousy,_ you think _that’s_ what’s motivating me?!” Shinobu shouted. “You…you myopic, amoral harpy!” Her teeth were gritted, and it seemed like her voice got even shriller every moment.

 

The door from the Stairwell opened. “Shinobu, put her down,” Claus said, jogging up.

 

“Claus, you don’t understand,” Shinobu said. “This piece of low-down filth…”

 

“Chizuru explained the situation to me,” Claus said. “I’m not happy either, but please put Wanda down. Let’s not come to blows.”

 

Shinobu looked at Claus, and then begrudgingly loosened her grip on Wanda’s clothes. Wanda’s feet touched the ground again. “Thank you, Claus,” Wanda said. “I appreciate the assistance.”

 

“I’m not here to help you,” Claus said. His arms were crossed, and he looked cross, to boot. “Wanda, you acted very improperly. I’d like to hear exactly what you thought you were doing in the hallway with Rin two hours ago.”

 

“Very well,” Wanda said. “I’ve developed an interest in Rin, and decided to make it clear to her by making advances on her. She didn’t rebuke my advances, so I thought it natural to keep going. Is that not natural?”

 

Claus opened his mouth to speak, raising his finger, and then closed it again. “Hm. Alright, where do I begin here? Well, she was, um…actually very upset,” he said.

 

“Was she?” Wanda said. “I didn’t realize.”

 

“You _didn’t realize,_ ” Shinobu said, “when you had to _lead her by the hand out of the hallway?_ ” Her fists were very tightly clenched.

 

“You disturbed her greatly,” Claus said, “by making forward motions without her consent.”

 

Wanda blinked. “She didn’t say no,” she said.

 

Claus breathed in through his nose and closed his eyes. “Wanda,” he said. “Not saying no is not the same as saying yes.”

 

“She is significantly stronger than I am,” Wanda said. “Surely, the Ultimate Hope would be able—?”

 

“Don’t force your idiotic ideas on her!” Shinobu screeched, her fists clenching into balls, and was that a bit of blood Wanda saw on her palms?

 

“Er, even if she is similar to Izuru Kamukura…” Claus said, adjusting his tie. “She is still a person all her own, and a person with only a week’s worth of memories, at that. While I can…” He sighed. “While I can understand your point of view, please do not make such…‘advances…’in the future.”

 

“Um.” From behind the two of them, Rin mumbled. “Can I say something?”

 

“Are you certain, Rin?” Shinobu said. “This charlatan may make sudden moves of some sort.”

 

“Yes, I’m certain,” Rin said. Shinobu acquiesced, and moved out of the way. Wanda now had direct line of sight to Rin. Ah, how beautiful she was. Everything Wanda believed in put into such an attractive human package. Even in this one instant, Wanda could not help but be amazed with how singularly amazing it was that a being so utterly desirable could exist. She found herself salivating within her mouth slightly. The curves of her body leading up to the wild safari of her hair, the singular point at the top a conduit for the light of the heavens, the only source of such brilliant genius that had delivered them all from certain death at the hands of Monokuma only yesterday, of mathematical skills that many would kill for, her stomach rising and falling as she breathed, bidding the words to come to her. Were she not remaining composed right now, Wanda would feel the need to frantically chew at her nails to exert some slight remnant of the energy she felt towards Rin Hashizawa, the Ultimate Hope. What a beautiful human she was.

 

“Hello, Rin,” _and may I say, you’re looking positively resplendent today,_ Wanda didn’t add.

 

Rin’s antenna puffed as she took a deep breath in. “Okay,” she said, putting her hands forward like she was about to karate chop somebody. “That thing! That you did. I didn’t like that! I don’t like you that way! Please don’t do it again. Also maybe just please don’t touch me for a while because you really freaked me out.” She finished her statement, which was louder than average, by letting out the rest of her breath. It was a very high-pitched noise, akin to a teapot boiling.

 

Wanda smiled. “Alright.” She was even quick on the rebound. How fabulous she was.

 

“Okay,” Rin said, backing away, giving two nervous thumbs up. “I’m hungry, so I’m going to go eat now. Later! Thanks everybody for listening! Hi Jun!” She walked, backwards, into the North Wing.

 

“I’m watching you,” Shinobu said to Wanda, before walking off after Rin.

 

“I wouldn’t put it that bluntly,” Claus said, “but please avoid such conduct in the future.” And then he went off too.

 

“Jeez,” Jun said. “Kinda fucked up, aren’t you?” he said to Wanda.

 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Wanda said. “I merely acted on convictions that I’ve held for quite some time. Is that not normal?”

 

“Well, I’m not much to speak about normal,” Jun said. “But probably not, no.”

 

“Hm,” Wanda said. She watched as the doors to the North Wing closed. “Do you have a dream, Jun?”

 

“A dream?” Jun said. “Of course. I want to be the greatest techie the world’s ever seen, and I won’t let anyone stand in my way.” He clenched his fist. “Not Monokuma, not any of you. I’ll get to the top.”

 

Wanda looked at Jun as he spoke. “I see. What a lovely dream. But, tell me, were something to attack your dream, make it a suboptimal choice for life… Say, if you were to have another ability, one that would secure your future permanently if you stuck with it, instead of your programming. Would you take it?” She watched him carefully.

 

“Is this a trick question?” Jun said. “Like hell I would. I won’t let anything get in the way of my dream. Even if I have to be starving in a gutter, unable to pay my rent, I’ll show the world my skills.”

 

“How beautiful,” Wanda said. “It’s people like you, Jun, who I admire the most. Never lose that conviction.”

 

Jun scoffed. “Didn’t need you to tell me that. You creep me out, lady.”

 

“I’ve gotten that reaction before,” Wanda said, laughing. “Still, though. Better to be unnerving than to be a coward, I think.”

 

**9:30 P.M.**

 

At dinner, Yayoi had gotten a stick up her craw about the long corridor in Goodhart Hall, and had insisted on checking it out thoroughly. She’d roped Gavin into coming along too, with him being the man for any such jobs. Given how late it was, the lights in the hallway were growing dimmer, and she apparently didn’t like the idea of stumbling around in the dark.

 

“So, Boss,” Gavin said. “Whaddya think we’re gonna find here?” He said, holding the door open for her. “Buried treasure? A portal to another dimension? A boat? I bet we find a boat! Totally gonna be a boat, man.”

 

“A boat can’t fit in here, Sakaki.” Yayoi rolled her eyes as she walked through the door.

 

“But what if the boat’s under us? Actually wait, yo, yo man that reminds me of a story,” Gavin said. He began placing his hands against the walls. “Okay, so bet there’s a pressure plate what leads to the boat. Oh, right, my story. So I’m on a boat this one time, out in the Pacific, right?”

 

The two checked the entire first area, before the door to the Basin, and found nothing of note on the walls…

 

“And so my buddy Yuya, I mentioned him to you, right? Guy who smells real nice? Anyway, so he picks up the meteorite, and says, ‘Yo, Silverman! I think you dropped your moon rock!’ And she turns around and looks at him like he just said he was the king of Beirut.”

 

Or the floor…

 

“So then, aw trip man, so then Wong shows up on his jetski, turns out he’d been riding that dolphin we passed earlier, and he tells me he found out where the long-lost Palace of Baba Ganoush he’d been looking for for years was! He even got the treasure! But he whips it out, and it’s a severed head he’s got in his pocket, and Yuya totally freaks!”

 

Or the ceiling. It was clean.

 

“And then my dog, Ruff Ruffhouseman, I mentioned him before right? He comes up and starts barking at the crazy kung fu dude, and it turns out this dude was raised by wolves and can speak dog! So Ruff Ruffhouseman and this dude become buds and the kung fu dude is cool with us now.”

 

And the Basin, it was a small room, so…

 

“…and so, Eliza, oh that’s Silverman’s first name, did I mention that? Anyway, she’s running down the street in the middle of NYC being chased by this crazy old dude dressed up as a giant can of Pepsi holding a foam baseball bat. Now, Yuya, Wong, and me, we’re all tripping over this, and I’m all freaking out so I lean over and I shout, as loud as I can-!”

 

“ _Ooooooooo…_ ”

 

Gavin frowned and stopped. What was that?

 

“What?” Yayoi said. “You told her ‘ooo?’ Hell’s that got to do with anything?”

 

“Uh, dude?” Gavin said. “That wasn’t me.”

 

Yayoi turned around from giving the Basin walls a good rubdown. “Whaddya mean it wasn’t you? Nobody else here, idiot. So quit making stupid noises and finish your damn story.”

 

“ _Ooooooooo…_ ”

 

“Gah!” Yayoi jumped. “The fuck was that?!”

 

“See, man?” Gavin said. He began to sweat. “Okay… Boss, don’t freak out, but… I don’t think we’re alone in here, man.”

 

Yayoi stomped over to the door and opened it. Gavin’s face fell. Monokuma was there.

 

“It’s true!” Monokuma said. “You WEREN’T alone in here. Puhuhuhu~”

 

“Man, Monokuma!” Gavin stepped out of the Basin, and he and Yayoi both leaned over and gave Monokuma the stinkeye. “Why you gotta be such a bummer?”

 

“It’s in my nature, young Padawan,” Monokuma said. “You should’ve seen the looks on your faces! Kyahahahahahaha!” And Monokuma fell onto the ground and began to roll around on the ground laughing.

 

“ _Ooooooooo…_ ”

 

Monokuma jolted up. “What was that.”

 

While Yayoi berated him for trying to trick them again, Gavin looked down the hall. He squinted and focused as hard as he could, but he couldn’t see anyone else in the hallway. It had to be Monokuma, right? And yet, something—

 

A louder noise than before roared through the hallway, akin to the roar of some horrible beast preparing to consume all three of them.

 

“Monokuma,” Yayoi said, swallowing. “You better cut that out,” she said, looking down into the darkness of the hallway as well.

 

“I-I-I-I-I’m not doing anything,” Monokuma said, his teeth chattering. “I mean, I was, but now I’m definitely not.”

 

“Man,” Gavin said. “Mans. Men. Oh man, oh god, oh man. Oh god, oh man, oh god.”

 

“There’s nothing back there, damnit!” Yayoi said. She picked up a marble she’d grabbed from Abilene Hall, and threw it forward, where it was absorbed by the darkness. “See? Nothing!” She turned around and smirked at Gavin and Monokuma, both of whom were quaking in their boots.

 

When the roaring noise again came from the back of the hallway, Yayoi was the fastest to bolt out of the room, all three of them tearing, screaming, from the hallway. They passed a very confused Luan, who’d been reading about various Hope’s Peak trivia, ran down the Stairwell, and Gavin and Yayoi locked themselves in their rooms for the rest of the night. And, so, the hallway in Goodhart Hall came to be known as the Haunted Corridor.

 

**11 P.M.**

 

Rin stretched out on her bed, and fell back with a burbling noise. Today had been exhausting for the Ultimate Amnesiac, and she was very ready for it to be over. There were a few questions remaining for the time being, but she pushed them all to the back of her mind. Well, all but one.

 

She thought about her little brother. She hadn’t mentioned explicitly, but a bit more about him had come back to her during that little freak out. Her deeply annoying little brother, who was always so smug about his understanding of how the world worked. He probably was smarter than her on some levels, honestly. And he…he was shorter than her, she realized, with a spike of the antenna. Yes, he was. Last she remembered, he was shorter than she was.

 

With a bright smile, she grabbed onto that fact. More and more was coming back to her about him—her little brother, her annoying, smug, beloved little brother. She pondered for a moment why nothing _else_ was coming back to her, but that would all happen in time.

 

Someone knocked on the door.

 

Rin grumbled and got out of bed, and just when she’d gotten properly comfortable, too! She opened the door, smacking her lips.

 

“Hello, Rin,” Claus said, clearing his throat and adjusting his necktie. Shinobu was there too. “We were just, ah. Well, we were in the neighborhood, and… Ahem. I found myself…”

 

“What Claus means to say,” Shinobu tittered, “is that we both decided to come around and see whether you were doing alright, dear.”

 

“Er, yes.” Claus’s eyes darted around. All in all, he looked rather comical, his statuesque figure contrasting with his deeply, deeply awkward stance. “Thank you, Shinobu.”

 

Rin looked at Claus. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m just…not entirely certain of the protocol for going to visit a girl my age at night,” Claus said.

 

“He’s precious, isn’t he?” Shinobu cackled. Rin couldn’t help but agree. “At any rate, Rin, _are_ you alright? I would hate to leave you in the lurch.”

 

Rin laughed. It was a nice, soft laugh, just the right level of intensity for this time of night. “I’m fine, you guys! Well, okay, it might be a bit awkward for a while, but… Really! I’m A-OK.” Her eyes drooped. “Well no, that’s not true. I’m really sleepy.”

 

“There’s only one cure for that,” Claus said. “We’re glad to see you’re doing well. See you in the morning?”

 

“Bright and early,” Rin nodded. Shinobu had already begun walking towards her own room, chattering to herself about the beauty of camaraderie, when Rin shut the door.

 

**The end of Day Six.**

 

**No students died today. Fifteen students remain.**

**Yashiro Narumi is still missing. No other abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**


	14. Day 7 - Flower Pattern

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In between publishing the last chapter and this one, I played through the entirety of Dangan Ronpa V3: Killing Harmony. To say I liked it would frankly be something of an understatement. It's easily my favorite game in the series, and I'd be totally satisfied if the series ended here.
> 
> It made me feel a bit hesitant about continuing, to be honest with you, but continue I did nonetheless. I wrote this story to write my own mystery, and that's the truth. I hope that, even with V3 released to the wild now, you'll still continue to enjoy Dangan Ronpa: Operation V.K. And to any who are just reading it now, well, I hope you're enjoying it!

**8 A.M.**

 

Word spread fast in such a small space. By the morning of the seventh day, the whole group seemed quite a bit more wary of Wanda, so even when Gavin and Yayoi had spoken up about the Haunted Corridor, nobody suggested she go investigate but her herself. However, nobody else seemed up to the idea of investigating a possible ghost, least of all Rin, who seemed very enthused about the idea of keeping that corridor as far away from herself as possible.

 

Claus steepled his fingers. “So, you’re certain it wasn’t Monokuma?”

 

“Well, it was at first,” Yayoi said, hand idly moving her hard hat around on her head. “But then while we were all together, the hallway starts roaring at us like a damn lion. No way a puny kid like Monokuma’s gonna be able to make that kinda noise, for one thing!”

 

“Noise generators are quite advanced,” Jun said. “It could’ve been some kind of prank.” (Now that Jun could reach high shelves, Claus had asked him if he would cook breakfast that morning, but with a scoff and a comment of 'you know programmers can't cook,' his answer was a resounding 'no.')

 

Gavin shook his head. “Naw, man. Gav knows fear when he sees it, and no way Monokuma wasn’t 100% scared when that was happening. We were _united_ in fear, J!”

 

Claus leaned back in his chair and stared up to the ceiling. Now, there was a ghost to deal with in addition to everything else? This was not his week.

 

“Really,” Wanda said. “I’m an expert in these sorts of things. It’s the entire reason I’m at Hope’s Peak.” And she was right, Claus supposed, but Shinobu glared at Wanda quite furiously, and that seemed to be that.

 

“It’s just in the one corridor, right?” Daisuke was visibly shivering. “If this thing shows up in my bar I’m going home!”

 

“How?” Miria said.

 

“I don’t know, I’ll just do it!” Daisuke said.

 

“I will not deny,” said Chizuru, who was beneath the table right in front of Claus’s legs, “that I find the idea of a ghost haunting that corridor deeply disturbing.”

 

“Whose ghost would it even be, though?” Rin said. “Do we know any ghosts that roar like that? Ghosts have to be people, right, that’s how that works?” Her antenna puffed.

 

“If ghosts were anything more than a flight of fancy, then potentially, yes,” Shinobu said. “My dear children, there is clearly a more rational explanation for all of this, one that will make itself apparent in quite the near future!”

 

“One that I could find quite easily…” Wanda said.

 

“You’re just spooked by the ghost,” Daisuke said. “Because of your whole…you-ness.” He gestured vaguely at Shinobu, who splayed her hand out onto her chest in mock indignation.

 

“Does it matter if there’s a ghost?” Kazuya said. “I mean, it might be making noises, but ghosts can’t hurt anyone, I don’t think.”

 

“But what if it tries to _possess someone?!_ ” Daisuke said. “And _take revenge from beyond the grave?!_ ”

 

“On who?” Kazuya said.

 

“The living,” Daisuke said, rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses as though it were the most obvious conclusion in the world.

 

“Depends on the type of ghost,” Wanda said. “Which I could really determine quite easily!”

 

Claus considered this for a very short moment. “Very well,” he said. “Have at it, Wanda.” She looked quite pleased.

 

“Wha— Claus?!” Shinobu said, looking a bit betrayed.

 

“It _is_ her field of expertise,” Claus said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to bar her from investigating it, especially since she’s volunteering so kindly to do it.”

 

Shinobu gritted her teeth, while Wanda smiled angelically as she so often did. “But,” Claus said, “take Luan with you, if you would.”

 

“Why Luan in particular?” Wanda said, tapping her cheek.

 

“Well, I imagine someone of his nature would not get spooked easily by ghosts,” Claus said. He crossed his arms. “Also, I have a good feeling about him.”

 

“That’s not the first time,” Rin said. “Do you just feel good about Luan in general?”

 

Claus adjusted his necktie. “I suppose I do,” he said. “He just seems like a reliable man.” He leaned back in his chair, and nodded at Luan, who nodded in kind.

 

The seventh breakfast, prepared by Stella, came out. Fourteen ate, one still lost who-knows-where. Fifteen. Claus gritted his teeth. Could he really protect fifteen people, if he had been unable to protect Aoto and Eriko? The longer this went, the greater a chance that they could all perish. Of course, if he himself were to die, that would absolve him of responsibility from that point on, but…

 

He shuddered. Claus Toranosuke realized, more keenly than he ever had, that he wanted to _live._ To go out and greet the sky once more, with his new friends by his side, perhaps.

 

Eriko had asked him once whether he’d had many friends. The truth was, Claus was the sort of man who many people knew, but few formed close relationships with. He’d wondered if it was perhaps from growing up with so many siblings, or perhaps his heritage, but he’d never come to a conclusive answer about himself. Introspection was not the Ultimate Principal’s bag, so to speak.

 

Perhaps it was not even life he grasped to, he realized, but to deeper truths about himself. The question of “who Claus Toranosuke was” was not a question that could be answered by sitting in here, and waiting to die.

 

He shook his head. “Er, I’m sorry, Gavin, could you repeat that? I didn’t hear that last part.”

 

Gavin shrugged, smiling. “Ey, sure thing, boss man. So, me and Lady are making a u-turn…”

 

 

**10 A.M.**

 

“Do you ever wish,” Daisuke said, grabbing his sitar, “that we could sleep places that aren’t our rooms?”

 

Stella rolled her eyes. “You mean like, maybe, _outside?_ Yeah, that’d be pretty great.” She took another drink of her water.

 

“He’s just saying he’s obsessed with this tiny-ass room,” Yayoi said, shaking her glass of iced tea to make a clinking noise and accentuate her words. “What’re you gonna do if the ghost possesses a wine glass, eh, Harada?”

 

“In that case, I’ll lie down and accept its strikes,” Daisuke said. “I’ll be grabbed by a ghoul in a fantastic resting place,” and at this point, he laid down and began to make bar angels on the floor.

 

Yayoi turned and gave Stella a “can you believe this guy” sort of look. Stella returned it with a shrug to say “yeah, I don’t get it either.”

 

“Your parents raise you to lie on the floor like an idiot?” Yayoi said, scoffing. “What, were you raised in a barn?”

 

“Eh, not too far off.” Daisuke stood back up again, his ponytail flopping as he did. “Barn, house with a bunch of little girls, same diff.”

 

“Sisters?” Stella said, staring him right in the sunglasses. For some reason, she’d pegged him as an only child.

 

“Three,” Daisuke said. “Two older, one younger, but most of us are within six years of each other. You have no idea how many times I’ve been forced into games of dress-up,” he moaned. “Mom always said I made a good girl.”

 

Stella snickered, and gave Daisuke a good look. “I can see it.”

 

“Dress-up’s a freaking nightmare,” Yayoi said. “My condolences, kid.”

 

“We’re the same age!” Daisuke said, his ponytail twisting like a scorpion’s stinger. “Ah, but yes, those were the halcyon days of my youth, like the scent of fresh lemon. Sometimes I wonder if they even miss me!” He laughed, but Stella could tell it wasn’t a real laugh.

 

“It’s only been a week,” Yayoi scoffed. “You never been away from home for a week?”

 

“Well...” Daisuke said, gritting his teeth. “Wait, there was that one time… No, that was a road trip with the whole family… Um… No,” he finally said, drooping onto the bar counter. “Argh, I can’t help it! I’m a homebody! I have no idea how you do anything,” he said, widely gesturing at Yayoi.

 

“Well, it ain’t easy.” Yayoi leaned back in her chair. “But if I work now, that’s that much more time I can spend at home later, once I’ve found the guy I’m looking for.”

 

Stella stared into her own reflection in her water. Yayoi had a _work ethic._ Stella found herself actually rather envious of Yayoi’s capacity to self-regulate.

 

“My home’s just my mom and I,” Stella said before she could stop herself. “Mom gets a few odd jobs on the side, but she can’t work anything too serious without having a breakdown any more. Dad kind of stiffs us on child support payments sometimes, so it gets pretty tough some weeks.” She laughed, but it was a dark, joyless laugh. “She’s probably worried sick… God, I hope she’s okay.”

 

Yayoi put her hand on Stella’s forearm, probably on instinct, but Stella flinched, gritting her teeth and making a hissing noise. _Ow._

 

“Ah, shit,” Yayoi said. “Sorry.”

 

Stella shivered a bit. Ow. She still felt it. God, she hated the reminder of all the shit she felt like she couldn’t help but do to herself. As long as she kept her clothes on, it could remain out of sight, but the instant anyone touched it, it was like her issues were under the spotlight again, and _god damnit not again!_

 

She slugged the rest of her water in an instant, a bit of it missing her mouth and dribbling down her front. It was a wonder the glass didn’t shatter from how hard she set it down.

 

“I need another,” Stella said. “Colder. Iced.”

 

Yayoi gritted her teeth while Daisuke went hurriedly back to grab Stella another glass. “Er,” Yayoi said. “You, uh…” She waved her hands a bit like she had something more complex she wanted to say, but it fizzled out. “Shit. Sorry.” Daisuke put down Stella’s glass of ice water, and she began drinking. The chill was a bit more than she could honestly handle, but it did serve to shock her system.

 

“I’m scared,” Stella said, halfway through her glass. “I’m scared that I’m going to die without telling my mom the truth about what a wreck I am. I could kind of see it in her eyes, you know, she knew something was wrong but she didn’t know how to get it across, but I didn’t feel like I should say anything since I thought it would just worry her more for nothing, so—!” She slammed the glass and drained the rest of her water. “ _Fuck I wish I could stop talking._ ”

 

“Trouble keeping your floodgate shut?” Yayoi looked down at her own glass. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” She raised her glass and shook it a bit. “Fuckin’ Monokuma.”

 

“Fuckin’ Monokuma,” Stella agreed. “God. When did I get in the habit of spewing all this crap?”

 

Yayoi snorted. “Way I see it, I think it’s Hashizawa rubbing off on you. Good kid, that one.” She nodded to herself. “Gonna go far in life, I can tell.”

 

“What about me?” Stella smirked. “How far am I gonna go?”

 

“You can go plenty of places, Masaki, you’ve just gotta get yourself outta this rut of yours,” Yayoi said. “Er, I mean, you know. It’s probably not that easy and all but.”

 

Stella laughed, and this time, it was an honest laugh. “Eh, well.” She looked towards the wall of bottles. “Hey, Yayoi. You…you liked Aoto, didn’t you?”

 

Yayoi clenched her glass in the palm of her hand. “He was a good kid. Simple. Genuine. Wasn’t hard to like him,” she said. “Had the stupidest hair I’ve ever seen, though.”

 

“Do you think…?” Stella started, but then trailed off. The two of them sat in silence for a time. “Do you think he’d resent me, for living instead of him?”

 

“Naw,” Yayoi said, angling her glass at Stella’s. “Don’t think he had a resentful bone in his body. Betcha if we called him back up now, he’d be happy as a clam that you lived anyway.”

 

Stella chuckled. “Probably. He was that kind of guy.” She felt under her eyes. “Do I have bags? I feel like I have bags.”

 

“Yeah,” Yayoi said. “You look like shit.”

 

“Ugh,” Stella said. “This is hell on my health. I wanna go home and, I don’t know. I’m feeling like an entire carton of strawberry ice cream right now.” She ran her hands through her hair.

 

“Not much of an ice cream kid, myself,” Yayoi said. “But you do you.”

 

Yeah, sure. She’d eat ice cream when she got home, with this life that Aoto and Rin had given her. Stella thought that sounded pretty okay.

 

**12:30 P.M.**

 

“Pardonnez-moi?” Monokuma said, tilting his head. “You want to what now?”

 

Miria nodded. “I was thinking that maybe Chi-chan and I could live here after this is over,” she said. “So I was wondering if that would be possible, sir.”

 

Monokuma blinked and made an odd little bouncing noise. “Well that’s the strangest thing I’ve ever heard. Someone actually _asking_ me to stay? Geez, first I want them to stay and they won’t keep still, and then this…”

 

“But you’re not Junko Enoshima,” Miria said. “So that wasn’t you.”

 

“It was still Monokuma!” Monokuma said. “Sure, if you get caught up in technicalities, you could mayyyybe say that I’m not _exactly_ the same, but look at this soft, cuddly exterior, this fabulous, nostalgic voice, my gorgeous eyes like limpid pools!” he cried. “100% MK-Ultra Brand, baby!”

 

Miria sat down on the stairs. She had called Monokuma in the bottom of the Stairwell. “Okay,” she said. Monokuma tried to come sit down next to her, but… Well, his legs were rather stubby, and his arms… Oh dear. He was having quite a lot of trouble. “Can you climb the stairs?”

 

“Ghhrk!” he said, exerting quite a bit of force. “Grrack! I’ll get it! I’m a tough bear, I am! Yeahhhhhhh, babyyyyyy!”

 

He wasn’t getting anywhere, so Miria picked him up and placed him on the stair next to her. “Thank you,” Monokuma said, blushing.

 

“So that’s why you need the holes,” Miria said, smiling. She laughed lightly as Monokuma fumed.

 

“I can neither confirm nor deny this idea!” Monokuma said. “But anyway, so you actually want to stay here with the crazy bear that’s trying to get you all to kill each other? You nuts, lady? Or could it be you’re…into that kind of thing?”

 

Miria shook her head. “No,” she said. “I just think you seem nicer than Mama, or Chi-chan’s dad… I haven’t asked her about this yet. I should.”

 

Monokuma was silent for a moment. “Wow,” he whistled. “You’ve got quite the home life if I seem like an improvement!”

 

“You also seem kind of lonely,” Miria said. Monokuma’s eye went wide and odd sweat lines began going down his face. “I don’t think I’d mind keeping you company.”

 

In his eye, she could see herself reflected. It was oddly fitting, how she was almost entirely grey, and he so starkly black and white. She couldn’t help it. At the end of the day, she felt sympathy for the bear that she didn’t fully understand.

 

“If this comes to the kind of resolution where you’re both alive,” Monokuma said, “then sure. I’ll see if I can give you the place. Hell, maybe I’ll even stick around and liven your days up a bit with my stunning comedy and interpretive art skills! You ever seen me dance? I’m pretty _sensual,_ lemme tell you. All the ladies come running when I perform my state of the art Kuma-Kuma Mating Dance.”

 

“I don’t think I would,” Miria said.

 

“Well, yeah, you’re into girls,” Monokuma said. “Sure, nitpick it. The _reasonable majority_ of girls come running when I perform my state of the art Kuma-Kuma Mating Dance.”

 

“Okay,” Miria said.

 

“Thank you, thank you. You’re too kind,” Monokuma said. “Seriously. Wanting to live with Monokuma! How odd.”

 

“But you don’t mind, do you?” Miria said. “You seem kind of happy.”

 

Monokuma blushed and looked away. “Sure, sure, read into it whatever you want. And I bet you’ll even really enjoy the next floor.”

 

“Oh boy!” Miria’s eyes lit up. He had said the magic words. “Can I climb something?”

 

“I can neither confirm nor deny the pres— _Urk!_ ” Monokuma was cut off by Miria’s tight grip, a squeeze that she had practiced many a time. She was hugging him. She hoped this didn’t count as violence.

 

“Thank you, Monokuma.” She pulled away. “Really. Thank you.”

 

“Whatever,” Monokuma said, falling into a hole and disappearing. “Now go do…whatever it is you do with yourself on a daily basis!”

 

“Okay,” Miria said.

 

**2 P.M.**

 

“My goodness, but laundromats are inconvenient,” Shinobu said, slamming the door shut on the washing machine for her lights. “I count myself lucky to have my own laundry capabilities.”

 

She spun on her heel and righted herself in one swift motion to face Kazuya and Gavin. She was pretty certain Chizuru was in the room too, but she wasn’t entirely certain.

 

“It could be worse,” Kazuya said. Shinobu was actually running interference so nobody else would be particularly inclined to look at the machines a few aisles down that _his_ clothes were in, but thankfully, Gavin was reasonably easy to placate. “You could have to dry it by hand.”

 

“Right you are, my friend,” Shinobu said. “Right you are. Cleaning one’s clothes by hand is quite the arduous task, if I do say so myself.” She wasn’t sure how to take the look of surprise on Gavin’s face. “What?”

 

“Wait, you mean you don’t have like, butlers and stuff?” Gavin said. “I thought people’d just do your clothes for you, man!”

 

“I…was also under that impression,” Chizuru said. “You have the attitude of one I would expect to have such a life.”

 

Shinobu cackled. Ah, this was not an uncommon misconception. Kazuya had had the same idea when the two of them first became friends. “No, no, my dears. Naught but Shinobu works for Shinobu. I live alone, you see, and as such I must fend for myself.”

 

“You live out in the country, right?” Kazuya said. “Do people who know you come by to help?”

 

“Occasionally,” Shinobu said. “After all, the dotty teen novelist in the house by herself who lights up the shopping district with her unique laugh is a bit of a town fixture. I’m something of a local celebrity if I do say so myself,” she said, with catlike glee, a sparkle in her eyes. “Ah, every time I go shopping, I hear the clarion calls of exclusive details because ‘oh you’re so gosh-darn cute, will you think about marrying my child?’”

 

“Whoa,” Gavin said. “That’s pretty dope, Nobe.”

 

Shinobu cackled. “Dope, indeed, my anachronistically-dressed friend! I actually received my start handing out the newspapers for my town. The editor thought I was such a curious little thing that he decided one day that he would let the small girl who consumed his papers like water write a little something for them.”

 

“And that’s how you got here?” Chizuru’s voice sounded almost awed. “That’s amazing.”

 

“Yo, man, actually I’ve got a question,” Gavin said. “You know, while we’re talking all things Nobe-mizu and all. What was the deal with _Butterfly_?” He pushed his Hasselhoff up and frowned. “I read that thing, and man, I didn’t get it! Who was Monarch?”

 

Shinobu blinked before registering what Gavin had just said, and oh my good lord, he had read her books. “You’ve read my books!” She grasped him by the lapel! “Gavin, my dear boy, you’ve read my books!”

 

“Well yeah oh geez man you’re shaking me,” Gavin said beneath the onslaught of Shinobu’s sheer exultation. Ah, yes! Bliss! To meet someone who appreciated your works was the greatest of pleasures. She needed to continue shaking him to express the depth of this beautiful moment!

 

“You don’t know how dearly I always treasure a chance meeting with a fan,” Shinobu said. “You really just can’t comprehend how miraculous an event it is.”

 

“Okay stop shaking me now,” Gavin said.

 

Shinobu put him down. “Haha, oh, I am so sorry my dear boy, I’m just excited is all. In, ahah, in any case, you were asking about _Butterfly,_ no?”

 

“What’s _Butterfly_?” Kazuya said. “One of your books?”

 

“Indeed,” Shinobu said. “Of my novels, it’s the ninth to star my ace detective, Kagura Yuzuriha. It was a touch experimental, I will admit.”

 

“I mean, most of her books tell you who the culprit is!” Gavin said. “But this one, the guy’s like, ‘well, job’s done here’ and rides off into the sunset when he figures it out and he don’t even give you any clues! It’s like…” He gestured wildly. “Man!”

 

“Hm,” Shinobu said. “ _Butterfly_ tells of young Kagura’s battle against the legendary phantom thief Monarch, named so because her telltale sign is a golden butterfly which appears without warning on evenings when she is to strike her marks. Monarch, you see, has appeared as an unlikely ally in three of Kagura’s adventures before this point, and Kagura considers her his greatest rival as a detective.”

 

“Monarch’s cool as heck!” Gavin said. “Me and a bunch of my buds kept shooting theories to each other about like, yo, what makes Monarch tick? I know this one dude who kept insisting Monarch was gonna be this super-sexy babe who was also Kagura’s childhood friend and then they’d boink.”

 

“Of course,” Shinobu said. “In _Butterfly,_ Kagura is issued a personal challenge by Monarch to solve her mystery before she steals one of the greatest treasures in all Japan: the legendary, almost mythical fortune of financial mogul Kyoji Kurato. He is the only one to receive this challenge, as Monarch does not believe that any other on the face of the planet truly deserves to know her.”

 

“I see,” Chizuru said. “But you never revealed Monarch’s true identity to the readers?”

 

“Kagura learns it,” Shinobu said. “But he does not share the final conclusion he reaches with the audience. Certainly, several mysteries, especially those regarding Mr. Kurato, come to light, but in the end, Kagura remains the only one Monarch believes deserves to know her.”

 

“That’s…really weird for a mystery,” Kazuya said. “Isn’t half the appeal figuring it out?”

 

“Indeed,” Shinobu said. “And it is for this reason that when I receive the scant letter telling me, oh, Ms. Koshimizu, I have reached the truth of Monarch, and thank you for giving me this text which speaks to me so dearly, it warms my heart like none other.”

 

“Wait, people actually did figure it out?” Gavin said. “You’re tripping.”

 

“Not in the slightest, friend.” Shinobu wagged her finger. “I, as the author, can guarantee that all the clues are there in the story! The onus is merely on you to reach a conclusion you are happy with.”

 

“So, it’s a mystery the detective doesn’t solve for you,” Kazuya said.

 

“If only one in a thousand reach the truth of _Butterfly,_ I am satisfied,” Shinobu said. “Of course, for the sake of my livelihood, I did put out a more traditional novel alongside it, and how relatively dreadful _The Great Clock_ was!”

 

“Wait, yo, those were the same time?” Gavin said. “So… wait. When Monarch shows up in _High Noon, My Dear,_ does he—?”

 

“Kagura at that point does in fact know the truth of Monarch,” Shinobu said.

 

“I knew it!” Gavin fistpumped. “Yeah! I know this guy who was like, ‘ _Butterfly_ can’t be canon, man! If the internet theories are right it totally ruins Monarch’s waifu appeal!’ But it totally is, I heard it from the author herself!” He did some sort of punching dance. “Score one for Sakaki! Hoo-hah!”

 

“I would never give an unsolvable mystery to my audience,” Shinobu said. “That would be against what mysteries stand for. I merely wished to give my own homage to one of the greatest mystery works of the 21st century in my own personal manner. Perhaps one day, when I am old and ragged, I shall reveal that truth to the general public; but that day has yet to come.”

 

“Did you get any bad publicity for it?” Chizuru said. “It seems an odd move.”

 

“Well, yes.” Shinobu chuckled. “But thankfully, owing to my aversion to large crowds, I have had very little outright defamation in public over it. Merely online outlets mocking my attempts at more experimental storytelling, and the occasional huckster saying I’m dried up at sixteen. Really, now, such reactionary storytelling is hardly befitting of professionals.”

 

“I think I’d like to read it,” Kazuya said. “When we get out of here, I mean.”

 

“It’s an epic yarn, man!” Gavin said. “Even if I didn’t get it. Maybe I’ll take another look at it, see if I can come up with anything.”

 

Shinobu beamed. “That would make me happier than anything, I think.”

 

**4 P.M.**

 

With a loud recoiling noise, the punching bag bounced back and bopped Yayoi in the face, knocking her back a bit. She spat. At least this thing was in working order, she decided to herself for the eighth time that day.

 

“Er…” Claus mumbled from behind. “Do you need anything?”

 

“Nah,” Yayoi said, removing her hard hat and spinning it around on her finger. “That’s about all I’ve got in me.”

 

The truth was that she’d been pounding at that bag for about an hour now. It would’ve been Fukuyama’s face, and maybe Morinaga if she gave Yayoi a funny look, if the world were perfect, but the punching bag had better bounce to it anyway. Claus was here as a helpful assistant because he was a reliable sort of guy.

 

“Yayoi,” Claus said. From the sound of it, he was adjusting his necktie. Where did he pick up that habit, anyway? “Are you quite alright?”

 

“Huh?” She turned to look at him, donning her safety vest as she did. “Well, why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“It just, uh.” Claus waved his hand aimlessly. “It seems as though you have a lot of pent-up aggression, and that sort of thing can be bad for one’s blood pressure.”

 

She blinked at him. “You saying you don’t?”

 

“Well, er,” Claus stammered. “I think you and I communicate these sorts of emotions in very…different ways.

 

Yayoi decided at this point to lay down on the ground of the Gymnasium. The floor was cool beneath her back, that much she could tell. “This shit ain’t fair, Claus.”

 

“What do you mean?” Claus said.

 

“All I’m tryin’ to do,” Yayoi said, raising her arms towards the ceiling, “is keep me and my sister afloat, and keep her alive. What the hell am I here for? So maybe we’re all connected in some minor-ass way that whoever’s running this show thinks is important enough to kill us over, but I’ve never even met any of these goofballs before this! I’m just some kid who shouts a lot and tells big muscley guys where to put down steel pipes!”

 

“I…” Claus looked down at his feet, before sitting down next to Yayoi. “To tell you the truth, though it hasn’t given me any clues, I do have an idea, regarding myself, and why I might be here.”

 

“Do tell,” Yayoi said.

 

“The Marufuji College Tech Expo,” Claus said. “The same one that Jun was a participant in. I had already had my credibility for Hope’s Peak tested well enough to determine my aptitude, so as an up and coming student I was selected as one of the judges.”

 

Yayoi sat up, mouth agape. “No way. You’re telling me you and _Fukuyama_ are on the same axis here?”

 

“It’s likely,” Claus said. “Both of us have had taken our memories regarding some aspect of the Expo. The mastermind might also have some connection to it, if trends remain true.”

 

“Just gag me already,” Yayoi said. “This mystery shit is way beyond me. Leave it to the professionals. Leave me out of this, dammit.” She flopped back onto the ground.

 

“Isn’t it bad for your health, to start and stop so suddenly?” Claus said. He raised an eyebrow. “After all, you’ve just been exercising quite strenuously.”

 

“Shut up,” Yayoi said. “You’re such a dope, you know that? I got no clue how you manage to keep people in line.”

 

“Hm,” Claus said. “Well, I think it’s reasonable to assume that you and I have very different clientele. Not, it seems, that either of us has much luck in this environment.” He looked down. To Yayoi’s eyes, he looked almost like a statue, etched into this moment of quiet suffering for all eternity-

 

“Bleugh,” Yayoi said, shivering. “Shinobu’s rubbing off on me.” She shook her head. Claus’s face looked about normal for someone who couldn’t read minds. “I wonder what it’s like outside right now.”

 

“I think,” Claus said, “that I would like it if it were raining. Ordinarily, rain isn’t necessarily something I enjoy standing in, but right now I would find it quite refreshing.”

 

“Hot or cold rain?” Yayoi said.

 

“Cold, of course,” Claus said. Ah, good. He gave the right answer. Yayoi nodded, satisfied.

 

“You got anything you’d regret if you died in here?” Yayoi said, cocking her head towards him after a moment of silence. Claus looked down upon himself and pondered.

 

“I think,” said Claus, “that my greatest regret would be not being able to do anything more for the group. There are other things, of course, but that is foremost in my mind.”

 

“How noble,” Yayoi said, and scoffed. “Even the shitty ones?”

 

“Even the shitty ones,” Claus repeated, looking her in the eyes. “I didn’t become the Ultimate Principal by picking and choosing the students. If the group has chosen me as a leader figure, then it’s my duty to attempt to protect _all_ of them.”

 

“Helluva lot more noble than I am, anyway,” Yayoi said. “You’re a better man than me, Claus, that’s for damn sure.”

 

“But you’re not a man,” Claus said, grinning.

 

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” Yayoi said, lightly shoving him. They both laughed.

 

“Not a man, indeed,” Claus said, and the two shared a quiet moment over their mutual understanding of Yayoi’s womanhood.

 

“Shit, I’m bored,” Yayoi said, looking around. “It’s so damn claustrophobic in here. The hell kind of place even is this, anyway? Gotta have some reason to exist, right? Nobody has the money to just build something like this in… Where the hell are we?” Her gaze turned to Claus, or at least, where Claus should’ve been. “Claus?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Claus said, sweating, hurrying back into the room with a box in his hands. “I just thought I should really do something to alleviate your boredom, and an idea struck me that I felt the need to…” He stopped. Yayoi looked down at the box.

 

“Chess?” she said.

 

“I’m rather fond,” Claus said. “And you seemed rather competitive against Aoto. I thought taking your mind off things with this might be a good idea.”

 

“Never played in my life,” Yayoi said. She grinned. “You’re on.”

 

**6 P.M.**

 

Daisuke kicked back his legs and splayed out on the bar counter. He’d picked up some light reading from the Archive to entertain himself while he didn’t have any customers, and had also spent some time vaguely strumming out a few bars of Beck. _Soy un perdidor,_ after all.

 

It felt rather apropos. After all, who the hell was he in this situation? A young boy out of Kyushu, that’s who, completely out of his element, wrapped up in some kind of vortex of bear murder with a bunch of celebrities and wackos.

 

“ _Soy un perdidor,_ indeed,” he said to himself, and sighed.

 

The bell rang. “You’re a loser?”

 

Daisuke looked up, but he could tell who it was without doing so. The squeaks gave Jun away. “It’s Beck,” Daisuke said. “How did you even get up here?”

 

“I was assisted,” Jun said. “I’d like some champagne.”

 

Daisuke’s face twisted. “Oh really?” he said. “You sure that’s not too high-brow for me? Apparently I’m pretty stupid,” he said, grabbing the champagne bottle anyhow.

 

Jun began to roll his eyes, but stopped. He made a small grunting noise that Daisuke couldn’t quite make out. “What was that?” Daisuke said. “You’re talking pretty fast for my caveman brain.”

 

“I’m _sorry,_ ” Jun said.

 

The champagne bottle almost took a deadly fall as the stunned Brewmaster wavered dangerously close to going off point. “Wait wait, did you just apologize to me?”

 

“What if I did?” Jun said. “Is that really so surprising?” He looked…a little wounded.

 

“Uh, I mean,” Daisuke stammered. “Yeah, kind of.”

 

Jun sighed. He pouted a little. “Just so we’re clear, it’s not like I’m saying we’re friends. But I…may have acted a bit too harshly towards you, in my fury, a few days ago, and I’m sorry.”

 

“You’re picking _me_ to apologize to?” Daisuke said, his ponytail hopping. “What? Why not, I don’t know, Stella?”

 

The Net Admin grunted again. “I tried,” he said. “She walked away. And then Murasaki punched me. Again.”

 

Daisuke blinked. “Wait, you actually…” He shook his head. “Okay, back up. Where’s this new Apologetic Jun coming from?”

 

Jun let out a sharp, high-pitched breath through his nose. “I’ve been _thinking,_ ” he said, “about the fact that, in my haste to defeat Monokuma, I injured not only myself, but several others, and put the lives of everyone here in danger.”

 

“Since when do you care?” Daisuke said. “I thought you didn’t want to be friends.”

 

“Will you can it for one god damned second so that I may _speak!?_ ” Jun shouted, leaning forward in his chair and almost running into the glass of champagne Daisuke had poured. “Er.”

 

“It’s the drink you asked for,” Daisuke said. “There a problem with it?

 

“…No,” Jun said, after studying the drink.

 

There was a quiet period where Jun enjoyed his glass of champagne. Daisuke had tasted the champagne in question, and knew it was quite good, so he was pretty certain Jun would like it.

 

“It’s good,” Jun said. He did like it. Bingo.

 

“Sure you aren’t just sorry because Yayoi hit you so hard?” Daisuke said.

 

“I won’t deny that’s a factor,” Jun said. He looked, downcast, into his drink. “What do you live for, Harada?”

 

“Not much,” Daisuke said. “Basically this, but a bit wider and with more people.”

 

Jun laughed. “I’m alive so that I can get into Hope’s Peak. It’s my sole reason for existing. If I die before I get into Hope’s Peak, then I am a worthless human being. It occurred to me listening to Wanda speak about Izuru Kamukura that I can understand the man’s desire. The only difference, of course, is that I am in fact talented.”

 

“That’s a bit heavy,” Daisuke said. “Do you like, not have any friends or anything?”

 

“No,” Jun said. “Do I seem like the sort of man who would have friends? I only particularly know one person my age: my greatest rival, and the one who I defeated at the Tech Expo. She might have tried a few times to befriend me, but I am not a particularly trusting man.”

 

“Mm,” Daisuke said, nodding.

 

“However,” Jun said, “three people have confused me within this week. The first was Aoto Maebara, who freely trusted me to take his Handbook, and was fine with spending hours alone with me. The second was Eriko Shigure, who not only possessed motives that led her to move completely out of my calculations, but also fretted over me and seemed quite enthused that I should socialize. Hashizawa even claimed she might’ve been… _fond_ of me.”

 

Daisuke's ponytail flipped a bit. "Ehhh... I guess I can see that."

 

“And the third…is Gavin Sakaki,” Jun said, leaning over onto the bar counter. “A man I can completely not even begin to understand. He speaks with a dialect I’ve never encountered in my life, that I’m not certain even exists. He is an absolute buffoon, yet is conscientious and forceful when required. Without even skipping a beat, he extended his assistance to me. He even left me when he assisted me to come up here. He trusted me, Harada, to be alone.”

 

Daisuke hummed. “That’s quite a move on his part.”

 

“I don’t understand it,” Jun said. “I do not understand any of these three people’s kindness towards me. Don’t think me unaware, I am quite aware that I am an unpleasant man, especially after the first trial occurred, but I’m not so rude that I’d let a kindness go without repayment. And…additionally, I find myself wanting to understand how they see the world.”

 

The bar was quiet. Some of the lighting buzzed. “What do you mean?” Daisuke said.

 

“I’m not sure myself,” Jun said. “But I know, at least, that one step to repaying my debt to the deceased and Gavin is to make amends for the harm I’ve visited upon everyone else in here, much as I may detest several members of this group.”

 

“Still a ray of sunshine as ever,” Daisuke said. “Still, if you’re gonna stop being such a dick, that’s good, I guess. Just make sure you aren’t just bluffing. You can talk all you want, but it’s gonna take work to walk the walk.”

 

Jun clicked his tongue. “Walk the walk. What does that even mean in this context? All I need to do is make amends. It’s not like it matters if anyone likes me or not.”

 

“Well,” Daisuke said, leaning over with a grin, “You’re stuck with us for three years of high school, ol’ buddy ol’ pal!”

 

“What is it with you people and these affectionate mannerisms?!” Jun spat. “I swear, ‘ol’ buddy ol’ pal?’ You’d think we were out on the range with each other!” He rolled his eyes. “I’m going to go find Gavin. At least with him it makes sense. Thank you, Mr. Harada. Good evening.”

 

And just like that, Jun wheeled out of the room. From outside, Daisuke heard Gavin making noises of greeting. It seemed that Gavin had waited for Jun so that he could assist him down the stairs. It almost brought a tear to Daisuke’s eye. Friendship was a wonderful thing, even for a tool like that guy.

 

**9 P.M.**

 

The heat of the Woodworking room had begun to get to her, but Rin had finally put the finishing touches on her project. She’d been in there just about all day, so apart from a brief visit from Luan, she hadn’t seen much of anybody. Rin huffed, and her antenna curled into a happy point.

 

Her work was fragile, so she took up both of them in her hands, carefully, and began to gingerly shuffle out of Goodhart Hall. She passed the glaring portraits of both Izuru Kamukuras, entered the Stairwell, and went down the Stairwell. Her goal was in Abilene, so she turned to her left from the stairs, and then turned left again. The excitement in her steps carried her yet faster- ah, there it was! The trophy case! Perfect!

 

It opened with a pleasant, glassy noise as she pulled on the bar. One, two, being sure to be gentle, she placed her creations in the trophy case, side-by-side. Yes! They were perfect!

 

“Rin, what is that stain on your sweater?!” a voice from behind her shouted. Oh, that was Claus. Oh wait, she had a red stain on her sweater.

 

“Oh, uh!” She turned around. “Sorry, sorry!” She waved her hands in an attempt to calm him. Stella was also there, as it turned out, giving her a strange look. “It’s paint! There’s some in Woodworking,” Rin said, hastily attempting to control the situation.

 

“Is that where you’ve been all day?” Stella said. “I didn’t think you did, uh... whittling.”

 

Rin giggled. “Well, I didn’t until now, but I decided I should really give it a try. Here, let me show you.” She swept away from the trophy case, and gestured widely to it. “Ta-da!”

 

“What is…?” Claus said, before gasping, his hand raising to his face. “Oh, my!”

 

“I kinda wanted it to be a surprise,” Rin said, “but I mean, news travels fast around here, so…” She trailed off as Stella began vaguely walking towards the trophy case, her arm reaching out as if the figurines inside were a mirage.

 

“Aoto,” she croaked. “And Eriko.”

 

Rin huffed in pride. She hadn’t spent all day learning how to whittle for nothing! She turned to admire her handiwork, the tufts of the wooden Aoto’s hair tapering off to red at just the right place, leaning back with a laid-back smile, and Eriko tapping at her miniature clipboard, her hat square on her head, looking like she was about to go into a full-bore run to tell someone to go to bed or to eat properly. They were both painted as intricately as Rin could manage at the smaller scale. She had even managed to carve the individual spikes on Aoto’s head! It was a pretty good job, if she said so herself. They were both on small stands. It had taken some pretty fine work!

 

“I would really hate it,” Rin said, “if we all started forgetting what they looked like, or what they acted like. So I wanted to make sure nobody forgot. They’re both just as important as everyone else here.”

 

“Rin…” Stella began crying. “Oh my god.” For once, Claus was utterly speechless.

 

“What?” Rin said. “Oh no, did I do something wrong?”

 

“No,” Stella said, looking at her and smiling through the tears. “They’re amazing, Rin. I love them.”

 

“The craftsmanship,” Claus said, croaking out something through his own tears. “It’s incredible. I feel like…any moment they’re going to start talking again.”

 

Soon enough, not just three, but eleven people were present in the hall to witness Rin’s handiwork. The reactions had been rather varied; from praise for Rin (from Kazuya in particular), to silent tears (from Yayoi), to not-so-silent tears (from Daisuke), and so on. Rin imagined Luan would have quite the reaction to seeing Eriko when he was finished too, but there was one person missing from the room other than he and Wanda.

 

“What am I here for?” said a petulant voice from the entrance of the hall, squeaking in, led by Gavin.

 

“Just look, J,” Gavin said. “Rin made something. Methinks you’ll like it, dude.”

 

“I seriously doubt,” said Jun, wheeling up past the crowd, “that Hashizawa could make…anything…” He trailed off as he saw Aoto and Eriko in the trophy case.

 

The room was dead silent as Jun wheeled up to the trophy case. Rin saw Gavin smiling in the background. Stella and Yayoi’s usual hateful looks towards the Net Admin were tempered, as he looked, right now, rather small and vulnerable.

 

“Oh,” he croaked. He could see them fully on right now, and his face in the reflection looked to be scrunching up in a different manner from his usual. “It’s Aoto and Eriko, is it.” He was gritting his teeth. “I suppose the craftsmanship is rather decent,” he said, screwing his eyes shut. “The paint work is adequate.” His cheeks were red, and he was biting his lower lip. “They’re…they’re okay, I guess.” She could see the faint glimmer of snot in his nose.

 

If Rin learned nothing else today, she learned that Jun Fukuyama was a very messy crier.

 

**10:30 P.M.**

 

Jun had given her some odd looks afterwards, but on the whole, Rin’s unveiling of her statuettes seemed to have gone over quite well. She fell backwards into her bed, her antenna flopping over lazily. Turned out whittling was pretty tiring, so she was very ready for that knock on her door.

 

Wait, no. She wasn’t ready for a knock on her door at all. She got out of her bed, mumbling a bit, but ceased mumbling when she opened the door to see one Shinobu Koshimizu, standing at her door, looking a fair bit less self-assured than usual. She was pointing her index fingers together, sweating a bit, and had a nervous smile on her face.

 

“Ah,” Shinobu said. “Rin. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you here. Wait, no. No, no, no. That doesn’t make sense in this context, this is your room,” she babbled. “What am I talking about? Of course I’d find you in your room, that’s why I came here.”

 

“Hi, Shinobu,” Rin said, smiling. Her antenna puffed amicably. “What’s up?”

 

“Hm,” Shinobu said. “Well, up is a direction, of course, but it’s also a colloquialism to say…” She trailed off. “Um. Well, you see, it’s a bit of a delicate matter, eh, aheh, yes. Erm. May—?” She stopped herself for a second. “May I come in, it is wracking my nerves to be standing out here.”

 

“Sure,” Rin said. She didn’t really see any problem with Shinobu coming in.

 

A few moments later, Shinobu and Rin were sat on the bed together, Shinobu seeming quite a bit less nervous than she was before.

 

“I believe,” Shinobu said, “that I may have gotten off to a bad first impression with you.”

 

Rin pondered this for a second. Come to think of it, Shinobu had been the only person, to begin with, that she’d decided she _didn’t_ like. What had happened to that? Well, of course, she could figure that out. It was mostly on Day Three, after the ping-pong tournament. After all, Kazuya seemed quite fond of Shinobu, and Kazuya was significantly more trustworthy, so Rin had had some time to get acclimated to Shinobu’s peculiarities. Hm. Wait, wait.

 

“Oh, I remember,” Rin said. “Yeah, you seemed really hostile when you first saw me. What was up with that?”

 

“Ahah!” Shinobu said. Oh, there were the nerves again, that was a nervous chuckle. “Yes, that is…a good question.”

 

Rin pondered. Knowing Shinobu, what could be the cause? Of course, it was possible that Shinobu was hiding something, but Shinobu seemed like the type who had very few secrets, honestly. Jun was rude, but he was right earlier when he said she’d probably project it. Projection, okay, so why would she react that way to Rin in particular? Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Rin blinked.

 

“Shinobu,” she said, after a long, uncertain pause. “Are you…are you afraid of vampires?”

 

“NO,” Shinobu shouted, leaping almost to the moon. “I am _not_ afraid of _things that don’t exist,_ ” she said, her voice still quite loud, her eyes wide.

 

“Were you hostile towards me because you thought I looked like a vampire?” Rin said.

 

“Um,” Shinobu said. “ _No!_ No. No, haha, why would you get that impression?”

 

“Oh my god,” Rin said, beginning to laugh. “That’s _adorable._ ” It was a bit of a question off of her mind, too.

 

“That _aside,_ ” said Shinobu, frantically trying to regain her gravitas, “I must say, I…hm… Rin, would you say I’m…” Her eyes darted back and forth a bit. “Am I annoying?”

 

Rin blinked. “I mean, you can come off that way sometimes. I don’t think so, but I can imagine why somebody could think that.”

 

“And, er…” Shinobu said, twiddling her fingers again. “Am I nosy?”

 

“Oh, definitely you’re nosy sometimes,” Rin said. “Just ask Stella.”

 

Shinobu looked a bit put out by this one. “Oh, I knew it. Argh! My peculiarities strike again!” she said, fanning herself. “I dearly hope nobody is too bothered by me. I, er… You know I mean only the best, right? I, er.”

 

“Yes, Shinobu,” Rin said, leaning over and putting her arm around Shinobu. “You’re a sweetheart at heart under your peculiarities, and you care a lot about everyone here and want them to be safe. I know.”

 

“Oh, thank goodness,” Shinobu said, letting out a gasp. “You see, I have frequently been misunderstood on account of my demeanor, and, ergh…mm, ah, yes,” she said. Rin got the idea. “I was, er, very struck, by your, ah, display. Today. And, I, er. I…felt a bit inadequate?”

 

“Aww, Shinobu!” Rin said. “No, you’re not inadequate at all! Even Yayoi likes you, and you know she hated you at first! C’mon, girl. You’re fine.” She touched Shinobu’s cheek again, but this time, Rin’s eyes were open. It was a thinner face than Rin’s own, but it pushed in cutely. Shinobu’s face was good, she decided.

 

“Th-thank you, Rin,” Shinobu stammered, blushing a little under Rin’s finger. “I, er… Wait! Wait, wait, wait,” she said, suddenly standing up and pushing her hands down as though to center herself. “I almost forgot my quarry in coming to this room in the first place.”

 

Rin blinked. “Wait, you mean this wasn’t it?”

 

“No,” Shinobu said. “I had…a much more embarrassing request to make, in truth.” She gulped. “Rin… do you have a spare tampon?”

 

Rin blinked again. A…a spare… “A spare what?”

 

“A spare…tampon,” Shinobu said, her arms beginning to wave. “You know, the… A tampon,” she said. “I need one. It is, ah…of the utmost importance. That I receive one, for you see, I don’t have any to spare for. This.”

 

Rin closed her eyes, and began to scan her recollections. Okay, what was a tampon again? She felt like she had some niggling familiarity with the word, but it was escaping her. Okay, Shinobu needed one. Specifically Shinobu did, and it seemed like something she was a bit nervous discussing. Why would she…

 

“Oh,” Rin said, her antenna pointing. “Oh! Um! Okay, I remember now. Oh!” Rin blinked. She gave her own little nervous chuckle, now that the full gravity of the situation had hit her. “Yeah, I think I do. I don’t think I’ve…had mine…yet? Let me go see.” She went over and began to ferry around in her bathroom, which was still entirely too ritzy to make sense. Ah, yes, here they were, in a drawer. She had three, it seemed, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem to give Shinobu one.

 

“Here you are,” Rin said, cheerily handing Shinobu a plug to insert into her unmentionables. “Good luck with it!”

 

“Ahah!” Shinobu said. Oh, she was definitely sweating. “Certainly! Yes! I’m glad I! Asked you and not. Anyone else. Please never mention this to anyone else in your entire life,” she said, looking Rin directly in the eyes. “Please. Never. Ever, in your life.”

 

“Your secret is safe with me,” Rin said, closing her eyes and nodding sagely. Shinobu took this as a sign to leave, and dashed out the door as quickly as she could, no doubt worrying that Jun could have his door open if she waited any longer, or something. Rin lay back in her bed. What a fun diversion, she decided.

 

**11:30 P.M.**

 

“I have come to a conclusion,” Wanda said, one hour and thirty minutes after the Night Time announcement had played.

 

“Oh?” Luan said. They’d canvassed the entire hallway multiple times, but he had not come to any conclusions, honestly.

 

“Yes,” Wanda said. “There’s something in the pipes. The noises Gavin and the others heard were likely the sound of pipes breaking,” she explained. “It’s not an unusual phenomenon for creaking metal to make such terrifying noises.”

 

“I see,” Luan said. He nodded. That made enough sense.

 

“A simple enough case,” Wanda said, clapping her hands together. “Good work, Luan. Your assistance was invaluable,” she added.

 

He nodded. “Glad to help,” he said.

 

“Hopefully now Daisuke will be a bit less scared of Goodhart Hall,” Wanda said. “Now that nothing is out of the ordinary.”

 

At that very moment, of course, something very much out of the ordinary occurred. A massive crashing came from the direction of the Basin, one quite unlike the noises from earlier. Luan tensed up, and entered a stance to attack if necessary.

 

“Hold on,” Wanda said. “Let’s investigate calmly.” She began advancing towards the Basin, her steps light, yet wary. Luan followed behind, still tense, but taking the back. They crept towards the door, and Wanda slowly opened the door.

 

A hole had opened up in the center of the Basin, leading downwards. It didn’t seem to be unintentional, but an actual entrance to the Basin from somewhere else. A ladder went down the hole, allowing for passage through. In fact, someone was coming up through the hole as they entered. And…

 

Luan pinched his nose. “My word,” he said.

 

“It is quite foul,” Wanda agreed.

 

The heavy, callused hands grasping the rungs of the ladder slowly brought into view a mane of red hair, wild, lion-esque. “Ah!” The booming voice resounded from below. “Finally, a new locale, one less dim and dank! I am pleased indeed!” The man from below turned his head and saw Luan and Wanda, his eyes widening. “But do my eyes deceive me? You two! Please, for my sake, identify yourselves.”

 

“Luan Yun-Fat,” Luan said. “Ultimate Masseuse.”

 

“Wanda Morinaga,” Wanda said. “Ultimate Paranormal Investigator.”

 

After a brief pause, a blasting laugh with such force that it almost toppled Luan resounded through the Basin. “My classmates!” the lion man said, climbing up further. “That can only mean that I have bested Monokuma’s vile sewer maze! Fantastic!” He stood, a giant of a man, before them now. “How wonderful freedom is, my friends! I greet you with arms open at last!”

 

He laughed, triumphant, leaving Luan honestly just a little bit stunned.

 

“I guess that explains the pipes,” Wanda said.

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Seven.**

 

**No students died today. Fifteen students remain.**

**Yashiro Narumi is no longer missing. No abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**


	15. Day 8 - The Young Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several stories of this ilk try to keep to a regular update schedule. If you've been reading this story, you are probably well aware that I don't. Much as I would love to be able to update consistently, I'm simply not. It might make it hard to follow, or easy to forget, but no matter what, I want to thank every single person who's part of the 204 hits this story currently has. I'm certain it's not easy to invest yourself in a story like this, especially without a consistent update schedule, but it's for all of you that I'm writing this. 
> 
> So, from myself and everyone here in the 263rd Class of Hope's Peak, thank you for reading.

**7:30 A.M.**

 

 _Knock, knock_ went the door. The sleepy Amnesiac shrugged it off and decided to fall back asleep.

 

 _Wham, wham_ went the door. Rin tossed and turned in her covers, gripping one of her pillows between her legs and clutching another tightly to her head. She made a slight groaning noise before managing to croak out a “coming” that she hoped her assailant had heard despite the walls.

 

After slipping on her sandals and shuffling over, Rin opened the door to find Yayoi preparing to slam her fist into Rin's door again. “How the hell did you take so long?” Yayoi said. “Ain't that hard to get out of bed.”

 

“I was having a nightmare,” Rin said, grumbling and rubbing her eyes. “What's the hurry?”

 

Yayoi rolled her eyes and grabbed Rin by the hand, beginning to drag her along through the stark colors of Target Hall that, to Rin's sleepy eyes, seemed to all blur together. “C'mon, sleepyhead. They figured out the deal with the ghost in Goodhart. You're gonna wanna see this, trust me.”

 

“I don't want to climb staiiirs,” Rin said as Yayoi opened the door to the main hall. Rin reflexively flinched, seeing as she'd had her lights off and hadn't yet adjusted.

 

“You ain't gotta, everyone's in the Cafeteria.” Yayoi said. “Will you quit complaining and just come on already?” She tugged at Rin's hand again. “We'll have Harada make you coffee or something when we get in there.”

 

Rin stumbled through the South Wing, eventually letting go of Yayoi's hand and allowing her posture to right itself. “I've never had coffee before,” she said. “Is it good?”

 

“Eh, depends on the coffee.” Yayoi said, making a sideways wave with her hand. “Betcha Harada could make you something pretty good, or else he's not good for anything, now is he?”

 

As they entered the North Wing, a booming laugh from the Cafeteria's direction jolted Rin out of any sleep she could've held. She heard Yayoi say “Jesus, he's loud” from behind her, but that wasn't important. No, she recognized that laugh. She felt it in her bones. Her legs began picking up speed as she approached the Cafeteria, leaving behind Yayoi. She definitely recognized it, she recognized him, it was him, she knew it, as soon as she opened the door to the Cafeteria she recognized him, that giant of a man with a lion's mane and the booming voice, his goofy, fleshy nose, his sturdy jawline, those _ridiculously_ furry eyebrows, she knew it!

 

“Yashiro!” Rin cried, leaping into him and clutching him as tightly as she could. He was real, he was right here! It was Yashiro! Her very tall, very strong friend! She looked up at him from around his chest, and she could feel herself glowing. “It's you!”

 

She could feel the booming laugh Yashiro let out. “Why, if it isn't Rin!” He said. “My friend, I thought you said you had amnesia!” His large hand reached down to ruffle her hair, and she basked in the feeling of familiarity and happiness it gave her. “Ah, that one hair of yours is just as springy as ever, I see!”

 

“Yashiro, Yashiro!” she continued to cry, unable to contain the joy she felt at finally seeing a familiar face. “I missed you! Ooogh, don't you go get lost in the sewers again, you goob, I can't believe you sometimes!” She shoved her face into his muscular chest, rubbing her nose and cheeks furiously against his well-chiseled body. “What was I gonna do if you never came out, huh?”

 

“You're a strong young lady!” Yashiro said, laughing again. “I'm certain you could come up with something. Oh, just so you know, the room seems to be looking at you rather oddly,” he added.

 

Rin's antenna puffed, and she removed herself from her good friend Yashiro to look around. Okay, so she was at the entrance of the room. Yayoi was behind her, staring open-mouthed, there were Miria and Chizuru in the back corner regarding her with a look like they'd just seen a ghost (well, they kind of had, but.) Shinobu was blinking rapidly as though she couldn't process what she was seeing next to Stella, whose face looked as unimpressed as Rin had ever seen it. Daisuke had removed his sunglasses for emphasis as his eyes widened to the size of dishpans, Jun was laughing so hard he was beginning to wheeze, Claus, at the head of the table, was just sort of stunned, and next to him, Hansuke was rubbing his beard and narrowing his eyes. Wanda, sat with a plant blocking her slightly, had a teacup held in midair, having presumably been interrupted by Rin's noisy entrance. Kazuya and Luan were the only ones who didn't seem particularly shocked by this display. That meant Gavin was probably in back. In the time it had taken Rin to see everyone in the room, nobody had made a single noise other than Jun.

 

“So, er.” Claus said. He coughed. “Good morning, Rin. It turned out the ghost was actually Yashiro breaking Monokuma's pipes.”

 

“I told everyone,” Shinobu said, crossing her arms, “that there was a perfectly rational explanation, did I not? And here he is.”

 

“Didn't you have amnesia last night?” Hansuke said.

 

Rin briefly scanned through her own head. “Oh, I still do!” She said. “Just sorta, well, I recognized his laugh and, well, the guy's kind of unforgettable!” She said, leaning her elbow onto Yashiro. “Aren't you, buddy?”

 

“Not necessarily a word I've heard used before, but certainly!” Yashiro laughed. “My friends, I recommend you never get trapped in a waste system. It is highly unpleasant!”

 

“Hm.” Hansuke said, nodding. “So, you two are buddies, huh?” Rin saw Shinobu make a bit of a face at Hansuke asking all the questions she probably wanted to.

 

“Yeah, we've known each other for a while now!” Rin said. “We met, oh, when was it, Yashiro? It was your sixteenth birthday, right?”

 

“Indeed!” Yashiro boomed. “Two months before yours, as I recall. I was off on a smaller island in Okinawa and chanced upon meeting a curious young lady who lived there, and we became quick friends!”

 

“Yeah, that's right!” Rin said. “You accidentally hit me in the head with a coconut!” She giggled. Stella balked.

 

“I was going to leave that part out,” Yashiro said, frowning. “It does not do well for my reputation if people think that Yashiro Narumi, Ultimate Strongman, is the sort of man who hits innocent little girls in the head with coconuts!”

 

“Hey, I've only grown five inches since then!” Rin said. “I wasn't exactly 'little' then and I'm sure not now!” She stuck out her tongue at him. “Am I, guys?”

 

“You're certainly not,” Wanda said, as Shinobu and Claus looked off to the side and coughed. For some reason, this made Jun laugh even harder.

 

“Indeed, indeed!” Yashiro laughed. “In any case, it has been roughly five months since I last spoke with Rin. Dearest me, how time flies. But that is a story for another day.” The enormous Strongman laughed again. “Good morning, my friends! Allow me to introduce myself once more for your benefit! I am **Yashiro Narumi, the Ultimate Strongman!** And I swear on my honor that I shall defend you all from the evils of Monokuma!”

 

“Wait wait wait.” Daisuke said, waving his hands. “Strongman? As in, at the circus or a literal strong man?”

 

“Both!” Yashiro said. “I perform as part of the act of my family, the Narumi Circus, _as_ a particularly strong man! Though I would not be so brash as to say that I am the strongest man in the world, I will say that I am rather powerful!”

 

“You are, uh… Big.” Stella said, looking up from her seat at the 6’6” Strongman. “You’re…sixteen? Seriously?”

 

“Seriously!” Yashiro said.

 

“An island in Okinawa, huh?” Hansuke said. “That’s an odd place for a girl that pale to be. What was Rin doing out in Okinawa, of all places?”

 

Yashiro laughed. “As far as I could tell, she lived there, friend!” Hansuke said nothing in response, and just scratched his beard. Rin had a vague recollection of the idea of Okinawa, but didn’t feel the need to say anything.

 

“In any case.” Claus said, clearing his throat. “Yashiro, is there anything you can tell us from your…er, sewer adventures?”

 

“Indeed there is, my friend!” Yashiro said. He raised his finger to the sky. “For instance, I can tell you the nature of this facility!”

 

“Really?” Kazuya said. “That would be really helpful. Where are we?”

 

“We’re currently underwater,” Yashiro said, “in a location whose title, based on my investigation, is ‘Compound V.K.!’ Based on a few facets of the water outside, I conclude that we are currently in the Pacific Ocean somewhere, probably not too far off the coast of Japan.”

 

“So that’s why there’s no entrance at the bottom.” Miria said. “We’re underwater.” Rin couldn’t help but contrast her calmness with Daisuke, in the same general area, flipping his lid over the idea of being in an underwater facility like this. He seemed quite perturbed, and Rin wondered if perhaps he was afraid of water.

 

“How is something like that even possible?” Kazuya said. “All this, underwater?”

 

“Nah,” Yayoi said. “It all checks out. Near as I can tell, the place is built with those kinds of regulations in mind. Underwater facilities like this aren’t too common, but the theory’s pretty sound. Me and my crew’ve been working on an underwater theme park for this big pharmaceutical company, and if this place is built similarly, it’d just make sense.” She gave the window a good smack. Rin wondered if she was testing it or something.

 

“Compound V.K., hm?” Claus said. “I wonder what V.K. stands for. Perhaps it’s relevant somehow?”

 

“It is possible,” Chizuru said, “that if this really is all connected, the K could be referring to Kei Sagami.”

 

“Er, who is Kei Sagami?” Yashiro said, his massive mane of red hair tilting to the side. “That name is not familiar to me.”

 

“My dead girlfriend from two years ago,” Rin said. (“Egad!” Yashiro said, his eyes bulging.) “Stella, Chizuru, and Miria all knew her. (“My goodness!” Yashiro said, starting back with highly animated shock.) We’re thinking she might be important somehow. (“It’s certainly possible.” Yashiro said, nodding his head firmly.)”

 

“Did she pick that head-tilt thing up from you, or did you pick it up from her?” Jun said. Yashiro just laughed.

 

“Hey, big guy.” Hansuke said. “You forget anything recently?”

 

“Certainly not!” Yashiro said, striking a heroic pose that was very cool. Rin clapped for him. “I have the constitution of an elephant, and an elephant never forgets!”

 

“This guy beaned Rin in the head with a coconut?” Daisuke mumbled. “How the hell is she alive, even?”

 

It was then that something occurred to Rin. “Shouldn’t you smell worse? You were in a sewer for a week.”

 

Yashiro laughed. “It was highly generous of Luan to lend me his bathroom so as to cleanse myself of the odor of the cesspit!” Rin looked at Luan. Luan frowned. Rin pitied him.

 

“I made two plates for the big guy!” Gavin said, opening the door from the Kitchen. “Grats on getting out of the poo gas!”

 

Rin looked up at Yashiro. An odd man if ever there was one, but having him by her side made her feel ever more comfortable. Finally, someone _she_ recognized. She was real, after all, and here was the Strongman to prove it. She put her hand up on his shoulder as he headed for his seat, looked up, and said, “I missed you.” He gave her back a smile.

 

**9:30 A.M.**

 

“So,” Claus said. All fifteen students were now gathered in the Lounge, sitting in various states of interest around (or under) the table. Yashiro, as enormous as he was, required two seats. “Yashiro, how much of the layout have you seen?”

 

“I have only seen from what Luan and Wanda called the ‘Basin’ to here and Luan’s room,” Yashiro said. “I have done little exploration. After all, I have spent a week exploring the foul recesses of the Compound!” Kazuya, sat on the other side of him from Rin, looked far smaller than he ever had before in comparison.

 

All of a sudden, Miria lit up. “Let’s play hide and seek,” she said.

 

“Er.” Shinobu stammered. “What?”

 

“I agree, what?” said Chizuru, the Hide-and-Seeker.

 

“If he has to look around to find us, he might even find something none of us have seen before with his lion eyes,” Miria said. “Also, I think it would be fun. Don’t you, Chi-chan?”

 

“Well. Er. Yes, but.” Chizuru stammered. “I mean. I suppose. Maybe.”

 

“Where exactly am I supposed to hide?” said Jun, on the edge of the table, rolling his eyes. “I can’t walk.”

 

“You can opt out if you think it’d be too hard,” Miria said. Rin had a feeling she’d just said the wrong thing, and when Jun’s nostrils flared, Rin knew she was dead on.

 

“Is that a challenge?” Jun said. “I’ll show you. I can hide with the best of them.”

 

Shinobu cackled. “Fascinating. I cannot say I have much experience in the art of hiding and/or seeking, but I will certainly do my best.”

 

“Wait, wait.” Claus raised his hand to silence the group. “Hide and seek? So, you’re saying everyone should go hide somewhere in the Compound and Yashiro should look for them. Do I have that correct?”

 

“Yes,” Miria said. Claus seemed to be struggling with something internally based on the scrunched-up look on his face.

 

“I’ll sit the game out,” Claus said, finally. “Everyone else, I’d feel more comfortable if you paired up. Is that acceptable?” The largest proponents of the game, Jun included, nodded.

 

“Can’t believe I’m gonna play hide and seek,” Stella said, rubbing her temples. “Geez. What is going on in this place?”

 

“Okay, then I’ll pair up with Yashiro,” Rin decided, “and everyone else but Claus can hide in pairs. Do they have to be hiding in the same place, or just in the same room?”

 

“I think just the same room seems good,” Gavin said, nodding. “Definitely! And we should come back to the Lounge once the big guy finds us, so we can all be in one place, you dig? And no hiding anywhere he can’t get to!”

 

“Very well,” Luan said. “I’ll hide as well.”

 

“Well, if everyone else is going along with it, right?” Daisuke said, looking over at Yayoi. Yayoi rolled her eyes and shrugged.

 

“My, this is certainly not what I expected!” Yashiro said. He looked to his right, at Rin. “Quite a group you’ve gathered, isn’t it?”

 

She nodded, smiling. “Yeah. They’re great.”

 

Eventually, the teams were decided amongst themselves, and in the interest of secrecy, Rin climbed up to put her hands around Yashiro’s eyes. Claus said something about being able to do it himself, but Rin just laughed at him. She was having fun. She closed her own eyes as well, and let everyone head off. It seemed like… oh, Jun’s squeaks were leaving Abilene? Where was he even going? Hm. 1-2-3-4-5-6 sets of footsteps leaving the Hall counting Jun, 1-2 leaving for the North Wing, and 1-2-3-4 that left somewhere in the South Wing. She began counting out numbers.

 

**10 A.M.**

 

“…32767!” She finished, throwing her hands off of Yashiro’s head and standing up. “Yeah! Let’s do it!”

 

Claus had picked up a book from the Archive while Rin had been counting, and was flipping through a few pages, laughing about some joke or another. “Oh, ahahaha, are you done?” He said, looking up, his eyes a bit teary.

 

“Let’s begin!” Yashiro said, clasping his fists together. “Now, as I understand it, this Abilene Hall has both South and North Wings, correct?”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said. “Bet you I know where at least one group is!”

 

A few minutes later, Yayoi and Kazuya found themselves completely exposed in the Darkroom’s secret area. “Damn it, I thought this was supposed to be secret!” Yayoi said, kicking a chair.

 

Kazuya crossed his arms. “I thought this might happen… Oh well. Good job, you two.”

 

“My!” Yashiro said, inspecting each little inch of the Darkroom. “What a fascinatingly retro room! I don’t believe I’ve seen a darkroom since I was five years old… ah, the good old days,” he sighed wistfully. “You two are Yayoi and Kazuya, yes?”

 

“Right!” Rin said. “The burly one is Yayoi and the tiny one is Kazuya.” (“The tiny one?” Kazuya said, frowning behind his scarf.) “Yayoi’s really loud and forceful and swears a lot, but she’s got a good heart, and Kazuya’s tiny and not cut out for much physical work, but people tell me he’s got a way with words.”

 

“I wouldn’t say that, necessarily.” Kazuya said. “I mean, I just write speeches.”

 

“Ah, you’re of a kind with my dearest Nana, then!” Yashiro laughed. “She is the ringmaster for the circus, you know, and a greater emcee neither I nor any other performer could ask for! I’m certain she would love to make your acquaintance once we leave…” He furrowed his brow. “Though it may be best to bribe her with foreign chocolates first. Even in her old age, she has never lost her wanderlust! Ahaha!”

 

“So seriously, Hashizawa, this guy hit you in the head with a coconut and you lived?” Yayoi said. “That’s one impressive skull you got there. Think maybe we could use you as a battering ram to get into the Power Room?”

 

“No!” Rin said, smiling. “It would hurt really a lot! I’d rather you didn’t.”

 

“If you had a cannon, I know someone who could function admirably.” Yashiro said. “But somehow I doubt that treacherous inkblot has given you something such as that.”

 

“A cannon?” Yayoi said, scoffing. “You performers still use those? Do you have any regard for OSHA compliance? Geez, you people’re gonna give me a damn heart attack.” She took off her hard hat and laid it on the table. “Hey, Okudaira, you getting a load of this guy? How the hell does Hope’s Peak find these people?”

 

“That’s a good question,” Kazuya said. “I think there must be a sort of recruitment algorithm they must use. Maybe that’s why they launched that satellite recently.”

 

Yayoi blinked. “That was a rhetorical question.” Kazuya blushed and attempted to merge with his scarf. Rin giggled and patted him on the back.

 

The next one they found was in the Infirmary, where they found Daisuke hiding beneath a cot. More specifically, Yashiro lifted the cot off of the ground, causing Daisuke to yelp and scurry back a bit.

 

“The flighty one is Daisuke,” Rin said. “He’s kind of a dweeb, and he always carries a sitar around because I think he thinks it’ll get him dates. But he’s pretty funny, and he must be good at listening sometimes if he can run a bar!”

 

“I do not!” Daisuke said, standing up against the partition. “The theoretical dates are a _side benefit_ to love of my various crafts and drafts. Give me some credit, Rin!”

 

“I’m sorry,” Rin said, her antenna puffing amicably as she put her arm around Daisuke’s shoulder, the two of them facing Yashiro. “As far as sixteen-year-old boys go, he’s pretty darn cool!”

 

“How would you know?” Daisuke said, pouting. “You have amnesia. You know, like… eight sixteen-year-old guys.”

 

Yashiro raised a finger. “If I had to guess, she’s weighing your coolness by percentage against everyone else’s. She has a system. 50%, this time?”

 

“Nawwww!” Rin said, smiling and leaning a bit closer to Daisuke. “I think he’s 75% cool, really. Just because he’s a bit of a dope sometimes doesn’t make him not cool!”

 

“Uh.” Daisuke blushed. “That was a compliment, right? Thank you??” He rubbed the back of his head.

 

Rin went and poked her head around the other end of the partition, set where it was covering the scanning machine this time. There was Wanda, sitting in a chair reading through a medical journal. “You’ve already met Wanda,” Rin said.

 

Wanda gave a smirk, resting her head on her cheek. “My word, I don’t even get an introduction?” She tipped her cap. “Good day, Yashiro.”

 

“I don’t think I’m qualified to give unbiased statements about you right now,” Rin said. “I’d rather not color Yashiro’s perception with my own biases.” Yashiro smiled, but he was obviously rather confused.

 

“I don’t mind,” Wanda said, crossing her legs, putting down the medical journal to steeple her hands and look up at the two seekers. “If I cannot get past first impressions, then that would speak to the weakness of my character.”

 

“Okay,” Rin said, then turned and looked at Yashiro. “This is Wanda. She’s really weird, half the time I have no idea what she’s thinking, she has no concept of personal space, and she has this weird fascination with some figure in Hope’s Peak’s history that I’ve never heard of. But I don’t think she’s a bad person!” When Rin finished speaking, she turned to find that Wanda was doubled over with giggles. “Uh, are you okay?”

 

“You’re _adorable,_ ” Wanda said, fanning herself a bit.

 

“My goodness, Rin.” Yashiro said, leaning over to her, which looked quite silly given his size. “You’ve developed quite the way about you, haven’t you?”

 

“It’s ridiculous, I have no idea how she does it.” Daisuke said from behind the two of them. “I swear everyone in this place is gonna fall for her at some point or another!” Rin shrugged, because really, what was she supposed to say here?

 

“Oh, but before you go, Yashiro…” Wanda said. “Could I have a moment? You said that you’d never heard Kei Sagami’s name before, right?”

 

Yashiro nodded. “Rin had never even mentioned she had been in a relationship before! This is indeed the first time I’ve heard the name.”

 

“Curious.” Wanda said, uncrossing her legs, and standing up, her face framed in the shadow of the partition. “I’ll have to think about this… Carry on.”

 

“Hey, actually, I have a question too!” Daisuke said. “Rin, why do you measure things in inches?” She didn’t have an answer, so she didn’t answer Daisuke’s question.

 

Their next stop was the North Wing, but Yashiro stopped mid-exploration to admire Rin’s statuettes. “My, the detail on these is astounding. Do we have an Ultimate Woodworker here?” He said, almost dwarfing the glass case.

 

“No, no.” Rin said, leaning beside him to look at Aoto and Eriko herself. “I made them. The left one is Aoto, and the right one is Eriko.”

 

“You made them!” Yashiro said, closing his eyes and patting Rin on the back so hard she felt like she’d fall out of her own body. He laughed. “That’s astounding! Who knew you had such a talent? And how wonderful they are! Aoto and Eriko… so these would be…” His brow furrowed. “The two I was unable to protect.”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said, nodding. There was a more somber mood in the air now. “Aoto was really silly, and he loved his mom so much. He was really good at mahjong, and was really trusting, and he had the craziest hair I’ve ever seen. Crazier than yours, can you believe it? He was the Ultimate Lucky Student. And, well, you did kind of meet Eriko, but… She was really insistent about schedules, and she was so yippy, she was like…” She tapped at her chin. “She was like a little puppy, I wanted to pet her head and tell her she was doing a good job.” She smiled, and she saw Yashiro smiling in the glass, too. She was a bit teary. “I liked both of them a lot. Still do. Until a little while ago, I kept feeling like they were just gonna show up like nothing was wrong, but… they won’t. They’re both dead, and they’re not coming back.”

 

“It’s…tragic.” Yashiro said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

 

“For my loss?” Rin said. “I’m sorrier for their families. Aoto’s family, especially his mom, their son is dead and they probably don’t even know it. Eriko… Well, it seemed like her father was kind of a bad person, but I don’t know about the rest of her family.” That sparked a lightbulb. “Oh! Yashiro! What can you tell me about my little brother?”

 

“Ah! Young Kojiro!” Yashiro nodded. Kojiro! Yes! That sounded right. “You spoke quite highly of him, but I’ve never met the boy in person. Apparently he’s significantly shorter than you, and is, ahem, ‘such a little snot, you don’t even know what a snot he is, sometimes I just wanna pound him!’”

 

Sensations and feelings began flooding back into Rin’s head. Nothing concrete, but she definitely remembered things. Right, that was his personality! He was… “Oh man, he was so funny,” she said. “He said the goofiest things sometimes, he always seemed older than he was, you know? And… god, he was such a little jerk about games of chance. Look, Yashiro, I don’t care what ANYONE says, mahjong is all about luck, it’s not skill, he only won because he was lucky! And so is poker, and blackjack, and, and…” She trailed off.

 

Yashiro laughed, but Rin had the keenest sense that he was laughing at her a little. “The path of the Strongman is a lonely one,” he said, “for I have no siblings. I am a touch jealous of you two’s loving relationship!” He ruffled her hair again.

 

“Aw, don’t be jealous, Yashiro.” She smiled. “You’re really important to me too!” She leaned back, with her arms behind her, her left foot going a bit back and resting on her toes. “I could give you a kiss to prove it,” she said, winking.

 

Yashiro laughed, and this time it was definitely with her. “That doesn’t seem in-character for you at all! Shouldn’t you save that sort of thing for your Miss Perfect? I definitely recall you saying something along those lines at least once.”

 

Rin began snickering, and it turned into a full on giggle-snort soon enough. “Ah, god, they’re probably getting lonely without us,” she said, wiping a tear from her eyes. “We should keep going. Let’s never speak of this again.”

 

“Indeed,” Yashiro said.

 

The Aquarium and Cafeteria turned up nothing, and Rin didn’t feel like heading over to the Elevator right now, so their next stop was the Auditorium. “This is where we first met that stupid bear,” Rin said, gesturing widely to the room. “The stage is…” She blinked. Shinobu was standing on the stage.

 

“Good afternoon, you two,” Shinobu said, hopping off the stage, weaving through the seats with catlike tread. She leaned back and gave a bow. “And good to properly meet you, Mr. Narumi. I don’t believe we’ve had the chance to properly speak yet!”

 

“Oh my,” Yashiro said. “You’re Shinobu Koshimizu of the Kaguya books, yes? My Nana loves your works!”

 

Rin had to react quickly to keep Shinobu from exploding all over the room, and continued gripping the Novelist as she attempted to corral her. “Let’s be calm, Shinobu, let’s introduce ourselves calmly! _Down,_ Shinobu. _Down!_ ”

 

“I am not an animal!” Shinobu said, turning to pout at Rin. “I’ll have you know I am quite cultured. Did you see my catlike tread just now?”

 

“Yes, Shinobu.” Rin smiled. “You’re very great.” Shinobu cackled in response, closing her eyes and prancing about like this was the best day of her life.

 

“That’s an interesting laugh you have there!” Yashiro said. “People tell me I, too, have an interesting laugh.”

 

“He does!” Rin said. “It’s all, ‘ ** _wa_ hahahahahaha!**’” She nodded, but she had the keenest feeling she hadn’t put enough bass into it. “But anyway, the fancy one is Shinobu. She really likes mysteries and thinks that vampires are the fakest thing ever, and she has this weird habit of coming off like a crazy person but is actually quite tender and caring when you get down to it. She’s also really smart, and this one time she totally made Monokuma look like an idiot! I would’ve laughed more if Aoto hadn’t just died but in retrospect it was actually really funny, and she also has a really good face.”

 

“I see,” Yashiro said, nodding along. “Is face quality a new point in your system? I swear it gets more complex every time I meet you!” Shinobu, meanwhile, just seemed sort of blankly confused.

 

“Eh, I think I need to workshop it a bit,” Rin said. “The whole amnesia thing really threw me off-kilter and now I’m not sure I can tell up from down! Weren’t you supposed to be hiding, Shinobu?” She said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“To tell you the truth, I have had definitively enough of hiding,” Shinobu said. “I tried quite valiantly, but the North Wing is entirely too open, and once I make a decision I cannot very well renege on it. Thus do I stand, here, to await the two of you!” She threw her hands back with a great flourish. “Thankfully, my partner more than makes up for my incompetence in this matter.”

 

“Betcha that’s Chizuru, then.” Rin said. “We should probably go check upstairs before we look for her… we might be here all day if we try and look for her!”

 

“Is her power truly that great?” Yashiro said. Rin nodded darkly, her antenna shading her face for effect.

 

The two of them bid Shinobu a temporary farewell and hopped up the Stairwell. Rin suggested Yashiro try to budge the iron bars, but even the two of them together could only slightly budge the sheet, and there was only so much space in front of the Stairwell.

 

“Ah, so you knew Aoto as well?” Yashiro said, as they looked through Class 2-A, in Campbell. They both stood in front of the chalkboard as Rin walked him through the details of Monokuma’s drawings.

 

“Apparently,” Rin said. “Some people think it’s a coincidence, some people think it’s something more. She does have cute hair, though! Girl B, I mean. Though I guess Daisuke did say to watch out for grey-coiffed girls.”

 

The Pantry turned up nothing, but it was rather simple to find Gavin and Luan in the Navigation Room. Luan had just hidden himself behind the steering wheel, and Gavin had done an admirable job of hiding himself under a pile of folders that was, unfortunately for him, still rather conspicuous.

 

“Mm,” Luan said. “This is not my forte.”

 

“Aw, it’s no big, Lou!” Gavin said. “I don’t think you’ve got nothing to worry about. Howdy, big guy! How you two enjoying yourselves?” The walking contradiction of fashion got out from under his pile of paper to face the two of them.

 

“I am enjoying this quite well, thank you!” Yashiro said, and he gave his booming laugh once more.

 

“The friendly one is Gavin,” Rin said, gesturing widely to Gavin. “He has the dialect of a lunatic and dresses like a fool, but he’s surprisingly conscientious when you get down to it, and I think he’s really reliable! Also, he will probably give you a secret best buds handshake at some point.” Gavin gave Yashiro a thumbs up.

 

“Do you have a secret best buds handshake?” Yashiro said. “I am somewhat jealous! May I see it?”

 

“Trip, man, it’s secret!” Gavin said, his Hasselhoff pointing Hassel-off to the left with his head. “But the eleventh step is Rin giving me a noogie.”

 

“It’s true!” Rin said. “And the quiet one over here is Luan, you’ve met him already. He’s, um, quiet, but he’s a really good, mature, cool guy! Out of everyone here, I think he’s the coolest! 100% cool! He’s also really good with his hands, and Claus always gets good feelings about him, so so do I!”

 

Luan blushed slightly, and his eyes darted to the left. “Thank you.”

 

“A man of few words, I see!” Yashiro laughed. “But I have always believed that the number of words you say does not matter if you get across your message.” He nodded sternly, and extended his hand for a handshake. Luan took it, and with a shared exchange of “Alright,” the two of them shook on a mutual understanding. Rin and Gavin both clapped for this bond’s creation.

 

Rin and Yashiro next advanced to the Bar, and found Stella under the bar counter. “Well, that’s it for me.” Stella said. “I knew I was making a bad decision if Gavin was gonna hide in this hall too,” she said, “and oh my god you’re big, can you like, step back a bit?” Yashiro obliged, and Rin and Yashiro were now at the counter, with Stella behind it.

 

“This is Stella,” Rin said. “She says more words than she really means to sometimes, and sometimes they can come out kind of mean, but she doesn’t mean any hurt, and a lot of the time she hurts herself more than she hurts anyone else, so be gentle with her!”

 

Yashiro laughed. “I’m not certain you should describe someone like that to their face, Rin!” Stella was rolling her eyes, but she was smiling.

 

“So, you two met in Okinawa, huh?” Stella said. “And he hit you in the head with a coconut?”

 

“That’s correct,” Yashiro said, nodding. “I was throwing coconuts for strength practice, and naturally when one of them cracked open on this poor young lady’s skull, I ran over to perform whatever medical assistance I could! Amazingly enough, though, she was fine, if a bit dazed, and we got to speaking. You have spent a week with her in closed quarters, so I’m certain you know, but I would describe her as a remarkably engaging and intelligent, if sheltered, girl.”

 

Stella stared at Rin, dumbfounded, her eyes brighter than any of the bottles shining behind her. “How thick is your skull? Wait, no, you know what, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. You’re just in way better shape than I could ever hope to be, I guess.” Her eyes scanned Rin over. “Somehow.”

 

Rin smiled impishly, her antenna spiking into a lightning bolt shape. She patted at her bicep. “Hehe, they say muscle weighs more than fat. Perhaps beneath this layer of lovable, adorable blubber lies the inner workings of a golden god.” She spun around in her seat, which she had now discovered were swivel seats. “Wow, these are fun!”

 

“Has she always been this… chipper?” Stella said to Yashiro. “I can’t believe someone like this exists.” Or at least, Rin was pretty sure it was to Yashiro. She was spinning, so everything was blurring together.

 

“For as long as I have known her she has had roughly the same demeanor,” Yashiro said. “And it is quite a sight, isn’t it? Someone so full of youthful enthusiasm is certainly not an everyday sight! Perhaps we could all strive to be a bit more like Rin,” he said. Oh, wait. She was getting dizzy, she should stop. Rin held herself fast against the counter, allowing her mind to catch up with her body. Stella was snickering.

 

From the back of the bar came Hansuke, who also sat down at the counter. “I got tired of waiting,” he said. He had his trusty notepad again. “So, Yashiro. You’re sure you haven’t forgotten anything?”

 

“Er, yes.” Yashiro said. “I am quite certain.” He looked quizzically towards Rin.

 

“Monokuma took a memory from the rest of us,” Rin said. “And I think we still get it back if we kill somebody. Anyway, the scruffy one here is Hansuke. He’s kinda gruff, and he’s older than the rest of us, so he kind of comes off like this weird uncle, but he’s really perceptive, and he was the one who figured out we had missing memories to begin with. Uh,” She said, rubbing the back of her head. “Other than me, of course. Pretty obvious in my case.”

 

“A weird uncle.” Hansuke said. “If you say so, kid. Hm…” He scratched at his beard. “Underwater, huh. Compound V.K… Hm.” He continued mumbling about something.

 

“Can you think about anything else at all, like, ever?” Stella said, her head resting on her right arm, which lay on the bar counter. “I swear, it’s like you’re obsessed.”

 

“No,” Hansuke said.

 

“No you can’t think about anything else, or no you’re not obsessed?” Rin said.

 

Hansuke crossed his arms and scrunched his eyes for a moment before saying, “Yes.”

 

With that said, there were only three people left to find, and that meant only two were in Goodhart Hall. Yashiro had already explored Goodhart when he’d first arrived, but Rin couldn’t help showing him a few of the more amusing-looking figures in Hope’s Peak’s history, or the Woodworking room where she’d learned how to, well, woodwork. She didn’t particularly want to go in the Haunted Corridor for reasons that she didn’t feel particularly comfortable explaining to Yashiro right now, so the two of them entered the Gymnasium. Jun’s wheelchair was sat in the far corner, by the men’s changing room.

 

“That poor boy…” Yashiro shook his head. “He’s at a real disadvantage… but my, is this room tall!” He leapt up about two feet. “A far cry from every other room in this compound.” He raised his head up to look at the hanging light fixtures. “It reminds me of my youth as a Strongboy.”

 

“Aren’t you technically still a Strongboy for two more years?” Rin said.

 

Yashiro laughed again. “That’s technically true! Come now, let’s look.” The two of them went through all the equipment in the room, searching the bleachers. Yashiro even struck a punching bag to ensure that nobody was hiding in it. Eventually, the two of them came upon a bulging pile of tatami mats on the floor. It was moving slightly.

 

“Miria,” Rin said. “We can see you.”

 

“Oh,” said the pile of mats. “I guess I didn’t do a very good job.” She lifted some tatami mats from her body, leaving only one she was lying on still in the pile. “Hello,” Miria said, to Rin and Yashiro.

 

“The stony-faced one is Miria,” Rin said, gesturing to the Mountaineer who lay flat on the mat. “She seems like she has kind of low self-esteem, but she’s the best at dealing with Monokuma out of all of us, and she has a way of saying big things like they’re nothing. Also, she and Chizuru are in _loooooooove~_ ” She sang, making her voice as bubbly and fey as she possibly could, closing her eyes and bidding her antenna to curl into a little heart shape.

 

Yashiro laughed. “I see! Good to know.” He looked around the Gymnasium one more time. “Not that I wouldn’t love to get further acquainted, but… I can’t think of anywhere else anyone could be hiding, especially one who can’t walk. Where could Jun possibly have gone?”

 

Rin blinked. It was just Jun and Chizuru left, so Jun had to be in this room somewhere, but Yashiro was right. She was totally blanking. “Maybe he’s in the changing room. You and he are both guys, so… It’s not impossible.”

 

A few minutes later, Yashiro finished checking the men’s changing room, to no avail. Jun was nowhere to be seen. Rin gave his wheelchair the stinkeye something fierce for being so mean to her. “I bet he’s laughing at me right now from… wherever he is!”

 

Yashiro also laughed, but a bit more amicably. “Alright, I give up. Where could Jun be?”

 

“Well, I don’t know.” Miria said. “I paired up with Chi-chan.”

 

Miria said this like it was complete sense, but Rin and Yashiro both tilted their heads. “You what?” Rin said. Miria stood up off of the tatami mat, and lifted it up to reveal… a rope? She walked over to the punching bag closest to the center of the room, and began tying the rope to its poles. She was a remarkably good knot-tier, Rin could tell. Then, she took the other end of the rope and hurled it up, high, high up, all the way to the light fixture above the three of them. It was caught on something, and then tiny, deft hands began tying it to the light fixture. Chizuru Inoue hopped over the side, and, with gloved hands, began climbing down the rope. Her curls bounced as she descended, and Rin couldn’t help but think she looked really pleased with herself.

 

“No way,” Rin said once Chizuru reached the floor. “You were up _there?_ Where did you even get the rope?”

 

“Miria had it,” Chizuru said, grinning smugly, her pearly white teeth glinting in the light. “It wasn’t that hard, really. She has a fantastic throwing arm!”

 

“It’s true,” Miria said.

 

The Strongman clapped, and laughed louder than he had before. “What spunk! My goodness, you are quite something, young lady!” He leaned down and ruffled Chizuru’s hair, and her face turned red. She giggled a little bit, and it occurred to Rin that she didn’t think she’d ever seen Chizuru honestly _happy_ before.

 

“You did it, Chi-chan.” Miria said, leaning down a bit to hug Chizuru, which _definitely_ lit up the smaller girl’s face. “You fooled them! I knew you could do it.”

 

It seemed that at that point, Chizuru remembered her character, and went to hide behind Miria. “Er, yes. It was a good game, valiantly fought. You both did well,” she said. Rin hadn’t noticed it, but her voice actually deepened a bit when she talked like that. She wondered where exactly the young puffball had picked up such a habit.

 

“Wait,” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “But… wait. Jun’s wheelchair…?” She pointed over at it. “Where’s Jun?”

 

“Jun asked me to ride in his wheelchair,” Chizuru said. It seemed she couldn’t help herself, so she came out from behind Miria and grinned impishly. “We both knew you’d be on the lookout for the sound of his wheelchair, so we thought it would be a great way to bamboozle you.”

 

Rin’s jaw fell open as Yashiro, behind her, laughed uproariously. Miria laughed too. The evil aura emanating from Chizuru only increased Rin’s embarrassment. “So… this is Chizuru…” She said, limply gesturing for Yashiro’s benefit, not that he was listening. “She’s… kind of good… at staying out of sight… and… stuff...” Her introduction trailed off into burbles, because she couldn’t really hold words together right now.

 

The entire class watched as Rin skulked back through the Lounge, and passed into the Auditorium. Shinobu sat there, drinking a cup of tea with her pinky out. “Why hello, Rin.” She grinned. “Is there something you need?”

 

Rin stomped up and looked behind the curtain. There, lying on the ground, was one Jun Fukuyama, grinning up at her like such a little prick oh my GOD. “What’s wrong, Hashizawa?” He said, crossing his arms and cocking one eyebrow. “Cat got your tongue?”

 

**4 P.M.**

 

The Amnesiac grumbled, trying to look as dark as possible, as the group once more sat around the Lounge table. Claus was laughing up a storm at Chizuru and Jun’s trick. Rin didn’t think it was all that funny, but whatever. Yayoi, leaning over, was patting her on the back and telling her that yeah, it was pretty bullshit. Hansuke was still scribbling in his notepad about something or another, and Shinobu seemed very curious about it, as she was darting all over him.

 

“It’s okay,” Kazuya said. “I’m sure you’ll get him next time.” He looked at Rin, but she didn’t look at him back because she was busy being frustrated. Yashiro, on the other hand, seemed to be in pretty good spirits, but then, he always seemed to be in good spirits. Maybe it was lion power or something.

 

“What a ridiculous day,” Stella said, her head in her hands. “It’s like suddenly the wacky notch got turned up to 11.” She fiddled with her hair, giving a sidelong glance at Daisuke next to her, who was aimlessly strumming out hums to a tune Rin didn’t recognize. “Where does Hope’s Peak even find these guys?”

 

“Well,” Kazuya began, and then cut himself off, presumably because he realized this time that it was a rhetorical question.

 

“So, uh… Yo, Simba!” Gavin said, reclining in his seat. “You got a Handbook?”

 

“I received it last night,” Yashiro said, pulling out said Handbook. “The monochrome madman keeping us trapped here felt the need to come out and greet me briefly.” He clutched his fist, and a vein throbbed in his temple. “Damned Monokuma… Stand and face me like a man!”

 

“Like this?” Said Monokuma, standing on the table.

 

Yashiro nodded. “Yes, just like that!”

 

…Wait.

 

“Gyah!” shouted Daisuke, bowling backwards out of his seat. That was the second time he’d done that, and Rin was pretty sure he was even in the same seat. “When did you get there?!”

 

“I got here when I got here,” Monokuma said. “In any case, I can’t believe you guys didn’t invite me to a fun game of hide and seek! I mean, I don’t know if you KNOW this, but I’m basically an expert? I can find at least five hiding places in any given area! I’ve hidden in the rafters, behind TVs, even inside people’s houses… I’m a pretty! Crafty! Bear!” He said, punctuating his words with claps.

 

“And what, pray tell,” Shinobu said, frowning, “does our ever-crafty bear want this time? We were having a perfectly good time before you appeared.”

 

“Weeeeeell…” Monokuma wobbled back and forth. “I just thought that I’d reward you guys for all this wonderful camaraderie you’ve been showing! Friendships being forged, fire-born bonds that anybody would be proud of, maybe even a few flags being raised?” He didn’t have eyebrows, but somehow he still wiggled them. There were many things about Monokuma that confused Rin.

 

“A reward, huh?” Yayoi scoffed. “Why do I feel like this is gonna turn out bad?”

 

“Because nothing this stupid bear ever does turns out _good,_ ” Stella said, frowning.

 

“Well gee, it’s almost like you guys don’t appreciate me,” Monokuma said with a huff. “Anyway, to that end, I’m introducing a neeeeew factor into the game! It’s the **Monokuma Note!** If you’ll note, your Handbooks now have a new screen.”

 

Fifteen heads turned down to their Handbooks, and Rin flipped over to the side to the new Monokuma Note screen, which contained the fifteen pixel portraits of the remaining students, along with a text entry field and a grinning Monokuma portrait. “The Monokuma Note is a handy little feature to add a bit more spice to trials! You select a fellow student and mark down your conditions, and if you kill someone within 24 hours and that person doesn’t vote for you during the trial, I’ll do whatever you say—even,” and he gasped, “Leave them alive!”

 

“So…” Miria said. “If we kill someone, and the person we select doesn’t vote for us…they get to live?” The air became a bit colder, and Rin could feel it.

 

“I mean, that’s the bottom line, yepperooni, my friend.” Monokuma said, prancing about on top of the table. “After all, it’d be such a shame if you had to give up _everyone_ just for a chance to get out, wouldn’t it? Puhuhuhu!”

 

“Is this some kind of fucking joke?” Yayoi said. “What the hell are you playing at, asshole?! Will you quit fucking around and just say what you want already?”

 

“You know, you ask me whether I’m joking almost every time we speak, Yayoi.” Monokuma said. “At some point you’re going to have to realize that I don’t have a sense of humor. I’m a bear. Bears don’t have senses of humor. But no, this isn’t even remotely a joke!”

 

“So, this is his game…” Wanda said, idly staring at her Handbook.

 

“Anyhoodle, enjoy yourselves, kiddos!” Monokuma said. “Enjoy your existences, and continue showing enthusiasm! Wahoo!” He scrabbled quickly under the table, brushing past Chizuru, who squeaked, as he fell into a hole.

 

“Everyone,” Claus said after an uncomfortable moment of silence. He laid out his hands flat on the table, but Rin could see a bit of tension in his hands. “Let’s try to remain calm. This is just Monokuma trying to rile us up again.”

 

“Indeed!” bellowed Yashiro, his laugh echoing through the Lounge. “His base temptations are nothing to worry yourselves over! No fiend such as him can truly defeat you if you merely keep your head up high!”

 

“That’s easy for you to say!” Daisuke said, slamming his hands on the table and standing up suddenly. “You haven’t even been here! We’ve been in here for over a week!” He angrily flailed his arms, almost hitting Wanda, sitting next to him. “Where do you even get off?!”

 

“Technically, he has been here the same time as any of the rest of us,” Wanda said, grabbing Daisuke by the wrist in an attempt to corral him. “He’s a captive just like us. There’s no need to be angry at Yashiro.”

 

“Look, some of us aren’t superheroes, alright?” Daisuke said, shaking Wanda off roughly. “And we’re _underwater!_ Apparently you think that’s just completely normal, but how the hell is anyone supposed to find us if we’re in the middle of the freaking ocean?! All you’ve done is make things worse! We’d be better off if you were still down there!”

 

That ticked Rin off, so she stood up too. “Don’t say that,” Rin said. “It’s not Yashiro’s fault if you’re freaking out.”

 

“It is most certainly better for the entire group to be together,” Shinobu said. “And do not be such a defeatist, young man. Do you truly want to live your life in fear?”

 

“Do I have a choice?!” Daisuke said, pushing up his sunglasses, as they’d slid down from his sweat.

 

“Personally, I think the added context Yashiro has provided is pretty interesting,” Jun said. “Maybe you should try keeping up, Harada.”

 

“Weren’t you all apologetic a day ago?!” Daisuke said, glaring at Jun.

 

Jun shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I’m not going to call you an idiot if you’re being an idiot. Which you are.”

 

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Jun.” Stella said, sighing and shaking her head. “But all you screaming is doing is riling you up more.”

 

Daisuke flailed. “But—!”

 

“Dice?” Gavin said, looking Daisuke dead in the eyes. “If you don’t put a sock in it, man, I’m gonna have to duct tape your mouth shut and make you talk in sign language for a week, my dude.” Daisuke grunted and sat down, clearly dissatisfied.

 

“So, this Monokuma Note…” Kazuya said. “What a strange thing to add. This is like the memories, right? A ‘motive?’”

 

“Of course,” Claus said. “He’s trying to incur someone to kill with the promise of leaving someone alive.”

 

“I mean, wouldn’t it be kinda messed up anyway?” Gavin said. “Trip, dude, if someone killed everyone but me I’d still be pretty ticked off at ‘em!” He leaned over to Hansuke, as there was an empty space in between the two of them. “Ain’t that right, Han?” Hansuke didn’t respond. “Han?” Gavin patted him on the back. “Yo, Han!”

 

“Gavin.” Hansuke said. “When’s that memory you lost from?”

 

“Uh, dude?” Gavin said, blinking. “Eight years ago, but… We’re talking about the new motive now. Y’know, the Monokuma Note?”

 

“Eight years…” Hansuke scratched at his beard, and wrote in his notepad. “And so Yashiro hasn’t forgotten anything.”

 

“Yasuda ain’t even paying attention!” Yayoi said, slapping her head with her open palm. “What are we gonna do with this guy?”

 

“Er, I’m also rather curious, Hansuke.” Claus said. “Could you tell us what you’re thinking about, exactly?”

 

“Yours was about a year ago, right?” Hansuke said to Claus. “This Marufuji Expo or whatever?”

 

“Er, yes.” Claus said. Hansuke continued scribbling, then stood up and began to walk away. “Wait, Hansuke. Where are you going?”

 

“Quiet!” Hansuke shouted. “I’m thinking.” And he stepped out of Abilene Hall.

 

Rin whistled, and leaned over to Yashiro. “Last time he acted like that was when he figured out we’d all lost memories! I think he must be on to something.”

 

“He is truly something,” Shinobu said, nodding. “Perhaps we could introduce him to a member of the Kirigiri clan some time! I knew I had a good feeling about him,” she said, and she cackled.

 

People were a bit stunned by Hansuke’s strange outburst, and slowly began to trickle out of the room. Luan had been even quieter than usual, so Rin headed over to his side and patted his shoulder, looking down at him in his seat. “You okay, Luan? You haven’t said anything since the game.”

 

Luan looked at Rin, his eyes dark. “I… am quite concerned. It is easy, when presented like this, to consider oneself as ‘saving’ whichever classmate you choose, when in reality you are still condemning the rest of the group.”

 

Rin looked at the Masseuse, his strong body, the calluses on his hands. She sat down next to him, facing the wall, while he still faced the table. “You’ve really been through some hard times, haven’t you, Luan?” She turned her head to stare at the door of the Infirmary. “I don’t know what exactly they were, but… it must’ve been tough.”

 

“Mm.” Luan croaked. “I can only wonder… this motive does nothing to faze me, but how long will it be before Monokuma strikes at my heart, as well? Am I truly strong enough to resist his temptations?”

 

“Well, what could Monokuma do that you’re worried about?” Rin turned around to speak to him more directly.

 

After a moment, he croaked out, “Money.” Luan’s eyes were directed at the table. “I make money, but it is… insufficient,” he said. “The Hope’s Peak grants would certainly help, but…”

 

“Are… are you okay?” Rin said, looking at her friend, trying to make out any sign of urgent pain in case she needed to help right away. “I mean, I’m a Hashizawa, so I might have a lot of money, if you need something.”

 

Luan shook his head. “It is my parents,” he said, “in China. Accounting for my talent, as a young boy, they pooled together all the money they could to send me to Japan so that I could make a name for myself and escape the poverty in which we lived. For eight years have I fought in Japan so that I might one day bring them with me, but…It is a goal that is still out of my reach.” He shook his head, his forehead crinkling. “I worry that if Monokuma were to offer a sufficient financial incentive, I might be unable to resist the temptation.”

 

“Nah,” Rin said, shaking her head. “You definitely would.”

 

“How can you be so sure?” Luan said, his eyes wide in confusion.

 

“If you’re thinking about it like this, there’s no way that when it actually came to it you’d break or kill someone,” Rin said, smiling as widely as she could. Her antenna bounced. “Besides, it’s you, Luan! I can’t think of anyone I know who’s _more_ reliable and non-homicidal than you.”

 

Luan blinked, and crossed his arms. “Even your old friend Yashiro?”

 

“He hit me in the head with a coconut,” Rin said. The Masseuse took a second to process what she’d said, blinked, and then looked away, no doubt still processing.

 

“Thank you,” he finally said. After a pause, he said, “By the way, the statuettes you made are…very nice.”

 

Rin smiled. “Yeah. Thanks.”

 

**7 P.M.**

 

“You what?” Chizuru said, tension filling her lungs. Usually, her room felt rather safe, especially with Miria, but tonight’s conversation was a little different, apparently.

 

“I spoke with Monokuma,” Miria said. “And he said we could stay here after the game is over.”

 

Chizuru stared, wide-eyed, at Miria. Any number of possibilities raced through her mind, but the first and foremost was that this had to be a joke, right? Miria couldn’t possibly believe that she would want to _stay_ here. It occurred to her then, though, that this was Miria, and Miria didn’t really do jokes so much as she just made the occasional funny, which was something quite different. This wasn’t funny.

 

“Why…” Chizuru said, and then trailed off. She fidgeted a bit on her bed, staring at Miria, who was standing up. “Why would we stay here after the game is over?”

 

“Well, I kind of like it here,” Miria said. “And Monokuma seems nice when you get past all his eccentricities.”

 

“ _What?_ ” Chizuru said. “Miria... He’s keeping us trapped in here and getting us to kill each other. He killed Aoto and Eriko.” She rubbed her temples to keep down her sweat. “He’d kill _us_.”

 

“I don’t think he’s really that bad. He seems really lonely sometimes,” Miria said. “I think he might appreciate our company.”

 

Chizuru opened her mouth, then closed it again, rubbing a few of her hair curls. The thought that this was a bad dream and she’d wake up in a few moments occurred, but unfortunately, when she pinched herself, she did not, in fact, wake up. The air was still going. She’d left the bathroom light on.

 

“Okay, well, maybe not Monokuma,” Miria said, “but he did say he’d give us the place. I think I’d like to live here. I mean, everything’s taken care of, there’s three more floors, he told me there was a place to climb… It’s really great.” She smiled.

 

“We’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean,” Chizuru said. “How would we get outside? Or go…anywhere? At all?”

 

“Do we have to?” Miria said, and Chizuru took a moment to ensure that her ears were still working. “I mean, I think I’d be okay with staying here for the rest of my life. And, well, you do have trouble with people.”

 

No, no. This had to be some kind of joke. There was no way, Chizuru reasoned, that Miria, her Miria, would seriously say that. “My anxiety,” she said, keeping her calm as best she could, “is not an excuse to make bad decisions, Miria. We… I mean, one climbing place isn’t enough for _the rest of our lives._ We can’t just…give up on life, you’d go crazy cooped up in here, if we had to take a boat ride to even get to Japan, let alone anywhere else!” She looked Miria straight in the eyes and prayed that her girlfriend would apologize for this stupid joke.

 

“It’s not giving up on life,” Miria said. “We have a life, here.” Her face wasn’t changing, she was putting on that stony face again. “The world hurts so much. Why do we have to leave? I love this place, and we have friends, and we’re fed and clothed, it’s great.”

 

“What _happened?_ ” Chizuru said. By now, she was tearing up, unable to look Miria in the eyes. “What happened, Miria? You…” She sniffled. “You were the one who told me to have courage, that we could go out and make a life with each other.”

 

“Is it really worth it?” Miria said. She looked up to the ceiling, but the tone of her voice didn’t change at all. “Is making a life out there really worth it? What’s out there for us? Your father is still there, isn’t he? And Mama is, too. It’s not like the challenges we’ve faced will just go away.”

 

“I thought we were going to face them together!” Chizuru said, throwing her hands out and standing up, though Miria was still taller. “Please stop, Miria. I don’t want to stay here, and especially not with Monokuma.” She grabbed onto Miria and squeezed. “I want to go out there, _with you,_ and make our _own_ life together. We can do it, remember?” She looked up, pleading with her eyes. “We’re both so talented that Hope’s Peak said we were worth it! Is that just not worth anything? We can…” She couldn’t stop the tears anymore. “We can make something for _ourselves,_ Miria. I don’t want to take some sad excuse of a life Monokuma has on offer! _Why are you listening to him and not to me?_ ”

 

“Mama always says that I must have some kind of fetish for sad, lonely people,” Miria said.

 

“Your mother also thinks that the only way anyone could find you attractive is if they thought mudholes were attractive,” Chizuru said, “so why are you listening to her? She’s completely crazy and wouldn’t know an attractive woman nowadays if one hit her upside the head, which they _should_ for all these ridiculous ideas she’s filling your head with!”

 

“I’m sorry, Chi-chan.” Miria said. She was looking away. “I’m sorry I made you cry. You’re right, it was a bad idea. I’m sorry for being stupid.”

 

Chizuru stared Miria right in the face, and gripped her in such a way that Miria couldn’t help but look back. “You are not stupid,” Chizuru said as forcefully as she could muster. “You’ve just…had a really hard three months. Right? I’m sorry for snapping at you, just… Please don’t scare me like that.” She let go to give Miria some breathing room. “I was really scared there for a second.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Miria said. Oh, no. Miria was crying. Chizuru inwardly cursed herself for being so forceful. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just…” She collapsed to her knees, and began making loud, gross sobs that Chizuru knew unfortunately well. “I’m scared. Even if we get out of here, who’s to say anything will change?”

 

“We’ll _make_ it change, Miria!” Chizuru squeezed Miria’s hand. When she was more lucid, Miria said that Chizuru grasping her hand and being all forceful was ‘really cute,’ so it was one of her standard tactics nowadays. “You and me, together. We’ll make it change, okay? We don’t have to just roll over and die!”

 

“Chi-chan…” Miria croaked.

 

“We’re alone right now,” Chizuru said. “You don’t have to call me that.”

 

In between loud, gross sobs, Chizuru heard it clear as day. “Chihaya,” Miria said. “I love you so much, Chihaya.” Miria leaned forward and grasped her lover tightly. “I don’t want to hide you away, either. I want everyone to see you. I’m sorry. You’re so beautiful, Chihaya. You’ve gotten so brave.” She broke into sobs again.

 

Chihaya Inoue looked, from above, at the shaking frame of the woman around whom she could be herself. She rubbed Miria’s head and drew it into her stomach, trying her best to hold Miria like the mother neither of them had ever had. Her hair fell out of its curls and flowed down her head like water to mingle with Miria’s grey ponytail. “I love you too,” she said. “But please don’t say those sorts of rude things about my girlfriend. I hate when people insult her, y’know.”

 

She’d barely gotten those words out of her mouth when she felt the familiar sensation of Miria’s lips on her own. The kiss surprised her, sure, but it wasn’t her first time, so once the surprise wore off, it was back into appreciating… Ooh, her breath tasted _really_ nice, Miria must have just brushed her teeth, Chihaya realized as the two of them fell back. She wanted to taste a bit more of it, so Chihaya decided to brook passage for her tongue, and oh, that definitely worked, hel- _lo_ Miria’s mouth, hello her lovely teeth, teeth a bit chipped from all the wear and tear they’ve taken but still definitely the nicest teeth Chihaya could imagine kissing. Not, of course, that Chihaya had any experience _making out_ with any other teeth _,_ it occurred to her as she began to support Miria, who let her weight go limp in Chihaya’s surprisingly strong arms. Not, of course, that she would ever _want_ to make out to any other teeth. It was circular thinking, sure, but it was circular thinking that greatly satisfied her, and that was all it really needed to be true.

 

Eventually (Chihaya idly wondered how long it actually had been, she hadn’t been paying attention,) the two of them looked each other in the face, Miria collapsed atop Chihaya, dwarfing her in actual height, but curled into Chihaya in such a way that left her seeming significantly smaller. Chihaya sighed, deeply satisfied. Boy, did she love this girl.

 

“I love you when you’re so feisty,” Miria said, a bit of color coming back to her cheeks that Chihaya had dearly missed. “It makes me happy.”

 

“Well, I love you all the time,” Chihaya said, grinning impishly. “We should probably go, though. Claus’ll probably lose his mind if we don’t show up to dinner.”

 

“Oh.” Miria said, her eyes widening. “You’re right, aren’t you? I totally lost track of time.”

 

“So did I,” Chihaya said, winking. “Oh, but… Wait we’re going outside,” She said, her eyes widening, almost immediately shrinking relative to Miria’s presence in the room. “I’ve gotta do my hair! Uh, can you tell them I’ll be out in a bit? Where’s my curlers?” She dashed around the room looking for her curlers, where were they? It’d be super weird if she came out like this, and then—!

 

Miria grabbed her shoulders, stopping her in front of the mirror. “Look,” she said, gesturing to Chihaya’s straight, elbow-length hair, amazingly tangle-free despite the amount of puff it usually spent its time in. “I don’t know how you have such good hair. Sometimes I get kind of jealous. I wish we could keep it like this more often… Oh. They’re right here.”

 

There in the reflection were Chihaya’s curlers, or rather, the MK-brand curlers that stood in for them these days. “We’ll be late together,” Miria said. “Let me do it.” That sounded pretty good, on the whole, so Chihaya leaned back into her seat and sighed, content. Nobody did it better than Miria.

 

**9 P.M.**

 

With interrogating Stella done with for the time being, Hansuke stepped into the North Wing. She’d been in a different category from everyone else so far, so that added a new wrinkle into the mess. Yeah, a mess. No kidding.

 

He scanned the North Wing. There was Luan, he’d already gotten him, and Gavin telling some dumb joke—there, leaving the Aquarium! “Hold up,” he said to Wanda, raising his hand to stop her, running over from the Cafeteria. “Got something I need to ask you.”

 

She turned to look at him. “Oh, Hansuke. Is it the same question you’ve been asking everyone else?”

 

“Good instincts,” Hansuke said, pulling out his notepad. “How many years ago’s your memory from?”

 

“That’s a bit of an insensitive question.” Wanda said, giving him a bit of side-eye. “What if it’s something of a sensitive topic?”

 

“I’m just asking about dates, lady.” Hansuke said. This one was kind of difficult, and he knew that well enough.

 

“That entire year is something of a sensitive topic, sir.” Wanda said, tapping at her chin. She turned back towards the Aquarium, and beckoned him to follow. He shrugged, figuring he might as well.

 

The glow of the Aquarium lit up the area. All told, he had to admit, it was a really nice place, even if Aoto’d gotten blown out here. Pretty quiet, too. She probably didn’t want to talk about this in public, if he had to guess. Wanda walked towards the main tank, her hands behind her back, walking lightly.

 

“Five years ago,” she said finally, just looking at the tank. He started walking up behind her. “Back when I was first starting out as a public figure, you know. It was a very important year for me. Or, rather, I suppose that started in 2190 but you understand me.”

 

“Five years…” Hansuke said, scratching his beard. He wrote it down. Lucky him, same time as Stella. Might as well go for a connection. “The name ‘Valkana’ mean anything to you?” With the way her hands tensed up, clenching together so hard he thought she might break her nails, it obviously did. “I heard it from Stella, see. He’s some big-shot news media mogul, as I understand.”

 

“We’ve met,” Wanda said, her voice still tense, shaking a bit.

 

“Well, ain’t that a coincidence.” Hansuke mumbled. He wasn’t an idiot, so he could tell this was obviously psyching her out something fierce.

 

“He is the man primarily responsible for my mother’s suicide,” Wanda said, still not turning to face him. Oh, shit. Well, that was a mine Hansuke kind of wished he hadn’t stepped in.

 

“Uh… sorry.” Hansuke grumbled. “You, uh… My bad. Sorry.” Inwardly, of course, he was considering the possible connections. It’d come out tomorrow or something, knowing how things went for him.

 

“Do people frequently talk to you about their problems, Hansuke?” Wanda said, turning to face him, finally. She still looked normal, but there was a bit of a cold edge to the way she moved, now. “It seems like you’re quite used to having people tell you everything.”

 

“Yeah,” Hansuke said, nodding. “Seems like.”

 

“I don’t blame you,” Wanda said, beginning to walk past him. “It makes sense. You have that sort of way about you, and I think you do lovely work with your investigations, personally. But I’d rather not speak any more on this matter, even if you do think there’s some connection. It is, shall we say, a _very_ sensitive topic…oh, but apology accepted,” she said, giving a smile back at him, as she was behind him now, that he was certain was in some way practiced. “Good luck discovering more!”

 

And the girl was gone, just like that. Hansuke went back to his notepad, and scribbled down a bit of info about Wanda for himself. Good to know, all of it. As sad as it was, he hadn’t become the Ultimate Salesman by being sensitive.

 

**10 P.M.**

 

“Lizard people?!” Yashiro laughed. “I wouldn’t take you for the type to give such ridiculous lies, Rin!”

 

“Shut up,” Rin said, playfully punching him in the pec. “I was put on the spot.” Kazuya just laughed. The three of them stood in front of Room Fifteen, laughing about a few of Rin’s more embarrassing moments. Or, rather, Kazuya and Yashiro were laughing at Rin’s expense.

 

“Still, though.” Yashiro said. “I can’t believe little Rin Hashizawa is connected to a math satellite! Can you believe it?” He ruffled her hair again. Her antenna was insufficiently spiky to poke him, so he ruffled it normally. She grumbled.

 

“I feel mistreated,” Rin said, “and if I didn’t care dearly about you both, I would report you to the authorities.” She bent over and groaned.

 

“Eh-hem. Hope’s Peak Academy’s Executive Committee has an announcement to make. It is now 10 P.M. Please, return to your rooms and relax. It’s another busy day tomorrow. Sweet dreams, everyone. Good niiiiiight…”

 

“It’s been a pleasure meeting everyone,” Yashiro said, “but I believe that means it is time for me to sleep. After all, I didn’t have much opportunity to do so down in Monokuma’s vile sewer maze!”

 

“How did you find your way out, anyway?” Kazuya said, popping up a bit out of his scarf.

 

“Mostly, I followed the right-hand wall!” And Yashiro laughed again. “It is a solid strategy no matter the maze. And if there was no right-hand wall to follow… I simply made one of my own!” He flexed to accentuate his point.

 

“Wow.” Kazuya said. He looked up at Yashiro, and Rin could see adoration in his eyes. “You’re really cool, Yashiro.”

 

Yashiro laughed again, but this time it seemed a bit more bashful. “You think so? People do come to see me on a regular basis!”

 

“Honestly, I’d really love to be strong like you,” Kazuya said. “Well, maybe not as strong. But closer to approaching your level.”

 

“Why don’t you just have Yashiro give you some pointers on bulking up?” Rin said, her antenna puffing. “He’s pretty bulky. I imagine he’s pretty good at it.”

 

“…Could I really?” Kazuya said, after blushing into his scarf. “I mean, I’d think the Ultimate Strongman might be a bit too busy…”

 

“I have _oodles_ of time, my boy!” Yashiro laughed. “I would be honored to assist you in personal fitness. After all, what is a man’s life but passing down what he’s learned to the next generation?”

 

Kazuya raised his eyebrow. “But we’re the same age.” Yashiro just laughed again. Kazuya turned to Rin, but all Rin could give him was a shrug to say, ‘yeah, he’s always like this.’

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Eight.**

 

**No students died today. Fifteen students remain.**

**No abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**


	16. Day 9 - Gordian Knot

**8 A.M.**

There was a whiteboard sat at the head of the table now, and Hansuke, bright and early, was standing in front of it marking down a chart of some sort. Rin buzzed about him, trying to figure out what exactly it was he was writing. From the left, she couldn’t see, from the right, she couldn’t see, well she just couldn’t see at all—

 

“Will you please just…?” Hansuke turned to face her. “Sit down. I’m working.” Rin visibly deflated and went to sit down next to Yashiro, who laughed again.

 

“So, did you figure something out?” Stella said, looking at Hansuke’s back, covered by his signature coat.

 

“He always does!” Gavin said, crossing his arms and nodding his head. “Trip, man, I bet he could figure his way out of a cardboard box.”

 

“What does that even mean?” Stella responded, giving Gavin a bemused look. He shrugged.

 

Hansuke capped his marker, and stood to the side. “Alright. Way I see it, I don’t think we’re each connected by just isolated little incidents. Chizuru, Miria, and Eriko all lost memories of the same incident, and so did Jun and Claus. I got to thinking it’d be a good idea to see just when each of these memories got taken.”

 

On the whiteboard, the Salesman had drawn up a timeline of events, from ten years ago, in 2186, to the present day in 2196. Certain years were marked with the names of students.

 

“First off, we’ve got 2186, ten years ago.” Hansuke said. “It’s **Shinobu and I** who’ve lost memories from that period.” He grimaced.

 

Shinobu, meanwhile, seemed positively giddy. “Why, Hansukeeeeeee, you didn’t tell me that we had the same year when you were inquiring about this last evening!” She continued edging closer towards him, with Daisuke, sitting in between them, seeming rather perturbed from her steady advance. “How fascinating, that I would share an intertwined destiny with a Yasuda!” She grasped her hand into her fist, and then bent over, doing something that looked vaguely like a fistpump, but frillier and more ostentatious.

 

Hansuke groaned. “What I’d give for you not to be weird about this.”

 

“So,” Claus said, leaning over his shoulder to look at the whiteboard behind him. “Do you have any theories as to how you and Shinobu might be connected?”

 

“Yeah,” Hansuke said. “I’ve got a pretty good idea if a hunch of mine turns out to be right, but it’s…” He crinkled his nose.

 

“A sensitive issue?” Miria said.

 

“Yeah,” Hansuke said. “Sensitive issue. Let’s go with that.”

 

“Oh, interesting.” Wanda said, crossing her legs. “I can’t wait to hear later.” She smiled. Shinobu hissed something about never telling her anything, but Rin couldn’t really make it out.

 

“2188,” Hansuke continued. “Two years after that. **Gavin and Daisuke** lost memories from then. Any ideas, kids?” He said, leaning over.

 

Gavin crossed his arms. “Trip, man. Not sure I even remember what I forgot!” He laughed. “Don’t think it was anything important, but I’ll go look later, man. How bout you, Dice?”

 

Daisuke, meanwhile, seemed perturbed, though frankly he seemed to be perturbed more and more often these days. “Uhhh… Well… I mean, how that…ummmm…could have… Uh?” He stammered, and his ponytail drooped.

 

“Well, great.” Hansuke said. He sighed. “Three years later, 2191. **Stella, Kazuya, and Wanda** all lost memories that year.”

 

“Oh,” Kazuya said, looking around at the other two mentioned. “I didn’t expect that. Um…” He looked like he began to say something, but then he looked at Stella and saw she was trying very hard not to furiously rub her arms, so he stopped. Or at least, that was how Rin interpreted it.

 

“Interesting,” Wanda said. “Perhaps that’s something to go over.”

 

“No,” Stella said, a bit louder than she necessarily needed to. Wanda sat back in her seat and acquiesced.

 

“I had to go harangue Monokuma a bit for this one,” Hansuke said. “2192. Four years ago. **Luan** lost memories here, and so did **Aoto** , but I don’t have a clue how those two could be connected.”

 

“I confess to being clueless as well,” Luan said, nodding.

 

“You actually managed to get Monokuma to tell you when Aoto’s memory was from?” Rin said, tilting her head. “Wowie. I didn’t think he ever gave straight answers!”

 

“You just need to ask the right questions,” Hansuke said. “2194. We know this one already. **Chizuru, Miria, and Eriko** lost memories of **the Kei Sagami incident.** ”

 

“What about Hashizawa?” Jun said, from the back corner. “Not counting her there? Apparently she was big on giving Sagami the ol’ kiss kiss fall in love.” It didn’t seem like anyone had any idea what Jun was talking about, except for Wanda, who gave him a side-eyed look of disbelief.

 

“She’s got complete amnesia,” Hansuke said. “I ain’t ruling anything out yet. Anyway, one year ago, 2195. **Jun and Claus** lost memories of **the Marufuji Tech Expo.** ” Rin heard a hissing noise from Jun in the back.

 

“Kei Sagami and the Marufuji Expo…” Claus said, his brow furrowed in thought. “I’m sure they’re connected based on the trend, but I confess I don’t see how they could be. After all, Ms. Sagami died before the Expo was even held.”

 

“Any ideas, Fukuyama?”

 

Yayoi craned her head to the back to glare at Jun, who clicked his tongue.

 

“That ain’t a yes or no. It’s a yes or no question, pal.”

 

“Yes,” Jun said, “but they’re _percolating._ ”

 

“What in the fuck does that mean?” Yayoi scoffed.

 

“They’re slowly filtering through the porous surfaces on his brain,” Kazuya said. Jun suppressed a snort. Yayoi, meanwhile, just grumbled.

 

“This year. 2196. **Yayoi** lost something.” Hansuke said. “And then we’ve got **Rin** , who can’t remember a thing, and, well…” He looked over at Yashiro.

 

“My memory is flawless!” Boomed the Ultimate Strongman.

 

“His memory is flawless,” Hansuke repeated.

 

“So,” Daisuke said, lowering his sunglasses on his face. “What is this telling you? Do you have some kind of revelation to give us?”

 

“Nope.” Hansuke said. “What do I look like, the Ultimate Miracle Worker? This is a bunch of names and dates.”

 

“Still, it’s something.” Claus said. “This does give us some stratification. Thank you, Hansuke. You’ve been very helpful.” Hansuke went to go sit back down. Rin, at the same time, heard some quiet mumbling from Stella along the lines of “I can’t believe there might be something even _worse_.”

 

The door to the Kitchen opened, showing nobody. “I have finished,” Chizuru said, and my goodness, did Rin have to appreciate her effort in pushing that cart while remaining hidden from sight.

 

**9:30 A.M.**

Wanda cocked her eyebrow as she entered the Housing Suite. Gavin was loitering about, making those same odd kung fu noises he’d made during the trial, pacing around and flailing his arms around. How curious. “Gavin?” She said. “What exactly are you doing?”

 

“Oh, yo, Wand.” Gavin said, suddenly spinning on his heels to face her. “Gav’s doing some thinking, ya dig? Ol’ Dice and I might be connected somehow, but I’m blanking on how. All’s I forgot was about this one kid I was friends with back in third grade.” He scratched his head. “And I figured, man, I should probably let dude get settled in the Bar for today ‘fore he and I go rambling about my rough and rowdy ways, eh?”

 

Wanda, walking closer, studied Gavin and his, er, _interesting_ aesthetic. “I think I understood that,” she said. “May I ask you something, Gavin?”

 

“You may,” Gavin said. “The Sakaki Institute for Friendship is open to most questions on a daily basis!”

 

“What is your family life like?” Wanda said. “You are an interesting character, and I find myself very curious as to the kind of life that could create such a character.”

 

Gavin hemmed and hawed about something or another before saying, “Well, dude, sorry to say I’m not that interesting! Back at home it’s me, my baby sister, Mom, Pop, and Ruff Ruffhouseman. That’s my dog, see, he’s a schnauzer, real cute. You like dogs, Wand?”

 

“I’m allergic,” Wanda stated.

 

“Shame.” Gavin said, shaking his head. “Anysnoodle, Mom used to be a pro wrestler, and even today methinks she could break me in half, yo!” He laughed. “This one time, she rescued me and a couple of pals from a collapsing building while she was eight months pregnant!”

 

Wanda nodded. “That’s quite a mother you have there.”

 

“Yeah, man, it reminds me of this one story, so me and my buddy Yuya, he’s this dude what smells really nice, we’re up at the Tsuutenkaku…”

 

She studied Gavin. Frankly, it was a bit ridiculous that such a person existed. His droning storytelling coming out of a mouth with that sort of hair wearing those sorts of clothes was actually rather astonishing. She hadn’t mentioned to anyone, but she’d heard of Gavin beforehand, and had seen a few of his outfits, and despite his story when they’d all awoken, she was pretty certain that this sweater vest-hakama-gladiator sandals combo wasn’t all that abnormal for him.

 

“And my mom pulls the dude into a piledriver, right? But he starts screaming in Russian about how he just fell from the sky out of a mattress truck, and I’m pretty interested.”

 

“Do you speak Russian?” Wanda said.

 

“Naw, Ruff Ruffhouseman does.” Gavin said. “I just speak dog. Anyfroodle, so I look up into the sky and I see this mattress truck flying through the sky raining feathers like an angel’s molting, dude!”

 

It was curious seeing someone so thoroughly _adjacent_ to greatness, Wanda decided. Gavin Sakaki’s claim to fame was that he found himself standing beside amazing people so frequently that he himself became amazing. In its own way, she supposed it was commendable. His dog even spoke Russian! Fascinating. It wasn’t really in Wanda’s purview of what a successful life was, but it was something, at least.

 

“And so Mom grabs a can of Pepsi and hucks it at the guy on top of the building, and, get this, he gets struck by lightning! Red lightning! And a rhino breaks out of its cage and runs into the mattress truck, and they start battling.”

 

Did this man even have anything propelling him? Was he living for anything, or just living for the sake of living? His storytelling was so capricious it was like he thought everything was of critical importance. Surely everyone had seen a rhino attack caused by red lightning at least once in their lives. It really wasn’t that special. Though, she thought with a small laugh, she was certain that Shinobu would think it was utter cockamamie.

 

“And so, now we’re in this truck, chasing down the Prime Minister of England, and I turn to Yuya and I say, ‘Man, what the heck is going on?’ And he says, ‘Don’t say that until your mom stops listening!’” Gavin said.

 

“That’s fascinating,” Wanda said. “May I hear the rest of this story later?” She wasn’t actually particularly interested, but it was the polite thing to say.

 

“Oh, sure, man.” Gavin said.

 

Wanda turned and walked into Spare Hall, waving to Gavin as she left, and he made some sort of noise in reply.

 

What an odd man he was.

 

**11 A.M.**

 

“You know, Chizuru, sometimes I wonder how successful of a human being I really am.”

 

Chizuru suppressed a yelp her hiding place beneath the drawers of the Navigation Room. She hadn’t been expecting company, much less Claus idly sauntering into the room and immediately calling her out. That was more the job of nosy people like Rin, or Shinobu. But here she was, with Claus standing at the steering wheel, spinning it about.

 

“I am the Ultimate Principal,” Claus said, grasping the steering wheel at ten and two to stop it from spinning, then spinning it in the opposite direction. “The title Ultimate, with a capital U and all, it is a very prestigious title. Obviously, not just anyone obtains it, and it’s an honor that people think enough of me to consider me a member of that lofty few. But what does it actually mean, to be the Ultimate Principal?”

 

He stopped the wheel again, and spun it again. “I don’t think I’m the caliber of man who deserves that sort of title. True, I am an Ultimate Principal, but that just means that within a controlled environment I’m skilled at running a school. Yet, people have come to me asking me to be a _leader._ I’m sorry,” he said, with a self-effacing chuckle. “Am I imposing on you?”

 

“I had nothing else I was doing,” Chizuru said.

 

“Ah, so you were in here!” Claus grinned his thousand-dollar, shining smile. “Seems I’ve honed my instincts.”

 

Before she could really process it, Chihaya had already peeked out from her hiding place and affixed Claus with her best ‘what planet are you from’ look. “You were talking to me that whole time and you just hoped I was there?”

 

 “Well, sometimes it does me well to just speak to an empty room.” Claus said. “Even if you weren’t there, I’d just laugh it off and look a bit silly in a way nobody saw. I am glad you’re here, though!”

 

Chihaya narrowed her gaze in disbelief before remembering exactly what situation she was in and sliding back into her hidey-hole. Chizuru cleared her throat. “That aside,” she said, “you’re clearly fretting about something if you think talking to an empty room is a worthwhile use of your time.”

 

“Chizuru,” Claus said, “What do you think the role of a ‘leader’ is? More and more I find myself wondering. It seems, at the very least, that several members of the group consider me an authority figure, and yet…” He grimaced. “I’m not even the oldest person here. Several members of the group are significantly worldlier than I am. Why,” and there was another chuckle, “You, Miria, Rin, and Hansuke have all lived, for varying amounts of time, with nothing but the skin on your bones and the clothes on your back!”

 

“It was not fun,” Chizuru said. She heard the wheel stop once more. “But I did do it.”

 

“And I ran a school,” Claus said. “It seems so odd to me, that I, a young man who’s…well, hardly experienced any hardship in his life, honestly, would be looked to for guidance by those who have suffered far more. Honestly, I don’t believe I have the inner strength required to run away from home in the first place. The thought never even occurred to me.”

 

“That’s wrong,” Chizuru said. “You should feel lucky to have a loving home, in that case.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Claus said, “I suppose you’re right.” He spun the wheel again. “May I tell you a story?”

 

“Certainly,” Chizuru said.

 

“My mother fell in love with an American business tycoon when she was younger,” Claus said. “Before she’d ever had any children. He was in Japan on business, you see. They hit it off reasonably well, or so I’m told, but unfortunately, the man was married, so it didn’t really amount to much before he left. A few years later, she met her would-be husband, and of course, fell in love and got married.”

 

Chizuru had an idea of where this story was going, but respectfully kept it to herself. “Eight years later,” Claus said, “My mother is a mother of two children, working nights at a bar to help support the family after her husband is laid off, and who does she run into but that same American business tycoon, in Japan on business once again. She had thought the torch she’d carried for the man had gone away, but upon seeing him again, it was ignited once more. Nine months later, much to her husband’s shock, she gives birth to a child with such distinctly American features that there is no doubt of its ancestry. But of course, the American business tycoon is long since gone once more.”

 

“I see,” Chizuru said.

 

“Obviously,” Claus said, “my mother and father, father in this case meaning my mother’s husband, stayed together after this or I could not have four more siblings. I cannot say that I’ve been mistreated at home, either. My mother and father are both quite dear to me, as are my siblings, and they all reciprocate as best I can tell. It is, by all rights, a happy home, but it is one in which I stick out like a sore thumb.”

 

“Do people…mock you?” Chizuru said.

 

“No, no.” Claus shook his head. “They simply _take notice._ I am, after all, a very tall man, especially in this country. I am, by all appearances, a young, manly American living in a Japanese family. I cannot help but feel as though I am viewed as something of a curiosity. Even my name is odd. ‘Claus.’ I don’t dislike it, but it has that sort of unique sound. And now, the tall half-American boy in a wholly Japanese fashion has become a student of Hope’s Peak, the Ultimate Principal, a teenager so skilled at running educational facilities that he puts trained professionals to shame!” He gave another one of his self-effacing chuckles. “I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to go anywhere without being noticed now. To tell you the truth… Though I feel it is wrong of me, I can’t help but envy you a little.”

 

These were words that the Hide-and-Seeker had definitely never heard before, so it took her a second to process them. “What? You envy _me?_ ” Chihaya blurted.

 

“You realized your talent through, no doubt, heavy emotional trauma if you ran from home to escape it. It is horrid of me to envy someone their pain, and yet… You can go around without being noticed. It’s your forte, if you will. You could go somewhere and simply be…part of the crowd.” He finally finished spinning his wheel, and sat down on the ground. “I’d love to experience that, just once.”

 

“I don’t think…” Chihaya mumbled. “I do not think it is wrong,” Chizuru continued, “for you to envy that facet of me. If I may be so blunt… I wish I could be noticed in the way you are, but I cannot. Even now, I can only briefly look you in the eyes.”

 

“Mm,” Claus said.  He looked down at his own crossed legs. “But… What good am I as a leader if I cannot prevent people from dying? I failed, Chizuru. I failed to protect Aoto from Eriko, and Eriko from herself. They are dead because I left myself vulnerable. If I had just—!”

 

“Do you seriously think,” Chihaya said, “that you can stop _all_ death?”

 

Claus looked up. “What?”

 

“That’s really self-centered,” Chihaya said. “You alone can’t just stop people from dying in a killing game no matter how talented or competent you are. That’s not how people work. You’re just one man, locked in an underwater facility with sixteen other people who could all snap at any moment. Honestly, it’s a wonder we’ve gone this far with as little death as we have. Aoto and Eriko were a tragedy, yes, but that doesn’t mean you’re a _failure._ So stop talking like that’s something you can just decide for yourself.”

 

There was a pause before Claus blinked, and before Chihaya realized that she’d come fully out of her hiding spot while rambling to Claus. “Uh!” She gritted her teeth.

 

“…Is that a vote of confidence in me?” Claus said.

 

Chihaya gulped. “Yeah,” she said. “I think you’re doing pretty well.”

 

Claus leaned back on his arms, looked up at the ceiling, and started laughing. “I didn’t expect that!” He said. “Haha, imagine that.”

 

The air was lighter than Chihaya had expected it to be after coming out like that. Claus seemed to be honestly enjoying himself, as far as she could tell, which was good. It was hard to admit to herself, but…well, she _trusted_ Claus. She couldn’t say it now, because it was hard enough to speak at all, but she felt that was his strongest quality as a leader. In a time like this, where anyone could be at your back with a knife, Chihaya didn’t feel reserved about trusting Claus.

 

She began twiddling her fingers, because at that point, a thought occurred, one that she hadn’t felt probably ever; the thought that perhaps, he would understand her. Perhaps it would be okay to let him in, just a little bit, into the world that until now had just held her and Miria.

 

“Hey,” Chihaya said, before she could stop herself. “I…have a story, too. And… I want to tell you it.” Her heart was racing, and she was beginning to sweat, but… She was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, underwater, in this crazy situation. There was no better time than the present.

 

“Are you sure?” Claus said, now looking her dead in the eyes. She did her best not to look away. “Don’t force yourself.”

 

“No!” She said, a bit more forcefully than she meant to. “No, I… This is important. I want you to hear it. I’ve…only ever told the other runaways about this, and, well, Rin doesn’t remember and I don’t remember telling her.”

 

“Alright,” Claus said. “I’m all ears.”

 

“Thank you,” Chihaya said, and she began to talk.

 

**1:30 P.M.**

 

“God _damn_ this idiotic bear to the deepest hell imaginable!” Jun spat, wheeling out of his room with furious vigor. Such vigor, in fact, that when he turned to leave he failed to notice the very large man that he proceeded to run straight into.

 

The unfazed Yashiro made a noise, turned, and laughed. “Aha! If it isn’t Jun Fukuyama! Good day, neighbor. Whatever seems to be the matter?” He patted Jun on the head, which was even more fucking annoying god damnit.

 

Jun huffed. “I’ll tell you what the matter is, lion man. The matter is that Monokuma has seen fit to not only incarcerate me like this, but _insult_ me as well!” He began clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly, working himself up into a sweat. “I’ll kill him, Yashiro, I will kill Monokuma if it’s the last thing I’ll do, I’ll rip him open, I’ll tear apart his insides and reprogram him to sing Saturday morning cartoon theme songs to himself for the rest of his miserable existence!”

 

Yashiro laughed his booming laugh again. “Ah, my friend, while that fiend deserves that and worse, no doubt it might take more preparation than that!” Jun had begun wheeling himself out again, and Yashiro began to walk with him. “What exactly, though, did he _do?_ ”

 

“I had a scheme going, Yashiro. I was doing good work on that computer, but now I wake up to find that Monokuma altered my laptop so that all programs besides _Python and Vim_ require kumauser privilege! I am limited to _Python and Vim_! _Python,_ Yashiro! Look at me. I might be a short man, but I am without a doubt not a child! What sort of troglodyte still uses Python at sixteen years old?!” Jun began scratching through his hair. It itched. His dandruff was acting up.

 

“A programmer I am not, friend!” The lion-man said. “The significance of your plight is lost on me, but you have my condolences nonetheless!” He boomed once more.

 

The idiocy of that comment caused Jun to stop wheeling and stare at Yashiro. Yes, come to think of it, the Strongman was an interesting character in all this. Lost in the sewer for over a week, avoiding Monokuma’s memory loss as a result, and a friend of Rin Hashizawa’s. It all seemed very odd to him. Suspicious, too, but Yashiro himself was clearly too stupid to actually be suspicious himself.

 

“…Tell me something, Yashiro,” Jun said after scrutinizing him for a minute or so. “Do you know who I am?”

 

“I know that you are Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin,” Yashiro said. “I know that you made some particularly rude comments in the first trial, but I have waived your headlock for the time being in the interest of camaraderie.”

 

“But have you heard of me outside of this facility?” Jun said. “At any point?”

 

“I am a nomad at heart, friend!” Yashiro laughed. “I do not get the opportunity to keep too abreast of celebrities. Er, should I have?”

 

Curiouser and curiouser, Jun thought to himself. Curiouser and curiouser. It almost made up for being unable to finish his work. “And I haven’t heard of you, either. I’ve never heard of a Yashiro Narumi, Ultimate Strongman or otherwise, before this little experience.”

 

“Should you have?” Yashiro said. “You do not strike me as the sort of man who visits travelling circuses!” And he laughed again, patting Jun on the back.

 

“It’s certainly not impossible,” Jun said. “But I find it rather odd, myself that the two of us specifically have never heard of each other knowing what I know now.”

 

“And what exactly do you know?” Yashiro said. “It seems you’ve got quite a bit stuck in that head of yours. What are your suspicions regarding our situation?”

 

Jun clicked his tongue. “Sure you want to hear them? After all, you’re such good friends with the most suspicious person here. It might offend you.”

 

“Ahhh, so this is about Rin!” Yashiro nodded. “Well, fire away. I do still owe you a headlock, after all!” And he laughed again.

 

“Hmph.” Jun scoffed. “It’s common knowledge that I don’t trust her. And you want to know why? Alright, I’ll tell you. It’s because she shouldn’t be here. It’s plain as day to me, but it seems like everyone else is just ignoring this! Idiots.”

 

“How do you figure?” Yashiro said. “I mean, certainly, she doesn’t remember her own talent…”

 

Jun levied his eyes at Yashiro. “How many people are in a class of Hope’s Peak?”

 

“Eh?” Yashiro said.

 

“It’s a simple question,” Jun said, smirking. “The answer is sixteen. With very few exceptions, there are sixteen people in a given class at Hope’s Peak. Not seventeen. Sixteen.”

 

Yashiro’s brow furrowed, and he crossed his muscular arms and frowned. “So you’re implying someone here is not, in fact, a genuine student of Hope’s Peak?”

 

“There’s no doubt in my mind.” Jun said. “There’s a fake Ultimate among us. That’s the only explanation in my mind.”

 

“But it could be any of us, could it not?” Yashiro said. “In fact, wouldn’t I be the most likely candidate? After all, I was lost in the sewers for a week. It would be easy to fake that in order to provide myself an alibi!”

 

“You’re not wrong,” Jun said. “But I seriously doubt that it’s you. After all, Monokuma was genuinely frightened by your antics in the pipes a few days ago. Even if he is autonomous, and not directly controlled by the mastermind, he’d certainly know what the mastermind was doing.”

 

“Your vote of confidence pleases me,” Yashiro said. “Even so, this is a dire accusation. Why do you suspect Rin specifically?”

 

“The first point against her,” Jun said, “is Claus.” Yashiro tilted his head, and Jun scoffed. “Ah, right. You were lost in the sewers. Claus, being the Principal, was naturally aware of most of the students before the school year began. I know for a fact he already knew of myself, Gavin, Eriko, Chizuru, Miria, Luan, Stella, Wanda, and Yayoi before being kidnapped—and as the Ultimate Principal, he had at least a small role in the class’s composition himself.”

 

“Counting himself, that would seem to be ten suspects off the list rather quickly,” Yashiro said. “And even I had heard of the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator somewhat!”

 

Jun nodded. “So that leaves Hansuke, Aoto, you, Kazuya, Daisuke, Shinobu, and Rin. And, of course, Shinobu is an acclaimed author. I’ve seen plenty of advertisements declaring her an author skilled enough to reach the vaunted heights of Hope’s Peak.”

 

“My dearest Nana has had dealings with the Harada Brewery not long ago,” Yashiro said. “As such, I happened to overhear one of his relatives or another chattering quite a bit about Daisuke’s admission!”

 

“Hashizawa doesn’t strike me as particularly lucky,” Jun said. “After all, didn’t you say you met her by throwing a coconut at her head? That sounds pretty unlucky to me. So I think there’s very little to suggest Aoto could’ve been a fake Lucky Student aping her claim to fame. And, of course, I seriously, seriously doubt you’re a fake.”

 

“In the name of truth, these fists!” Yashiro said. “In the name of justice, these muscles!” And he flexed.

 

“However you want to phrase it,” Jun said. “As such, that leaves me with three real suspects. Hansuke, Kazuya, and Rin. Hansuke is older than the rest of us, and has a surprisingly mundane talent. In fact, I think it’s rather suspicious that he just so happened to figure out Monokuma’s first motive right as Monokuma was about to reveal it. But at the same time, his assistance in figuring out what’s been going on has been invaluable. If he were working against us, there’d be no reason to work these things out on his own. Additionally, in observing him I’ve found that he has great observational skills, especially towards people. He demonstrates the qualities I’d expect of a Salesman.”

 

“Why are you assuming that this false student is working against us?” Yashiro interrupted, tilting his head to one side. “That seems like a dangerous assumption to make.”

 

“Well, why else would there be a fake?” Jun said. “I’m more suspicious of Kazuya. It seems he was a complete unknown before coming here. More than that, also, he demonstrates no qualities I’d expect out of a public speaker; his voice is quiet, he seems to hold some level of social anxiety, et cetera. Granted, it’s not as though we’ve spoken overmuch, but I simply don’t think he seems like much of an Orator. However, if that is the case, why would he claim for himself a talent that’s so obviously at odds with his character? It obviously points to him being suspicious in some way. I’m certain he’s hiding _something_ or another, but I don’t fully suspect him yet.”

 

“And so, process of elimination leads you to suspect Rin?” Yashiro said.

 

“It says it right on her door,” Jun said. “Number Seventeen. The seventeenth student, who shouldn’t be going to our school. Claiming amnesia is an easy way to get around the problem of what talent to say that you have, and all her namby-pamby friendship crap like those statuettes comes off a bit too strong for me.” It had still affected him quite strongly, of course, but Yashiro didn’t need to know that. “I doubt Wanda’s on the right track with this Izuru Kamukura crap. More likely, there’s something hidden about Hashizawa, and I intend to figure out what it is before she destroys me.”

 

“That still isn’t concrete evidence for your theory.” Yashiro said. “And don’t think I didn’t notice, young man! You didn’t actually answer my earlier question.”

 

Jun cocked an eyebrow, and crossed his arms. The two of them were now opposed on either end of Shinobu’s door. “Oh? What question would that be?”

 

“Why would the two of us know of each other in particular?” Yashiro said. “You placed special importance on us earlier in the conversation.”

 

“You and I aren’t completely unconnected,” Jun said. “Obviously, we’ve never met, but we have a shared acquaintance.”

 

“I have many acquaintances.” Yashiro said. “I have been to many a land, after all.”

 

“One in particular,” Jun said. “This acquaintance of both of ours never mentioned the other in any fashion to us, despite the fact that our acquaintance would’ve become acquainted with us at about the same time. Not mentioning you to me makes sense to me, but not mentioning me to you seems odd knowing this acquaintance. It’s entirely possible I’m reading too much into this situation, but I can’t help but find it a bit odd.”

 

That was as far as Jun was willing to go without a push. Yashiro grunted. “You can be remarkably vague when you want to be, Jun. If some acquaintance never mentioned me to you, wouldn’t that just cast suspicion on me?”

 

“You’re not wrong,” Jun said. “You’re not wrong. If I’m wrong, though, well, I’m wrong. I’ve been wrong before. Occasionally. Don’t you have to start yelling to build up your spirit energy or something?”

 

Yashiro laughed. “What sort of Strongman do you take me for? I can be quiet when I need to!” Jun stifled a reaction of disbelief. “In any case, though, I would love to continue this conversation later. Remind me one of these days to put you in a headlock, friend.”

 

“Is that the sort of thing you do to a friend?” Jun said, rolling his eyes.

 

“If need be!” Yashiro boomed. God, he was loud. Jun began to turn his chair to go back to his room—

 

“Why,” someone asked, “are the two of you standing outside my door talking at each other?” Jun craned his head. Shinobu was standing in her doorway, the gaudy Victorian throwback, or whatever she was supposed to be, looking vaguely bemused. “If you wished to signal me, you…you could’ve knocked.”

 

“My apologies!” Yashiro said. “I lost track of the time talking with Jun about the larger mysteries of our situation. Isn’t that right, Jun?” But Jun had already left the conversation, and barely heard a yelp from Yashiro before closing his door again.

 

He groaned. “Well, I suppose Python will have to do. I’ll send my pride to the cleaners’ later.”

 

**3 P.M.**

 

“Oh,” Miria said as she entered the Cafeteria. Chihaya wasn’t waiting for her, but was instead chatting—from beneath a table, of course—animatedly with Claus, seated at the same table. Seeing Chihaya begin talking to someone of her own volition was something Miria very rarely saw, so she couldn’t help but smile. Chihaya turned to look at her, and Miria waved. It was an ordinary gesture, but between the two of them, Miria was sure Chihaya understood her meaning: “I’m proud of you for making a friend.”

 

She passed Kazuya and Yashiro on the way out, hearing a snippet of Yashiro talking about their upcoming fitness regimen. Oh, she didn’t know Kazuya wanted to start working out. She briefly considered offering to help, but then she decided Yashiro probably had it handled, and it might go better without her anyhow. She passed through the North Wing, passing Stella, who called to Kazuya and Yashiro, and into the South, and she waved to Hansuke, who was looking through his notes one more time, and to Wanda, who was walking into the Stairwell. She didn’t think Wanda noticed her before she left, though.

 

“What are you looking at?” She said, looking over Hansuke’s shoulder, the sound of the Stairwell door closing in her ears.

 

“Just making sure my theory’s right before I confirm anything.” He said, scratching his scruff. “Could dredge up a lot of heavy memories for me and Shinobu both.”

 

“Oh,” Miria said. There was a moment of silence, then she nodded. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

 

“Thanks,” Hansuke said, before going back to his notepad. Miria almost left, but then she saw something out of the corner of her eye on his notepad, and called back.

 

“Oh, ‘Chi-chan’ is written with the character for ‘house,’ not ‘hook.’” She said. He’d written down a few things about her and Chihaya’s interactions. Couldn’t hurt to help. She stared at him for implicit permission, then leaned over and demonstrated the difference for him using his pen. It was very different from his handwriting.

 

“Huh.” Hansuke said. “That’s interesting. Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Miria said, and then walked to the Stairwell herself. She nodded to Luan, walking down the stairs. “Hello.”

 

“Hello,” Luan said. “Have you seen Boss?” Miria shook her head no, as she hadn’t, and Luan’s brow furrowed. “Hm. I wanted to speak to her.”

 

“I’m sure you’ll find her,” Miria said. They reached an understanding, and Luan headed into Abilene Hall. She was alone, near as she could tell, so she raised her voice. “Monokuma? May I speak to you?”

 

With his signature noise, Monokuma appeared from a hole in the wall above and behind her, landing in a Y shape with the grace of an Olympic gymnast. Miria lightly applauded his landing. “If it isn’t my favorite one of this bunch!” The black-and-white bear said, letting out a “puhuhu” with his hands up to his mouth. “You need something?”

 

“I just wanted to say that I reconsidered,” Miria said. “Chi-chan and I talked about it, and we decided it probably wouldn’t be good for the two of us to live here by ourselves.”

 

“Huh.” Monokuma said. He shrugged, and sat down in front of the stairs. “Well, whatever floats your boat, lady. You’re a big girl, I’m sure you can do whatever you want.”

 

Miria giggled, and sat down on the bottom stair. She picked Monokuma up, too, and sat him down on the same stair. “It must be hard having such short legs you can’t climb the stairs in your own house.”

 

“I get around,” Monokuma said, nodding sagely. “The Tao of Monokuma isn’t so flimsy as to lose to something like stairs. I’m pretty zen, y’see. I am one with the Lifestream.”

 

“I don’t know what that means,” Miria said. “I still wouldn’t mind being friends with you after we leave, though. You still seem really lonely.”

 

“Man, are you ever gonna quit reading so much into things, Miria?” Monokuma bore his claws, and his bat wing eye glowed. “I have an image to maintain here, girl! Didn’t your little girlfriend tell you about talking to strange bears?”

 

“I think it’s okay if not all of my friends like each other, even if she is my girlfriend,” Miria said. “By the way, is it okay that I’m taking orange juice from the Pantry?”

 

“Huwhat?” Monokuma said, a little question mark rising from his head. “You what now?”

 

“I like the boxed orange juice in the Pantry better than the orange juice in the Cafeteria,” Miria said. “So I’ve been drinking it. I’m going to go get some now.”

 

“Oh,” Monokuma said. “I mean, it’s not like I eat. Go hog wild! But drink responsibly, we wouldn’t want you choking.”

 

“Okay,” Miria said. She nodded. “Thank you, Monokuma. I appreciate it.”

 

“Weirdo!” He called after her. She had a feeling that meant “you’re welcome,” but nobody else would probably believe her. Off to the Pantry with her.

 

**3:10 P.M.**

 

“Weirdo!” Monokuma cried after the ascending Miria Hayashi. Man, she was weird. What a weirdo. Total weirdo. One hundred percent. He plopped himself off of the Stairwell and hopped up into his little hole. He didn’t need to actually move his body in these things, just decide, so he decided to head back up to the fifth floor.

 

The darkness of the tubes connecting through the innards of Compound VK overtook him as he shot through. One side of this tube in particular was see-through, and he always appreciated the breathtaking view of the ocean to its side. His favorite bit of coral, this one that looked kinda like a guy waving hello to you, seemed to be in great condition. Ah, nature sure is beautiful, he thought to himself—

 

“ _Cause I’m your LADYYYYYYYYYY_!” cried Celine Dion.

 

“Gah! Why’d I even pick that ringtone?” Monokuma grumbled. Lit up by the sunlight filtering down from above the waters, he pulled out his shouting phone.

 

“ _And you are my **maaaaaaaaaaaaan!**_ ”

 

“Shut up, Celine.” Monokuma said. That was his text message tone, so he flipped to his messages. It was from a new number; one he had registered already, but that hadn’t sent him a message yet. “Wow, hasn’t even been 24 hours and we’ve already got results, huh? Let’s see what you’ve got for me, kiddo.”

 

The first Monokuma Note was a bit longer than he’d expected.

 

**4:55 P.M.**

 

“Alright, my young friends!” Yashiro bellowed, sending shivers down Kazuya’s spine. He still hadn’t entirely adjusted to just how _loud_ the Strongman was. “Are you ready to begin walking down the path of fitness?”

 

The Hope’s Peak Historical Exhibit was as ostentatious as ever, Kazuya thought. He didn’t hold much attachment to it as a school, though everyone and their mother knew several of the names listed in this room. But there was something off here, something that looked just the slightest bit strange. “Oh, um…” Kazuya said.

 

Stella rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Come on, you were the one who asked him to do this, weren’t you?” She walked up beside him. “Something wrong?”

 

“Wasn’t there a flag there, before?” Kazuya pointed up to a little indentation on one of the columns. “I’m pretty sure there was.”

 

“Huh.” Stella said. “Yeah, there was.”

 

She was very bright blue, Kazuya saw. He hadn’t been expecting Stella to ask to join their regimen, but it wasn’t like he minded. Another voice to tell Yashiro to stop would probably help, he thought. And, well, he didn’t mind having people around, either. It might be nice. It was only then that Kazuya realized he hadn’t actually answered Yashiro’s question. “Oh, um, yes. I’m ready to begin walking down the path of fitness,” he said, walking towards the doors to the Gymnasium. He pushed open the doors, Stella and Yashiro standing beside him—

 

—to see darkness?

 

“Wait, the lights in here are off?” Stella said as Kazuya opened the door a bit wider. “What happened?”

 

Kazuya began to say, “I don’t know,” but was cut off- as he opened the door wider, the lights suddenly turned back on all at once with a small ‘click.’ And—

 

A shriek rang out from the Gymnasium. Kazuya was hardly able to process the screeching figure that barreled towards the three of them from the direction of the changing rooms once the lights turned back on, but the sound of a whanging sitar as said figure bumped against Yashiro’s mountainous physique told him that it was Daisuke.

 

“Daisuke, what—?!” Stella shouted out as he ran past them through the Exhibit. He was still shrieking, but as he’d slowed down, Kazuya saw now the reason he’d had trouble identifying Daisuke; most of his upper body was soaked in red liquid.

 

“IT’S CRANBERRY JUICE!” Daisuke offered as his parting words before bolting entirely out of the room.

 

It was quiet again, and a cold chill began running down Kazuya’s spine. He began running towards the changing rooms. “We need to check it out!”

 

Yashiro launched into a full-bore sprint and shot past Kazuya. He and Stella followed closely behind, and caught up right as Yashiro used his Handbook to open the men’s changing room. The door swung open, and the three of them looked in—

 

—and another scream rang out from the Gymnasium.

 

The lights in the Archive swung in their fixtures just above, as Shinobu sat herself down. “So, Mr. Yasuda. Please, enlighten me. What exactly is the connection we share?”

 

Naturally, a Yasuda would have the blood of great mystery in their veins, so she wasn’t surprised one bit by the Salesman’s deductive ability. The scruffy man, still standing, tugged at the hems of his coat, and sighed. He put away his notepad into one of his coat pockets, and sat, turning his chair to face Shinobu. It felt almost a little nostalgic, like a police interrogation.

 

“This might be going into some pretty nasty territory,” Hansuke said. “Wanda wasn’t pleased when I came to her about a hunch I had, and this might bring up some bad memories too.”

 

“Morinaga is a child and a menace,” Shinobu spat, gritting her teeth. “If the truth must hurt in order to come out, then so be it.”

 

Hansuke looked down, his hair shadowing his eyes, but then looked back up. “Alright. You’ve lived alone most of your life, right?”

 

“Indubitably, I have.” Shinobu nodded. “Naught but Shinobu fends for Shinobu. I coined that term a day or two ago, you know, and I think it’s rather catchy, I might wind up using it.” She would’ve continued, but she saw Hansuke’s face, and it wasn’t pretty. “Oh, I’m sorry. This is more serious than I thought. Continue,” she said. After all, what could he say that would—?

 

“What happened to your parents?” Hansuke said.

 

Shinobu blinked, and behind her eyelids, visions she batted away at night arose unbidden, grotesque visions of horror and misery, of fear, of pain, of crushed-open skulls, of holes in necks, of no, no, this couldn’t be happening, _this isn’t really happening_ —

 

She opened her eyes wide. She was suddenly sweating profusely. Alright, breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. In, out. In, out.

 

“They…” Shinobu said. The modern-day Mistress of Mystery could rise to this task. She looked him in the eyes. He was frowning in concern. “They were killed. Murdered. I was six years old.”

 

“I see.” Hansuke said. Another sigh escaped his lips. It was heavier, more tired. “You sure you’re okay? You look like a mess. Don’t push yourself.”

 

“It is fine,” Shinobu said. “I’ll be just peachy. Any other questions?” And Hansuke opened his mouth to speak—

 

Chihaya fell into bed, exhausted. Her sheets seemed more comfortable, now. She had an ally now, a real friend other than Miria, someone who knew her, knew that she was real.

 

“I’m glad I met you, Claus.” She said to the air, knowing it wouldn’t reach him. “You’re a really good guy.”

 

“Geez, now you’re talking to empty rooms just like him!”

 

Chihaya shot up and yelped at the sound of the evil bear’s voice, as he bounded into her room. She hid under her covers to avoid his gaze. “W-w-what do you want?!”

 

“Well, gee, that’s one way to greet a guest.” She couldn’t see him, but she could hear the bouncy noises of his feet as he walked over. “I’ve got a delivery for you.”

 

“I don’t want it,” she said. “Anything you’re delivering is probably something awful.” She gripped her covers harder.

 

“Yeah, well, you’re not wrong, but here you go anyway.” And he slid a folded note in front of her, where she could see it. “Later! Puhuhu!” And just like that, he was gone. Chihaya crawled out from under her covers and grumbled. She hated that bear. She hated everything he stood for, but against her better judgement, she picked up the note he left, unfolded it, and began to read. She began to read. She began to read. She began to read, she began to read, she began to read, and the very first word _made her blood run cold_ —

 

“Three…two…one… Go!”

 

And Rin pushed, Rin pushed as hard as she could. And so did Luan, and Yayoi. The three of them exerted all of their might on the Power Room hatch’s locked wheel, bidding it to turn.

 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!” Rin cried, attempting to raise her spirit energy to the maximum by yelling.

 

“You’ll only tire yourself out faster by shouting,” Luan said from right next to her. “Don’t.”

 

“Oh yeah, you’re right.” Rin’s antenna held strong, as she continued to exert her might.

 

“Put your back into it, you two!” Yayoi shouted.

 

And for a good three minutes, the three of them pushed and pushed, but to no avail. The door remained strong. Luan was the first to collapse, falling to the ground and wringing his hands. Rin joined him, because her hands were _really_ sore, wow. “Ah, shit.” Yayoi fell to the ground as well. She and Rin were panting. “Guess we really aren’t getting in there.”

 

“It’s okay,” Rin said, wiping some sweat from her brow. “We tried our hardest, and that’s what counts.”

 

“Ugh, no it ain’t, what counts is if we get in there or not!” Yayoi groaned.

 

“Er…” Rin stammered. “Yeah, you have a point there. Sorry.”

 

And as the three sat on the ground, resting themselves—

 

**5 P.M.**

 

“A body has been discovered! All students, please report to the men’s changing room in the Gymnasium.”

 

What? “What?” Rin said. Huh? No, there— What?

 

Yayoi shot up like a bolt. “What the hell? Another dead body?! Who— What?!” Rin turned and saw Luan go pale, gritting his teeth.

 

There was a cold chill running down Rin’s spine. She knew, of course, exactly what those words meant. All of them made perfect sense. Someone was dead. Someone had been killed.

 

Hansuke and Shinobu barged out of the Archive. “Not this shit again!” Hansuke shouted. Shinobu looked pale, very pale, and Rin wanted dearly to speak to her, but—

 

“There’s no time,” she said. “We need to get to the Gym!” And Rin broke into a run.

 

“Hey, hold up!” Rin heard Yayoi cry from behind her. Four sets of footsteps followed her out of Abilene Hall. As she ran up the Stairwell, she heard the shouts of Chizuru and Wanda from the Housing Suite, she ran up the stairs and heard Claus cry from Campbell, slowly but surely a horde of footsteps followed Rin into the Gymnasium.

 

Stella was on the ground, staring into the open door of the men’s changing room, her eyes wide, stammering without purpose. “Stella!” Rin cried, her footfalls resounding as she ran over to support her. “What happened?”

 

“We just,” Stella stammered, “we just opened the door and, and—!” She pointed into the men’s changing room. Rin stood up, and looked into the room. She hadn’t looked into the changing rooms before, and she saw Kazuya and Yashiro inside, but her eyes couldn’t help but gravitate towards the center of the room, where it seemed like reality was spitting in her face. No, this couldn’t happen. It was too soon, it didn’t make any sense!

 

But a third scream, from right behind Rin, rang out through the Gymnasium. Try as she might to deny it, Chizuru’s anguished wails confirmed its reality. Slumped against the wall, wounds on her hands and a bloodstain on her torso, suspended still by a flagpole from the Hope’s Peak Historical Exhibit stabbed through her chest, the body of Miria Hayashi, the Ultimate Mountaineer, lay frail and pitiful in death.

 

**Fourteen students remain.**


	17. Monokuma Theater 3

**White Flag of Surrender**

Once, there was a girl, we'll call her Girl M, because her name started with M. Girl M was born to a loving household, the only child of her two mothers. And it was good, and Girl M was happy. One mother would hold her tenderly each time she cried, and Girl M had a bit of trouble with people sometimes, so she definitely needed that.

Of course, like most good things, it didn't last. One of Girl M's mothers died when she was eight, and the other of Girl M's mothers was very, very displeased. For the first year, it was just some shouting, Mama closing herself off for days at a time, but soon, Girl M's loving household became a torrent of pain, as her dear Mama began to take out all of her pent-up aggression on Girl M.

Girl M's adolescence was cold and ever so lonely, the strikes of her dear Mama leaving her too cowed to speak to anyone. It wasn't the sort of thing people liked to talk about, she reasoned, so she kept it to herself.

And it went on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on.

The first time Girl M fled, she was twelve. Her house was right near the mountains, so in a panic, the young Girl M decided that climbing the mountains was the best way to escape. Unfortunately, the police did find her, but her skill in climbing the mountains being recognized did at least give her a few days without being struck.

But it didn't last, and the pain went on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on.

Girl M hadn't eaten for a week when she ran the second time. Out of necessity, she became a hunter as well, killing small lives to sustain her own. The more forested regions were not her element, but she knew that, and she kept to the hills in the forest, so that she could remain closer to her element.

And then, for a brief moment, the pain stopped. She met a small girl, we'll call her Girl C, trying feebly to run away as well. The two made a good pair, Girl M's athleticism and Girl C's skill in remaining hidden, and the two of them evaded capture for some time. Eventually, the two of them...

…

...well, you already know the rest of _that_ story.

But why? Why did the culprit choose her? Why did she have to die?

I wanted Girl M to live...


	18. Day 9, Part 2 - Kill Now

 

The screams behind her died down, and all Rin had left was shock, cold, fearful shock paralyzing every bone in her body. She wanted dearly to look away, but she couldn't. Her head stayed pointed there, there to that spot, that spot where Miria laid frail and dead, where the kind Mountaineer who'd been alive not just two hours ago lay _murdered._

 

“Hey, holy crap, trip, man...” She heard from behind her. And then a, “Gavin, you idiot, wait, I can't move that fast!”

 

This couldn't be _true,_ could it? It couldn't be true. Miria couldn't be dead. No, _Miria_ couldn't be dead. That was just...too cruel. It was too cruel, wasn't it? People liked Miria. She and Chizuru had finally reunited after a long time apart. They were getting places, they were advancing, she couldn't just be dead now! Any moment now, yeah, Miria was just going to get up and smile and laugh it off as some kind of prank! Something this cruel couldn't possibly be real, could it?!

 

“...Mi...ria...”

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Rin saw Chizuru slowly stumble towards the body, no, no, it was Miria, why did she just call Miria “the body?!”

 

“...Miria...?”

 

“No, no, no...” Claus said from behind Rin. “No, this can't be happening! Not now!”

 

“What the hell, what the hell...” Yayoi muttered. “What the hell... Who the hell would kill Hayashi?!”

 

“Miria.” Chizuru said, and she fell to her knees in front of Miria _'s corpse._ “Miria.”

 

“Oh god, oh man, oh god...” And that was Gavin. “Oh man, oh god, oh man...”

 

There was a small sniffle from behind Rin. A sniffle, and a bit of a choke, a deep choke. “No,” said Luan. He was crying. “No!”

 

“Miria?” And, no, Chizuru had grasped one of Miria's hands, one of Miria's wounded hands, was grasping it, getting blood on her own hand. “Miria.”

 

“Unforgivable.” Rin could hear Shinobu grit her teeth. “This...is simply beyond the pale.”

 

“Why?” Stella said, shaking her head, obviously crying. “Why, why would someone kill Miria? Why?”

 

“Please wake up.” The floodgates were beginning to break in Chizuru's eyes, and she too was crying, crying onto Miria's hand, begging for Miria to tell her that everything was alright. “Please, please wake up!”

 

“Of all the people...” Hansuke muttered. “Christ, we've got a real killer on our hands now, don't we?”

 

“A 'real' killer?” Jun said, and then he wheeled up beside Rin, and saw the body. “...This is just ridiculous.”

 

“Wake up, Miria!” Chizuru said. “Please, wake up, I don't know what I'll do without you! You can't leave me! I love you, please, Miria, wake up! We...” Her voice was choked with sobs. “We, we were going to escape together, we were going, to fight the world together, make a life for ourselves, why, _why won't you wake up?!_ ” She clutched Miria's hand harder, and blood began to trickle down from Chizuru's grasped hands. And she screamed, one more time. A haunting wail, that stabbed at Rin's core.

 

“Yes, what do you mean by a 'real' killer?” Wanda said.

 

“Isn't it obvious?” Hansuke said. “Eriko set up her little trap thinking she'd only kill one person, and she almost chickened out of it, too. She couldn't even bear to watch as someone died. But this killer...” He spat. “They had a target. And they knew they would be killing the rest of us, too. Whoever killed Miria is ready to put their life on the line.”

 

Whoever...killed Miria. Killed...Miria. Killed Miria.

 

“Someone...killed Miria,” Rin said. “This was a murder. By...one of us.”

 

“Unfortunately enough.” An insultingly out-of-place bouncing sound effect heralded the arrival of their captor. Monokuma stood in the doorway now, but he, too, seemed a bit out of it. “Hey, guys. Got you...the Monokuma File… Whooooo.” He half-heartedly blew a party horn.

 

“What the hell crawled up your ass?” Yayoi snarled. “Hayashi's dead, shithead! How do you think we feel? How do you think _she_ feels?!”

 

“Well, how do you think I feel?” Monokuma said, doing his best to approximate a frown despite his ever-present half smile. “The one other person with a properly uneven face in here dies and now I'm by my lonesome. This is tearing me up inside, it really is. I liked her.”

 

“...Who did this...”

 

“Seriously,” Monokuma said. “I was kinda rooting for her and the hidey one to wind up winning, you know? Touching little love story through the ages, the story of perseverance in the face of danger. And now someone went and ran Miria through with a flagpole, and well, there goes that.”

 

“'Someone?'” Rin said, glaring. Her antenna grew spikier, and aimed itself at him. “Don't you already _know_ who did it? If you're so torn up about it, why don't you just tell us, you jerk?”

 

Monokuma sighed. “Sorry, Rin. Rules are rules, you know? A wiser man than me once said they were meant to be broken, but that wiser man had no knowledge for context. I'll be real with you here, though, and you know me, that's pretty rare. I'm TOTALLY rooting for you guys this time. Interested murderous parties who may or may not be listening should note that if they lose...” He bore his claws, and his red eye glowed menacingly. “ _It won't be pretty._ ”

 

And so, he ran about, distributing Monokuma Files to the gang. He set Chizuru's next to her on the ground, and was left with one. “Eh?” He said. “Where's Daisuke? He needs one of these too, you know! How insensitive! Man, what a jerk, making me run around like this!”

 

“Monokuma.” Rin only now noticed that the crying had ceased. That was Chizuru. “You said it won't be pretty.” Her voice was darker than Rin had ever heard it.

 

“That is what I said,” Monokuma said. “And a bear's faithful one hundred percent.”

 

Chizuru turned her head away, letting Miria's arm flop to the ground. She stared at Monokuma, and Rin could see in her eyes a rage she didn't imagine the Hide-and-Seeker capable of holding.

 

“Eriko died pretty fast,” Chizuru said. It was low, and quiet, but full of malice. “Will this one _hurt?_ ”

 

“Oh yeah,” Monokuma said, nodding. “Definitely.”

 

“Good,” Chizuru said. She stood up, and took a deep breath in. “In that case, I can grieve later. Let's investigate. You can go give Daisuke his Monokuma File now.”

 

“Can do, boss!” Monokuma saluted, and scurried off.

 

Chizuru turned towards the rest of the group. Her face was cold. “There's a great chance that the person who killed Miria is among you all. Whoever you are, I know you're listening. I will find you, and I'm going to drag you, kicking and screaming, all the way to Hell. You're going to pay for what you did to her. I promise you that.”

 

“Whoa, dude, that's pretty heavy...” Gavin said. “Never thought I'd hear that outta Chi's mouth.”

 

Rin sighed. “She's right, though. We need to find Miria's killer. For all of our sakes.” And so, the Ultimate Amnesiac cracked her knuckles, let out a deep breath, and began the second investigation.

 

**Investigation Start!**

“Well, first order of business.” Rin said, and she opened up the Monokuma File.

_The victim is Miria Hayashi, the Ultimate Mountaineer. She died during daytime on Day 9. A flagpole was found impaled through her chest, and her hands have been cut. There are bruises on her legs, arms, and head. Death was not instantaneous- the victim lived for several seconds after the fatal blow was struck._

_A Monokuma Note was sent in regarding her death._

“So, looks like Monokuma's motive worked after all,” Hansuke said.

“She lived for several seconds...” Kazuya shuddered. “That's horrible. Poor Miria...”

“Who was the last person to see Miria alive?” Claus said, looking around at everyone. “We need to establish someone with an alibi to guard the body.”

“I saw her at around 3,” Hansuke said. “In Abilene. Luan came out of the Stairwell right after she left, too.”

Luan nodded. “I also saw her at that time.”

“So, we have a two-hour span in which Miria could've been killed,” Rin said. “Does anyone have a solid alibi for that whole time?”

A booming laugh resounded. “Yashiro Narumi to the rescue!” said the Strongman. “Not only do I have an alibi, so too do Kazuya and Stella.”

“Oh, right!” Rin's antenna pointed up. “You and Kazuya were going to work out together! And... Stella?”

“I, uh...” Stella sniffled. “Well, I wanted to, you know...yeah.”

“So the three of you were together through that entire period?” Wanda said. “You never left each other’s sights?”

“Never.” Kazuya shook his head. “All three of us can vouch for each other. We stayed in Abilene until about 4:50, then headed up to the Gym.”

“Awesomesauce!” Gavin fist-pumped. “That's three people off the suspect list right off the bat, man!”

Chizuru also seemed pleased. She smiled and nodded. “Alright. Yashiro, Kazuya, can you guard the crime scene?”

“None shall escape the watchful vigil of justice!” Yashiro said, and he laughed. “We shall gird our loins and let no crime go unpunished!”

“TMI, Yashiro.” Kazuya said, shaking his head. “Nobody wants to hear about our loins.” But he, too, stood guard. “Who should inspect the body first?”

“Rin,” Chizuru said. Rin's antenna puffed.

“Wait wait, you want me to do it?” She pointed at herself. “Uhhh... Hey, Chizuru, listen, I'm flattered, but I don't really have an alibi for a lot of that time. Are you sure it's okay?”

Chizuru nodded. “Yes, I am. You got more info from Aoto's body than anyone else.”

“Well, alright then,” Rin said. “Here we go!”

 

**Men's Changing Room**

Rin hadn't actually visited either changing room before, so she took a moment to inspect the room. It was rectangular in shape, with the door and Miria's body directly across from each other in the center. The walls were lined with blue lockers, and benches in front of them. Only the four corners of the room, the door, and the place where Miria's body lay weren't covered by lockers. From the looks of them, they were pretty solidly bolted down.

“Yashiro, would it be possible to move those lockers?” She said to the lion man keeping vigil over Miria's body.

“Not in the slightest,” he said. “Even I can't move them!”

“Good to know,” Rin said. She knelt down to inspect Miria's body. She was slumped against the wall, her torso and head against it, and then her legs against the floor, at about a ninety-degree angle. The flagpole sticking out of her had a bit of blood near where it entered Miria's body, and the flag on the pole, the flag of Hope's Peak, lay still.

“Huh,” Hansuke said. “That seems odd.”

“Oh, Hansuke.” Rin turned to look at him. He was scratching his scruff. “What's up?”

“The flagpole's bugging me.” The Salesman said, bending down to scrutinize it. “Doesn't seem like there's enough blood.”

“Yeah, it was bothering me too.” Rin said. She bent in closer, past the flagpole. “Let's see here...” Looking up close at Miria's chest, the flagpole was embedded in a tall and thin hole through Miria. It wasn't nearly wide enough, Rin noticed, to completely fill the wound. “I think the flagpole must've been stuck in after she died.”

“Why?” Kazuya said.

“Well, because it's not large enough to fill the entire wound.” She pointed towards it. Above and below the flagpole's entry point was open, narrow wound. “I think the culprit stuck the flagpole into the wound they already made with the murder weapon.” It wasn't a large wound, less than an inch wide.

Next on the list were Miria's hands. Similar long, thin cuts lay on them, going slightly past her wrist, on both the fronts and the backs of both hands. “Hmmm...” Rin tapped her chin.

“These seem like defensive wounds, if you ask me.” Hansuke said, squatting next to her.

“Er, defensive?” Rin said.

“When someone throws up their hands to protect themselves.” He said, turning his head to look at her. “Like, say someone pulls a gun on you, and you throw up your hand on instinct. The bullet shoots through your hand before it gets to your body. The wound on your hand's a defensive wound.”

“So, Miria tried to defend herself...” Rin said. “And got these wounds from trying to block the murder weapon with her bare hands.”

“Bet the culprit surprised her.” Hansuke said, looking at Miria's hand in his. “Way I see it, the culprit probably tried to ambush her, but they had a scuffle.”

“So they might've fought.” Rin looked around. The mats on the ground were clean other than the slight bloodstains beneath Miria, and none of the lockers looked out of order. “There's no signs of a struggle, though, as far as I can tell... Oh!” She pounded her fist in her hand. “What if this isn't the actual scene of the crime?”

“That's what I was thinking too,” Hansuke said. “The perp probably moved her body here after killing her. The question is, how, and why?”

Rin thought back. She certainly hadn't seen any bloodstains outside this room on her way here. “We'll have to check some other places to see if there's any struggle anywhere else.”

“Mm,” Hansuke said. Rin stood up, and began inspecting the lockers. “Hey, what're you doing?”

“Just because this isn't the scene of the crime doesn't mean there's no clues here.” One locker. “The culprit could've left something here.” Two lockers. “I figure that wait what in the world?”

The third locker Rin had checked had had something inside it, and it was almost certainly a clue. A red button-up shirt and black pants, both with bloodstains on them—and beneath them, a pair of white socks. They looked oddly familiar to Rin, but she couldn't quite place them. “Does anyone recognize these?”

Kazuya's eyes widened. “Those are Aoto's clothes, aren't they?”

Now that she looked again, yes, the clothes she held did in fact once belong to one Aoto Maebara. Hansuke, coming up from behind, said, “They're pretty wrinkled. Odds are they've been worn recently. If I had to guess, the culprit could've worn them to keep the bloodstains from getting on their own clothes.”

“Probably, but...why are they here?” Rin said. “If they were walking around in Aoto's clothes without anyone noticing, why leave them here? And...” She blinked, and her antenna wiggled a bit. “Why not just...use a spare pair of their _own_ clothes? Why would they need Aoto's?”

“I never said it was a perfect theory,” Hansuke grumbled. “It could use some workshopping.”

“Still, though.” Rin said. “If the culprit wore Aoto's clothes, that does narrow things down a bit. If we can confirm it, at least.” She closed that locker, and got to work checking the rest. “Kazuya,” she said while doing so at the small boy following her, “what exactly did you guys see?”

“Well, Yashiro, Stella, and I were going to the Gymnasium.” Kazuya said. “It was about 4:55 when we got to Goodhart Hall. The first thing that I noticed was that the flagpole was missing from the column.”

“Okay, so it wasn't stolen out from under you guys's noses or anything.” Rin nodded as she closed a locker. “Keep going.”

“Well, the odd thing was, when I first opened the door, the Gymnasium was completely dark,” Kazuya said.

Rin turned to face him. “Wait, the lights in there _turn off?_ ”

“Apparently,” Kazuya said. “They were off when I first opened the door, but as I opened it wider, they suddenly turned back on. And then, well...” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I didn't hallucinate the next thing, did I, Yashiro?”

“I do not think any of us could have,” said Yashiro from the other side of the room. “Daisuke Harada, running from the men's changing room, the top half of his body covered in blood!”

“Wait wait wait,” and Rin completely let go of the lockers, “You guys saw Daisuke _running from the changing room covered in blood?_ ”

“Well, uh...” Kazuya twiddled his fingers. “He actually said it was cranberry juice.”

“They look pretty similar,” Hansuke said. “Not saying he's telling the truth, but it could be true. Still, he seems pretty sus.”

Rin snickered. “You talk like a cop off of a police procedural,” and she went back to checking lockers.

“I've spoken to a lot of cops in my life,” Hansuke said. “I picked up a few habits. Sue me.”

“Okay, for what?” Rin said, but then, her antenna twitching, she reached a corner and looked in between the lockers at the open space. The corner to the left of Miria's body had something special: A small door, or no, not a door, it wasn't tall enough to be a door, but it was an opening you opened, certainly. It was roughly square. She pulled on the pull bar to open it, and inside was a small metal chute, leading further in. Not, of course, that Rin could get in. It seemed to be blocked from this end.

“Whaaaat in the world is this?” Rin said. “Do any of you guys know?” Oh, it echoed a bit if she stuck her head in there!

“It's a laundry chute,” Kazuya said. “If you have dirty clothes, you can send them through and they get taken off, um... somewhere, and it sends you replacements.

“Send them through?” Rin said, still feeling around inside the chute. “Taken off?” She felt, suddenly, coarse hands on her stomach, as Hansuke yanked her out. “Yipe!”

“Don't just shove yourself in suspicious chutes,” Hansuke said. “You could get hurt, you dope.”

“I donno, I'm pretty sturdy.” Rin said, puffing out her chest. “I'd probably survive.”

“Show your plumage to someone else, lady.” Hansuke scoffed. “I'm not impressed.”

“Eh?” Kazuya said. “But she's not a bird.”

A bouncing noise heralded the arrival of another person into the room. “Hi-diddly-ho there, party people!” Monokuma said. “I see you've noticed my MK-Brand Laundry Chute Ultra.”

“Does everything you make have to be named so ostentatiously, you fiend?” Yashiro shook his fist at Monokuma.

“Don't bite the hand that feeds you,” Monokuma said. “Anyhoodle, this chute works by Handbook recognition, too! Just wave a Handbook in front of it and it'll ship you a matching outfit in a box, quick as a wink! And if your clothes are messed up, just shove 'em in the chute and wave your Handbook and they'll be taken off to the Laundry!”

“That's pretty convenient.” Rin said. “I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.”

“No problemo! Good luuuuck.” And with that, the little bear was off again. The rest of Rin's search of the lockers only revealed gym clothes of various sizes.

“Alright...” Rin said. “So we need to find the crime scene, figure out why Aoto's clothes were here... Maybe figure out what the heck was up with Daisuke...”

“And figure out when exactly Miria died.” Hansuke said. “That'll be an important point.”

Rin nodded, and went to leave. Hansuke followed. “Oh,” Rin said, “are you following me this time?”

“Figure I might as well.” Hansuke said. “You mind?”

“No, not at all.”

 

**Gymnasium**

With a _thud,_ Shinobu landed in Rin's arms. Rin's mind caught up with the fact that she'd been running at top speed to catch Shinobu after exiting the changing room.

“What in the world are you doing?” Rin said, narrowing her eyes at Shinobu, who lifted herself out of Rin's arms, blushing and dusting herself off. Most of the equipment had been put away, leaving the Gym mostly bare, but one of the punching bags was standing right near where Shinobu had fallen, and a basketball hoop and board on wheels was still put up some distance into the room.

Hansuke walked over from the changing room, whistling in response to Rin's speed, and Stella came over from the door. “She's trying to get to the rope. ...In high heels.”

Rin looked up. There was actually a rope hanging from the rafters, ending a few feet above, right about at the height of the very top of the door. Shinobu had placed the punching bag right below it. “Oh, that's right.” Rin said. “The thing about the lights, right?”

“That's correct!” Shinobu said. “If something occurred with the lights, it is only natural to check the lights themselves. As such, I was attempting to replicate Chizuru's deft rope skills from the other day and achieve those lofty heights for myself!”

“Shinobu,” Rin said. “You're in heels. And you're not exactly the fittest person in the world.”

Shinobu stuck out her tongue. “Well, excuse you! It is my duty as a friend of you all to do my best!” She struck the punching bag. “I am as strong as I need to be!”

“That was pretty weak,” said the punching bag.

“Punching bags can't talk!” Shinobu said. “This is a mystery story! Begone!”

Rolling her eyes, Chizuru came out from behind the punching bag, startling Rin just the teensiest bit. “It's a decent idea, but you couldn't control all the light fixtures from just one of them. You'd need to hit the light switch for the entire room.”

“This place's got a light switch?” Hansuke said. “News to me.”

“Me too,” Rin said. “Where is it?”

Chizuru pointed upwards, up into the rafters. If Rin focused, she could see some metal platforms right below them, past the lights. “I saw it when I hid yesterday. It's up there, a bit to the right of the door. There's a catwalk, but I have no idea how you get to it.”

Rin scanned the room. The distance between that and that and that and that and alright, “Alright, hey Hansuke, hold the door open for me?”

“Uh, okay.” Hansuke obediently went and held open the gymnasium door. Rin nodded, and set the punching bag in between the bleachers and the doorway.

“Er, what is she doing?” Stella said.

“She works in mysterious ways, our little amnesiac does.” Shinobu said. Rin walked to the top of the bleachers, and...

 She was running towards the punching bag now, 10 rows, 9-8-7-now! She leapt and landed on the small pole fixing the punching bag to the stand. It was a small platform, so she was only able to land on it a bit, but if she lost momentum, she would fall, so she immediately launched off of it again, landing on the top of the door Hansuke had opened. From there, she leapt across the doorway, catching onto a small outcropping in the wall to her side. She hurled herself upwards to grab onto another, and another, and then launched off of the wall to grab onto a light fixture. Orienting herself as quickly as possible so as not to lose balance, she got atop the fixture and jumped up one more time to grab onto the side of the catwalk. Aaaand...

 

**Gymnasium – Above**

Just like that, Rin threw herself up onto the catwalk above the Gym. “Alright!” She cried. “Perfect score!”

“What the hell did you do that for?!” cried Hansuke from down below.

“How the hell did you do that?!” Stella shouted. “Are you a parkourist or something?!”

“And how in the world are you going to get down?!” Shinobu said. Rin tapped her chin. She hadn't actually really been thinking about getting down when she'd started.

She shrugged. “I'll think about it later!” She shouted, and got to work investigating.

Being right above the lights, it was a bit troublesome seeing, but Rin got used to it pretty quickly. The rails to the side of the catwalk, which was hung from the ceiling, were thankfully not all that high, or else she might not have been able to make it, after all. There were three walkways, one on the left, right, and center, and a middle horizontal walkway that connected them. The center walkway was completely straight, but the left and right walkways curved, being at the far edge of the room in the middle, and almost meeting the door at Rin's end and the far end.

She bent around to the center walkway, right above the door. She found two things there. The first was the origin of the rope. It was tied to a rafter just above, right next to the wall. The other, on said wall, below the rope, was the light switch. It was a simple horizontal flip switch, nothing special about it. “On” was set to the right, and “Off” to the left. “Hm,” Rin said. She crossed her arms and thought for a moment, ignoring the shouts from below. What kind of trick was hanging here? The door, the rope, and the light switch. The door, the rope...

“Aha!” Rin cried. “I've got it!” She bent over the railings. “Guys, I need you to test something for me! Would you tie the rope to the little...uh, the...the thing at the top of the door?”

She saw Chizuru look at it, the little grey, metal box with the lever thing—

 

“You mean the hydraulic door closer?” She called.

“Yes!” Rin said. “That thing! Tie the rope to it!”

It took her a bit of stretching, but Chizuru did manage to tie it to the...'hydraulic door closer,' apparently it was called, Rin knew that now. “Now, I need you to open the door! All the way!” As the door opened, the rope, fastened tightly to the rafter and the door, went along with it. It rubbed against the switch, and moved past it. “Now, close it!” She said, once it was all the way open. The door began to swing closed, and the rope grazed the switch.

Yelps of surprise were heard from below, as all the lights in the room shut off all at once. The rope had flipped the switch like Rin had figured. “Just open the door again once it's closed and the lights will turn back on!” A few moments later, the lights were back on; the rope had turned the switch back on. “Alright, we've got it set back up! Hold on while I look for a way down so I can explain!”

“Why don't you just climb down the rope?” Stella called back from below. Rin began searching.

“If she gets down without finding a way up, it will cast suspicion on her for being the only one able to get up to the catwalk!” Shinobu cried. “She must find a way back down without the rope or else she will be the prime suspect!” Nope, not here, not here either...

Stella said something Rin couldn't hear, and then Shinobu shouted, “I'm just keeping Rin abreast of the conversation while she's up there! I'm being conscientious!” Around the right end of the catwalk, Rin found a small remote on the floor. She bent over to pick it up. It was a small, rectangular remote, with two buttons. One was labeled with an up arrow, and one was labeled with a down arrow.

“Guys, I found a remote!” Rin shouted down. “I'm gonna hit buttons and see what happens!” Hansuke cried something about being careful that Rin barely heard. She pushed the down button, and aside from a satisfying little clicking noise, nothing happened. She pushed the up button instead—

“ ** _POWER POLE, EXTEND_** ”

Rin yelped at the voice emanating from below, but was even more surprised to see, from below, the basketball hoop and board bend backwards, and then shoot up to where she was, serving as a platform.

“The hoop's an elevator?!” She shouted. “How old is Monokuma even, five?!” She cautiously stepped onto the platform, and then pushed the down button—

“ ** _POWER POLE, RETRACT_** ”

And almost like lightning, she was back down onto the ground. The platform had gone down to ground level, so she slid off of it, still reeling from the speed a bit. The...“Power Pole” then returned to its regular basketball hoop position. Rin stumbled a bit, but this time, Shinobu and Hansuke were around to make sure she didn't spill.

“Well, that answers one question.” Hansuke said. “A basketball hoop for an elevator. What a story.”

“Rin?” Shinobu patted down Rin's forehead, supporting her weight. “Rin, are you quite alright? You're not hurt, are you? That was very fast!”

“I'm, woooo I'm fine Shinobu,” Rin said. “No big, no big. I wouldn't recommend the ride, though! It's kinda nasty!”

After a moment to regain her bearings, Rin stood in front of Hansuke, Stella, Chizuru, and Shinobu, her antenna bobbing up and down. “Okay, so here's how it works. The rope was tied to the... hydraulic door closer,” and she made a strange face, “on one end, and the other end was tied to the rafter. The light switch up there is a horizontal flip switch. So...” She grabbed the door. “With the rope tied, it swings out all 180 degrees.” And the door reached the wall. “Then swings back in 60 degrees...” She pushed it back in. “And presto! The lights turn off!” The door closed again. “And while the lights are off, you just push the door out 120 degrees like so...” Rin opened the door again. “And bang! Lights come back on!”

“That's certainly one way to do it,” Chizuru said.

Hansuke waved his hand in front of his face. “Hold on, hold on. Slow down, Jethro. That rope was untied when we got in here, but when Stella and the others opened the door, this would've meant it was still tied.”

“You've got that wrong!” Rin said, smirking, her antenna puffing. “I think the rope actually was still tied to the door closer when I opened the door to the gym. I didn't look behind myself, but I think everyone else—well, minus Jun and Gavin, anyway, came in all at once, behind me, right?”

Hansuke and Chizuru both nodded. “I could barely tell who was right next to me,” Chizuru said. “I was freaking out.”

“So, while everyone else is running in, all our culprit has to do is take up the rear of the group, and then before the door turns the lights off again, get in there and untie the knot! You can make a knot that's pretty easy to yank, and Chizuru just showed she could reach. She's the shortest person other than Jun, so that means pretty much anyone could do it.” Rin said. She bowed. “And then I finished speaking.”

“That's...pretty crazy.” Stella said, frowning. “It could've just been a power surge, couldn't it?”

“I just have to ask Daisuke.” Rin said. “Whatever he was doing in here, if he says the light turned off after he came into the Gym, then this rope trick is all the more likely.”

“There's also the matter of the remote to consider,” Shinobu said. “Our culprit simply must've ridden Monokuma's Power Pole up to the catwalk to set this trick up. There's no way anyone could've predicted Rin's, er, _impressive_ acrobatics just now.”

“Yeah,” Rin said. “They left the remote up there so it'd be way harder to get up to the catwalk again and confirm this theory. Who knows if anyone would've even been able to climb that rope back up? The whole rafter might've come down!”

Chizuru closed her eyes, looking deep in thought for a moment, before opening them. “Rin was definitely the person who opened the door first, and I saw myself that she never turned back towards the door. In other words, she's not the person who disabled the rope, and therefore she's probably not the culprit.”

“You don't necessarily know that,” Rin said. “I mean, remember that the Monokuma Note was used. If you get someone to agree to work with you, that's basically a license to have an accomplice! Someone else could've been working with me. I mean, obviously I _had nothing to do with this I swear_ , but this isn't necessarily proof!”

The smaller girl rolled her eyes. “Are you seriously arguing to me why I _should_ suspect you?”

“Er.” Rin stammered, and her antenna drooped. “No. Yes? Kind of, maybe? I mean, I still don't have much of an alibi...”

“'Much' means you have some alibi.” Chizuru said. “So what is it?”

Rin tapped her chin. “Well, I got my lunch at 3 sharp, then I went back to my room. I sorta just sat in there reading about the Hope's Peak incident a bit more,” and then she doubled over laughing again thinking about the Biker's hair. “OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS, HE HAD CORN HAIR, HE HAD _CORN HAIR!_ ”

“Focus!” Hansuke said.

“Right, right, ahhh, oh man sorry.” Rin said, wiping a tear from her eye. “So I stayed in my room until about 4:40, when Yayoi and Luan came to get me. Luan wanted to try opening the door to the Power Room, all three of us. Since Yashiro was busy and all.”

“So, you were in your room that whole time?” Chizuru said. “You didn't leave?” And Rin nodded in response. “Perfect. That's a verifiable alibi.”

Rin blinked. “Wait, huh?”

“Jun.” Chizuru said. And then it hit Rin like a sack of bricks.

“Oh, wait!” She said. “Oh, duh, you're right! Jun can monitor people entering and exiting their rooms! Awesome! Well, Yayoi, Luan, and I were together after that until the body discovery announcement.”

“While we're talking alibis.” Hansuke said. “Figure I might as well mention. Luan can attest to me being in Abilene until about 3:30. I was in the Lounge pretty much the whole time until Shinobu came to meet me at around 5. She did come through at around 4, though.”

“Well, since we're mentioning, yours truly came through to the Aquarium at 4...” Shinobu said. “...before leaving it to visit Mr. Yasuda in the Archive at 5. I was taking a moment to myself to think in the classroom in this hall from 3 to 4, and unfortunately, nobody can confirm that.”

“Yeah, I can confirm the first part.” Stella nodded. “Shinobu's clear from 4 to 5.”

“Hmmmm.” Chizuru hummed. “I see. So, Shinobu, Hansuke, you can confirm each others' positions at 4?” The two of them nodded. “Alright.” And she walked out of the Gymnasium.

“Her personality's done a real 180,” Stella said. “She's like a completely different person.”

“Grief'll do that to you,” Hansuke said.

 

**Woodworking**

Shinobu seemed a bit peeved that Rin already had an investigative partner this time, but she begrudgingly acquiesced to let Hansuke escort Rin around the premises. Rin's next goal was a hunch of hers as to the origin of the murder weapon. Walking briskly, she left the Gymnasium and headed for Woodworking, beginning to shuffle through the shelves.

“Oh yeah,” Hansuke said. “You did spend a whole day in here, didn't you.”

“Yup,” Rin said. “And...a-ha! Just as I thought.” She stood up and gestured Hansuke over to a desk in the corner of the room. He looked down at the mess of tools, and she choked down her instinctive response to apologize for the mess.

“What am I looking at?” Hansuke said. An understandable reaction, Rin thought, given the organized chaos in which she woodworked.

She pulled over a smaller shelf, containing four sharp, metal trowels of the same size.. “See these trowels here?”

“Yeah,” Hansuke said.

“There are supposed to be five of them,” Rin said. “I know it for a fact. They're just about the right dimensions for the murder weapon, too. I think the culprit stole the fifth trowel to use as the weapon!”

Hansuke nodded before picking one up and inspecting it closely. “Yeah, I can see that. Seems to fit pretty well, at least. With the flagpole messing up the wound, we can't fit it exactly, but I'll go ahead and trust your judgement.” Rin huffed proudly.

“If we can find the fifth trowel,” Rin said, “we can prove it!”

“Let's worry about finding the real crime scene first, though.” Hansuke said. “Without that, we can't really figure much else out.”

The Classroom and the Haunted Corridor added little of note other than a little touch of Monokuma's face.

 

**Basin**

 

The only thing present in the Basin was one Yayoi Murasaki, standing around with her arms crossed, grumping about like she owned the place.

 

“Hey, Boss.” Rin said. “What are you doing in here?”

 

“The fuck’s it look like?” Yayoi said, grunting and grabbing at the tiling. “I’m looking for this secret passage Narumi came through! Making sure the culprit can’t escape through it, or something.”

 

“Well, the culprit has to show up to the trial,” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “Even if they hid, they’d just wind up smelling bad. What would they do?”

 

“Fuck if I know!” Yayoi shouted. “Point is, I’ve got this shit on lockdown. No culprit’s getting past Boss Murasaki if I have anything to say about it!”

 

“What if you’re the culprit?” Hansuke said.

 

Yayoi clicked her tongue and scoffed. “Listen, Yasuda, I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m a lady. I’ve got a Handbook that opens the _ladies’_ room. Not the other one! Means I can’t be the culprit! Duh!”

 

Hansuke shrugged. “That’ll do for now, I guess.”

 

“Whaddya mean _for now?_ ” Yayoi said, giving him the stinkeye.

 

“Actually, there’s something I’ve been wondering. Mostly out of curiosity.” Rin said. “The explanation on the changing rooms just says each Handbook opens the ‘correct’ changing room, right? What does correct mean?”

 

“I mean, it means whether you’re a dude or a lady, don’t it?” Yayoi said.

 

“Depending on how reductivist our bear friend is,” Hansuke said, “it could also just refer to physical sex.” Rin wasn’t wholly sure what ‘reductivist’ meant, but it sounded bad.

 

“Ohhhh my god,” Monokuma said, appearing at almost lightspeed. “Can’t believe I have to actually answer this question. Sure, I can be a bit rude at times—”

 

“You don’t say.” Hansuke said.

 

“—but that doesn’t mean I can’t be basically conscientious! Geez!” Monokuma growled. “For your information, children, when I say correct, it refers to gender, not physical sex, but that has absolutely nothing to do with this case! Everyone’s Handbook opens the changing room you’d expect it to open knowing what you know at this very instant! You know, because I’m a civilized bear who doesn’t play rude tricks like that, again, not that it _matters_ in this situation. Geez.” And away he went, huffing and puffing.

 

“That was enlightening,” Rin said. “Well, you keep doing you, Boss. We’re off to investigate more.” And Yayoi was already back to grabbing at tiles.

 

**Stairwell, 2F**

As Rin and Hansuke crossed through the Stairwell, Wanda and Gavin were helping Jun up the stairs. He seemed a bit perturbed by the extra hands, but ascencion was ascencion. Rin looked expectantly towards Gavin, but he shook his head sadly. “Trip, man, there weren't nothing in Miria's room or Abilene!”

“Well, there were a few nice fish,” Wanda said. “But those are always there.”

“Damnit,” Jun said. “Damnit, damnit, damnit. This day sucks. I hate this.” He fumed in his wheelchair.

“That sort of just sounds like you most of the time, Jun.” Rin said. “What makes this day special?”

“If you must know,” Jun said, “Monokuma prevented me from extending my monitoring of the Housing Suite to the changing rooms. Had I been able to finish, I'd probably have broken this case wide open already, but _nooooo._ ” He spat. “On our side, my ass.”

Rin lit up. “Oh, Jun! Do you have the monitoring data for the Housing Suite ready?”

The Net Admin rolled his eyes before removing a sheet of paper. “Of course I do,” he said. “What do you take me for, Hashizawa? A caveman? Here.”

Together with Hansuke, Rin scanned the data. Just as Rin expected, it backed up her alibi, to which she couldn't help but fistpump. Jun had also been in his room the entire time since lunch, but she hadn't really suspected him anyway. In Spare Hall, Chizuru had returned to her room at 4:30, and Yayoi returned to her room at 3:30 and stayed in there until 4:30, when she left. And in Source Hall, Gavin was in his room the entire two hour period, Wanda returned to her room at about 4:25, and... Miria had entered her room from 3:30 to 4?

“Whoa, wait!” Rin said. “This is massively important! Miria was in her room from 3:30 to 4?!”

Jun smirked. “I figured you'd get a kick out of that one. Just like that, I've cut the time frame down to half.”

“It's really quite impressive,” Wanda said, teetering back and forth a bit. “Perhaps we should give him a bit more credit.”

“I was napping the whole time.” Gavin said, grinning. “Sometimes even Gav's a sleepy boy, ya dig?”

“So,” Hansuke said, turning to Rin. “You, Jun, and Gavin are clear. It looks like our culprit group's down to eight.”

“Oh?” Wanda said. “We've narrowed it down by six already?”

“Yup!” Rin said. Her antenna puffed smugly. “With this, the culprit has to be someone who entered the room behind me when we got in there, or Daisuke. So...” She thought to herself. “Wanda, Hansuke, Chizuru, Claus, Shinobu, Luan, and Yayoi. Or Daisuke.”

“Any thoughts from our ace detective?” Wanda said. “Likely culprits?”

“No comment,” Rin said. She didn't yet want to make any rash decisions. “We're going to go look in Campbell.”

 

**Pantry**

The forklifts buzzed about the Loading Zone, busy as ever, taking crates off to who-knew-where. Rin patted one on the chassis amicably. Rin headed through to the Pantry along with Hansuke, but was stopped cold the instant she opened the door. On the ground was, oh lord, oh what in the world, _there's no way one person could lose that much blood?!_

“What, what the hell?!” Rin fell backwards onto her rear end at the massive blood pool just below the grate, which had yet to be cleaned. “What, no, there's no way, Miria couldn't have—?!”

“Calm down!” Hansuke said, stepping in. “And take a good whiff.”

Obligingly, Rin breathed deeply through her nose. There was a faint scent of blood, yes, but mostly, it was... “Cranberries?”

“Most of this is cranberry juice,” he said. “There's blood here, but it's diluted to all hell. Probably used the whole reserve from the room. I'd say, odds are we just found our crime scene.”

“Wait, but...” Rin said. “That... How does that work? This is on the other end of the facility from the Gym, basically. How'd they...” And she stood up. “Transport the body...”

She walked towards the back of the Pantry, towards the shutter that she'd previously brushed off, and the crates in the back, as well. “Hey, Monokuma!” She shouted. “I need to ask you something?”

“Call and I do appear!” Monokuma said, bouncing in from above. “What's up, buttercup?”

“This Loading Zone, the crates, the forklifts; do they all go to the same place as the laundry crates that get sent to the changing rooms?” Rin said. She heard Hansuke make a noise from behind her.

“Indeed they do!” Monokuma said. “It's quite simple, really. All the forklifts take the crates to where they need to go. If it's food, then it comes here. If it's clothes, well, it goes to the Clothes Bay, which is off in a secret zone of this hall that you don't need to know about.” He nodded sagely to himself. “Trust me.”

“So what determines which crate gets sent to the changing room?” Rin said.

“Why do you think we determined your outfits?” Monokuma cackled. “It's majority rules! If you've got two peoples' clothes in a box, the volume determines it. Well, plus you won't get girl's clothes sent to the guy's room, that'd just be silly.”

Rin nodded to herself. Something, at least, was lining up. “So, if you were to put a _body_ in one of these crates...”

“And that's where my line's drawn!” Monokuma said. “Puhuhuhu! If you've got a pet theory, shoot it out at the class trial, why don't you? Good luck!”

 

“Wait!” Rin said. “I have one more question, unrelatedly. It’s about Aoto and Eriko’s rooms. Are they unlocked?”

 

“Oh?” Monokuma said. “Curious about their rooms, are you? Well, here’s the deal. They’re unlocked during the day, and locked during the night! So, during the day, anyone can get into either of those rooms. Now I’m properly leaving! Byeonara!” And then he was off, properly bouncing back into the ceiling.

“So, you think our perp killed Miria in here...” Hansuke said. “Then had the forklifts take the body in a box to the Clothes Bay?”

“I think so,” Rin said. “But... Argh, I feel like there's some detail here that I'm missing. It's an idea, I feel like it must be possible, but... Agh!” She grunted. “It feels like there's too many disparate factors in this case. It's all starting to run together, all these alibis to keep track of. Where the heck is Daisuke?”

“We could always try the Bar.” Hansuke said.

 

**Bar**

“I’m telling you, man, I didn’t do anything, I swear! I swear it on my grandma’s good name!”

 

A line that pathetic could only really come from Daisuke in this situation, and as Rin opened the door, no doubt, she saw Daisuke, still covered in whatever that red liquid was, frantically bowing his head and pleading to Claus, who looked a bit off put by the whole situation, at one of the tables in the bar.

 

“Er, Daisuke, really.” Claus said. “I doubt you did anything, I just need to ask you some questions. That’s all, really.”

 

“Oh, it’s Daisuke!” Rin cried. “Awesome! Hey, Brewmaster, what’s shakin’, bacon? Hi, Claus.”

 

Daisuke curled up a bit deeper into his chair in an attempt to implode, or something like that. “Please don’t hurt me.”

 

“I’m not gonna hurt you, dingbat.” Rin said, walking up to Daisuke. “I just have a question for you. It’s pretty simple, honest.”

 

“Ah, good.” Claus said. “Perhaps you’ll be able to get something out of him.”

 

“Daisuke,” Rin said. “You went to the Gym at about 4:50, right?”

 

Daisuke nodded, sweating. “So, uh… What happened was… Uh, look over there.” And he pointed to the bar counter. Rin looked to where he was pointing, and saw there was a bottle missing. “I don’t know how it happened, I mean, I stay on point pretty well usually, but, uh, well… I was taking stock and a bottle of cranberry wine just sorta cracked all over me!” He gave wide hand gestures to accompany the description of it, which made it sound more like an ‘explosion’ than a ‘crack,’ but Rin wasn’t going to contradict him on this.

 

“So you got all covered.” Rin said. “Why did you go to the Gym, then?”

 

“Well.” Daisuke frowned, and his eyes darted back and forth behind his sunglasses. “One, I figured it’d be easier to use the laundry chute, and two, I thought maybe if anyone saw me, I could play it off like I’d been exercising and that was why I was all wet. You know, like a cool dude.”

 

Rin nodded. “I think that’s something approaching reasonable. Okay, so when you went to the gym, did the lights turn off?”

 

Daisuke nodded furiously, his eyes widening. “Yeah, yeah! They did! I walked into the room a bit when suddenly the lights all just shut off! I kinda freaked out, but I figured there was probably light still in the changing rooms, so I ran over to the changing rooms, and thank god there wasn’t really anything in my way, but then when I opened the door, Miria was just… dead! In there!”

 

“Alright.” Rin said. “That pretty much confirms my theory as to how the culprit messed with the lights.”

 

“You serve that bottle of cranberry wine to anyone today?” Hansuke said.

 

“Yeah, Wanda wanted some around 1, but I swear there was nothing wrong with the bottle then.” Daisuke said, his ponytail drooping. “I bet you the culprit messed with it somehow, to make me look bad!”

 

“Sure, buddy.” Rin said. “I’m sure they did.”

 

“Don’t patronize me!” Daisuke said. “I’ll have you know I could defeat you easily!”

 

Hansuke stared Daisuke dead in the eyes and said, “I seriously doubt that.” Daisuke seemed successfully cowed.

 

“Well, with that said, how’s your investigation going, Rin?” Claus said. “I’m a bit stumped, myself.”

 

“Honestly, this case is really weird.” Rin said. “It’s like there’s too _much_ information.”

 

“The perp picked a pretty nasty timeframe,” Hansuke said. “With just two hours, you’ve got a lot of people coming and going. Plus, it was in the middle of the day.”

 

Rin nodded, her antenna curling into a question mark. “Yeah. It seems like daytime killings are really rare in the killing games that Monokuma runs. I’ve read through two games so far, and out of ten cases, well okay, kind of nine, Mukuro Ikusaba’s case was _weird,_ there’s only two so far that have taken place during the day.”

 

“And what were those two like?” Hansuke said. “Any stunning insight?”

 

“Well, in one of them,” Rin said, “The culprit and one of the two victims were working together, and when that victim was discovered as ‘dead,’ they actually got back up and started moving on their own again before being properly murdered. The trick of the case was that both victims were discovered at the same time, but the body discovery announcement only played for one of them. This case is a single murder, though, so I don’t think there’s anything there.”

 

“Yikes,” Daisuke said. “They have a Monokuma Note there, too?”

 

“No, actually.” Rin said. “The Ultimate Fanfic Creator was just kind of a really stupid guy. The other one was a locked-room case, where the biggest trick was the body discovery announcement going off early. The culprit did it to try to save another participant, with this weird logic that they were just ‘a tool of his will,’ so he would be counted as the murderer instead of the culprit. But that one was really heat of the moment, and the Monokuma Note means this was _probably_ premeditated. So I don’t think there’s much there for us, either.”

 

“How about cases involving changing rooms?” Claus said. “Anything there?”

 

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” Suddenly, Monokuma on the table. Daisuke started back. “Isn’t this getting a bit too metagame-y, using knowledge of past games to predict the outcome of this one? I mean, sure, half the Jabberwock Island cases were specifically retreads in some way, and sure, I mean, the third case is always a double murder, I get it. But come on! Have some originality! I’ve sure never heard of a first case involving a remote killing like that, or a second case that’s a logic puzzle regarding peoples’ alibis over a short period of time! Play fair!”

 

Rin grumbled. “You were the one who gave me the file to begin with, weren’t you? Why are you complaining now?”

 

“While I’ve got you here.” Hansuke said. “Mind giving me a clarification on something?”

 

“Wow, I kind of dig this whole Cooperative Monokuma schtick, I should try it more often.” Monokuma said. “Shoot!”

 

“So, the littering rule.” Hansuke said. “It’s pretty vague down there in the Incinerator. It might be relevant at some point, so I’ve been curious.”

 

“Right, right, right you are, Mr. Yasuda.” Monokuma said, nodding with each ‘right.’ “So, **it’s counted as littering if you leave your personal belongings anywhere outside of where they’re supposed to be, or a tool from one of the rooms anywhere in the main building of Compound VK that’s not where it’s from.** ”

 

“So, this missing trowel.” Hansuke said. “This means it’s not anywhere else in the building, it’s gotta be in Woodworking or on someone’s person.”

 

“If it’s in here, that’s where it’s gotta be!” Monokuma said. “Unless you flushed it down a toilet or something. But I don’t think one of your toilets would be able to do that. Anything else?” Nobody had anything else to ask, so Monokuma was off yet again.

 

“Wait, I thought the murder weapon was a flagpole.” Daisuke said.

 

“That’s what happens when you hide in the bar for most of the investigation!” Rin said. “Oh, Claus. Question time! What kind of alibi do you have?”

 

Claus hummed to himself for a moment. “From 3 to 4, Chizuru and I were making amicable conversation in the Cafeteria over lunch. We left together, but I had laundry to do, so I headed to the Laundromat for thirty minutes. Hansuke was in the lounge when I entered and when I exited. After that, I met Luan on my way up the Stairwell and headed to the Loading Zone in Campbell Hall to inspect the forklifts and see if there was anything I could do with them until the body discovery announcement played.”

 

“I’m assuming there wasn’t much,” Rin said, and Claus shook his head. “Figures. Do you have any idea where Luan is? He’s the only one I haven’t talked to.”

 

“Luan should be in the Navigation Room,” Claus said. “Oh, but where is Yayoi, then? I haven’t seen her since we all broke off to start investigating. It’s odd, you’d think someone as loud as her would be easier to find, wouldn’t you?”

 

“Yeah, no kidding. She’s in the Basin.” Rin said. “C’mon, Hansuke, let’s go chat up Luan.”

 

**Navigation Room**

 

Just as promised, the rugged Masseuse was, in fact, in the Navigation Room. He was frowning, and his brow was more furrowed than usual. “Find anything?” Rin said.

 

“Not in here,” Luan said. “It’s quite frustrating.”

 

“Hey, listen, we’re collecting alibis.” Rin said. “From 3 to 5. Can you tell us about anything you saw?”

 

Luan closed his eyes, and placed his chin in his right hand. “At 3 P.M., I entered the Lounge to search for Yayoi. She was not present in the North Wing, according to the three in there, and she was not present in the South Wing, according to Hansuke and myself. This took me from 3 to 3:35.”

 

“Okay,” Rin said. “Are you getting this down, Hansuke?”

 

“What am I now, a stenographer?” Hansuke scoffed. “Yeah, I’m getting it down.”

 

“At that point, I decided that staying in the Stairwell to wait for her would be more effective,” Luan said. “I stayed in the Stairwell from 3:35 to 4:30, at which point Yayoi exited the Housing Suite from her nap. That is when we went to get you, Rin.”

 

“Got it.” Rin nodded. “And did people come through and see you…” She trailed off, having a moment of realization. Her antenna spiked. “Wait, you were in the Stairwell at 4!?” She lunged forward and grabbed onto his shoulders.

 

“Er.” Luan said, his eyes widening slightly. “Yes?”

 

“Awesome!” Rin said, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “Did you see Miria go through the Stairwell at 4?”

 

“No,” Luan said.

 

“No?” Rin said. “But we have record from Jun that Miria left her room at 4. Is it possible you just didn’t notice her?”

 

“Oh, regarding Miria…” Luan said. His face seemed to darken a bit. “When Chizuru interrogated me, she dropped this note.” He pulled from the pocket of his scrubs a sheet of paper. “Its contents bothered me greatly, but I wished to get your opinion on it.”

 

Rin grabbed the paper from him. It was a letter, actually. “It’s got official Hope’s Peak stationery and everything,” Hansuke said. And Rin began to read.

 

_Chi-chan,_

_I’m sorry for what I’m about to do. I’m too scared of what’s waiting for us outside, even if we do escape, and I don’t want you to die. By the time you read this, I will already be dead. I’m going to kill myself, and save you with the Monokuma Note, but I need you to help me, please. My body is in the men’s changing room, which will be unlocked from my Monokuma Note. I took a flagpole from the Historical Exhibit, that I need you to stab into my chest. When you enter the room, the light will turn off, so be careful._

_I’ll always love you._

_Miria_

 

Rin’s hands were shaking, and her mouth had gone dry. “What is this?”

 

“By all appearances…” Luan said. “It appears to be a suicide note from Miria.”

 

Rin shook her head. Her antenna shook with her. No, no, that wasn’t possible. Miria wouldn’t… She wouldn’t commit suicide, especially not in a situation like this, that wasn’t possible! It was Miria! She wouldn’t sacrifice the rest of the group just to save Chizuru, especially not without herself! There wasn’t any way! Rin began to break out in a cold sweat, and almost shivered before-

 

“Good news,” Hansuke said. Rin yelped and jumped away; she’d forgotten he was there for a bit. “It’s definitely a fake.”

 

“How can you tell?” Luan said.

 

Hansuke crossed his arms. “It’s a bit morbid, but the last thing Miria ever said to me, right before she left the lounge, is my proof.” He pointed at the very first line: ‘Chi-chan.’

 

“You see this? It’s written with the wrong character.”

 

Rin blinked. “Eh? But it’s the right character to write Chizuru’s name with, isn’t it?”

 

“I was surprised too,” Hansuke said, “but Miria told me herself. Her little nickname, Chi-chan, is written with a different character for ‘chi.’ She corrected me on my notepad.” He took out his notepad, and flipped to the page, where Miria had demonstrated. “See? It’s clearly not even her handwriting on this letter.”

 

The shaking of Rin’s hands worsened. “So the culprit…” She gritted her teeth. “Wrote a fake suicide note and sent it to Chizuru?”

 

“Abominable,” Luan said. “Simply abominable.”

 

“Yeah, that’s pretty sick.” Hansuke said. “But why the hell would they do that?”

 

“They wanted to frame Chizuru as an accomplice,” Rin said. “That’s what I’m thinking of. If people saw a note from Miria instructing Chizuru to help, they’d naturally suspect her.”

 

“Too bad for them they mixed up the characters,” Hansuke said. “No way would either Miria or Chizuru make a mistake that basic. Chizuru must’ve known it was a fake from the word go.”

 

“Then, she’s so mad because the culprit basically laughed in her face,” Rin said. “It was like a challenge.”

 

“That is unimaginably cruel,” Luan said. “Who would think to do this?”

 

“This is ridiculous!” Rin shouted. But, unfortunately, before she had the time to think any further, the chime of a bell rang out through the facility, and the intercoms blew up with the voice of Monokuma.

 

“Hey there, folks! Who’s ready for a trial? I’m ready for a trial! Trial, trial! Wahoo! Get your butts down to the Lounge in Abilene Hall on the pronto, kiddos!”

 

“He’s awfully excited,” Rin said. “Ugh. This sucks. What the heck is going on?!”

 

“I don’t think we have time to wonder about that,” Hansuke said. “We’ve got a trial to get to.”

 

**Investigation Complete!**

 

Jun, Gavin, and Wanda were already there when Rin arrived with Hansuke and Luan in tow. None of the three of them looked particularly pleased.

 

“We didn’t get nothin’ new, man.” Gavin said. “This bites.”

 

“Whoever the culprit is,” Wanda said, “They’ve certainly put a lot of work into this plan. I can hardly make heads or tails of it.”

 

“You and me both,” said Rin, slumping onto a seat at the table. “There’s a lot that just doesn’t quite make sense.”

 

Claus and Daisuke were next in. Daisuke still looked pretty disheveled, but at the very least he’d switched out his wet clothes for clean ones. “I still have no idea what’s going on.” Daisuke said.

 

“Maybe,” said Stella, who came in with Shinobu, “If you didn’t run off you’d have a better idea.”

 

Kazuya, Yashiro, and Chizuru came in next. “I hope the culprit knows they should be quaking in their boots,” Chizuru said. “I’ll end you with my own hands.”

 

“H-holy crap, what happened to her personality?!” Daisuke said. Nobody answered his question. It would be a bit insensitive, Rin thought.

 

Finally, after a few minutes of everyone awkwardly twiddling their thumbs, a sweaty, angry Yayoi stumbled into the room. “Damn it!” She shouted, slamming open the door. “Wasted my fucking time. Son of a bitch.” She sat down in a huff.

 

“Where have you been, Yayoi?” Kazuya said.

 

“The Basin.” Yayoi said. “Wanted to make sure the culprit didn’t run off into the sewers or some shit, since there’s that passage there or whatever. Tried to get the passage open, too, but I couldn’t do it. Piece of shit architecture goes against any laws of workplace safety.”

 

“There’s a little switch on the inside of the depression in the middle of the room,” Wanda said. “It blends in very well, I was only able to find it when Yashiro came up.”

 

“Fucking damnit, shit!” Yayoi gritted her teeth. “Fuck!”

 

“Well, gee, aren’t we a ray of sunshine?” And with a bouncing noise, Monokuma landed on the table. “Don’t hurt yourself this time, Harada. Make sure to stay on point, and everyone sit back!” He put on a deeper, huskier tone of voice and shouted “Let’s get moving!”

 

Again, the Lounge table rose up, revealing the elevator to the trial room. The fourteen surviving students slowly began to shuffle in, several of them, Rin included, weighed down by the weight of the situation. She placed herself in the back corner this time, behind Luan and Claus, and the elevator began to descend.

 

Miria Hayashi, the Ultimate Mountaineer. She was kind, and caring, and clearly had no heart for violence. Occasionally, she piped up with a look into a more morbid world than Rin had ever known, images of an injured mind torn at by suffering Rin could only imagine, but that made it all the crueler that she had been struck down, murdered by one of her own friends. And not just that, but the culprit had openly insulted Miria’s memory to her beloved, Chizuru, with a fake suicide note. These were not the actions of one who was simply frightened, like Eriko.

 

For the first time, Rin was facing off against a real, cold-blooded killer. A killer who had offered up not only Miria’s life, but the lives of twelve other people for the sake of their own survival.

 

The doors to the courtroom opened. It wasn’t the blue decorations that Rin had expected. Instead, the courtroom’s walls were a mural, depicting a light blue, early-morning sky, above a wave of dust. In the distance- or so depicted, anyhow- were the tips of crags and valleys just barely inching above. The hanging mass of screens above the trial stands had even been colored to match the sky. The ground showed the slowly-narrowing peak of a tall mountain beneath their feet, leading them on to the courtroom of a great Mountain King.

 

Fourteen people took their places at their positions as a deathly quiet reigned. Where once Eriko Shigure had stood, sobbing and apologizing, a funeral signpost with a railway crossing sign painted in ghastly red remained. Miria, meanwhile, had an X created from the crossing of two mountain-climbing picks.

 

Making his cartoonish little noises, Monokuma puttered up and bounced into his throne. “Alright, folks! All heads accounted for, let’s get to debating! And away we go, baby! Open the game board, and let’s play!”

 

It was thirteen versus one, in a winner-takes-all battle of life or death. A battle with a missing murder weapon; a battle with a hall-switching body; a congested battle over a two-hour time period. But Rin knew she would find the culprit, no, that she _had to_ find the culprit.

 

If she didn’t, there would be no tomorrow.


	19. The Second Trial, Dawn Edition

**Commencing the Class Trial for the Murder of Miria Hayashi.**

**All Rise!**

“Duty dictates that at this point, I explain to you all the rules of the class trial again,” Monokuma said. “But who cares about that?! Just get to arguing, kids!”

 

“My, so this is what the trial room looks like.” Yashiro said. “Who did you get to paint this scenic vista? It's quite something.”

 

“I don't think it looked like this last time,” Kazuya said. “Is this still the same trial room?”

 

“Who cares?” Yayoi spat. “We're here to talk about murder, idiots.”

 

“Quite right,” Claus said. “So, Miria was found dead in the men's changing room. ...Wait, that's odd,” he said. “How in the world did she get in there?”

 

“Isn't it obvious?” Jun said, rolling his eyes. “The killer used his card to open the door.”

 

“So you're saying the culprit is male,” Wanda said.

 

“Obviously,” Jun said. “If she was found in the men's changing room, that means the culprit must've put her there.”

 

“Trip, man.” Gavin said. “Ain't that suspicious on its own? Why the changing room?”

 

“That's a question I've also asked,” Claus said. “But first, we should nail down people we can trust.”

 

“Kazuya, Stella, and Yashiro have alibis for the entire time period in which the crime could've taken place,” Chizuru said. “It's safe to say they're not the culprits.”

 

“So, are we just going to ignore the obvious elephant in the room here?” Jun said. “The obvious prime suspect?”

 

“Oh goodie,” Yayoi said. “Fukuyama's off on another one of his wild tangents, isn't he.”

 

“Come on!” Jun said, pounding his fists on the stand. “Harada ran out of the changing room covered in blood right before the body was discovered! He's clearly suspicious!”

 

“I didn't do it!” Daisuke yelped, crouching down and clasping his hands above his head in prayer. “I swear to you I did not do it, man!”

 

“You are pretty suspicious, though.” Stella said. “No matter what way you slice it, running out screaming from the crime scene like that is not normal behavior.”

 

“Crime scenes aren't normal behavior!” Daisuke said.

 

“You're not doing a particularly good job of staying on point,” Wanda said. “Calm down.”

 

“Don't tell me how to do my job!” Daisuke said, his ponytail drooping.

 

“Hurry up and explain the blood, Harada.” Jun said. “Whose blood was it? Your own?”

 

“It was cranberry juice!” Daisuke said. “I was covered in cranberry juice, dude!”

 

There was a moment of silence before Jun said, “Sure. You were covered in cranberry juice, _and the Pope is Muslim,_ do you take me for some kind of fool, Harada?”

 

“No, he's actually telling the truth,” Rin said. “It was cranberry juice. There was evidence to show that a bottle of cranberry juice had spilled in the Bar, and who else hangs out with bottles there?”

 

“Smells about right, too.” Hansuke nodded.

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Daisuke shook his head, raising his eyebrow. “Hansuke, did...did you sniff me?”

 

“A few times,” Hansuke said. “Why?”

 

“My goodness,” Shinobu said. “Who knew that Hansuke was the group's bloodhound?”

 

“Plus, he was drenched in it from above, right?” Rin said. “If he was the culprit, he'd have to be, like, _under_ Miria to do that. He'd have to carry her above his head, or stab her from beneath floorboards, or something.”

 

“That doesn't necessarily disprove his being the culprit, though.” Jun said. “You'll need a bit stronger proof than that, Hashizawa.”

 

“And I have it!” Rin said.

 

“Oh snap, Rin off the rebound!” Monokuma said.

 

“Kazuya, Stella, and Yashiro's testimony is my proof.” Rin said. “They saw something that they couldn't have seen if Daisuke was the culprit.”

 

“Wait, we did?” Stella said. “What?”

 

“The darkness,” Rin said. “When you three opened the door, the room was dark.”

 

“Wait, the lights in the gym turn off?” Gavin said. “News to me, man.”

 

“It was news to most of us,” Rin said. “There's a light switch way up in the gym, almost up in the rafters. It controls the lights to the whole gym.”

 

“Okay, so there's a light switch nobody could reach.” Jun said. “And this proves Daisuke's innocence how?”

 

Rin made a huffing noise. “Well geez, if you're going to be rude about it, then fine. The culprit set up a trick with that light and the door. There was a rope at the crime scene, tied to the rafters above the light switch. By tying the rope to the hydraulic door closer—”

 

“The what now?” Stella said.

 

Yayoi scoffed. “The grey, metal box that keeps the door from slamming! Geez, what are you, five?”

 

“That has a name?!” Gavin said, seeming almost physically blown back by this revelation.

 

“Anyway,” Rin said, sweating a bit, her antenna drooping, “By tying the rope to the hydraulic door closer, you can make the door manipulate the lights. When you come in with the lights on, the door closing again turns off the lights, and when you come in with the lights off, opening the door turns on the lights.”

 

Jun, for once, didn't look mad. Instead, he looked honestly rather curious. “Go on,” he said.

 

“When the three opened the door, it was dark. That means someone had to have come into the gym before them, to turn off the lights.” Rin said. “And that someone was Daisuke!”

 

“Yeah, yeah!” Daisuke said, pumping his fists. “The lights turned off as I was going in!”

 

“Couldn't he have triggered his own trick?” Jun said. “Set it up, then opened the door while staying in the gym?”

 

“That makes no sense at all,” Rin said. “That's the opposite of what a trick like this could accomplish. Think about it. If the lights suddenly went off _after someone entered the room,_ the culprit could hide beforehand, then use that opportunity to escape, like they'd never been there!”

 

“A classic,” Shinobu cackled. “But instead, the lights turned on as they entered the room, and Daisuke was in plain sight.”

 

Rin nodded. “Daisuke triggered the culprit's light trick before finding the body, just before Kazuya, Stella, and Yashiro headed to the Gym. When he opened the door, he fled, but ran into the other three on his way out. Daisuke might be a bit of a ditz, but he's not a _complete moron._ ”

 

“And so that proves that Daisuke didn't know about the light trick,” Wanda said. “I see. That would make it highly unlikely for him to be the culprit.”

 

“This whole light trick thing's pretty complicated,” Yayoi said, rubbing her chin. “Those catwalks are real high up. How the hell'd the culprit get up there? ...How's ANYONE get up there?”

 

“Well, it's pretty silly, but...” Rin chuckled. “Did you see that basketball hoop and board set up at the crime scene?”

 

“I'm not in the mood for hoops, dawg.” Gavin said.

 

“It's not basketball.” Hansuke said. “Turns out that thing's an elevator.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the two-button control remote. “You control it with this, just goes up and down. Shouts at you when you do it, too.”

 

“Is that what that loud voice was?” Kazuya said. “I just thought it was Yashiro.”

 

Yashiro laughed. “Why would I shout about power poles? While Son Goku is an inspiration to all those with justice in their hearts, I do not possess even a fraction of his massive arsenal.”

 

“The culprit left the remote up in the catwalk,” Rin said. “They probably thought nobody would be able to get there, to confirm how the trick worked.”

 

“Er, then...” Claus stammered. “How did you get up there?”

 

“She climbed the wall.” Hansuke said.

 

“Ah, you climbed the wall.” Claus nodded. “I see.” Then the words hit him, and he sputtered. “You _what?!_ ” Yashiro was laughing uproariously, too.

 

“She was like some kind of mountain goat,” Stella said. “It was kind of terrifying, honestly.”

 

“Her agility was remarkable,” Shinobu said. “Perhaps she is the Ultimate Parkourist!”

 

“Izuru Kamukura was said to possess incredible physical abilities,” Wanda said.

 

“Who cares about Izuru Kamukura?” Daisuke said. “Okay, so we're all clear I'm not the culprit now, right? Right?” Silence reigned. Luan nodded. “Okay, great. So, here's my thought. I bet the culprit was hiding when I came in, and then left the room when it got dark! So, whoever doesn't have an alibi for that time is the culprit! ...Anyone not have an alibi for that time?”

 

“Uh, let's see.” Rin said. “Me, Yayoi, and Luan were together.”

 

“Gavin, myself, Chizuru, and Wanda were in our rooms,” Jun said.

 

“Shinobu and I were together,” Hansuke said. “In the Archive.”

 

“You already know our alibis.” Kazuya said.

 

“I'm me,” Daisuke said. “And Claus was in Campbell Hall, I ducked behind the forklifts and stuff to avoid his steely gaze judging me for being covered in cranberry juice.”

 

“Oh, good.” Claus said, sweating a bit. “I was worried I was going to be the odd man out here, but that does make sense, doesn't it?”

 

There was a long moment of silence among the group. “Uhhh...” Gavin said. “Dice, my man... That's everybody.”

 

“Buh?” Daisuke said, his ponytail curling into a question mark. “Wait, uh, we must've miscounted, right? One, two...” He mumbled to himself for a bit. “What the heck!? _Everyone_ has an alibi?!”

 

“That would appear to be the case,” Wanda said. “It seems the culprit left the gym well before you arrived.”

 

“No way!” Daisuke said, his sunglasses falling off his face with a dramatic flourish. “Then what was the point of the light trick?”

 

“I should think it obvious,” Shinobu said. “The culprit _meant_ to give the impression that they had hidden in there, when in fact, they were not. It is, after all, a trick. It simply didn't work very well!” And she cackled her little 'ka ka's again. “No doubt thanks to Rin's sudden interference.”

 

“Leaving the remote lost above was a gutsy move,” Luan said. “They left it protected, but couldn't remove their own traces, either.”

 

“So, the only people the culprit could be at this point are Claus, Hansuke, Luan, Yayoi, Wanda, Shinobu, and myself,” Chizuru said. “Because only the seven of us had the opportunity to remove the knot on the hydraulic door closer. That's our logic, correct?”

 

“That seems right, yeah.” Rin said.

 

Chizuru nodded quietly to herself. “Alright, seven suspects. That's good progress.”

 

“Wait, what about Sakaki or Fukuyama?” Yayoi said. “Couldn't they just do it when they came in?”

 

“The two of us have perfect alibis,” Jun scoffed. “We were in our rooms the entire time from when Miria was last seen alive to when the body discovery announcement played. Keep up.”

 

“How's that an alibi?!” Yayoi shouted.

 

“Oh, I see.” Jun said. “So I have to explain this again. Fine.” He cleared his throat. “Remember that part where my computer _automatically logs every time a Handbook is used to open one of our rooms?_ ”

 

“You're the tech whiz,” Hansuke said. “Ain't it possible you just edited the program to not log yourself?”

 

Jun's eyebrow twitched. “No, no it's not. My sheet, which I have shown to _several people,_ contains records of my Handbook being used earlier today. When I woke up this morning, Monokuma had modified my computer such that I’m only able to run _Python and Vim,_ so he completely removed my ability to edit the program I had already made, as well as modify it to track the usage of Handbooks to open the changing rooms, which would've completely solved this case. Also, need I remind you that I _cannot use my legs,_ and would therefore be incapable of even getting up to the catwalk even if I knew about that elevator, _which I did not,_ let alone _ascend the stairs to reach the crime scene unassisted?_ ”

 

“Sorry. Sometimes you've gotta shake the tree, see what comes out. But that's what I figured.” Hansuke said. “Thanks.” Jun didn't seem very pleased by this, but elected to stew in silence.

 

“So, seven suspects remain...” Shinobu said. “...though, much as it pains me to say it, it seems we can narrow it down further to only three, yes?”

 

“Well, Miria's body was in the men's changing room,” Kazuya said. “So that casts suspicion on... Claus, Hansuke, and Luan.”

 

“Wait, wait.” Stella said. “Isn't it possible that the culprit just borrowed someone else's Handbook to get in there?”

 

“Is that in the rules?” Rin said. “Hey, Monokuma?”

 

“Oh, geez, did I forget to talk about that?” Monokuma said. “Dag nabbit, knew I forgot something in the rules. There's a lot of them, you know. My bad! In the interest of fair play, I'll go ahead and tell y'all that the culprit never used the Handbook of another living student! We'll be adding that to the rules tomorrow morning, though, so make sure you don't forget that **you're not allowed to lend your Handbook to anyone!** ”

 

“I guess that answers that,” Stella said.

 

“Alright.” Chizuru said. She hadn't hidden behind the stand at all, instead standing up straight, fire in her eyes. “Hansuke. Give me your case.”

 

“I was in the Lounge the whole two-hour period until Shinobu 'n me went into the Archive to chat,” Hansuke said. “Anyone who passed through saw me. I can tell you Luan was in there too from 3 to 3:35, and Claus was in the Laundromat for half an hour from 4 to 4:30. I saw him go in and I saw him leave, once.”

 

“Claus and I were talking from 3 to 4.” Chizuru said. “He and I have a solid alibi for that time. Luan?”

 

“It is as Hansuke said,” Luan said. “I had been looking for Yayoi, but at 3:35, I decided to wait in the Stairwell instead. Any who passed through the Stairwell saw me. Yayoi and I met up at 4:30. I saw Claus head through the Stairwell to the Housing Suite, then head upstairs afterwards, just before that.”

 

“Then, in that case, Claus can't be lying about the Laundromat unless both of them are lying,” Rin said. “So he's clear from 4 to 4:30.”

 

“He didn't do it, then!” Yayoi said. “Claus's innocent!”

 

Claus looked hopeful, but Shinobu shook her head. “While I doubt that Claus is the culprit, it is still not impossible. There was roughly a twenty-minute interval in which Claus's alibi is in question.”

 

“That's true,” Claus said, looking downwards, sweat on his brow. “I can't deny that there's twenty minutes in which I'm present in Campbell Hall without Daisuke or I running into each other.”

 

A slam resounded through the trial, calling everyone's attention to Position Six. Chizuru had struck her podium with her hand. She looked up, and said, “Claus is not the culprit.”

 

“Well, that's good, but...how do you know?” Kazuya said.

 

Rin thought for a moment. “Um... Chizuru, is there something you know that we don't?”

 

“You could say that,” Chizuru said. Her face contorted into a sneer, aimed towards the ground. “The culprit sent me a real nice gift right before the body discovery announcement played.”

 

“Seriously, what happened to your personality?” Daisuke said. “It's done a complete 180.”

 

“Dice, dude, not the time!” Gavin said, making a shushing motion towards the Brewmaster.

 

“It was a letter,” Chizuru said. “The culprit sent me a letter, through Monokuma. It was a suicide note, supposedly from Miria.”

 

Shocked noises of various degrees came from several people in the courtroom. Rin already knew, though, so she was silent.

 

“The note informed me that her body would be present in the men's changing room, and that by the time I read it, she would already be dead.” Chizuru said. “It also asked me to please stab her body with the flagpole, and told me that the lights would turn off when I entered the room.”

 

“Wait, but...” Gavin stammered. “It's gotta be fake, right? Like, no way Miria'd kill herself!”

 

“It's not necessarily impossible,” Jun said, “that she got some fool idea into her head about saving Chizuru with her own life.”

 

“No, it's completely impossible.” Chizuru said. “In writing the note, the culprit made a mistake. It was a mistake that they probably didn't even know that they were making, but it was there. And it's a mistake that Miria would _never_ make.”

 

“Eh?” Claus said. “Wait...” And then, enlightenment hit him. “Oh! I understand now!”

 

“Well, I don't!” Yayoi said. “Anyone mind explaining to me?”

 

Chizuru hummed. “Hm. Raise your hand if you think you understand what I'm saying.” In response, five hands went up, all five that Rin expected; Claus, Chizuru, herself, Luan, and Hansuke. “Myself and Claus I understand, but how did you three learn it?”

 

“Luan and I learned about it from Hansuke, when we found the note.” Rin said. “You, uh, dropped it somewhere, and Luan showed it to the two of us.”

 

“Ohhh, I see.” Chizuru said. “...Wait, shit, I dropped it?” She began patting down her pockets. “Well, I'm glad you picked it up, Luan. Thank you.”

 

“You're quite welcome,” Luan said, nodding.

 

“As for me, the last time I met Miria, she told me about it.” Hansuke said. “If you want proof, I've got it in my notepad. She wrote down a demonstration for me, and it's in her handwriting.”

 

Hansuke walked over to Position Seven, past Wanda, and showed Chizuru the page. She looked at it, and nodded. “Not,” Hansuke said, “that I have any idea _why_ you do this. Probably a pretty interesting story.”

 

“Oh, it's fascinating.” Chizuru said. “I'm satisfied. You can go back to your stand now.”

 

“ _What_ are you talking about?!” Jun said, running his hands through his hair. “This secrecy is ridiculous! If there's evidence, it should be presented before the court! Hashizawa, tell me what she means!”

 

“I'm not sure I should,” Rin said. “I don't know the whole story either, but it seems pretty personal... Between Chizuru and Miria, I mean.”

 

“Well, I don't care!” Jun said. “It's evidence!” He threw up his hands. “Idiots!”

 

“Hey Jun, seen any kettles lately?” Stella said. “Think there's one that could use a bit of assurance that it's black.”

 

“Anyway,” Chizuru said. “It's highly unlikely for Hansuke to be the culprit. I'm going to go forward believing him.”

 

“So...” Luan's face grew dark. “You suspect me?”

 

“Wait, what?” Rin said. “No, Luan, we don't suspect you! Uh, I don't, anyway...”

 

“It's process of elimination, unfortunately.” Kazuya shook his head. “If Claus isn't lying, and Hansuke isn't lying, then Luan is the only man left without an alibi.”

 

Rin saw Shinobu almost go to bite one of her finely manicured nails—she does that?—but then her face lit up with inspiration. “Monokuma,” she said. “I recognize that this might be a bit frustrating to hear, but if you truly do want to help us find Miria's killer...” She leaned over and batted her eyes at him.

 

Monokuma sighed and shrugged. “You're a pain in the ass,” he said. “Anyway, though, I can't help you. This is your last freebie, but at least one of Knox's rules has been broken this case. Puhuhuhu, or something.”

 

“Damn!” Shinobu said. “I...still wish to believe in Luan. I don't believe he's the sort of man who would do something so cruel!”

 

“Well...” Rin said. “I mean, honestly, people passed through the Stairwell reasonably frequently. I don't think he had very long to kill Miria, even if he did have some times when he wasn't monitored-”

 

Suddenly, a low chuckle resounded through the room. It was a frighteningly familiar sound, and Rin only had to turn her head one position to the right to see a certain unfriendly neighborhood curmudgeon laugh. “Aha, I see. Everyone, I have a theory.”

 

“Oh, goodie.” Stella said. “We all love your theories.”

 

“Shut.” Jun said. “So, everyone, you'll remember, yes, that I have this little sheet here,” and he pulled it out, “stating when each Handbook was used to open one of our doors. Well, here's a little tidbit for you all. Miria entered her room at 3:30, and exited at 4:00!”

 

“Wait, what?!” Chizuru said. Her eyes widened.

 

“Did nobody tell you?” Jun said. He shrugged. “I suppose we were all reasonably busy. Luan. Did you see Miria exit the Housing Suite at 4?”

 

“No,” Luan said. “No, I didn't.”

 

Jun grinned a nasty little grin. “Here's my theory, everyone! Hashizawa, you'd better take notes.” The atmosphere in the courtroom turned tense, and though Jun supposedly addressed the whole room, she could feel his words aimed at her.

 

“The culprits...” And he paused for dramatic effect. “Are Miria and Luan both!”

 

Chizuru gritted her teeth. “What the hell did you just say?”

 

“Listen, I know it's hard to accept,” Jun said, “but it's the logic I've come to. Miria exits the Housing Suite, and she and Luan both head to the Gym. Luan's a big, strong guy, and male, at that, so they enter the men's changing room together after setting up the light trick. Luan kills Miria, and then, at her behest, writes the letter to Chizuru. Unfortunately, Miria forgets to tell Luan _whatever_ this _mysterious thing_ is, so in his fake suicide note, he goofs up. As such, Miria's plan to fake suicide via _assisted_ suicide, and have Luan be the culprit, saving Chizuru with the Monokuma Note, fails horribly.”

 

“But that's completely ridiculous!” Rin said. “She wouldn't just forget! Your theory is full of holes!”

 

“If Luan is the only man left under suspicion,” Jun said, “then he has to be the culprit. Plain and simple. If neither Claus nor Hansuke would make this mistake of yours, then he has to be the culprit. Plain and simple. His lying to protect Miria would clear up several inconsistencies with this case, you must admit! Much as I'm sure you love flailing, unless you can provide me with incontrovertible proof that Luan isn't the culprit-!”

 

“ ** _I'll cut your words to pieces!_** ” Rin shouted, and her hand flew out unconsciously, chopping Jun in the face. “Oh, uh, sorry!”

 

“What in the HELL was that for?! Ow!” Jun grasped at his face. Yayoi was laughing in the background. “If you're done abusing me, maybe you could act like a normal human being and explain yourself?”

 

“Sure,” Rin said. “You clearly haven't looked too closely at the crime scene, or you'd know that a set of Aoto's clothes was found stashed away at the crime scene.”

 

Jun blinked. “Excuse me? Aoto's clothes?”

 

“And they had blood on them,” Rin said. “Because they were used, in the _struggle_ that caused her _defensive wounds,_ did you even read the Monokuma File?”

 

Beginning to sweat, Jun's eyes began to dart back and forth. “Well, what about it?”

 

“You knew Aoto pretty well, right, Jun?” Rin said. “I mean, you liked him and stuff. Aoto had pretty thin arms, right? He was shorter than me. Look at Luan.” Jun turned his head. “You know what I'm going to say next, right?”

 

“You're going to say that there's no way Luan, with his broad build and huge, ropey muscle arms, could put on Aoto's clothes.” Jun said.

 

“And significant height advantage.” Rin said.

 

“And...” Jun gritted his teeth. “Significant height advantage.”

 

“ _And_ the jacket had no holes in it,” Rin said, “so even if Miria could put them on, she couldn't have been wearing them when she was attacked.”

 

“...So, in other words,” Jun said, “if Miria and Luan were working together, Aoto's clothes being present at the scene makes absolutely no sense, especially in their specific condition.”

 

“I'm glad you understand.” Rin said. “Say you're sorry.”

 

Jun gritted his teeth, looking away awkwardly and twiddling his fingers. “I...was...out of line. I'm, uh, I'm sorry, Chizuru.”

 

Chizuru let out a sharp, low sigh. “It's fine. I'll forgive you. It's more important to find the culprit.”

 

“Is this just gonna be a once-a-trial thing now?” Gavin said. “Rin just totally annihilating J?”

 

“I hope so, it's hilarious!” Yayoi had tears in her eyes.

 

“I'm also finding it pretty enjoyable,” Wanda said. “Thank you, Jun.”

 

“That said...” Shinobu said, crossing her arms. “The culprit wore Aoto's clothes? That seems very strange. I imagine they did it to cover their clothes of blood, but why not just use their own clothes?”

 

“I've been wondering the same thing,” Rin said.

 

“Wait a moment.” Yashiro said. “Stop me if I sound incorrect, but... As of just now, with the argument of being unable to wear Aoto's clothes found at the crime scene, we've just cleared Luan of culpability. Claus, too, cannot wear Aoto's clothes, for he is even larger.”

 

“It's true.” Claus said. “I hardly think I could fit in those.”

 

“In other words, only Hansuke remains of the three men.” Yashiro said. “However, not only did the culprit make this mistake Chizuru speaks of that Hansuke knew about from Miria beforehand, but if Luan is not lying, then Hansuke would have had less than ten minutes to kill Miria and set up the light trick, then get back to the Lounge without Luan, Yayoi, or Rin noticing in the interim, no? That simply doesn't seem possible to me!”

 

“Trip, man, he's right!” Gavin said. “No way in heck Hans could manage that even if he ran as fast as he could, plus if he did, he'd be obviously tired!”

 

“But, wait.” Stella said. “If Claus couldn't do it, and Hansuke couldn't do it, _and_ Luan couldn't do it, we're out of options!”

 

Hansuke scratched his chin. “Theoretically… It'd be possible if Luan was in on it as my target for the Monokuma Note. He just lies about not seeing me, and then I've got forty minutes to set up Miria's body. Plus, I could get the info from Miria right before killing her, or something.”

 

“No, that's wrong!” Rin said. “In that case, you'd just lie about the mistake the culprit made, because I was there. Or Luan just wouldn't show anybody the note, and Chizuru would look crazy!”

 

“That's not all,” Shinobu said. “Hansuke would have no reason at all to use Aoto's clothes. Certainly, he, being almost the same height, could wear them, though it would be a tight fit. However, they serve no real purpose.”

 

“Yes, it's like Rin said.” Claus said. “Why in the world would the culprit use Aoto's clothes if they could just use their own instead?”

 

“Too many things don't make sense for any of these guys to be the culprit,” Rin said. “But... Ugh!”

 

“This is a pain in the ass!” Yayoi said. “Why couldn't this killer have done something that made more sense?”

 

“Of course they wouldn't do that,” Wanda said. “The aim is not to be found.”

 

“You think I don't know that?!” Yayoi said. “It just pisses me off, okay? They're probably laughing at us right now!”

 

“Hey, hold up, all.” Gavin said, nodding his head and waving his hands. “Before we go all getting all frizzy over impossibwhatsits, let's talk about things we can talk about, ya dig?” He gave everyone a smile and a shrug. “Get our gears twisting in another direction.”

 

“What other direction is there?” Stella said.

 

“Well...” Gavin hummed and hawwed. “Oh! The murder weapon! Gav don't quite get it, see. That flagpole, no way it's the actual murder weapon, right?”

 

“You're right, it's not.” Rin said. She said a heartfelt thanks to Gavin inside for the help. “Hansuke and I checked the wound, but the flagpole didn't match at all. What did match were the trowels, from Woodworking, and there's a trowel missing.”

 

“If anyone would know that, it'd be you, wouldn't it.” Jun grumbled. “So where'd this trowel go? We should get a look at it.”

 

“I got a clarification on the littering rules.” Hansuke said. “Near as I can tell, it'd need to be on one of us or still in Woodworking, and it sure wasn't there.”

 

“Then let's just frisk everyone!” Yayoi said. “Whoever's got the trowel is the killer!”

 

“Er, wait.” Kazuya said. “Um, please no?”

 

“Wait, wait. Ain't that a bit drastic?” Gavin said. “Sides, ain't it a bit crazy to think that they'd still have it? Maybe they just put it back after Rin looked, man.”

 

“Put it back after I looked?” Rin crossed her arms, and thought. “People were pretty together. Was there anyone who even had an opportunity to do that?”

 

“Er,” Luan said. “Yes, actually.” And he looked at Yayoi. “Yayoi was gone most of the investigation, was she not?”

 

“Wait, what?!” Yayoi started back before angrily pointing a finger at Luan. “Listen, Yun-Fat, I don't know what the hell you're smoking. Miria left her damn room at 4, and I was still asleep, and then after that you fucking saw me and we were together. Also, _I'm a chick, dingbat._ ”

 

Luan's face flinched, and then his eyes averted eye contact. “I just meant... Well, not to... I'm sorry,” he said.

 

“So, in other words...” Rin said. “No, not really. Every other person was pretty solidly monitored.”

 

“We have to strip!?” Daisuke said. “No, man! I'm still pure!” He took out his sitar and began frantically strumming something or another.

 

“No need!” hollered Monokuma, laughing. “I can tell you for certain, if this trowel really is the murder weapon, then it's sure not in this room!”

 

“Wait, what?!” Rin said. “But that doesn't make any sense! The rules say—!”

 

“I _said_ you couldn't leave a tool anywhere but its room of origin,” Monokuma said. “That includes on your own body! I mean, after all, your body's in the main building, ain't it? So if you just took a tool from somewhere else and then just stuffed it in your pocket to hide it with no intent to use it, that'd be against the rules! So just take my word for it!”

 

“That's.. a downright bizarre ruling,” Claus said. “So someone must have put it back, correct?”

 

“I mean, I guess... Maybe?” Rin said. Her antenna began to droop, and she was sweating. “I, um...” This was all impossible, wasn't it? It was going against the rules, it didn't make any sense—!

 

“Focus!” A quick cry  from Hansuke snapped her back to attention. “Okay, so the murder weapon's done a runner.” Hansuke said. “There's still something we haven't covered at all.”

 

Rin did a quick inventory. “Oh! Oh, you mean the crime scene, right?”

 

“Ain't it the men's changing room?” Yayoi said.

 

“No, that's wrong,” Rin said. “There's not nearly enough blood, and no evidence of a struggle other than Miria's wounds. Hansuke and I actually found more evidence in the Pantry; some blood, diluted with a buttload of cranberry juice from the Pantry's stores.”

 

“Cranberry juice?!” Daisuke said, throwing his hands in Rin's direction. “See?! Proof! The culprit totally messed with my juice, too! It's a conspiracy!”

 

“So, the body was moved.” Shinobu said. “If the crime scene is the Pantry, anyone could attack Miria, but even so, the body ended up in the men's changing room.”

 

“Anyone...” Chizuru said. “It's like I figured. So the other four of us are still suspects.”

 

“Hold on, hold on.” Gavin said. “So, like, that'd mean that the culprit wore Aoto's clothes to the Pantry, killed Miria with a trowel, took her body across Campbell to Goodhart with Aoto's bloody clothes on, went to the men's room, got in somehow, stabbed Miria with the flagpole and hung up Aoto's clothes, wrote that note and sent it, _and_ set up the light trick all in a span of, what now, 25, 30 minutes with nobody seeing a thing?”

 

“It does sound rather implausible if you put it like that,” Shinobu said.

 

“Where would they even get a way to transport the body?” Kazuya said. “It's not like Miria was light.”

 

“How'd they even get Aoto's clothes, anyway?” Yayoi said. “Ain't his room locked?”

 

“Turns out, dead peoples' rooms are unlocked during the daytime,” Hansuke said. “Once you're confirmed dead, you've got no privacy.”

 

“Then why didn't they just put them back?!” Yayoi shouted. “Who the hell would think to check Aoto's room at a time like this?”

 

“And we still have no idea why they'd even use Aoto's clothes in the first place,” Stella said. “Instead of some of their own, I mean.”

 

“Well, if Luan was an accomplice,” Jun said, “He could help carry the body.”

 

“Then I would be covered in blood,” Luan said, “Defeating the purpose of using Aoto's clothes in the first place.”

 

“You could've, uh...” Jun said. “Argh! You could've helped clean up, or something, and helped do the rope thing! I don't know! If you weren't in on it, then how the hell did the culprit move the body, huh!?”

 

Despite her opinion of Jun, just from looking at him, Rin could tell this wasn't his usual ministrations. He was just as bewildered as everyone else. It was all just too tight, too perfectly near-miss, along with all the impossibilities. It was like...one big knot. One big knot of contradictions, of conflicting alibis. A missing murder weapon, seemingly impossible evidence, a body that moved into a place it couldn't move to without a trace, the impossibly short timeframe, the seeming _need_ for an accomplice, it was all just a mess.

 

“...A knot.” Rin mumbled.

 

“Eh?” Gavin said. “What's up, dude?”

 

“If you pull the right string of a knot, it begins to unravel.” Rin said. “It's not all a bunch of disconnected evidence, this has to all be part of the killer's plan.” She let out a long, deep breath. “Okay. I'm going to just say something I think, and see where it takes me.”

 

Chizuru nodded. “Go ahead. I think that's the best thing you can do.”

 

“So,” Rin said. “There's actually a passage between the Pantry and the changing rooms.”

 

“Wait, what now?!” Daisuke yelped. “How the heck, they're on different sides of the floor!”

 

“Hold on...” Kazuya said, and then his eyes widened. “Do you mean... The laundry chute?”

 

“Yeah, I do.” Rin said, nodding. “I think the culprit placed Miria's body in a box in the Pantry, and then had the forklifts transport it to the Clothes Bay, then to the changing rooms.”

 

“Knox's 3rd,” Shinobu said. “A secret passage, hm?”

 

“That'd still require the culprit be male, though.” Claus said. “And... Well, unless there is an accomplice, I believe we've established that's highly unlikely.”

 

“The culprit never used another living student's Handbook,” Chizuru said. “So how would they get into the changing room?”

 

“Besides, don't the laundry chutes run on a per-Handbook basis?” Hansuke said.

 

“Okay, so the culprit never used another living student's Handbook,” Rin said. ...Wait... Wait. What had she just said? The culprit never used another living student's Handbook, which meant they had to be male. But if a woman could gain access to a man's Handbook, they could access the men's room. Even so, the Handbook limitation... the Handbook, the Handbook, Handbook, laundry, clothes, the culprit's access to rooms, aaaaaaaa, “aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!” Rin screeched as it all came together in her mind. “Oh my god! Oh my god!!” She grabbed at her head. “It's so obvious!”

 

“What?!” Stella said. “What's obvious?!”

 

“Hurry up and explain!” Jun said.

 

Rin leaned forward on her stand and grabbed her podium. Her eyes were wide. “Guys, guys! The culprit didn't _need_ another living student's Handbook, _because they used a dead one's!_ ”

 

Faces slowly began to twist as they registered this information, but Claus was the first to process it fully. “Wait,” he said, his eyes growing wide. “You mean, they used _Aoto's_ Handbook?!”

 

Rin nodded furiously. “Yes! That's why they used Aoto's clothes! They stuffed Miria's body and Aoto's clothes in the same box after the murder, then sent them off in the same box, and used Aoto's handbook to send in a box of Aoto's clothes, that had Miria inside, to the changing room!”

 

“What the hell?” Gavin said. “Trip, man, using a dead guy's stuff like that?”

 

“Is that even possible?” Wanda said. “Would the system recognize that as being a box to call for Aoto?”

 

“'When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains must be the truth.'” Shinobu said. “Sherlock Holmes. A phrase you would do well to remember, Morinaga,” she hissed.

 

“So that's how the culprit moved the body.” Hansuke said. He crossed his arms. “Tricky. Then they could get across unimpeded and just go to the Gym clean.”

 

“This culprit is fucking crazy, man!” Daisuke said. “What the hell kinda nonsense even is this, transporting Miria as _laundry?!_ ”

 

“It pretty effectively frames the culprit as needing to be or cooperate with a man,” Jun said. “I have absolutely no doubt that the culprit is a woman.”

 

“Monokuma,” Shinobu said. “Tell me, how long does it take for a box to be taken from Campbell Hall to the Clothes Bay, in this case?”

 

“Ehhhh...” Monokuma wiggled his hand back and forth. “Ten minutes, give or take?”

 

“Wait, what?” Rin said. She blinked. “Ten minutes?”

 

“That would leave the culprit only twenty minutes to do all they needed to do, if that!” Yashiro said. “That is still an incredibly tight timeframe!”

 

“Yeah, assuming they attacked Miria as soon as 4:00 came by...” Hansuke said, “Stuffing everything into a box after the fight, getting over, setting up the crime scene and their little rope trick, they'd have to do that in less than twenty minutes. That's pretty tight.”

 

“You're right,” Rin said. “Ugh, dang it, and we were getting places. I guess it's not impossible, but it just feels _wrong_ somehow.” She grunted and tapped her foot. “Anyone have any ideas?”

 

“...Hey, Lou.” Gavin said. “You're still sure you never saw Mir, yeah?”

 

Luan nodded. “I never saw her after she passed me on the Stairwell.”

 

“Then how'd she get upstairs?” Gavin said. “Like, that's impossible, yeah? You can't get up except from the Stairwell. J may be a bit overzealous, but he has a point suspecting that, yo.”

 

That was a good point. How did Miria get upstairs after she left her room? And...why did she even go to the Pantry?

 

“I've got something,” Stella said. “Where exactly did that rope come from, anyway? I've never seen a rope anywhere around here.”

 

“The rope is a strange point,” Claus said. “I hadn't really thought about it. Is it possible we just never noticed it?”

 

That was a good point, too. The rope itself was an odd point that Rin hadn't thought about much until now. She knew she had seen it before, and even in the Gym, too, come to think of it, so she hadn't paid it any mind. Where had it come from originally?

 

“Where the hell did the murder weapon go?!” Yayoi said. “We still haven't answered that!”

 

“Didn't it just get put back?” Daisuke said.

 

And that, too, was a good point. How had the culprit disposed of the trowel? It wasn't on anyone's person, and it couldn't be as easy as putting it back, but it couldn't be anywhere in the areas where everyone went _except_ Woodworking.

 

“I just don't think that the schedule makes any sense,” Kazuya said. “It just doesn't make any sense.”

 

“But it's the only thing that's possible if Luan isn't lying!” Jun said.

 

And that was a fourth good point. According to Miria and the culprit's actions, Miria went upstairs at 3, passing Luan, then returned downstairs to her room at 3:30. Then she left her room again at 4, headed upstairs to the Pantry, and was killed by the culprit, who stuffed her body in a box along with Aoto's bloodied clothes. At least ten minutes later, the culprit headed to the Gym, using Aoto's handbook to get into the men's changing room, stabbing Miria's corpse with the flagpole and setting it up properly, along with hiding Aoto's clothes. Then, they set up the rope trick with a rope they got from somewhere or another, and all within that span of thirty minutes where several were eaten by a forced wait, before returning to whatever their alibi at 4:30 was.

 

Rin looked at Chizuru.

 

“...Hey,” Chizuru said to Rin. Everyone was discussing all around the room now, but Chizuru spoke directly to Rin. “I might seem pretty collected, but... I'm totally stumped here. Honestly, I just don't get how the culprit could've done it.”

 

“Don't give up!” Rin said. “I'm sure we'll figure it out! No mystery is unsolvable! C'mon!”

 

“I've done what I can,” Chizuru said. She looked Rin directly in the eyes. Where before, they had held fire, Rin saw, in this private moment amidst the crowd, the pain and grief Chizuru was holding back. “But this culprit isn't thinking like a normal person. Somehow, they've fooled us into fearing this crime. There's a trick remaining here, I know there is, but I have no idea what it is.”

 

“Chizuru—!”

 

“And that's why,” Chizuru said, “I need you to do it.”

 

“Huh?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “Why me?”

 

Chizuru laughed. “Please, Rin. You're one of the strangest people I've ever met. What kind of whackjob just decides to scale a wall all by her lonesome all of a sudden, or take up whittling to make statuettes of dead people on a whim?”

 

“Way to make a girl feel appreciated,” Rin said, pouting.

 

“It's that quality that's going to lead us to the truth,” Chizuru said. “I believe in that. I believe in _you._ So, please.” Chizuru bowed her head. “Make some crazy logical leap that only you could make here, and figure out the culprit's last trick.”

 

“A crazy logical leap, huh?” Rin said. “Alright. I'll give it a try.”

 

It was another knot, really. A knot of rope, a knot of a victim whose actions seemed impossible, a knot of a too-tight time frame, a knot of a missing murder weapon. And once she threw away her preconceived notions, and made this crazy logical leap that Chizuru trusted her to make, to the thread that she could pull to unravel the knot...

 

The culprit's plan would come crashing down.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wiser Lucky Student than I once said, "Shall we call this Thinking Time?" The trial isn't quite over yet, but along with Rin, let's try to make this logical leap, for Chizuru (or is it Chihaya?) and Miria's sakes.
> 
> Who killed Miria Hayashi, and how did they do it?


	20. The Second Trial, Solar Edition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note from our MK-Brand Sponsors: The opinions expressed regarding relevant All-Star Latinists in the story do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the author.

One thing was clear to Rin as soon as she began going over the case in her mind. The culprit, whoever they were, wanted people to be confused. Eriko's remote killing trick had been odd to look at, but it wasn't that hard to figure out. This culprit, meanwhile, had killed Miria in plain sight, during a time when most everyone was out and about, somehow without being witnessed by anybody?

 

No. No, that didn't make sense. The culprit couldn't have just been invisible. Someone had to have seen them during their plan. But then, that was the problem, wasn't it; people seeming to be invisible? Luan had sworn multiple times that he never saw Miria leave her room. But then, there were secret passages present in Compound VK. Was it possible that there was a way from the Housing Suite to the second floor?

 

That was ridiculous. There was, quite simply, no way that a passage to the second floor existed before it had been unlocked to the group in the first place. That would completely ruin the point of the floors unlocking this way in the first place. Additionally, the group had spent over a week lodging in the Housing Suite, so the odds that a passage like that existed and would not have become public knowledge were incredibly low. And, if it were only in one person's room, that would make mystery-solving regarding a case involving that person almost impossible.

 

But then, how had Miria gotten out of the Housing Suite to the Pantry, where she had been murdered? She would have no reason to attempt to sneak past Luan even if she had succeeded. Luan could be in on the crime, but given the culprit's M.O. of attempting to force the presence of an accomplice, that also seemed unlikely to Rin. Then how, how had Miria gotten there? The easy, the simplest answer would be that she _never made that trip in the first place._

 

That was impossible though, wasn't it? After all, Miria was in the Housing Suite from 3:30 to 4. Accoding to Jun's monitoring program, it was an incontrovertible fact that Miria's Handbook opened the door at 3:30, at at 4. And the culprit never used the Handbook of another living student-

 

Wait.

 

“The culprit...” Rin mumbled, her eyes widening. “The culprit... never used... oh my god! **_It's all coming together!_** ” That last bit was well above the din of the room, and thirteen heads turned to face her.

 

“Er, Rin?” Claus said. “Are you quite alright?”

 

“I get it!” Rin said, leaning forward onto her podium. “I get the culprit's trick! It all makes sense to me now!”

 

“Well, at least one of us does.” Yayoi said. “Mind explaining it for us, Hashizawa?”

 

Rin nodded. “Okay. So, we've all been thinking about the tight time frame for everything because of Miria leaving the Housing Suite at 4, right? But Luan never saw her.”

 

“I did not,” Luan said.

 

“So, the culprit would naturally want us to think that Luan was in on it in this situation,” Rin said. “But there's a simpler explanation, one that resolves almost all of the contradictions in this case. Miria never left the Housing Suite to go to the Pantry in the first place!”

 

“Um.” Daisuke said. “But how'd she leave the Housing Suite, then?”

 

“She didn't.” Rin grinned. “Miria never even went to the Housing Suite.”

 

A petulant little noise from beside her told Rin that Jun thought it was a great time to argue. “Don't be dense, Hashizawa. My monitor program proves that Miria opened her door at 3:30 and left her room at 4!”

 

“No, Jun. That's wrong.” Rin said. “All that proves is that Miria's Handbook was used to open her door at 3:30 and to leave her room at 4.”

 

“What's the diff...” Jun trailed off. Rin looked over and saw his eyes widening, his fist clenching. “Oh, you have got to be _fucking kidding me!_ ”

 

“Er, mind explaining the sitch to poor ol' Gav?” Gavin said. “He's a bit lost.”

 

“The culprit never used another living student's Handbook,” Shinobu said, “but dead students' Handbooks are fine. If Rin is right, then it wasn't Miria who entered her room, but the culprit using Miria's Handbook!”

 

“Oh, I see.” Gavin said. “Gotcha, gotcha, that makes perfect sense.” A moment's pause. “Wait, WHAT?!”

 

“It does clear up several contradictions, doesn't it?” Chizuru said. “For instance, why that rope from Miria's room was present.”

 

“Miria owned that rope?!” Daisuke said. “So you're saying the culprit went into her room to take it!”

 

“That's exactly what I'm saying,” Rin said. “Miria was already dead by the time 3:30 rolled around. The culprit ambushed her in the Pantry before that point, then sent the box off and went to Miria's room. The ten-minute waiting time wouldn't matter then, because they were busy waiting in Miria's room to set up their trick and grab the rope!”

 

“They could have also used that time to write the note,” Claus said. “But then, if the rope came from Miria's room, the culprit had to have put together the rope trick and set up Miria's body after that point.”

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah, that's right. Setting up the body and the rope trick in less than 30 minutes would be _difficult,_ sure, but not impossible, especially if the culprit had enough experience with tricks like that to know how they worked beforehand.”

 

“But then, the culprit would've had to have gone upstairs from the Housing Suite at 4!” Jun said, beginning to nibble at his fingernails. “And Luan said he didn't see anyone!”

 

“All he said was that he never saw Miria,” Hansuke said. “Ain't that right?” And Luan nodded. His eyes were a bit wide with realization, too.

 

“What? But that's ridiculous!” Jun said. “If there was a contradiction that blatant on this readout, he would've said something! It's not like he wants to die either!”

 

“You've never shown me your readout in full,” Luan said.

 

Jun was silent for a moment, beginning to vibrate, before slamming his fists into the arms of his wheelchair and making what Rin could describe best as a noise of pure angst. “Oh, god _damn_ it! Son of a, rrrrrrggraaaaargh, fuck everything!”

 

“That's Jun for you,” Kazuya said.

 

“Helping out the culprit through his own myopia?” Stella said.

 

“Basically, yeah.” Kazuya said.

 

“No kidding!” Monokuma said. “As far as obstinate douchebag rival characters go, he's the least competent one I've ever seen! It's awesome!” He then tapped his paw to where his chin would be. “Well, okay. He's in a pretty dead heat with that one chode, what'd they call him, the Ultimate Latinist? No, no, that's right, that school was _American,_ so they called him the _All-Star_ Latinist. LOL, what a sap.”

 

“Did you just say that out loud?” Stella said, possibly the least impressed Rin had ever seen her.

 

“I mean, puhuhuhuhu!” Monokuma said.

 

“...So, uh, anyway,” Rin said, “The culprit killed Miria between 3 and 3:30, did whatever they needed to in Miria's room until 4, and then set up the gym until getting back to their alibi. Luan saw the culprit as they left the Housing Suite, so he’s the best witness we have. The person he saw leaving the Housing Suite at 4:00 is the person we’re looking for.”

 

“Then we just need to ask Lou!” Gavin said, grinning widely, his hands on his hips. It actually kind of bumped into Rin a little.

 

“That’s right,” Rin said. “But I’ve got a pretty good guess already.” Just as she had in the first case, Rin raised her left arm upwards, extended her pointer finger, and lowered it, to point solidly at Position Three. “The person Luan saw was you, Wanda.”

 

Twelve heads turned to look at Wanda Morinaga as Luan nodded. “You’re correct,” Luan said. “It was indeed Wanda I saw.”

 

“Yeah!” Daisuke said. “And you ordered the cranberry juice! I bet you were trying to frame me!”

 

“Oh my,” said Wanda, her face remaining as placid as ever, placing her hand on her chin in a check-mark gesture. “And so this naturally makes me the culprit, is that correct?”

 

“That’s what I’m saying,” Rin said. “Think about it, everyone. We’ve been so concerned with all the information we did have that we never thought about the information we didn’t have- like the fact that Wanda’s never once said anything about an alibi for herself!”

 

“Then there is a span of an hour and twenty-five minutes where she could do whatever she wished!” Yashiro said.

 

“Argh, god damnit!” Jun spat. “You tricked me!”

 

“Hm,” Wanda said. “That’s an interesting accusation.” She turned her head to her left, past Eriko, and gazed at the hanging portrait of Miria. “Can you imagine? They think I killed you!”

 

“Does that mean you have a rebuttal?” Chizuru said. She was surprisingly calm, Rin thought, for being face-to-face with her lover’s killer. “I’d love to hear it.”

 

“A rebuttal?” Wanda said. “There’s no need for a rebuttal if the opponent’s case has no proof, if you ask me. Certainly, circumstantial evidence shows that it’s _possible_ for me to be the killer, but you’re treating it as though it’s guaranteed when you’re ignoring several other possibilities.”

 

“Oh, do tell,” Yayoi said, gritting her teeth.

 

“For instance, Luan’s vision is not omnipotent,” Wanda said. “It’s entirely possible someone else used my appearance in the Stairwell as a cover to sneak past him to the Gymnasium. For instance… Ah!” Wanda nodded to herself. “Here’s a theory for you all. Yayoi kills Miria and sends the body off. Chizuru, being Miria’s lover, already obtained the rope from her room beforehand, and after leaving Claus, sets up the Gymnasium during her missing period from 4 to 4:30.”

 

“The fuck?!” Yayoi spat.

 

“And… wwwwwhy would Yayoi and Chizuru work together like that?” Stella said, narrowing her eyes.

 

“Hm,” Wanda said. “Ah, I see! Taken in by a sob story about her ailing little sister, Miria and Chizuru agree to aid Yayoi in an escape attempt. Miria bravely sacrifices her life to allow the two of them to escape.” She curtsied. “Well, I don’t believe there’s any contradictions there. The defensive wounds were, of course, faked.”

 

“Allow me to enlighten you,” Rin said. “Miria’s room was opened from the inside at 4. If Yayoi entered her room at 3:30, not leaving until 4:30, and Chizuru was talking with Claus until 4, then who entered and left Miria’s room?”

 

There was an awkward pause before Wanda said, “Oh, that’s a good point, you’re right. There couldn’t exactly be a fourth conspirator, that wouldn’t make any sense. Hm…” She tapped her foot. “Ah, but wait! Those contradictions disappear if it is instead Shinobu who is the third conspirator. After all, she has no alibi from 3 to 4.”

 

“Have you no honor, you charlatan?” Shinobu said, glaring. “Will you not budge on this ridiculous assertion of Chizuru’s guilt?”

 

“Wait, what about yours?” Daisuke said.

 

“That’s not important right now!” Shinobu said.

 

“Shinobu kills Miria in the Pantry,” Wanda said, “and heads to Miria’s room. This doesn’t even require Miria’s cooperation, in fact. While Luan is focused on me, Shinobu gives the rope to Chizuru. Chizuru, being the Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker, would no doubt be skilled enough to hide the both of them from our sight.”

 

“I saw Shinobu come downstairs when she said she did,” Luan said.

 

There was an awkward pause before Wanda said, “Oh, you did? Hm, I suppose that throws a wrench in that idea. My, this is getting a bit difficult.”

 

“Just…” Rin sighed. “Just stop. Okay? You know there’s no point to this, right?”

 

“No point to what?” Wanda said, raising her eyebrow and frowning slightly. “No point to alternate possibilities? No point to logical deduction? Come now, Rin. If anyone should be doing this, it should be me.” She returned to smiling, and curtsied. “As the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator, it’s my duty to deal in alternative interpretations of events.”

 

“What does that even mean?” Claus said. “You’re not making any sense, Wanda.”

 

“What is,” Wanda said, “a ghost? The paranormal as a whole, really? It’s a veneer people use such that they may hide themselves from the truth. Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence?’ It’s a phrase used frequently by the Abrahamic faiths when the logical counterpoints to the existence of their God are brought up. After all, just because you cannot see God, can you truly prove that He is not there? Perhaps he is just on a higher plane, on a level of existence we cannot comprehend until after death.”

 

“Have you gone batty?” Shinobu said.

 

“Or, let’s say, here’s one you might be more familiar with, Shinobu.” Wanda said, her smile seeming to grow ever-so-slightly more crooked. “The Devil’s Proof. If you wish to prove the existence of a devil, why does he not simply just show himself before me? Show me a devil, good sir, and I shall believe in devils! Show me the eighteenth Person X in this school, and I shall believe in them! Show me a hidden passage between the Housing Suite and Campbell Hall, and I shall believe in it, but if you cannot, that does not prove that they do not exist!”

 

Hansuke slowly inched away from the woman to his left as she continued. The atmosphere around her grew chilly. “What I am saying boils down to this concept. While you may have all convinced yourself that I am the culprit, I shall continue to deny you.  It is the burden of the accuser to prove my guilt. Until you can truly prove that I am the only one who could have committed this crime…” The placid veneer on Wanda’s face finally dropped, and her face drew into a frozen solid visage of rebellion. “I shall continue to deny you to my very last breath.”

 

“Okay,” Rin said. “Then I’ll prove it.”

 

“Prove it how?” Wanda said, pointing her finger at Rin just as Rin had done to her. “Prove it with more suppositions, more conjecture? ‘Ah, but this case is so complex, it almost seems like it needs an accomplice! Who else would do it but the sickening girl whom nobody trusts? After all, who in their right mind would work with Wanda Morinaga?’”

 

“No,” Rin said, pointing her finger right back. “I’ll prove it with the one thing we have yet to establish about the murder weapon.”

 

“You mean where it is now, right?” Stella said. “I’m kinda confused about that myself.”

 

“According to the littering rules, it could only be in Woodworking.” Hansuke said. “So Wanda must’ve put it back at some point, right?”

 

“Naw, man.” Gavin shook his head. “Me, Jun, and Wand was together the whole investigation, and we never even went to Woodworking! There weren’t no time for her to put it back!”

 

“Then maybe she never put it back,” Stella said. “Maybe it’s somewhere else.”

 

“That’d incur a rule violation, though.” Claus said. “Wouldn’t it?”

 

“Stella’s right,” Rin said. “Wanda put it somewhere else besides Woodworking. Somewhere where littering rules aren’t applied.”

 

“Wait, what?” Daisuke said. “For real?”

 

“Monokuma told me himself,” Rin said. “He said… well, basically, he said that the plumbing isn’t counted as a part of the main building. If you leave something there, it doesn’t count as littering.”

 

“Are you seriously suggesting,” Wanda said, “that I flushed the murder weapon down the toilet? One look at the toilet bowl versus the size of the trowels should show you that that’s clearly impossible.”

 

Suddenly, a horrendously loud noise ripped through the courtroom, causing even its sturdiest members to cover their ears. Rin mentally noted what Yashiro having a sudden realization sounded like, and made sure to remember to cover her ears beforehand.

 

“I see… The pathways between my neurons are connecting!” Yashiro boomed. “There was another way to place the weapon in the plumbing system. Namely, by putting it in the same way I escaped!”

 

“The passage in the Basin!” Kazuya exclaimed.

 

“Wanda, you said it yourself.” Rin said. “When Yayoi came back from looking for it, you yourself said that the switch to open that passage was so difficult to find that, if you hadn’t been there when Yashiro opened it, you never would’ve found it. Plus, Yayoi, in however long we spent investigating, under threat of death, couldn’t find it after spending the entire investigation in there! Only someone with express knowledge of where the switch was could’ve gotten rid of the murder weapon.”

 

“Give yourself up, Morinaga.” Shinobu said. “Of the three who witnessed Yashiro’s entrance, only you had that opportunity!”

 

And just as quickly as it had come, Wanda’s rebellion began to crack. She held a painful grimace as she looked away from Rin towards the floor. “Ghrk, kkkrrrrggghk!”

 

“This is it!” Rin said. “It’s time for you to pay for your crimes!”

 

* * *

 

 

**Finish the Thought!**

 

“This case began at 3, just after lunch had begun. Miria left Abilene Hall to head to the Pantry, to get some orange juice. Our culprit had left Abilene Hall first, but stayed behind in the Stairwell to monitor Miria’s movements, while also sending off their Monokuma Note. They hurried to the Pantry, and ambushed Miria when she came in.

 

With the murder weapon, a trowel they had obtained from Woodworking, the culprit was able to defeat Miria, but not without a fight. Miria sustained several defensive wounds on her hands and arms from trying to deflect the weapon. Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to disarm the culprit, and was fatally stabbed, killing her. That wound wouldn’t have killed her instantly, but she was probably in too much shock to move. I can only imagine how much she suffered…

 

With Miria’s death complete, the culprit began the next step of their plan. They stole Miria’s Handbook from her corpse, and pocketed it. They had avoided the blood splatter from Miria’s wounds by wearing a set of Aoto’s clothes over top of their own, but that was also part of their plan. They stuffed Aoto’s clothes, Miria’s body, and whatever else they needed into a crate, and let the forklifts ship it off to the Clothes Bay.

 

Next, the culprit diluted the blood at the crime scene with the Pantry’s whole store of cranberry juice, which might have been to frame Daisuke, or it might have just been a coincidence. Either way, the exact blood patterns couldn’t be examined anymore, so any contradictions we might’ve found there were washed away.

 

The culprit’s next step began at 3:30. They knew Jun would be monitoring people entering and leaving their rooms, so, using Miria’s Handbook, they entered her room, pretending to be Miria and disguising the time of death. While they were there, the culprit obtained the same rope Miria had used for her and Chizuru’s hide-and-seek trick. Personally, I think that they also wrote the suicide note during that time. If Miria had had any unique stationery, it would’ve given the note that much more authenticity.

 

Unfortunately, said suicide note was one of the culprit’s biggest mistakes. When writing it, they used the wrong character for the ‘chi’ in ‘Chi-chan,’ which is what Miria called Chizuru. When it was delivered to Chizuru, she knew instantly it was a fake, and that anyone who knew about that difference in character couldn’t have written it if they wanted to make a genuine suicide note. The culprit’s trick fell on deaf ears.

 

At 4:00, the culprit left Miria’s room with the rope, passing through the Stairwell, and heading to the Gymnasium. Since Kazuya and Yashiro were planning something by themselves, it isn’t surprising that the Gym was empty at that time. Using Aoto’s Handbook, which they’d also taken from his room along with his clothes, the culprit entered the men’s changing room, and used the laundry chute to obtain Miria’s body from the Clothes Bay. That’s why Miria had all those bruises- she was banged up in transport.

 

Using a flagpole from the Historical Exhibit, the culprit impaled Miria’s corpse through her fatal wound, modifying it and altering the state of the body. They also hung up Aoto’s clothes in one of the lockers, since they could only place them there or in Aoto’s room without violating the littering rules. And that’s how they left behind the men’s changing room as a fake crime scene.

 

The culprit wasn’t done yet, though; they had two more tricks to pull. The first was a trick to make it seem like the culprit could’ve hidden in the gym and fled when the first person to discover the body came in. That was what they used the rope from Miria’s room for. They tied it to the hydraulic door closer and a rafter up high on the catwalks such that opening and closing the door could change the state of the lights. There was only one way to get up to the catwalks other than climbing the room itself, and the culprit left that one way, the remote to the Power Pole, up in the catwalks, confident that nobody could ever obtain it again.

 

Their final trick was to get rid of the trowel, the real murder weapon. They couldn’t do it without violating the littering rules if they left it anywhere in the main building, but the culprit knew of a single place they could put it that wouldn’t violate that rule; the Basin, where Yashiro had come up. Since the culprit was one of the people present when Yashiro had arrived, they knew how to access the passage in the Basin, and threw the trowel down into the compound’s plumbing before resealing the passage.

 

After that, with their tricks done, the culprit simply returned to their room and waited for someone to discover the body. Their crime was so complex, it seemed like it must’ve been the work of at least two people to make any sense, but that was what the culprit wanted us to think. They wanted us to worry about all the spectacle instead of seeing what was right in front of our faces; a classic misdirection, almost like a magician’s trick.

 

And nobody would know more about those than you, Wanda Morinaga, the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator!”

 

* * *

 

 

“You disgust me,” Shinobu said, shaking her head. “I knew you were a charlatan, but to think you’d debase yourself this far… have you no shame?”

 

“It seems pretty clear cut,” Stella said. “That’s crazy, though. How would you even think to do this?”

 

“If you want to confuse people, that’s certainly one way to do it,” Claus said. “It was… gutsy, if nothing else. But it didn’t work out for her.”

 

Wanda’s face began to twist, and she covered her face in an open hand. “Don’t bother trying to get sympathy now,” Daisuke said! “I- wait.” And it was then that he, and Rin, noticed that Wanda was crying.

 

“I’m sorry…” In a clear departure from her usual demeanor, Wanda’s whole body was shaking, and Rin could hear light sobs. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t do this anymore.”

 

“The hell are you talking about?!” Yayoi said, jabbing a finger at Wanda. “Just take what you deserve!”

 

“No, please…” Wanda threw her arms out towards the group, her face red with tears. “Please, listen to me! I’m not the culprit!”

 

“Seriously?” Hansuke said. “Are you kidding me?”

 

“I admit it, I was the one who set up the gym, and I was the one who got rid of the murder weapon.” Wanda sniffled. “But I can’t just sit back and let you all make the wrong choice. This is wrong, I can’t do this anymore!”

 

“She’s just talking nonsense,” Daisuke said. “Let’s just vote already!”

 

“No,” Chizuru said. Huh, that was the last person Rin expected to hear that from. “We should hear her out.”

 

“So, you’re saying you were an accomplice, but not the real murderer?” Claus said.

 

“Yes.” Wanda said, hand on heart, looking off into the distance. “You see, the truth is… I was the target of the Monokuma Note. The culprit and I, we made a plan that I would become the culprit, and everyone would vote for me, and the two of us would escape. But I just can’t handle leaving you all to die! I can’t handle playing the villain any longer!”

 

“Why you, though?” Kazuya said.

 

With a sniffle, wiping away a tear, Wanda said, “Because, the truth is… we, too, are lovers, an inseparable pair caught together!”

 

“What the FUCK?” Daisuke shouted. “You only bring this up now?”

 

“This act of playing the villain, it was all for the sake of my beloved,” Wanda said. “We wished to remain separate, and at odds, such that when the time came to execute a plan to escape together, none would suspect us of working together.”

 

“Uhhhh, sure.” Gavin said. “I guess maybe that kind of makes a little sense if you squint.”

 

“But in the end, I cannot do it,” Wanda said, clenching her fist. “I can’t simply leave you all to die!”

 

Rin rolled her eyes. “This is completely ridiculous. There’s no way this is true.”

 

“Yes, I should think Rin of all people would know, Morinaga.” Shinobu said. “This is absolutely pathetic.”

 

“I’m sorry, Shinobu.” Wanda said, averting her gaze from the Mystery Novelist. “But I simply can’t do this anymore.”

 

It took a moment before the implication of that statement hit Shinobu. “Huh- I’m sorry, _excuse_ me?!” She shouted.

 

“You’re saying you and Nobe are secret partners?!” Gavin said. “That’s, like, so far beyond trip Gav can’t even explain it!”

 

“Uh, but she clearly hates your guts,” Hansuke said.

 

“Buwhat?” Shinobu said. “I, huh, hub-hub hobba wah?”

 

“I see,” Chizuru said. “So you’re saying that you were the accomplice to Shinobu’s crime.”

 

“Yes, yes!” Wanda furiously nodded her head. “I’m sorry, Chizuru. Even knowing this, I have no doubt that you would like nothing more than to see me pay, and I place myself at your feet, but please, believe me!”

 

Chizuru was quiet, seeming contemplative. “Chizuru, you can’t seriously believe her, can you?” Rin said. “She’s the one who killed Miria!”

 

“Wanda,” Chizuru said. “What were you doing from 3 to 3:30?”

 

“Ah, well…” Wanda flinched. “I’m so sorry, Shinobu… The truth is, I was in the Gymnasium, practicing the particulars of our rope trick beforehand.”

 

“What- what do you mean, _our_ rope trick?!” Shinobu shouted, her beret almost falling off of her head. “I’ve never met you before in my life!”

 

“She handed me Miria and Aoto’s Handbooks just before I headed to visit Miria’s room.” Wanda said. “And that is the truth of what happened before the visit.”

 

“Bullshit!” Yayoi said.

 

“No, I assure you, I speak the truth!” Wanda cried. “Please, believe me!”

 

“Uh, no, idiot.” Yayoi said. “I mean that’s impossible.”

 

Wanda blinked. “Er, how?”

 

“I was in the Gym at that point, dumbfuck!” Yayoi scoffed.

 

There was an awkward pause. The tears coming down Wanda’s face stopped, and were replaced with a look of pure befuddlement. “Excuse me?”

 

“What, you got wax in your ears or some shit?” Yayoi said. “Let me spell it out a bit cleaner for you, then. It’s totally impossible you were in the Gym practicing your little trick then!”

 

“Yeah, if Yayoi was in the gym, she would’ve heard the Power Pole.” Rin said. “It’s not exactly quiet.”

 

A few seconds passed. “So!” Shinobu said. “We are all clear that this scoundrel and I are NOT secretly lovers, correct?”

 

“Yeah, I don’t think anyone really doubted that.” Stella said, rolling her eyes.

 

After just a moment, Wanda’s face twisted one more time, returning again to the placid smile she usually wore. “Oh well,” she said, and shrugged. “I tried.”

 

“You _tried?_ ” Daisuke said, his sunglasses falling to the floor. “This isn’t even killing Miria, anymore, this is like, dancing on her freaking grave! What the hell’s wrong with you?”

 

“Those are big words from someone who spent the entire trial requesting cheese with his whine,” Wanda said, sneering. “You’re worth less than the dirt on my shoe, you sheep.”

 

“Sheep?” Luan said. “What?”

 

“Ah, but isn’t that just the way of things with humans?” Wanda threw her arms out (almost clobbering Hansuke, who managed a swift dodge,) and looked skyward. “We’re such a mewling, ignorant race. All humans do is follow what’s placed in front of them, until they naturally destroy themselves.” Her cap fell off of her head, and fell to the floor. “It’s all so meaningless! Who in this world truly chases what they _want,_ instead of what they’re told to do?”

 

“W-what the hell…?” Stella said, growing pale. “What is she talking about?”

 

“Given a lead, and you follow it,” Wanda said. “Given evidence, and you investigate it. All the while, ignoring what’s not said, the truth behind the lies. Why else would I, a Paranormal Investigator, exist? People wish to run away from their own fear, of discovering the truth that they are utterly without worth! So they invent ghost stories, myths, fables, legends, exotic creatures promising that if you just keep on hunting, soon, you’ll find some meaning in your life, you’ll be the one to win it all!”

 

“You’re wrong!” Claus said. “We found you out! Whatever it is you’re saying, we humans were the one to solve your crime!”

 

“Were you?” Wanda laughed, an honest, sickening laugh compared to the light giggles she’d given before. “Were you really?” She craned her head in Rin’s direction, and a shiver ran down her spine. “Or did I lose to something that was beyond human? No, no, Claus, I lost to _her._ I lost to the Ultimate Hope!”

 

Again, there were those words. The Ultimate Hope, Izuru Kamukura. “I am really freakin’ sick of hearing those words out of your mouth, asshole!” Yayoi said.

 

“You were all flailing uselessly around while she did all the work,” Wanda said, laughing again. “Even big, bad Jun, who wanted oh so badly to get one over on Rin, got played like a fiddle! It’s honestly pretty funny how pathetic he is.”

 

Jun was tearing up, his fists clenched. Rin could see a slight hint of blood from his jagged, bitten nails tearing into his skin. “Shut up,” he said. “I’m not pathetic.”

 

“I’m satisfied,” Wanda said. She let out a contented sigh. “I lost, but I don’t mind. I lost to Rin, not to any of you!” And she began to laugh again-

 

“You entered Aoto’s room at 11 A.M., when, right in front of Gavin, you went to Spare Hall instead of Source Hall.” Chizuru said.

 

There was a pause. “Er.” Wanda said. “What?”

 

“’What’ indeed,” Chizuru said, and Rin saw the faintest hint of a smirk. “I happened to be watching, y’know. I saw you do that.”

 

Wanda gritted her teeth. “What’s your point?”

 

Chizuru scoffed, and fixed Wanda with the most disdainful look Rin had ever seen on her face. “Do you seriously think I dropped your little suicide note on accident? The instant I saw the crime scene, I knew full well it was you.”

 

“Wha-?!” Wanda said. “You’re bluffing. Why in the world would you do that?”

 

“Because I wanted to see you tighten the noose around your own neck,” Chizuru said. “I dropped the suicide note in front of Luan because, given the alibis, he was the most likely person for people to think was an accomplice. Hansuke having known about your mistake too was just a bonus.”

 

“So you’re saying Rin only knew about this ‘mistake’ of mine because you let her in on it on purpose?” Wanda said. “A likely story!”

 

“Wait, Chizuru, so when you were telling me to make that leap there…” Rin said, her antenna curling up.

 

“Sorry for lying, but I knew all along,” Chizuru said. “But, honestly, it’s just not as satisfying if you can’t watch your prey flail.”

 

Wanda blanched. “What? What does she mean?”

 

“What was that you said, Wanda?” Chizuru said. “Given a lead, and you follow it? I’m not surprised you ignored me in favor of focusing on Rin. If things had gotten too drastic, obviously, I would’ve said something, but things went exactly as I hoped they would.”

 

“That’s impossible,” Wanda said. “There’s no way I lost to you!”

 

“By the way,” Chizuru said. “It really would’ve been a better choice to pick Yayoi as your secret lover. Her alibi is narrower, her entering her room at the same time as you entering your room could be taken as evidence of working together, and plus, there’s no way in the world Shinobu, who is one of the least fit people I’ve ever met, could beat Miria in a fight even if Miria was unarmed.” She smirked. “If you’d been paying attention, you might’ve noticed that Yayoi hadn’t mentioned where she was from 3 to 3:30 and planned accordingly, but I suppose that paying attention to what’s not being told to you is just a bit too hard, huh?”

 

Wanda was making cracking noises again, hunching over against the podium. “Shut up!”

 

“You lost to me,” Chizuru said. “Not Rin. Me. I recommend you stand up and accept that before you die. It’ll be better for all of us in the long run.”

 

“ _Who the hell do you think you are?!_ ” Wanda cried, her twintails coming loose and slumping with the rest of her hair.

 

“Funny you should ask that,” Chizuru said, “Miss Paranormal Investigator.” And suddenly, in one swift motion, her hair fell from the fluffy curls it had been in to long, straight down, past and on her shoulders. “I’m **Chihaya Inoue, the Ultimate Ghost.** And if you lost to me, well, then I guess you must not know the first thing about ghosts.”

 

An agonized wail left Wanda’s throat as she completely crumpled against the podium. Rin had the basic idea of that conversation, but was seriously lost in terms of the implications.

 

“Um,” Gavin said. “What?”

 

“Sorry to interrupt your little badass moment, kid,” Monokuma said, “but I think it’s about time for Voting Time! How satisfying! Be sure to vote correctly, or else bad things might happen, or something.”

 

Still reeling a bit, Rin looked down at her podium and selected the image of Wanda, obviously. A short, uneventful Voting Time later, the hanging mess of screens above them all danced its little song and dance, before unveiling Wanda as the culprit.

 

The second trial was over.


	21. Day 9, End - The Long and Winding Road

 

“Old McDonald had a farm, and BINGO was his name-o!” Monokuma said, giggling to himself. “Nice job, folks! The culprit who killed Miria Hayashi was indeed our very own Wanda Morinaga! Give yourselves a pat on the back!”

 

As the podiums retracted and the adrenaline began to recede, Rin couldn't help but stare, baffled, at the Paranormal Investigator, currently standing there with her fists balled up. She wasn't shedding tears, or crying for her life. She was utterly silent, and that was what frightened Rin the most.

 

People had begun to mill slightly, bunching up away from Wanda. “Anything to say for yourself?” Chizuru, or, wait, what had she said? 'Chihaya?' That was another question Rin desperately wanted an answer to, but that could wait. Chihaya said.

 

Quick as a wink, Wanda, stone silent with her fists balled, suddenly returned to her usual placid demeanor. “No, not really.” She said. “I lost fair and square. Oh well, I suppose it's time for me to die.” She shrugged.

 

“Trip, man, how... How can you be so calm about this, dude?” Gavin said, wiping his forehead. “I mean...dude!”

 

“Like I said,” Wanda said. “I lost, so I'll die. There's no sense getting all frantic about it. I'm not missing out on much anyhow.”

 

“I knew she was messed up,” Yayoi said, shaking her head, “but not this messed up.”

 

“I mean, really.” Wanda said, raising her arms up in a more sustained shrug. “What's out there? Just the same miserable world I've been living in my whole life. Maybe if there was some sort of apocalypse, there'd be something worth living for, but as things stand, I'm satisfied. I died chasing my dreams, chasing the only thing that's worth anything for me.”

 

Shinobu gritted her teeth, and looked away. “Morinaga... What are you _talking_ about? You can't seriously think that, can you?”

 

“Of course I can.” Wanda said. “The world is full of people trying to delude themselves into thinking their lives hold meaning, taking and taking and taking whatever they want until they wither up and die after almost a century of doing nothing.” She grinned. “People like Miria, really.”

 

Almost in an instant, Chizuru—er, Chihaya—was being physically held back by Luan. “Let me go!” She cried. Her teeth were fully bared, and she struggled against the Masseuse to attack Wanda with all her might.

 

“Don't let yourself fall to her inflammations,” Luan said. “She is trying to incite you.”

 

“I remember when she died,” Wanda said. “You know, she took a little bit, about half a minute, to actually properly die after I stabbed her. And she actually choked out some last words in that time! It's actually kind of cliché, really. I'm surprised she didn't try to write my name in blood or something!” She laughed full-on. It was an odd, crackling noise coming out of Wanda.

 

“Holy crap I've been living with this person.” Daisuke said. The chill down Rin's spine told her that she, on some level, agreed with him, but... This wasn't right, was it? It couldn't be. Something was wrong here.

 

“And...what were they?” Claus stammered, eyes downcast. “Her last words, I mean?”

 

“Oh, it was something silly, like...” Wanda tapped her chin. “'Wanda, I'm sorry. I wish we could've been better friends.'” And suddenly, everything was silent. Even Chihaya stopped struggling. “What, that odd? I agree. She even kept on, 'I saw you were hurting a lot, but I didn't know what to do. I'm sorry. Now you're going to die too.' Which, naturally I thought was ludicrous, but hey, she was right. 'I hope when we meet again in the next life, we can be real friends, and maybe you can tell me what was wrong.' Psh, next life. Like something like that even exists. Oh, and something hokey like, 'Tell Chi-chan I loved her more than anything else in the world.' Well, message sent, I suppose.”

 

Rin could barely even croak. She was certain everyone else was silent for the same reason. Wanda's lie was clear for everyone to see. After all, the instant she started reciting Miria's last words, tears began to fall down her face without her even noticing.

 

“You were jealous of her,” Hansuke said. “So that's it.” His gaze was almost pitying, a look Rin hadn't seen on him before.

 

Wanda scoffed, still ignoring the tears rolling down her face. “Jealous? Of _Miria?_ Are you kidding me?”

 

“Though her life was far from perfect, she found happiness and meaning in others.” Shinobu said, her eyes downcast. “Particularly her lady love, er... You said it was Chihaya?” And Chihaya wordlessly nodded.

 

“The sickening girl...” Rin mumbled to herself, remembering some words of Wanda's earlier. “Who nobody trusts.” A cold feeling began to take root in the pit of her stomach, and something struck her. “Wanda... Was I your Monokuma Note target?” (Yashiro looked a bit confused, and some back part of Rin's mind realized nobody must've explained that little incident to him.)

 

Wanda snorted. “If you want to believe it, then go right ahead.”

 

“Or I could read out the message you sent in!” Monokuma cut in, with a loud cymbal clash. Wanda's eyes widened slightly as he pulled out some little cell phone-esque thing. “Eh-hem. Indeedly-do, Wanda Morinaga's target with the Monokuma Note was one Rin Hashizawa! Text reads thus, and lemme tell you this was a bit more complicated than I was expecting.”

 

_Upon voting incorrectly, instead of being executed, Rin Hashizawa will again have her memory reset to blank and placed in the care of the culprit, Wanda Morinaga. The memory of the culprit shall be modified to have little to no memory of the killing game or Compound VK, and instead, to the best of Monokuma's ability, the culprit's memory will state that she is Rin Hashizawa's lover, working in part to support her amnesiac partner in her time of need. A natural affection will form in Rin's heart as the two rekindle a romance lost to amnesia, and though the two may not always agree, they live happily together to the end of their days._

 

“And that's that!” Monokuma said. “That's some purple prose for a notebook, right there!”

 

Where before it had been quiet, the courtroom was now deathly, deathly silent. Rin could hardly even process the _words_ she'd just heart, roughly ten different emotional strands fighting inside her soul for dominance. Of course, there was horror at the idea that Wanda had actually planned this. Fear, fear of a lack of understanding. Anger, that Wanda had killed Miria for such a cause. But, what eventually came to the top, what filled Rin's heart more than anything was sadness.

 

“Wanda,” she croaked. “You didn't need to do something like that.”

 

Any and all veneer of false bravado had shattered upon Monokuma's revelation, so Wanda properly raised her voice now, veins bulging in her temples. “Oh, is that what you think?” She spat. “It's very easy for you to say that, you know! You, Rin Hashizawa, the one who doesn't need to worry about whether she can trust someone or not!”

 

“What are you _talking_ about?” Rin said. “Please, I don't understand.”

 

“Well, you do have amnesia, I suppose it's inevitable, isn't it?” Wanda said. “Let me give you a little lesson, Rin!” And she threw her arms out, widening her stance. “Humans, at their core, are selfish, destructive beings. People act like they trust each other under the social contract, but at any instant, they could lash out and destroy anything they choose. Every last person here, they're all cold-blooded killers at heart. Humans can never truly trust humans, but you, you're beyond that. Past humanity, at a point further! Just like Izuru Kamukura!”

 

“Why Izuru Kamukura?” Kazuya said. “I still don't really understand that.”

 

“It's really quite simple,” Wanda said. “Humans are horrible. They rip and tear and claw at you under the veneer of false camaraderie. People turn to religion, or the paranormal, or drugs, to try and escape this disgusting reality by concerning themselves with things that aren't real. But Izuru Kamukura, he _was_ somebody. He had his dream, a true, honest dream, and he chased it, and became something greater than humanity, an example of the paranormal in the flesh! He didn't need to be concerned with the affairs of humans! He could just live, honestly, and truly!”

 

Wanda's eyes were almost manic at this point, spouting off about the Ultimate Hope. Rin tried to combat it, but her sorrow grew ever deeper. It was like... Like a child, spouting off about their favorite superhero, who could beat away all the bullies at school.

 

“But, wait.” A small voice—Kazuya—piped up. “I don't understand. If you cared that much about Rin being the Ultimate Hope, why would you erase your own memory too? Wouldn't it be better if you remembered?”

 

A deep, pained chuckle came from Wanda's throat. “Oh, poor, naive Kazuya. Didn't I just say that humans can never truly trust humans?”

 

“She...” Stella gulped. She was also crying. “She didn't want to ruin it herself.”

 

“See? Stella gets me!” Wanda said, a smile, wholly incongruous with her disheveled state, gracing her face. “Of course, I'm human. Naturally, if I left myself alone, there was a possibility, an exponentially increasing possibility, that I would simply lash out and destroy even what I'd killed so many people to obtain for myself. If there was no guarantee of success, then the odds of failure were as good as one hundred percent! So therefore, I would need to force myself to play a character, in a way such that I knew I would not betray myself.”

 

She wasn't a villain, Rin realized. And she wasn't _really_ a cold-blooded killer after all, was she? No, Wanda, too, was just a kid. A kid crying out for help, who had sealed herself off to lock in her own screams. Desperate to obtain trust, and happiness, but unable to even trust herself to begin to obtain it.

 

“Morinaga, you...” Shinobu was sniffling. “You complete and utter _fool._ ”

 

“Yes, a fool, that's right.” Wanda said. “It was a bit of a foolish plan, wasn't it? Especially with the Ultimate Hope facing off against me.”

 

“Just _stop!_ ” Rin shrieked. “Stop it! Stop calling me that! Wanda, please, I'm not...” She choked back a sob. “I'm a person, Wanda. The same as you. I'm just a person, if you just keep putting me up on a pedestal like that, then what about _you?_ ”

 

“What about _me?_ ” Wanda guffawed. It felt cold and empty. “What _about_ me? I'm a human to the end, a cold-blooded killer who takes what she wants and damn the consequences. Isn't that clear? Why are you having such a hard time wrapping your heads around this?”

 

Yashiro shuddered. “This is...simply an unacceptable state for a person to live in.”

 

“Oh,” and Wanda laughed a little. “Talking about this reminded me. So that nobody calls me a sore loser, here you are.” And she tossed a little card with two fingers, a cool-as-a-cucumber gesture from a flaming wreck of a person, to Yayoi.

 

“What the hell's this?” Yayoi said. Then she read the card, and her eyes went wide. “Y-you've gotta be kidding me!”

 

“No doubt, if you bring up my name to him, he'll operate on your sister, haha, for maybe five percent less?” Wanda laughed. “Mmm, say it's a request to the illustrious Doctor Morinaga, the one and only request his daughter will ever make of him. Aha, wouldn't that be something!”

 

Stella shuddered so strongly Rin could hear it, and mumbled an 'oh god.' “You mean to tell me,” Claus said, “that the doctor Yayoi's been looking for is—?”

 

“Oh, definitely. An illustrious doctor who operates on PGS patients?” Wanda said. “A bit reclusive, perhaps? Haha! Of course it's him! Wouldn't that just be wonderful? Very poetic. The heroes slay the vile queen and obtain the cure to save the ailing princess. It's like a fairytale.”

 

“Wanda...” Rin said. Her hand grasped at empty air. “What... _happened_ to you?”

 

“Oh, I don't know.” Wanda said. “A few things, maybe. Would you like me to tell you one? Why, it actually concerns you, Rin!”

 

Rin didn't think that the room could get any colder, but suddenly, it did. “Wait. W-what?”

 

“Turns out we were also acquainted!” Wanda said. “Only vaguely, though. Through our mothers, you see.”

 

“'Turns out.'” Hansuke said. “Then this's the memory you forgot?”

 

“That's right.” Wanda said. “Our mothers were good friends, and bitter rivals! They worked in the same industry, for the same man, even. They were really inseparable, _even in death_.”

 

What?

 

“D-death?!” Daisuke hollered.

 

Huh?

 

“A tragic incident, really.” Wanda said. “A suicide pact born of an unbreakable bond, both leaving behind a child.”

 

_Suicide pact?_

 

“No, no!” Kazuya was frantically shaking his head. “No way!”

 

“...What?” Rin croaked out, finally. “Huh?”

 

Again, it was like information was being presented to her that she couldn't fully process. Her mother, whoever she was, had entered into a suicide pact with Wanda's mother and died. By Hansuke's earlier reckoning, that would mean her mother had been dead for five years.

 

“Isn't it lovely how parents can betray their children like that?” Wanda said. “Just reach out, and destroy you? I envy you, Rin, not remembering this! I can see why you might want to get rid of your memories!” And she laughed. Again. She had run out of tears, and her face was unsettlingly blank.

 

“Stop.” Rin said. “What are you doing?”

 

“What am I doing?” Wanda said. “I'm talking, of course. Perhaps you could say that I'm now reaching out and destroying your innocence, living blissfully unawares of your mother's self-guided tour of the path down a building.”

 

“Wanda.”

 

The unfamiliar sound caused both Rin and Wanda, it seemed, to start, but after looking around, it became clear that Shinobu had said Wanda's name. “To the very end, you are a fool, but I did not mean your plan. Running into the fantasy of yourself as an unassailable villain, to prevent yourself from being hurt...” And then Shinobu did something Rin found very surprising. She removed her beret, and held it in front of her chest. “It only hurts you more. I dearly wish...” She shed a tear. “That I had had the chance to show you why it is that I keep living.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Wanda said, “Are you _pitying_ me?” with even more malice in her voice than Rin had heard during the trial. She grit her teeth, looking around at the whole group. “Why aren't you happy? You got what you wanted! You caught the culprit!”

 

“That's **_not_** what I wanted!” Chihaya shouted. She'd been quiet for so long after Luan restrained her, Rin had almost forgotten she was there. “I... I want Miria back. That's what I want.” And like a floodgate had been released, all the pain, all the sorrow, all the anguish she'd been feeling seemed to be released at once, as the small girl curled up on the floor, wailing and crying without word and without end.

 

“Well, unfortunately, that's not what you get!” And just like that, Monokuma was back in center stage. “This sob-fest has gone on for long enough, if you ask me. You know what that means it's time for?”

 

“The execution!” Claus gasped. And Rin jumped.

 

“No!” Rin shouted towards the bear. “Why? What's the point!?”

 

“The point?” Monokuma said, extending his claws. “Well, other than these, obviously, it's to punish the killer! The one who so rudely took the life of Miria Hayashi! That human trash fire over there!”

 

“Hurry up and do it,” Wanda spat and turned away. “I'm done here. I can't stand their pitying looks.”

 

“If you insist!” Monokuma said. “I've prepared a very special punishment for our culprit today, Wanda Morinaga, the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator!”

 

“No, stop!” Gavin said. “Just stop!”

 

“Let's give it everything we've got!” Monokuma said.

 

“ _What's the point of any of this?!_ ” Rin shouted, running towards Wanda—

 

“Iiiiiiiit's PUNISHMENT TIME!”

 

**GAME OVER!**

**Wanda Morinaga has been declared Guilty.**

**Time for the Punishment!**

 

And just as it had taken Eriko, the metal claw whipped out of one of the long hallways and grabbed Wanda, who flew off, limp, well into the distance. Soon, she was gone. Rin numbly picked up Wanda's newsboy cap. She looked up towards the hanging mass of screens, expecting an image of Wanda to appear any moment now, but they remained blank.

 

“...I say that,” Monokuma said, “but this punishment's a bit different. See, it might take a teensy bit longer. So you all can head on back! Congrapeulations on your success, and a puhuhuhu to you too!” And just like that, he was gone. Not even a bouncing noise to accompany him, or not that Rin could hear over the slowly-dying wails of Chihaya Inoue.

 

“I'm leaving,” said Jun. “I don't want to be here any longer.” And he began to wheel off.

 

“I never thought I'd say it, but honestly? I'm with Fukuyama,” Yayoi said. “Christ.” She went to the elevator, too.

 

Rin had bent over Chihaya, and wasn't sure exactly how long it took until the room was almost empty. She cradled Chihaya's shaking, sobbing body for quite some time, and that was all she knew.

 

“Rin, we...we do need to leave eventually.” Said Shinobu, who was also kneeling by Chihaya. By that point, the sobs had become weak, and Chihaya seemed limp, and tired. “We cannot stay here forever.”

 

“We shouldn't hurry, either.” Rin said. “I'm only leaving when she's ready.”

 

“I'm...ready.” Chihaya said, weakly beginning to stand out of Rin's grasp. “Thank you, Rin.”

 

“A-are you sure?” Rin said, keeping close to the smaller girl. “I, I can help you if you want!”

 

“It's not that long a walk,” Chihaya said, beginning to stagger off to the elevator. “I can get there.” And then she was gone, the elevator leaving the room.

 

It was quiet. Rin and Shinobu, so far as Rin could tell, were alone. “Shinobu?” Rin said. “What should I do? I, I feel like...” She clenched her teeth for a moment, and opened and closed her hands. Her antenna wobbled. “There has to be something more I can do, right? I have to help. I want to help her, Shinobu.”

 

“Grief,” Shinobu said, beginning to pace, “is not an easy feeling to understand. If I were her, well... I'd probably close myself up in my room for a few days,” she said with a weak chuckle. “Perhaps more.”

 

“But—!”

 

Shinobu shook her head. “You cannot fix this problem for her. Chi...haya...has lost the love of her life. It is a wound that it is unlikely to ever close completely, so long as she remembers Miria's love.” She looked down. “It is up to Chihaya when, or if, she is even able to go on.”

 

Rin gritted her teeth. “I'm really scared for her, Shinobu.”

 

“Don't be,” Shinobu said. “Whatever the case is, I have seen it in her eyes. She is a strong person. If you wish to help her, then I think that it is best to have faith in your friend, and be there to listen once she is able to speak again.” She smiled.

 

It only took a millisecond's thought. Rin reached over and squeezed Shinobu tightly. “Thanks, Shinobu. Thank you.” There were other words there, words that almost arose unbidden, but an instant's hesitation blocked them from Rin's throat, and upon realizing it, she felt she no longer remembered what those words were. Then she realized Shinobu was making croaking noises under her iron grip, so she let go. “Sorry!”

 

As Shinobu got on the elevator to leave, Rin turned around, one last time, to look at the second courtroom. With the high peaks, it was almost like a memorial to Miria, in a way, and it was a beautiful memorial. She lingered for a moment, knowing she would likely not see it again, before stepping on, bidding a silent farewell to Miria.

 

**12 A.M.**

 

It was already well past the night announcement by the time the trial ended, so once Rin was back in her room, it was a bit past midnight. Though she was undoubtedly tired, it would've been very, very difficult for her not to notice the new addition to her room. A TV monitor had been placed atop her dresser while she was out. It didn't appear to have any buttons in particular, and wasn't plugged in to anything.

 

As she did her best to prepare for bed like normal, it crackled to life. The crackling effect was probably just for show, given its apparent tech level, but it turned on, nonetheless. With her toothbrush still in her mouth, Rin ignored the fearful feeling in the pit of her gut to lean her head out the bathroom door and look.

 

**Wanda Morinaga's Punishment**

**THE FIVE-AND-A-HALF MILE (?) HALLWAY**

 

So decreed a stark, grey title card. Suddenly, the fact that the monitor had no buttons occurred to Rin again. Did everyone have one of these? Would they all be forced to watch Wanda's execution from inside their own rooms? She ducked her head back in to finish brushing her teeth—

 

“—And I wonder if anyone will even remember that I died.”

 

Within two minutes, Rin was on her bed, having finished brushing, staring with rapt attention to the screen. The footage was being recorded from a cheap, black-and-white camera. Judging from its position on the screen, and the fact that Wanda hadn't appeared but had spoken, Rin surmised that she must be the cameraperson, carrying it in her left hand.

 

“I don't know how long it's been,” Wanda said. “I'm not even sure if there's anything here...or who I'm even talking to.”

 

Wanda walked quietly through a long, dark hallway. The only light that Rin could see was a small light from the right of the camera. The shaking eventually showed her that Wanda had a torch in her other hand.

 

“At some point I just started talking to myself.” Wanda said. “Eriko's execution was so quick, there's no way Monokuma would show this whole thing to them. Perhaps he's waiting to make a supercut of it, or something.”

 

The only sounds from the TV were from Wanda. Wanda's voice, Wanda's breathing, Wanda's footsteps. The walls were black, the floor was black, the ceiling was black. Other than Wanda, it seemed completely sterile. Rin noticed she had goosebumps.

 

**12:20 A.M.**

 

“You know,” Wanda said into the darkness, rounding a corner that led only to yet more dark hallway. “I don't have any idea where Monokuma thinks I could think this would lead. I mean, we're underwater, and I don't believe I've gone up at all. The only place I could be going is down. That's simple logic.”

 

**12:23 A.M.**

“...But I'm still walking, aren't I?”

 

**12:45 A.M.**

 

“He said that if I dropped the camera, there'd be consequences. I have no idea what. Probably death. Perhaps he's going to make me drop the camera at some point.”

 

Wanda shivered. “I feel as though it's getting colder.”

 

**12:55 A.M.**

 

Rin could swear she heard a sound well off in the distance, but Wanda didn't seem to hear it.

 

“This is laughable.” Wanda...well, laughed. “What a joke. Eriko dies by having a plane crash into her, and you just have me _walk?_ What's the point? What do you get out of this?”

 

Another, sadder laugh. “What did I get out of this?”

 

The torch went out.

 

**12:58 A.M.**

 

Wanda managed to relight the torch.

 

**1:25 A.M.**

 

“I've been isolated for longer than this before,” Wanda said. “I've been isolated for years. People have seen me, but I've been alone. So what's the problem here? There isn't any. This is just what I'm used to.”

 

There was a window on the wall.

 

But it was frozen shut.

 

**1:50 A.M.**

 

“I should be dead by now,” Wanda said. “Why aren't I? How long do I have to go before you do something? How long do I have to go before I do something?”

 

**2:10 A.M.**

 

“...Ridiculous, completely ridiculous. This is the stupidest method of execution I've ever heard of!” Wanda kicked the wall. She made a reeling noise of pain. “Or just freeze me already if you're going to do something!”

 

**2:30 A.M.**

 

“I wonder if my father will think I loved him when Yayoi comes to see him. Of course, I don't. He was a pathetic man, you know. You know how I always talked about dreams, when I was alive? Assuming I'm dead when you see this. Well, my father wanted to be a cellist. That's it, that's all he wanted. And that was why my mother married him. But he had a skill, you know, he was a very skilled surgeon. And so he did that for a living. He abandoned his dream. And that was why my mother left him. It makes me very mad, you know, it makes me, I bet he's in that darkness right over there, I see you, _I see you, you son of a bitch!_ ”

 

She threw her matchbox into the darkness.

 

“...I should pick those up.”

 

**2:55 A.M.**

 

“...But am I even any better?” She was laughing. “Maybe, you know... Maybe Miria was right. Maybe they were right! Haha! Wouldn't that be something?” She was coughing. Her breath was visible in the air. She was still laughing. “Hahaha, yeah, maybe, maybe I should've made some friends! Maybe I should've done things a bit differently!”

 

**3:15 A.M.**

 

“...And my mother told me that he had told her, no, you silly woman. Even Izuru Kamukura had a ladyfriend. Someone he loved. I didn't think that was at all possible! Of course Izuru Kamukura would never love someone! Haha! But he did! You know, he did! And maybe that was the moment I should've realized that I was wrong about everything, wasn't I...”

 

**3:35 A.M.**

 

“...And I wanted to know what it felt like, being in love, being able to trust someone for real. But I don't know how to go about that. I mean, really, all I've ever known is being taken. Hahahaha. If you ever see Rin, camera, tell her that I know, I'm pretty much the worst.”

 

**4 A.M.**

 

“I'm sorry, Miria.”

 

A sob.

 

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You deserved to live more than I did. You had someone you loved. You had something to go back to. I don't have anything. I'm nothing. I'm not even a person. I don't even exist. I've been chasing ghosts so long I became one. I'm just fake. I'm a ghost story. I bet they'll wake up and forget I ever existed.”

 

**4:15 A.M.**

 

“I'm sorry, Rin. I'm sorry, Claus. I'm sorry, Gavin, Luan, Stella, Yayoi, Jun, all of you, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I wanted to be friends with you, I did, I know that now, that's what I wanted, that's all I wanted. I'm sorry I ruined everything. I'm sorry.”

 

**4:25 A.M.**

 

“I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry I'm such a waste of a child. I hope you're happy wherever you are with Ms. Hashizawa. I hope you're happy there without me. Maybe you're in a good place. I'm going to hell. I know it. If hell exists then I'm going there. Maybe I'm already here. Maybe this is hell. It's too cold. I'm so cold.”

 

**4:40 A.M.**

Silence. “Maybe I should just fall asleep right here. That'd be nice.”

 

**5 A.M.**

 

And there was the end. Wanda's legs were struggling to keep moving after a while, but she did make it to the end. She began to laugh. It was pained, defeated, sorrowful.

 

“Oh, of course!” She said. “Hahahahaha! Of course!”

 

From the torch light, it was obvious that the room at the end of the long, long hallway was completely different from the rest of the hallway. Velvet carpeting, probably-red walls, there were _hearts_ in the paint. Glitzy mirror, a high-tech dresser with designs Rin didn't even recognize. The mirror, at a makeup desk, was even surrounded by chintzy lightbulbs. There was a marble pillar at one area of the room.

 

Wanda laughed, and laughed, and laughed. She brought the camera up to her face to hold her head from laughing, even. She no longer looked like herself. She looked almost ghoulish, her face drawn. It was cold. There was frost on the lens.

 

“Why, it's Uncle Valky's Love Nest!” Wanda said. She threw her arms wide, or at least, one arm. “So that's what you're saying, huh, Monokuma? This is all I have waiting for me? This is all I am? Maybe, all I have to do is go to sleep, and I'll just wake back up and the last four years will have been a dream?” She kept laughing.

 

There was a bulletin board that Rin hadn't noticed, but Wanda seemed quite familiar with it. There was a note pinned to it, that Wanda held the camera up to along with her torch.

 

_Hey-hey-hey, my little magical girl! It's been a while! I know you've probably missed me quite a bit, and it makes me so happy to see you back home again. You've really blossomed with age, wink wink, nudge nudge. So, here's the deal. You've done a fantastic job here, so I've got a place for you in a new show I've been writing, real cool stuff, lotsa beauty-of-humanity kinda jazz, yeah? And you can keep on with that little ghost-hunting hobby of yours. All you gotta do is play with Uncle Valky again, you dig? It's just not the same without you! Looking forward to seeing you back again! XOXO ♥♥♥_

_~Valkana Kago_

 

Wanda laughed again. One last, cold laugh. Then, she raised her hand up, and she threw the camera out of her hand, towards the mirror. With a loud crash, the camera's viewpoint lay still, cracked, at the bottom of the mirror, staring directly at a photograph of a man in his 30's, with a white fedora and a goatee, in a low-cut shirt—

 

Blood splattered against the cracked fragments of the mirror. The camera did not move, but Rin could hear the sounds, the sounds of striking, of blood being spilled, of bone breaking, crashes against a wall? Stabbing? Slicing? Crushing? Who could say what actually happened? Only the footage Wanda's camera recorded remained.

 

Someone said, “I didn’t want this. Why did it happen?”

 

A final slump resounded.

 

And the camera turned off.

 

**Students Remaining: 13**

**#1 - Gavin Sakaki, Ultimate Buddy**

 

**#2 - Hansuke Yasuda, Ultimate Salesman**

 

**#6 - Daisuke Harada, Ultimate Brewmaster**

 

**#7 - Chizuru Inoue, Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker**

 

**#8 - Luan Yun-Fat, Ultimate Masseuse**

 

**#9 - Claus Toranosuke, Ultimate Principal**

 

**#10 - Yayoi Murasaki, Ultimate Foreman**

 

**#12 - Stella Masaki, Ultimate Commentator**

 

**#13 - Kazuya Okudaira, Ultimate Orator**

 

**#14 - Shinobu Koshimizu, Ultimate Mystery Novelist**

 

**#15 - Yashiro Narumi, Ultimate Strongman**

 

**#16 - Jun Fukuyama, Ultimate Net Admin**

 

**#17 - Rin Hashizawa, Ultimate Amnesiac**


	22. Monokuma Theater 4

**A Kingdom of Ice**

A while back, there was this girl, see? We'll call her Girl W. Girl W loved ghosts, and her parents were quite proud of her. She was a bit of an odd girl, always walking around getting into misadventures, but when she was a young girl, everyone could agree that everything was fine.

Girl W's father wanted to be a cellist, and Girl W's mother found entertainers very attractive, see. But it just didn't bring in the money, so eventually, he had to leave fun to the side and become an actually paying job. He became a very famous doctor who saved very many people. He wasn't attractive anymore, so Girl W's mother divorced him, and Girl W decided to tell herself that he didn't care about her after all and just wanted money, because otherwise, not being able to see him ever again would be too painful.

A few years later, Girl W's mother, who couldn't really hold down a job, met a man- we'll call him Uncle V. Uncle V was a big-shot media producer, and Girl W's mother fell very, very hard for him. Soon, Uncle V was a regular appearance around Girl W's house, and he seemed to like Girl W quite a lot. He made Girl W an offer, to try and make some money for her and her mother by appearing on some of his shows, and becoming a rising star. Girl W's mother signed her up before Girl W could even say anything.

Uncle V treated Girl W very harshly. The training she underwent in order to satisfy Uncle V's demands was extremely difficult, and being a stupid little child, Girl W didn't quite understand that Uncle V was just having fun with her. Her mother kept pushing her, further and further, to abandon what she loved in life in order to be a success.

Girl W persevered, weakly, with the help of the brief moments she got to herself and learning about her idol, Izuru Kamukura. In these hard times, Girl W found the tale of this real person who followed his dream and was rewarded for it very uplifting. Sometimes, she would even fantasize that Izuru Kamukura was her real father, but that wasn't the sort of thing people liked to talk about.

Girl W's mother made very good friends with another woman, who we'll call Woman U. Girl W's mother and Woman U were both very in love with Uncle V, but since he was a big-shot media producer, he played along with their hearts and got them to both be fine with just being his toys. After all, they were both very lonely single mothers, so they needed their companionship. Woman U had a daughter, who we'll call Girl H, who Girl W met a few times. She seemed pretty dumpy, and wasn't really all that important to Girl W in the long run.

One day, after a particularly horrible session of training, Girl W begged her mother to please, let me not do this any longer. I don't want to be a star. Uncle V doesn't even care about you. Now, the safety of her daughter was one thing, but Girl W's mother was incensed to hear these allegations, and ran out of the house to go speak with dear Uncle V.

The next day, Girl W's mother, by the side of the similarly betrayed Woman U, jumped to their deaths and splattered on the pavement, leaving their daughters behind. After all, without the love of Uncle V, nothing else really mattered. And to Uncle V, this didn't really matter. Girl H, from what Girl W knew, was taken in by some other relative, but Girl W was kept in Uncle V's personal menagerie.

Girl W was heartbroken, sad, bereaved, shocked, pained. But then Uncle V swooped in. He told her, now that your mother is dead, you'll need to work extra hard to support your livelihood. Thankfully, I have some special work for you to do that will pay well. Girl W felt she had no choice but to accept.

So Uncle V started pushing. Not to further her success. He just pushed. He pushed and he pushed and he pushed and he pushed, deep, deep inside her, so hard that Girl W probably felt like she was going to be snapped in half, every night as he did it. A few times, he had other men push on his behalf, but she still felt him in their hands.

This was Girl W's life now. She wasn't sad, or shocked, or bereaved, any longer. She retreated inwards, inwards into a little pit of ice inside herself, and she hated. She hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated and hated, she hated, for as long as it would take to make the horror stop.

Eventually, Girl W was freed from Uncle V. But she had hated for so long, she forgot how to do anything else. She had hated for so long that she had convinced herself of her father's evil, and she had hated for so long that everyone seemed evil. So, Girl W returned to the one thing she truly could trust; ghosts.

And that's the story of the girl who quit humanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it still a twist if the obvious villain turns out to be the culprit? I wonder about that. Perhaps this case was too easy for you. Perhaps you think Eriko was a bit of a tougher opponent. Or perhaps not.
> 
> A wiser knight than I once said, "Remember, with enough hatred, anyone can become a demon." A person who is isolated, without anyone else to count on, can easily become a demon if their pain is too much to bear. But even then, is that a guarantee for the rest of their life? Is becoming a demon a one-way street, that you can never turn back from?
> 
> I wonder about that.
> 
> This ends the Second Case, "Gordian Knot." Next is the Third Case. From all of us here in the 263rd Class, thank you for reading.


	23. Day 10, Part 1 - Kavka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting. I underwent hard drive failure in the gap between last chapter and this one, and a later chapter turned out significantly longer than I was expecting. To those who have been waiting, welcome back to Compound VK, and I hope I won't keep you waiting too long this time.
> 
> To those who are just now reading, thank you, and I hope you've enjoyed.

 

**8 A.M.**

 

The Cafeteria was largely silent as Rin came in. She rubbed her eyes. She hadn't been able to sleep, and besides, she'd had very little time to even if she were able to. Rin could feel a thick haze in the air, a haze of great unease. There were few enough people that everyone was sat around the center table now.

 

“Ah, everyone's here now,” Claus, at the head of the table, said. “Well, mostly everyone, anyhow.”

 

The exception, unsurprisingly, was one Chizuru slash Chihaya Inoue. After Miria and Wanda's deaths, she had yet to leave her room again. “Honestly, I don't blame her.” Rin said. “I feel horrible.”

 

Shinobu suddenly started in her seat, her eyes widening. Ah, so she hadn't slept either. “What a brute,” she said. “Hideous, really. Just hideous.”

 

“Er, I fell asleep rather quickly,” Claus said, adjusting his tie, “but it didn't sound particularly pleasant to watch, no.”

 

“Messed up, man.” Even Gavin's eyes were downcast, his voice a bit more sullen. “Just plain messed up.”

 

“I want to go home.” Stella sniffled, her head (the dye was coming off, so a bit more of her hair was a mousy brown color), buried in her arms.

 

There was only one voice that still meant business, it seemed, and that voice belonged to Hansuke. “First things first, we need to establish some facts. I stepped out to play cards with Yashiro a few hours in. Who actually saw the whole video?”

 

“Seriously?” Kazuya said, though it was barely above a mumble. “I can't believe you're still thinking about investigation at a time like this.”

 

Daisuke nodded fervently. “Seriously, it's scary how cold you are!”

 

“It is admirable in its own way,” Yashiro said. He was crying in his usual fashion, which was to say, tears were streaming down his face with his teeth clenched. It was very manly.

 

Rin had seen the whole thing, of course. Shinobu had, as well, as had Gavin, Jun, and, begrudgingly, Yayoi. Daisuke, Kazuya, and Stella had all stayed in the Bar instead. Claus, ever needing his sleep, passed out once he got back to his room. Yashiro and Hansuke had played cards. Chihaya was still missing. As for Luan...

 

“I fell asleep at roughly 2 A.M.,” Luan said.

 

“What, really?” Jun scoffed. “Here I'd think you, of all people, would be a bit more interested.” Rin saw Yayoi's fist twitch with the urge to slug him.

 

Luan's eyes turned away from Jun, and he frowned. “I... I wished to remember Wanda how she was, not as a broken corpse. It is a matter of preserving her memory.”

 

“Preserving her memory?” Jun clicked his tongue. “She murdered Miria in cold blood and planned to do the rest of us in, too. You seriously think someone like her deserves her memory preserved?”

 

“Of course,” Luan said. “It doesn't matter what she did in this disgusting game of Monokuma's. Wanda was a person with her own thoughts and feelings, forced into this situation by a crazed killer. Even if this game brought out the worst in her, denying her the right to be remembered...would be like denying that she ever existed.” He shook his head. Rin was pretty certain that was the longest single instance of Luan speaking she’d ever heard.

 

“Well, thankfully we never actually saw her die or nothing.” Gavin said. “Sorta happened off-screen after she threw the camera. Plus there was that weird voice at the end.”

 

“Who do you suppose was that spoke there at the end?” Shinobu said, tapping her chin. “Could it have been Monokuma?”

 

“Monokuma, express regret?” Jun said. “Of course not. It was probably just some special effect added for it to be a bit more spooooooky,” and he waved his arms mockingly.

 

“It was a weird-ass execution, though.” Yayoi grumbled. “And what the hell was with that note at the end? Why'd she freak out so bad?”

 

“Well, what did the note say?” Claus said. Rin, of course, remembered its contents perfectly, and recited them by memory, though her skin crawled with every word. Stella had a particularly strong reaction, her breath catching in her throat and her eyes going wide.

 

“Valkana?” Daisuke said. “Who the heck is this guy supposed to be?”

 

A cold silence reigned over the group for about a minute, by Rin’s count. “Well,” Hansuke said. “I—”

 

“I!” Stella said, before clamping her teeth shut again. “I,” she said again more calmly, “I know who he is.”

 

“I do too,” Kazuya said, looking dejectedly towards the table.

 

“It seems like a rough subject,” Claus said, steepling his fingers. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”

 

“No, I...” Stella gulped, and clenched her fists. She was sweating. “I should. I-it might be important. It—!”

 

“I’ll try,” Kazuya said, standing up. “You already had to help explain the Kei Sagami incident, Stella. Forcing you to do it twice when I know some would be cruel.” Stella took a moment to react, but unclenched her hands and let out some tension.

 

“Alright,” Claus said. “Then, Kazuya?”

 

“Huh, whoda thought he’d actually do...” Yayoi waved her hand around. “Oration, or whatever.”

 

Kazuya stood at the head of the table beside Claus, and, for the first time that Rin had seen, anyway, removed his scarf, placing it down on the table in front of him. His neck was about what she had expected from him, small and slender.

 

“Valkana Kago was the head of the multimedia corporation Nanaki Enterprises,” Kazuya said. “It produced mostly television shows and radio programs of varying natures, both fiction and non-fiction, but at its peak in 2189 and 2190, had also branched out slightly into manga. It collapsed four years ago, in 2192, when Valkana suddenly disappeared, but had been on a steep incline for about a year.”

 

“What, he just went poof?” Jun said. “I’m sure. So what _actually_ happened to him?”

 

“Nobody knows,” Kazuya said. “There’s several theories about it. It’s the sort of thing you hear chatter about in the lunchroom these days, at least where I come from. In any case, Valkana himself was one of those sort of ‘eccentric’ celebrities you hear talk of sometimes. He was charismatic, but a bit of an enigma. There were several startling rumors about him, ranging from political to...a bit more gruesome, especially regarding one particular initiative of the company that he took charge of: the Little Ultimates Initiative.”

 

Yayoi shivered. “Christ, just the name sounds gross.”

 

“The stated intent of the project,” Kazuya said, “was to train some of the more talented young people signed on with or sponsored by Nanaki Enterprises in the hope of eventually becoming students of Hope’s Peak. That said, it drew suspicion for several practices, including the fact that it seemed to almost exclusively target children from small families or families that were poor, people who had few options remaining, and in several cases, the training they underwent kept them at the Nanaki facilities for months at a time.”

 

Stella shivered. “When I was starting out, I did a lot of work on projects sponsored by Nanaki. He...” She flinched. “I got offered it, but my mom refused. She said she trusted me.”

 

“It all started going downhill when...” Kazuya gritted his teeth. “Well, like Wanda said...two of the parents of children in the Little Ultimates Initiative committed suicide together. There’d already been several odd deaths of parents in the Initiative, but after that, the nation started turning on Nanaki and digging a bit deeper. Valkana became a recluse, and a lot of the Little Ultimates Initiative children disappeared almost entirely from the public eye.”

 

“So, Kaz.” Gavin said, his brow furrowed. “Where do you fit into this, man?”

 

“Well...” Kazuya averted his eyes for a moment, then resumed speaking. “A friend of mine was among the children who went missing. I was...well, I was a lot gutsier back then...” He blushed. “So I actually started looking into it myself, to see where she went and what happened to her.”

 

“Wait wait, weren’t you like, eleven?” Daisuke said. Kazuya nodded. “What the hell were you made of at eleven years old?!”

 

“It wasn’t really that hard,” Kazuya said. “My father was a high-ranking police officer in the town where I lived, so I was able to use a few connections and what not. Nobody really expects kids of that age to do anything, so you can get a lot done by just acting like you’re where you’re supposed to be.”

 

“How naughty!” Shinobu cackled.

 

“And, well, in the end, I actually wound up being the first person to actually find out what was going on.” Kazuya said. He looked down. “The girls who didn’t have anywhere to go after Valka...probably had their parents killed...” He shivered. “Well, Nanaki took them in, and Valkana got to keep them. Most of them were young girls, around the ages of ten to fifteen. Wanda...was one of them, probably. And he, well...” He flinched again. “I’m sorry. I have trouble saying it out loud.”

 

A quaking told Rin that Yashiro was trembling with outrage in his seat. “That _monster._ ” He hissed. If she was understanding Kazuya’s implication correctly—and a flashback to Wanda’s cold, dark tomb told her she was—then she couldn’t help but agree with him.

 

“When the police broke into Valkana’s facility on my advice, they...” Kazuya grimaced. “About forty percent of the kids Valkana had kidnapped had already died from being used and abused that way for as long as they were. I don’t know what happened to the others, but Valkana disappeared soon after he was to be arrested for his crimes.” He looked back up at the group. “That’s all I know.”

 

A few moments of silence were held amongst the group before Yayoi said, “That is _fucked._ ”

 

“He’s probably dead in a ditch somewhere,” Jun said. He spat. “Good riddance.”

 

“Hell, I don’t disagree.” Hansuke said.

 

“Uh, h-hey, guys.” Daisuke said, having taken off his sunglasses and put them on the table. “Listen, this is just a theory, y’know, but...you said his name was Valkana Kago, right?” And Kazuya nodded. “I mean, it might just be a coincidence. But his initials are VK!”

 

“The same as Compound VK. Hm.” Claus scratched his chin. “There’s a possible connection. But-?”

 

“No.” Rin said.

 

Everyone seemed a bit surprised by how forcefully she said it, and honestly, she was a bit too, but... “There’s no connection there. That’s way too convenient.” She shook her head. “There’s no way Monokuma would do something so simple, so obvious. That’s not how Monokuma operates. Not the Monokuma from Ultimate Despair, and not this Monokuma.” And she was certain of it. More certain than she wholly understood.

 

“Well, aren’t we confident?” Jun said. “Much as it pains me to say, though, I agree.”

 

“Wait, did Jun just willingly agree with Rin?” Daisuke said, his ponytail standing at attention. “Is this real life? Am I alive?” Judging by the look on Jun’s face, he probably wanted to make Daisuke wish the answer to that question was no.

 

Honestly, though, the strange thing was, Rin wasn’t just regular “sure” of it. She _knew._ She knew there wasn’t a connection. It was a fact, an incontrovertible _fact_ in her mind. She knew, there was no way it had anything to do with Valkana, because VK stood for ____________—

 

_Before she lost her memories, she knew what VK stood for._

 

Rin couldn’t keep her antenna from spiking, as an odd feeling began to take root in her chest. Not only was that the obvious conclusion, but similarly, she _knew_ that she knew what VK stood for. Naturally, she’d know that, because _________________________________. It was basic knowledge for anyone _______________________, and she’d _______________________. She groaned. Rin was beginning to sweat.

 

She heard a few voices. Naturally, Yashiro shouting “My word, are you alright, friend?!” was the one she heard the most, but Shinobu, Claus, and Gavin were definitely also concerned. When her eyes readjusted to taking in their surroundings, all four of them were much closer to her than they had been before.

 

“Ugh, sorry.” She said, wiping her brow. “This whole amnesia thing is just starting to really bother me.”

 

Of course, it wasn’t just that. There was a sinking misery in her chest, too. A feeling of uselessness, for after all, what good was she if she couldn’t contribute even this to helping her friends? A feeling...

 

“Are you certain?” Shinobu said, clacking a bit closer.

 

...Of loneliness. “I miss them.” Rin said. She began to tear up.

 

It simply wasn’t _fair,_ she thought. In the span of a week and a half, four of the only eighteen people she ever knew (and she couldn’t even remember her brother’s face) were incontrovertibly gone. She missed them. She missed Aoto’s earnestness, Eriko speeding around like a bullet, Miria’s quiet kindness, she even missed Wanda, and out of anyone, she probably had the most reason to _not_ miss Wanda. Now, with Chihaya holed up in her room, Rin only had these eleven other people beside her.

 

Perhaps from the lack of sleep, the fear and dread was finally catching up with her. All she had left were these eleven people now, and at any moment, more of them could simply disappear forever. Another massive chunk of the only world she knew could collapse and shatter in an instant. She felt herself shaking. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t okay, it was hardly real. Why was this happening? Why, why, why? Why was...

 

...Why was she on her bed?

 

“Huh?” Rin blinked. She was sat on her bed. Yup, this was definitely her room. Same walls, same dresser, same other person on the bed.

 

Wait a minute.

 

“Bwah!” She fell away from Shinobu, sat next to her.

 

“Oh, you’re online again!” Shinobu cackled, though it was weaker than her usual.

 

“Buh, huh, what, what am I doing here?” Rin stammered. “Wasn’t I just in the Cafeteria, huh?”

 

“Well, you seemed to be having a bit of an anxious attack, or something along those lines, so Gavin and I both agreed it would probably be best for you to return to your room.” Shinobu said. “But you were buried very deep within your own mind, so you needed an escort, and he deferred that duty to me.”

 

“Oh, okay.” Rin nodded. “Makes sense.”

 

“To tell you the truth,” Shinobu said, and it was only now that Rin noticed the fact that Shinobu was not in her usual ostentatious attire, but a purple velvet nightgown, had she even changed before coming to the Cafeteria? “I am very tired, as well. I think perhaps it would be best for both of us to sleep before investigating the new floor. After all, beautiful ladies such as us require our beauty sleep.”

 

“Beautiful ladies? Me?” Rin said. “Huh, yeah, I guess you’re right.” Personally, Rin didn’t think she compared to Shinobu, but she kept that to herself. Probably best not to start self-deprecating at a time like this.

 

“Of course I’m right,” Shinobu said. “I am very frequently right, after all.” She began to make motions to stand up, and something in Rin’s brain quickly processed this and told her it was wrong, so she grabbed tightly onto Shinobu’s hand. “Er, yes?”

 

“N-no,” Rin said. “Um, please don’t leave.” With her eyes, she pleaded Shinobu to stay. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

 

Shinobu blushed. “Well, er. Considering I also need sleep, unless you would like to sleep in the same bed—?”

 

“Yes,” Rin said, and she nodded fervently. “I want you to sleep here with me. Please.”

 

The Mystery Novelist was blushing deeper, but managed to stammer out an, “Alright, very well, it is not in my purview to deny a lady her heartfelt request, after all. Do you have a preference as to the side of the bed—?”

 

Before Shinobu had finished asking, Rin, sleepy but giddy, had already wormed her way under the covers on the left side of the bed. She gazed expectantly at Shinobu, who sighed, turned off the lights, and obligingly got under the covers on the right side. The bed wasn’t actually _quite_ big enough for two people to sleep in, but Rin didn’t really mind the close proximity.

 

“Hi,” Rin said. Then she giggled. She and Shinobu were only a few inches apart, and she could feel Shinobu’s breath. It was light, but warm, and smelled distinctly of mint. She must have recently brushed her teeth. Rin wrapped her arm around Shinobu’s side and pulled her a bit closer. Shinobu squeaked. It was, Rin thought, an incredibly cute noise.

 

“H-hello,” Shinobu said. At this point, the two girls were on their sides, and Rin had wrapped Shinobu in a full-on hug. Shinobu’s breath was a bit hitched, her face pressed against Rin’s bosom, but after a few moments, she obligingly returned the embrace.

**2 P.M.**

 

“...And so Shinobu and I slept together,” Rin said.

 

Stella spat out the water she was drinking, and went into a violent coughing fit. Rin ran over just in case she needed to perform the Heimlich, but Stella threw up a hand, a universal signal for ‘don’t touch me right now.’ After about 1-2-3-4-5-678910 seconds of coughing, she caught her breath again, and wheezed a bit.

 

“You did _what?_ ” Stella said.

 

“You know, slept together.” Rin said. “We slept in the same bed. A joint nap, if you will. Both of us entered our REM states on the same mattress.”

 

Stella blinked. “Oh. I thought you were saying you had sex.”

 

“Oh, no, not at all!” Rin said, shaking her head. “I mean, could we really do that after what happened last night?”

 

“I mean, the suspension bridge effect is a thing.” Stella said.

 

As the two of them walked up the Stairwell, Rin tilted her head to one side. “The what?”

 

“Suspension bridge effect,” Stella said. “You know, when—?” She stopped, and then turned her head to look at Rin with a look that said ‘right, amnesia.’ “Okay, so the suspension bridge effect is when people mistake the fast heartbeat and stuff from being really afraid for the feeling of being in love. Happens pretty regularly to people in life-threatening situations.”

 

“Wow! I feel so enlightened!” Rin said, her antenna curling into a little tornado shape. “Have you ever been in love, Stella?”

 

“No.” Stella said, as they reached Campbell and Goodhart. True to Monokuma’s word, the sheet of bars above had been lifted.

 

“But what’s your type?” Rin said, leaning in a bit closer. “My type—!”

 

“I know what your type is,” Stella said. Rin deflated a bit. “But since you asked, I guess I’d say... Around my height. Sensitive, good with words. Someone who understands what it’s like to hurt so I don’t come across as fucking _crazy_ when I’m low. They’d need to be patient, too, if they were going to date me.”

 

“Aw, don’t say it like that.” Rin said. “Wanting to find a patient partner isn’t abnormal, you don’t need to twist it to beat yourself up like that.”

 

“Force of habit,” Stella said. “Anyway, no facial hair, or at least pretty limited. The rugged look in general kinda freaks me out. Speaking of hair, short. Not done up or anything. Gavin’s hair looks fucking ridiculous and I have no idea how...” She stopped again. “Wait, it’s Gavin. Everything else about him is ridiculous too. Anyway, that’s basically it. Oh, but Mom’d have to like them too. Not like I want her to control my life or anything, but she deserves to know her daughter’s in good hands.”

 

Rin nodded. “I’ve added this information to my memory banks for when we get out.”

 

“Please don’t do anything dangerous with it.” Stella said. Rin laughed evilly.

 

The third floor of the Stairwell was much the same as the last two aside from the differently colored halls. Above the Housing Suite and Campbell Hall sat ‘Kavka Hall,’ in blue, and above Abilene and Goodhart sat ‘Newcomb Hall,’ in yellow.

 

“Any idea what the names mean?” Stella asked. “I mean, you need a new comb, but other than that.”

 

“Oh come on, this silky, luxurious mane needs no taming.” Rin swished her hair. “Combs just mess it up more anyway.” This, of course, was her way of saying she had no idea what the names meant. It was inconvenient, considering that last time it had been Wanda-

 

Rin flinched. The last time she’d explored a new floor, it had been with Wanda. It was a sad feeling that filled Rin’s chest, but it wasn’t quite ‘longing,’ per se. After all, Wanda, for all of Rin’s post-mortem sympathy towards her, was not the best person Rin had ever met. But even so, she was still sad. Rin wished that she had gotten to know Wanda on better circumstances, was the feeling she got.

 

“I think we should start in Kavka,” Rin said. “I mean, that’s kinda the side I’ve started on the last two times.” Stella nodded in response.

 

**Kavka Hall**

 

The walls of Kavka Hall were a deep azure, with a bit of exposed circuitry running through the metal surfaces, making pleasant little noises or occasionally allowing a spark of energy of some sort to show itself. The place seemed to be in working order, though, so it was probably just an aesthetic thing. It was still mostly metal, like Campbell Hall, but it was...‘homier,’ was the word Rin would use.

 

To Rin’s left was a straight-on wall with three doors: a close door labeled “Crew Quarters 1” and a far door labeled “Crew Quarters 2,” with an “A/V Room” in between the two of them. To her right, a hallway went outward and then looped back around to end in an entrance across from the Crew Quarters 2 door. Both in front of Rin and to her right and right in the hall were entrances into the same room, a rectangular room labeled “Tailor.” The main body of Kavka Hall, Rin decided, was probably a rough figure-eight. At the end of the hallway through the center of the figure-eight was a large door labeled “Physical Training.”

 

“Kavka,” Rin mumbled. “Kavka.” The name sounded familiar to her, actually, but she wasn’t entirely certain from where.

 

Stella inspected the door to the Crew Quarters. “If there’s Crew Quarters, that must mean people work here, right? What do you think happened to all the employees, then?”

 

Rin’s antenna puffed. “I guess maybe it’s working autonomously right now. Or maybe Monokuma’s taking care of upkeep?” She shrugged. “I mean, I don’t even know what this place is _for._ ”

 

“It’s underwater, it’s got all this Hope’s Peak memorabilia, Crew Quarters, a bunch of halls named after things like economical concepts and stuff...” Stella listed. “The theming is pretty inconsistent.”

 

“Do we even know that the memorabilia was here to begin with?” Rin said. “What if Monokuma put it in afterwards, after he kidnapped us? I mean, to start with he did say that stupid ‘Science Building’ thing.”

 

Stella shrugged. The two of them entered Crew Quarters 1, and Rin was proven right. It was a singular hallway that bent around over to the Crew Quarters 2 door. Spaced evenly through the hall were seventeen doors, each of which contained a simple bedroom. They were not nearly as lavish as the students’ quarters, but they were modestly enough made, almost hotel-like in their identicality.

 

“Whoever made this place clearly had a lot of money,” Rin said. “Er, right? That’s the impression I get.”

 

“Oh, no doubt.” Stella said. “This isn’t a cheap place. It was probably for something important, or at least something crazy rich people get up to.”

 

“Theoretically, I could be a rich person.” Rin said. “Assuming I’m an actual Hashizawa, and all.”

 

“Yeah, the Little Ultimates Initiative sounds like something a lot of stupid rich people could get suckered into,” Stella said, then she frowned and breathed sharply inward. “Um, I’m sorry. I, uh, I didn’t mean—!”

 

“I have amnesia, Stel.” Rin smiled. “It’s not like it makes any difference to me what me or my mother went through five years ago. Besides, it’s probably pretty true, isn’t it? You’re fine.”

 

The two of them completed the Crew Quarters loop and exited through the second door. Straight on, Rin could see the last two doors in the hall. On the left wall to her front, “Class 3-A,” as expected, and then a “Rec Room” straight to her front. There was a third entrance to the Tailor, too.

 

Class 3-A was their next stop. It was in no way surprising. The layout and décor was just the same as the classrooms on the last floor, the only difference being the blackboard. Said blackboard depicted, not Miria’s encounter with Kei Sagami as Rin had expected, but instead showed what appeared to be the story of Miria’s childhood and adolescence, up to meeting...

 

“She has long hair,” Rin said. “Like she did at the end of the trial. Chihaya, I mean.”

 

“Must’ve curled it really hard,” Stella said. “She surprised me with how long it wound up being.”

 

The two stood in silence in the room for a bit, before Rin said, “You know, when we first woke up, I kind of had a crush on Miria.”

 

Stella’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, placing her hand in front of it. “Oh my gosh, I had absolutely no idea!”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Rin said. She was smiling. “I mean, I donno. She was really pretty. And I liked her.”

 

“Yeah.” Stella said. She nodded sadly. “I think we all did, in our own way. She was quiet, but it was comforting having her around, you know?”

 

“Mmhm,” Rin said. “Now that I think about it, though, I think I kind of stopped feeling that way around the time I realized how she and Chihaya looked at each other. I mean...” She chuckled. Though they were underwater, she couldn’t help but feel the presence of a sort of nostalgic sunset in the classroom, the room lighting up with orange as she reminisced. “There’s a lot I don’t know, but I don’t think I could’ve ever made Miria as happy as Chihaya did. I mean, I can only hope I find someone who I make that happy.”

 

“Are you for real?” Stella snorted. “Knowing you, I think you already did. And you’ll probably do it again, too.”

 

“Aww.” Rin blushed. “Thanks, Stella. And I think you will, too!”

 

Stella rolled her eyes. “As if.”

 

**2:30 P.M.**

 

Rin wasn’t certain what to expect from a Rec Room, but what she most certainly was not expecting was to be greeted with was an oversized, bent-over Monokuma in the corner. “What the heck?!”

 

It didn’t move. Then, Yayoi chimed in, “It’s one of those kiddy rides. Ain’t real.”

 

Yayoi was present in the center of the room, messing around with a pool table, striking the balls back and forth. Maroon shag carpeting, with walls in green and white with gold trimming. Said pool table was dead-center in the room, atop what appeared to be a tiger-pelt rug, with a virtual scoreboard above documenting Yayoi’s game against herself (Yayoi was winning). Across from Rin was the Monokuma kiddy ride, which was definitely, er, something. On that wall was a steel door, which was very clearly locked considering the cardkey lock next to it and lack of a knob or anything. To the left of that, in the opposite corner from the kiddy ride, was...

 

“So that’s called a jukebox, right?” Rin said. Stella shrugged.

 

It was probably called a jukebox. A tacky, hung deer head adorned the far wall to Rin’s left, next to what appeared to be some sort of stage with four suits of armor on it. They were all basically identical other than what they were holding. One held a trident, one held a javelin, one held an axe, and one held a shield. Their shadows were displayed behind them on a white screen by the spotlights in front of them. Finally, behind Rin and to her left were a dartboard and what appeared to be a blackjack table, by her estimation.

 

“The weapons are super tacky,” Stella said. “What are you even supposed to do with these?”

 

“There’s a control panel for these things right here,” Yayoi said, patting it under the deer head. “Lets you, uh...move ‘em around or some shit. Whatever.” She returned to the table and struck the six ball into a hole.

 

“Are you doing okay, Yayoi?” Rin said. “I mean, as okay as you can be, I guess. I know—?”

 

“Who the hell am I supposed to smack about this shit?” The crack of the seven ball was almost deafening. “I’m pissed off.” Yayoi’s hair was disheveled, and there were bags under her eyes. She hadn’t slept. “This room is good, though. I like it. Be better if I were outside, though. God dammit.” She was angling. “Fuckin piece of shit. I liked Hayashi.”

 

“Well—?”

 

“Then Morinaga had to go and do that shit right before she died.” Crack. She hit the eight ball too hard, and it missed the hole. “Dammit. What the hell am I even supposed to do with that?!” She struck it again. It missed again. “Not like we’re being recorded, ain’t any cameras around. Not like her dad’s gonna get this fucking info. Let me the _fuck out of here!_ ” She gave the table a front kick. The ball rolled into a hole. She scored against herself, so the game was now even.

 

“Boss, please, calm down!” Rin hurried over and put her hand on Yayoi’s shoulder.

 

“How am I supposed to calm down?” Yayoi said, gritting her teeth. “Miki could be dying, hell she could already be dead for all I know, and I’m stuck in here and I can’t contact the doctor that can save her life!” (Rin noted she’d never actually heard the smaller Murasaki’s name before.) “What in the hell else am I supposed to do? I can’t beat Monokuma in a fight! We’re in the middle of the god damned ocean, and it’s been a week and a half and nobody’s shown up yet! I think I have the right to lose my shit for a bit, Hashizawa!” She began furiously running her hands through her hair, knocking her hat off onto the ground.

 

“But—?”

 

“And all this mystery shit, all this connections crap, god damnit, I am not a fucking PI! I’m a meathead! I’m fucking _innocent!_ I don’t have anything to _do_ with this shit! All I did was try to save my baby sister and I’m in here! Dumbass bear wants me to kill someone, then fine, get me the guy behind this shit and let me _rip him limb from limb!_ ” Yayoi pounded her fists into the pool table repeatedly. “So no, I am not fucking okay! This!” She picked up the nine ball. “ _Is!_ ” And reared back... “ _ **BULLSHIT!**_ ”

 

Yayoi threw the nine ball, which was sent hurtling towards the door. Stella had already sidestepped it, but at that very instant, the door opened to reveal Claus, who, almost in slow-motion, stepped forward, was beaned in the head, and fell back-first onto the ground.

 

“Oh god, are you okay?!” Stella said, leaning down to check his forehead. He was bleeding lightly, but considering it was a head wound, that meant it was still pretty serious.

 

Yayoi blanched, and also ran over. “Oh fuck, uh, shit, I’m sorry, god are you okay, sorry?!” Rin calmly noted how fitting it was that Claus, resident of Room Nine, was beaned by the nine-ball before fully processing what had occurred, and came over as well.

 

After a few moments, Claus hissed out a long, anguished “Ow.”

 

“Claus, are you okay?!” Rin cried. “Do you remember who you are?!”

 

“Are you _seriously_ asking me that?” Claus said through gritted teeth. He pulled out a handkerchief and began wiping up his own blood, considering it was sort of getting in his eyes. “Ow.”

 

“Um, fuck, uh, sorry.” Yayoi said, her eyes darting every which way.

 

“While I must question why—gghk—you were throwing the ball to begin with,” Claus said, then flinched from a twinge of pain, “you—sst!—you’re fine. I understand you’re stressed out, so it’s a natural physical response, argh!”

 

“Shut up! Talking makes you hurt!” Rin shouted, grabbing his shoulders.

 

“You and I need to have a talk about bedside manner.” Stella said. Rin’s antenna then twitched, and she remembered that she should probably not be so hands-on with Claus right now.

 

“Alright, c’mon.” Yayoi said, beginning to help Claus up. “We’ve got a date at the Infirmary.”

 

“Er, I think I can walk,” Claus said, his arm draped over Yayoi’s shoulders. “You don’t need to lead me.”

 

“I just beaned you in the skull with a glass ball, idiot.” Yayoi said, beginning to lead him off. “It’s only right. Now quit moaning about it and c’mon, before you bleed more.” She shook her head in Rin and Stella’s direction. “Later. Sorry for all the bitching.”

 

“Oh, no, you’re fine.” Rin said.

 

And just as quickly as it had begun, the storm of noise that had begun in the Rec Room had ended, and Rin and Stella were left alone again. Stella coughed.

 

“Do you ever feel kind of out of your element?” Rin said.

 

“Most days,” Stella said.

 

“I, uh, I hope she cheers up a bit.” Rin said.

 

“Same here,” Stella said.

 

**3:15 P.M.**

 

As it turned out, the Tailor had four entrances, one from each cardinal direction. Rin and Stella entered from the north entrance, straight across from the south. The intricacies of clothes-making were far beyond Rin, but there were several spools of thread, apparatuses for presumably clothes-making, and outfits in various stages of completion in each of the four corners of the room. In the center, beneath a spinning ceiling fan that was too high to reasonably reach, was a draped fitting room curtain.

 

Kazuya poked his head out from behind the curtain at the sound of the door opening. “Hello, you two.”

 

“Hi, Kazuya.” Rin said, leaning down to check out some gleaming silver contraption with thread on it. Yup, she was clueless.

 

The room was silent for a bit before Stella, behind Rin, said, “Um...thanks. For earlier.” Rin looked back to see her twiddling her fingers a bit.

 

“Who, me?” Kazuya said, stepping out from behind the curtain. “What for?”

 

“For speaking up so I didn’t have to,” Stella said.

 

“Ah, well...” Kazuya blushed. Rin noticed that he still wasn’t wearing his scarf. Perhaps he’d left it in his room. “Words are the only way I can really help people. It’s only right.”

 

“And, uh...” Stella stammered. “You kept me company last night, and all. I mean, Daisuke was there too but he’s an idiot. So, you know. Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome.” Kazuya smiled. It was a nice smile, very bright.

 

“Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve really seen you without the scarf.” Rin said. “I like it. It’s a better look on you than being all huddled up.”

 

“I don’t disagree,” Kazuya said. “But, in the past, I’ve never really been very fashion-conscious.” He scratched his chin. “I’ve never really thought of myself as attractive or anything like that, so I guess you could say I’ve never felt the need to care.”

 

“Wait, really?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “Your smooth skin, your piercing eyes, that loud, clear voice that cuts through the night when you let it? I mean, I’m not much to assess your quality, but I feel like you must be a pretty attractive guy, right? Stella, back me up here.”

 

“When did I become your girl talk receptacle?” Stella said, narrowing her eyes.

 

“Realistically, knowing the people I know, you are the only person I have ever known with whom I can really exchange the fabled ‘girl talk,’ Stella.” Rin said. Stella raised her finger to rebut, but then presumably realized that Rin was right, and lowered her hand.

 

“Um, is this girl talk as in talk about girls, or girl talk as in...” Kazuya trailed off. “I...actually have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

“It’s, uh, kind of hard to explain.” Stella said.

 

“So, the names this time are decision theory paradoxes,” Kazuya said, deftly changing the subject. “I wonder why that is?”

 

“Oh, you actually know what they mean?” Rin said.

 

Kazuya nodded. “It’s Kavka Hall, after Kavka’s toxin puzzle.”

 

Rin kneeled in front of Kazuya, and bent over for a bow. “Please, teach me, Kazuya-sensei!”

 

“It goes something like this,” Kazuya said. “An eccentric billionaire gives you a vial of poison. It’ll make you painfully ill for one day, but have no long-lasting effects. He tells you that he’ll pay you one million dollars the next morning if, at midnight tonight, you _intend_ to drink the poison tomorrow afternoon.”

 

Rin blinked. “You have to _intend_ to drink it, not actually drink it?”

 

“That’s right,” Kazuya said. “If you succeed, the money will be paid to you before the time comes to drink it, so if you intend to drink it when midnight comes and then change your mind afterward, you still get the money. So, should you drink it or not?”

 

“Well, yeah, of course.” Rin said.

 

“But by the time that you drink it,” Kazuya said, “you’ll already have the money. So why would you drink it then?”

 

“How does the billionaire even know what you intend to do?” Stella said. “Is he like, psychic or something?”

 

“I don’t think that really matters,” Rin said. “You should drink it because you intended to drink it last night. I mean, unless you don’t, but money’s money.”

 

“The idea is that, following from reasonable logic, you’d need to intend to do something you have no reason to actually do,” Kazuya said. “Because by that point, you’d already have the money, so you have no reason to follow through. It’s a reverse causation sort of thing.”

 

Rin crossed her eyes. “Huh. Well, that’s weird.”

 

“Honestly, it might not even do anything to you, though.” Kazuya said, laughing. “I mean, considering your taste in tea.”

 

“And what’s Newcomb Hall named after?” Stella said. “Something similar?”

 

“The Newcomb paradox,” Kazuya said. “A predictor—”

 

“Is this the eccentric billionaire from the last problem?” Rin said.

 

“It could very well be.” Kazuya said. “The predictor places two boxes in front of you, the player. Box A is clear, and contains a thousand dollars. Box B is opaque. You can either take just Box B, or both A and B. If the predictor has predicted that you’ll just take Box B, he’s put a million dollars in it. If he’s predicted you’ll take both, Box B is empty.”

 

“Well, how good is the predictor?” Rin said.

 

“It depends on who you ask.” Kazuya shrugged. “It can be interpreted a lot of different ways. Logical fatalism, machine consciousness, game theory, it’s kind of a multi-purpose problem.”

 

“The person who built this place seems to like thinking about things that don’t really matter,” Rin said.

 

“I mean, they matter to philosophers.” Stella said. “Do you want all philosophers to be out of a job? What if you’re the Ultimate Philosopher?”

 

“Do I seriously seem like an Ultimate Philosopher to you?” Rin said.

 

“She does seem like she’d have a pretty poor temperament for it,” Kazuya said. He laughed, but Rin noticed a slight twinge of pain as he did.

 

“Oh, Kazuya, are you okay?” She said.

 

“Yes, I’m fine.” Kazuya said. His eyes darted back and forth for a few moments. “Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve been...kind of sick, since I came here. I’ve been having trouble breathing.”

 

Stella frowned a very loud frown. “Is it serious?”

 

“It was for the first day or two,” Kazuya said, “but I’ve been managing. It’s getting worse again, though. I might need to go back to my room and take a breather.”

 

“Don’t wear yourself out,” Rin agreed.

 

“Right, I think I’ll do that.” Kazuya said. He waved goodbye, and left the room to head back to his own.

 

**3:45 P.M.**

 

The A/V Room wasn’t very large. Racks of storage media covered the side walls, and in front of Rin and Stella was a sofa in front of a large projector screen and speakers. A console behind the sofa seemed to control it. Rin wasn’t particularly well-versed in machine operation, either, so it was basically beyond her.

 

“Seems nice enough, I guess.” Stella said. “Not sure I’m in the mood for a movie right now, though.”

 

“Yeah, I’ve had enough of those for one day.” Rin said, shuddering a bit.

 

The last room to inspect in Kavka Hall was Physical Training, and the large door told Rin it was probably a bit bigger than the rest, but she wasn’t expecting the room to be quite as large as it was. It was easily wide enough to match the entire rest of the hall, with a high ceiling and a sizable space between her and the far wall. Grey and cool blues lined the walls, along with tall mirrors in front of a sprawling array of exercise machines, sorted by specific use to the left and to the right: ellipticals, treadmills, weights, rowers, and more. Far to the right, Rin could see the ceiling and floors retract to make room for a massive climbing wall, stretching far above and, as far as Rin could tell, down below, as well.

 

Furious grunts told Rin that her good buddy Yashiro was present, so she jogged over to a treadmill next to him and got on, beginning her own run. “Hey, Yashiro! How’re things?”

 

“Ah, my friend, I find myself deep within the realms of sorrow,” said the enormous man who, according to his machine, had yet to break a sweat after eighty minutes of running at his current pace. “Having such a grand entrance and yet being unable to prevent loss of life does not do wonders for this Strongman’s heart!”

 

“I mean, to be fair, you did only have, like, two days,” Rin said. “Get yourself out of the Sorrow Realm! Hey, Stella, wanna run with us?”

 

“Not really.” Stella said. “If it was with Kazuya, it’d be one thing, but you two are on your own level. I’d get blown away.”

 

“You think?” Rin said.

 

“She is most decidedly not wrong!” Yashiro laughed.

 

They kept on for about ten minutes, Stella sat behind them, watching. “Tell me, Rin.” Yashiro said. “Are you happy?”

 

“Well, happy how?” Rin said, her antenna curling. “Obviously I’m not really happy about this whole situation we’re in, but I don’t think that’s what you’re asking.”

 

“What I mean is,” Yashiro said, “You seem to be getting on quite well with everyone. To tell you the truth, I had been somewhat worried about it.”

 

“Worried about little old me?” Rin said to herself in the mirror. “Why’s that?”

 

“Simply that you didn’t have many friends,” Yashiro said. “It seemed to mostly be myself and young Kojiro, and I never met the boy personally.”

 

Stella raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? She seems like the kind of person who’d annoy everyone around her into being friends.”

 

“Rude!” Rin said. “I mean, I’m still mostly amnesiac and all, but that’s the feeling I get, yeah.” She laughed to herself in the mirror. “Honestly, it still feels kind of weird hearing about all these people I used to know. It still doesn’t really feel real.”

 

“To tell you the truth, if things had kept on the way they did, I was considering bringing you along with the troupe!” Yashiro laughed. “Take you to see the sights, and all! Guardian’s permission implied, of course. I am not a kidnapper.”

 

“So...” Rin closed her eyes for a moment. “Yeah, I guess you could say I am happy. Even if this situation is horrible, I feel like I’m really experiencing something new. Having these people by my side, learning about them, learning how they see the world, it’s really... kind of amazing.”

 

“And what have you learned, do you think?” Yashiro said.

 

“Hm, well, if I had to give one takeaway...” Rin hummed. “I’ve learned that I want to trust people, I think. Even if it might get me hurt, I think I want to trust people. Even if they do betray me, I want to understand why. It doesn’t feel realistic to just say that someone is evil. It seems like everyone has their own problems, their own story, that leads to them doing the things they do.” She saw Stella look away in the mirror.

 

“Do you regret not being able to help them?” Yashiro said. “The people who’ve died, I mean.”

 

“Of course,” Rin said. “If I’d known how Eriko or Wanda were suffering, even if they did do something bad, I’d want to help them. But even so, I’m not sure I should worry too much about that. It’s sad, but I’m me, now, and I have you guys with me, not them. So I should focus on caring about the people in my life now, instead of looking to the people who’ve died.” At some point, she had stopped running unconsciously and sat down next to Stella.

 

“I don’t _get_ you.” Stella said.

 

Rin laughed. “I don’t get me either! If you want, you can just pretend I talked about jigsaw puzzles or something.” She smiled at Stella. Stella grumbled and looked away, but Rin dearly hoped that some of her meaning had gotten across, at least, assuming that anything she had just said had actually meant what she hoped it had meant.

 

Yashiro also finished running, and gave a very loud stretch. “Ah, that was a good warm-up! I am satisfied!” He patted Rin on the back. “Good work, friend! Be well! I depart!” He laughed his booming laugh as he walked away. Rin laughed back.

 


	24. Day 10, Part 2 - Newcomb

**4:30 P.M.**

 

Next on the itinerary for Rin and Stella was the other hall on the third floor: Newcomb Hall, the yellow-colored hall. It was at this point, in the Stairwell, that something occurred to Rin.

 

“Hey, Stella.” She said, her antenna puffing. “I bet you that on the next floor, the two halls are green and magenta.”

 

“Huh?” Stella said. “How do you figure?”

 

“Well, it's pretty simple.” Rin said. “Campbell Hall was red, and Goodhart Hall was cyan. Kavka Hall was blue, and Newcomb Hall is yellow. They're complementary colors of light. Plus, the Housing Suite is white and Abilene Hall is black. It's all dualistic and stuff!”

 

“There are five floors, though.” Stella said. “What's the fifth floor going to be?”

 

Rin shrugged. “I'onno.”

 

Through the door they went. Newcomb Hall immediately greeted them with a very different sight from any hall before. The surfaces were largely varying shades of gold, but in front of the two of them, instead of a wall, there was a massive, heavy-looking red curtain, draping off to the left and right as the hall bent in those directions. It let a bit of light through from beneath, but not much. To the front, through the curtain was marked as “Venue.” To the left bend, Rin could see two signs: “Ventilation” and “Post Office.” To her right, two more: “Foundry” and “Greenhouse.” The walls, incidentally, were a bit glittery.

 

“Oh goodie, a real Hollywood kinda place, isn't it?” Stella said, rolling her eyes.

 

“'Hollywood?'” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “Oh, wait, wait. You mean the place in America!”

 

“Are there other Hollywoods I don't know about?” Stella said.

 

Rin shrugged. “Beats me!”

 

An arbitrary decision to go left later, Rin found herself at the first door on the left side of the hall, the door to Ventilation. In a stark contrast to Newcomb Hall itself, Ventilation was the most drab, metallic room in the entire complex so far; dark greys and pipes every which way, circuit boards on the walls, and all. The two stepped in to find Hansuke, fiddling at a large panel that resembled a breaker.

 

“Hey,” Hansuke said without turning around, giving a half-hearted wave.

 

“Hey,” Stella said back. “What's the deal with that thing?”

 

“Seems like it's some kinda vent control system.” Hansuke said. “You can flip these breakers to open or close blockades in the vents so the air from a specific room goes to another specific room.” While still fiddling, he pointed to below him, to his right. Rin followed, and saw a grate cover on the top of the room's low-to-the-ground vent, with a large book declaring itself the ' _Compound VK MK-Brand Vent Control System Manual_.'

 

“How many pages is it?” Rin said, giving the book a sidelong glance.

 

“Over six hundred,” Hansuke said. “But a lot of it is little informational comics and crap like that Monokuma put in there. Kind of a pain.”

 

“Are they good comics?” Rin said.

 

Hansuke shrugged. “Never had much of an eye for fine art, myself. At the very least, it's better than what you'd get from me.”

 

“He seems really proud of his drawing skills,” Stella said. “Kind of a weird thing for a guy like him to be into, isn’t it?”

 

“Hitler was an art student,” Hansuke said.

 

“Please don’t compare me to Hitler!” Monokuma said.

 

“Oh, my bad.” Hansuke said.

 

…Wait.

 

Stella jumped away in the small space with a little shriek from the sudden Monokuma. That finally got Hansuke to turn around, too, as he lazily craned his head to look at Monokuma.

 

“I mean, really.” Monokuma scoffed. “The murder is one thing, but Hitler had absolutely no art skill! He was a horrid art student! Have you ever _seen_ his paintings? The guy wouldn’t know perspective if it came up and bit him on the Johnson!”

 

“I’m gonna go ahead and take your word for it,” Rin said, giving him a thumbs-up. Monokuma huffed proudly, and as quickly as he came, he was gone.

 

“Weirdo.” Stella grumbled. Hansuke made an affirmative noise and turned to leave. Wait, no, he shouldn’t leave yet, should he-?

 

“Wait!” Rin called, and he stopped in his tracks. “So, um… You figure anything new out from what happened yesterday?”

 

“If anyone’s gonna figure something out here, shouldn’t it be you?” Hansuke said. Rin blinked. “Sure you don’t remember anything just yet?”

 

“Nope,” Rin said, shaking her head. “Just what I’ve told you guys. Yashiro, and my little brother, Kojiro. Other than that, it’s a big blank.”

 

“’Longer things go, more obvious it gets you’re connected, big time.” Hansuke said. “Whoever Rin Hashizawa is, there’s no way in hell this is all coincidence anymore.” He sighed. “But whatever the truth is, it’s locked inside those memories of yours.”

 

Rin suddenly felt very small. “I… Well, what should I do about that?”

 

Hansuke stared her dead in the face, stern, arms crossed. “First off, I should say this. You know I might not last forever, right?”

 

“What? No!” Rin said, her antenna spiking. “Don’t say that! You’re going to-!”

 

“You don’t know that.” Hansuke said. “If you keep operating under the assumption that I’ll always be here, you’re never gonna get anywhere. Even if I do live, there’s pieces of this puzzle I’m missing. Nice as it’d be if I could, I can’t solve everything here.” He put his hands on Rin’s shoulders. “Do you understand?”

 

Rin took a moment to breathe, but then nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I think so.”

 

“Alright.” Hansuke nodded back, and let go. “First things first, then. I think there’s something wrong with your head.”

 

“What?” Rin said. “I mean, I donno, I think it’s a pretty good head, personally.”

 

Hansuke sighed. “No, I mean psychologically. Something’s up with your brain.”

 

“Join the club,” Stella groaned. She was sitting on a pipe while this conversation was happening.

 

“You’re a smart kid, Rin.” Hansuke said. “Real smart. But when I look at you, watch how you think, it’s almost like you’ve got trouble focusing. Nah, more than that. It’s like something’s _blocking_ you from focusing.”

 

A chill ran down Rin’s spine. “W-what do you mean?”

 

“This morning,” Hansuke said. “I could tell. You were in a bad state of things before Shinobu took you out of the room, and it was right after Daisuke brought up that theory.” He scratched his chin. “I got to thinking. You know that you know what VK stands for, don’t you?”

 

Stella’s breath hitched. Rin, meanwhile, just blinked. “I know that I know what VK stands for?” She thought back- and then suddenly, with a burst of clarity, remembered her episode from earlier. “Oh! Yeah, I- I do!” And she began to think-!

 

“Stop there!” Hansuke shouted, and threw up a hand. “Don’t get yourself into a tizzy thinking about it. Just accept that you know what it stands for.”

 

Rin stopped for a moment, breathed deep, in through her nose out through her mouth, in through her nose out through her mouth, haaaah okay. “Okay,” Rin said. “Before I lost my memories, I knew what VK stood for.”

 

“Good,” Hansuke said. “I figure that if you kept trying to puzzle it out, you’d blow a fuse again and wind up ignoring it for your brain’s sake.”

 

“Oh yeah, come to think of it, that happened during the trial too, didn’t it?” Stella said. “At a few points, Rin got all frazzled, and you and Gavin had to step in to redirect the conversation.”

 

Rin blinked. That _had_ happened, hadn’t it? Moments where her brain had revved itself into overdrive on something, and almost burnt her out from overthinking.

 

“Way I see it,” Hansuke said, “something’s blocking your natural thought processes, and that’s why you’re having these reactions. You’ve obviously got a pretty weird brain to begin with, so a slight wrench in it’s giving you a lot of trouble.”

 

The more Rin thought about it, the more she agreed, ‘pretty weird brain’ comment aside. “So, the mastermind messed with my head somehow to make it harder for me to figure out what’s going on?”

 

“That’s my theory, anyway.” Hansuke said. “Obviously, you’ve still got your memories, but there’s something blocking you from accessing them, and it’s causing you all these problems. Could be something the mastermind did to you, or could be that it’s some basic fact about yourself that contextualizes almost all of your memories to a degree that you need to remember it in order for things to start making sense.” He frowned. “Or could be both.”

 

“Well, that’s frustrating!” Rin said, puffing her cheeks. “I’m just trying to get by here! Why’d they have to go and do something rude like that?”

 

“Likely ‘cause you’ve got something in there that the mastermind doesn’t want us knowing.” Hansuke said. “So, don’t fret about it too much. If you realize you’ve got something stuck in there that’s important, _do not_ work yourself into a frenzy thinking about why. That’ll just get us farther from the truth.”

 

It was kind of an odd sentiment to Rin, but she mulled it over in her mind, and began chewing on it. ‘Don’t worry about why you know something, just accept that you do.’ “I’ll try my best,” she said.

 

“Good.” Hansuke said. “Another bit of brain food for you, then. I think Jun’s hiding something, and I bet you anything it’s related.”

 

“Wait, him?” Stella said. “Are we talking about the same Jun here?”

 

“Runs websites, short, wheelchair, stubborn little shit.” Hansuke said. That did in fact sound like Jun, Rin decided. “See, I got to thinking it was kind of odd, the way he’s been acting the last few days. It’s off to me.”

 

Rin blinked. “You mean that part where he’s a total jerk?”

 

“If he’d been consistent about it, that’d be one thing.” Hansuke said. “The guy’s obviously not the most pleasant knife in the drawer. But, slowly but surely, the kid’s softening. Spending all that time around Gavin seems to be changing him for the better.”

 

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Stella stood up and shouted. “There’s no way!”

 

“The guy did try to apologize to you,” Hansuke said Stella’s way. “Way he was at the start, there was no way he’d do that. Never said he was a good person just yet, but he’s clearly changing. He’s lowered his guard just a bit.” He then turned his gaze towards Rin again. “Except for you.”

 

“Eh?” Rin asked, her antenna curling.

 

“He’s making these little improvements towards people, except for you.” Hansuke said. “He still hates you as much as ever. Jun likes Chihaya pretty well, but when you were theorizing, he went back into overdrive mode to try and get one over on you.”

 

“Jun likes Chihaya?” Stella said. “Jun can _like_ people?”

 

“Probably’d kill me if he knew I knew this,” Hansuke said, “but he was sat outside Chihaya’s room with Gavin for an hour earlier, waiting for her to come out. Way I figure, he probably got real touched in his own way about her going along with his little trick to fool you in hide and seek.”

 

Rin thought back to yesterday’s trial, remembering that time she karate chopped Jun in the face. Come to think of it, his apology to Chihaya had sounded surprisingly sincere. “So, what you’re saying is, it’s not just Jun being himself that leads him to dislike me, but he might have some actual reason for it?”

 

“That’s about the size of it,” Hansuke said. “Whatever the case actually is, guy’s got some reason to hate you, or at least he thinks he does. I mean, really, if anyone here’s gonna hide something, it’s him.” And Rin couldn’t really argue with that logic. It was Jun, after all. “If anyone here’s got a reason to hate _Jun,_ it’s you two, but take my word for it. He’s acting weird even for him, if you ask me.”

 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Rin said, her mind far off into the distance. “Thanks, Hansuke.”

 

“Don’t thank me yet.” Hansuke said, lowering his eyes. “You can thank me when someone gets out of here alive.” And with that, the Ultimate Salesman waved and left.

 

**5:15 P.M.**

 

It was a bit of a quiet walk to the next room, the Post Office, but it also wasn’t a particularly long one. When the two reached that end of the hall, they found not only the Post Office door on the side, but at the end of the hall, a second door. When they tried it, though, they found it locked, so into the Post Office it was.

 

With white marble walls and a high window ceiling that gave an artificial, yet still breathtaking view of the sunset, the Post Office had an oddly regal atmosphere for such a mundane-sounding room. Above Rin and Stella sat several brass bird cages, for some reason. Lining the left side of the entire room were a long row of post boxes, numbering 1234567…115, in columns of five. The seventeen nearest to the entrance were marked with the names of the students, but the other ninety-eight had been wiped clean.

 

“Trip, man, this takes me back,” said Gavin, who stood in the room, inspecting the bird cages. “Used to know a dude who kept post owls. Small world, man, small world.” Based on the tone of his voice, Rin could tell he was a bit down, but then he helpfully gave a long, deep sigh that made it much more obvious.

 

“Hey, Gav, my dude.” Rin said, going over to Gavin and placing her arm around him. “What's the sitch? Your vibe seems tres harshed.”

 

“Majorly,” Gavin said. “Gav is in a state of major bum-out.”

 

“That's most un-groovy,” Rin said.

 

“Are you two even speaking the same language as me anymore?” Stella said.

 

“It's like...” Gavin frowned, and crossed his arms, becoming smaller under Rin's. “So like, I'm the Ultimate Buddy, yeah? And what that means is, I'm good at being number two, y'know? I'm good at sitting in the back, making sure my brothers from other mothers and sisters from other misters are doing the best they can, right?”

 

“That's basically my understanding of it, yeah.” Rin said.

 

“But, man...” Gavin sighed again. “What good's that talent if I couldn't even help Wand? You saw that last night. She was hurting, Rin, she was hurting real bad, and I even talked to her that day and I didn't notice a thing!” A small sniffling noise told Rin that she was seeing something she hadn't seen before. Gavin was crying. “How can I be the Ultimate Buddy if I just let that happen, man? I shoulda _done_ something!”

 

“But what could you have done?” Rin said. “Gavin, we didn't know. I mean...” She leaned into him a little more, and hugged him properly. “Maybe if we were in school. If we weren't in this stupid killing game, we could've done something.”

 

“This shit is wack, man.” Gavin said. He was a quiet crier. “Wha'd any of us to do to deserve this? What's this mastermind even _thinking,_ huh? Trip, are they even thinking at all? Maybe they're just, I dunno, makin' us lose our friends for no gat danged reason! How long's this gotta go before they're satisfied, huh!? How many folks gotta die before whoever's got us locked up here's satisfied?!” He shuddered a bit under Rin's grasp. “It all just don't make no freakin sense, man.”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said. “Yeah.”

 

The room was quiet to allow Gavin time to cry for about half a minute more before he broke off. Just as quickly as Sad Gavin had come, he was gone, and Gavin's usual manner was back. “Thanks for the pow-wow, Rin. Good stuff!”

 

“Good stuff!” Rin agreed.

 

“Weren't you just sobbing a minute ago?” Stella said, raising her eyebrow.

 

“Aww, c'mon, Stel.” Gavin snorted. “Gav ain't the Ultimate Buddy for nothin', y'know! If I went around bein' a miserable mope, people'd get even sadder, right? So yours truly's mastered the art of the speed-vent!” He pounded his chest. “Thanks much, ladies, for bearing witness to the Sakaki Institute's day off.”

 

“You two...” Stella said, shaking her head. “You're the weirdest people I've ever met. Both of you.”

 

“Aw, but you know you love us.” Rin said, beaming, her antenna curling into a little heart. “Am I right, Gavin?” She rose her hand up for a fistbump.

 

“You know it!” Gavin said, meeting Rin with his own fist. “Me and Rin, weird friendship people. Oh, you know, that reminds me, Stel.” He looked at Stella. “Your dye's coming off.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Stella said. “I don't have any here to keep it up.”

 

“I like it better that way,” Gavin said. “Looks better on you.” Stella's eyes widened, and she looked away, blushing. “For real, girl!” Gavin laughed.

 

“Rin, we are leaving.” Stella yanked on Rin's arm and began tugging her towards the door. Of course, Stella wasn't particularly able to move Rin, but Rin smiled and acquiesced.

 

“Later, Gavin!” Rin waved behind her as she left the room with Stella. “Stay cool, my dude!”

 

“Stay cool, dudette!” Gavin replied.

**6 P.M.**

 

The left branch was done, then, so it was on to the right. The side branches of Newcomb Hall were, as far as Rin could tell, utterly symmetrical, so they found the door to the Foundry at the same place as they'd found the door to Ventilation on the other side.

 

The Foundry was pretty deep, as far as Rin could tell. Going far back and even sinking down below, it was a massive, gnarled mess of conveyor belts, pots, automatic drills, crushers, and even more. Rin's eyes began to cross trying to take it all in. The sounds of metalwork rang through the vast room, and there was an unmistakeable glow from the molten metal at play.

 

Rin shivered. “This place gives me the heebie-jeebies for some reason.”

 

“Well, it's not like it's somewhere that we'd normally be visiting.” Stella said. “Plus you hear a lot of horror stories about old, abandoned factories like this.”

 

“So, I guess this is where they make replacement parts for machines here in the facility,” Rin said. She weaved past several machines to get a better look downward, at the lower parts of the Foundry-

 

Rin stumbled back with a yelp of surprise, very ungracefully falling onto her butt. She blinked. Down below, at the bottom of the Foundry, was a massive wreck of slammed-together metal in vehicle form, framed against a false sunset similar to what was present in the Post Office. The telltale frame of an airplane stuck out of the center of it. It was slowly shrinking from the work of small drones cleaning up the metal, but there was still a sizable amount of it.

 

In other words, Rin knew, and Stella too judging from her reaction as she ran over, the two of them had just found the final resting place of Eriko Shigure.

 

“Just so you know,” said Monokuma, who appeared beside the two, “I went ahead and took the liberty of bringing Eriko to the morgue myself. After all, it'd just be downright rude of me to leave her under there for so long!”

 

“Fuck you.” Stella said, her voice rising, her teeth gritted. “You were the one who killed her!”

 

After a moment of silence, Monokuma sighed and said, “Yeah, I guess you're right. Who am I to talk about being rude? Maybe I should just throw myself in that pot of boiling metal over there. Would that make you happy?”

 

“Extremely.” Stella said.

 

Rin stood up again and said, “I mean, don't you have spare bodies? It wouldn't really do anything.”

 

Tapping a paw to his cheek, Monokuma made a humming noise. “Where in the world did you get that impression? I'm a one hundred percent unique bear, y'know! I'd die!”

 

“You're more like some kind of shitty knockoff toy,” Stella spat. “Bet they sell you for less than a dollar in bargain bins.”

 

“Oh. My god.” Monokuma squished his cheeks together. “Rin, are you listening to this girl. Are you hearing this SLANDER? Are you hearing these insanely rude words Stella is saying about me? How can you stand for this?”

 

“Mmm, I think he's right, Stella.” Rin said, nodding. “He is pretty unique as far as Monokumas go. Something's telling me he's probably a collector's item.” Monokuma huffed proudly. Stella gave Rin the stinkeye.

 

“I mean, seriously.” Monokuma said, trotting around in a circle. “If you get rid of me, you're just gonna get another Monokuma, but will he have my specific shining personality? My bratty, yet lovable charm? These paws whose artistic depictions of backstory will have you knocking on Heaven's Door?”

 

“Junko Enoshima could probably draw pretty well,” Stella said.

 

Monokuma scoffed. “You need to wake up and face <reality>, Stella. It's like... the days of my youth, like the scent of fresh lemon, like licking a spider on a bizarre summer day.”

 

“Would we even really get another Monokuma then, though?” Rin said. “I mean, I guess it depends on whether or not you're remote-controlled or an AI. Making just a Monokuma chassis probably wouldn't be too hard. Though, come to think of it, it would require knowing what's inside you.”

 

“Do you want to be inside me?!” Monokuma shrieked. “No! Anything but h*lding h*nds! You can't!”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Rin clonked Monokuma on the head, narrowing her eyes. “Dingus. Aren't you a boy, anyway? Pretty sure I'm not into those.”

 

“Isn't the fact that he's bear-shaped a bigger issue?” Stella said. Rin shrugged.

 

“But anyway, yes indeedy, that is in fact Eriko Shigure's execution ground!” Monokuma said. “Rush Hour! Every loop sees the drums get brighter and bolder, while the choppy bass track invites you to set yourself afloat upon it, body and soul. When you're worried about the time, it's the place to go in Compound VK!”

 

“So, is there one of these squirrelled around for every single student?” Rin said.

 

“Of course!” Monokuma said. “There'd be a gate up here if Eriko was still alive so as to avoid spoilers, if you catch my drift. Incidentally, Aoto's is in back of the Rec Room, and Miria's-” He visibly slumped. “-would've been on the climbing wall in Physical Training.”

 

“So you're basically just repurposing these rooms for this.” Rin said. “Still, though, no wonder you've got a foundry this big if you need all that stuff. What was this facility even for?”

 

“That's classified,” said Monokuma, who was suddenly in a tuxedo, wearing shades. “In fact, I'll need you to forget this conversation ever happened.” He clicked a pen light at Rin and Stella a few times. “Vivid memories turn to fantasies.” And then he climbed in a hole.

**6:30 P.M.**

 

Monokuma aside, there wasn't much to the Foundry for enterprising young women such as Rin and Stella to enjoy, so next, it was on to the Greenhouse. Finally, a difference between the wings made itself apparent; there was no locked door at the end of the right wing of Newcomb Hall like there had been on the left.

 

As Rin and Stella entered the Greenhouse, Rin was struck by a wave of moisture in the air that she wasn't quite used to. (Stella clicked her tongue, mumbling something about how her hair would get frizzy.) She also wasn't used to quite this much _green._ Plant life of all different variations, vines, bushes, trees, even the occasional moss or lichen on a rock, it was all flourishing here. This was the third room to contain a false sky, but this one seemed to be equipped with proper UV lighting. The walls were all glass, though presumably reinforced enough to handle water pressure... not that Rin knew how exactly this facility was laid out from outside.

 

To Rin's left were stairs, above which, through a glass floor, she could see the second level of the Greenhouse. A map was stationed near them, as well. The Greenhouse was on two layers, with this “Central Area” being, naturally, the center. The path split off into three on the bottom layer, with the “Colonial Collection” to the left, the “Tea House Garden” to the right, and the “Arid Area” to the front. The upper area just went off to the sides, with the “Predator Place” on the left and the “Edibles Environment” on the right.

 

The artistry and efficacy of the alliterative names was lost on Rin, who thought it was rather tacky.

 

A dainty humming from the direction of the Colonial Collection (Colonial? What?) told Rin that a certain Mystery Novelist was present, so she jogged over in that direction to go see, but stopped dead in her tracks once she saw her. Shinobu, arms wide, was spinning around and appeared to be dancing to herself amidst the orange sunset, her eyes closed, her beret sat next to some prickly-looking plant Rin vaguely recognized.

 

Everything seemed to go quiet for Rin as she stared, transfixed, at Shinobu's movements. Shinobu's hair flowed and swayed as she danced, her movements surprisingly coordinated and practiced, especially for someone in such formal attire. The tune Shinobu hummed to herself, too, transfixed Rin. It was a familiar tune to Rin, though for what reason, she couldn't place. She could almost hear the piano playing the notes beneath Shinobu's voice, the relatively simple, soft melody feeling accompanied, almost, by a ghostly piano accompanying her. A directionless sense of nostalgia welled up in Rin's heart listening to Shinobu hum; if Rin were to put words to it, the song felt like an ode to something lost, slightly repetitive, kind and heart-felt, yet tinged with subtle sorrow.

 

On and on Shinobu danced, one step naturally following the next in a flowing rhythm. Her grace was surprising for someone normally so forward and ostentatious. Rin felt an undeniable passion in the quiet dance amidst the plants, feelings conveyed without any words. Had she received training in dance? Rin, a complete amateur to the art, had no way of knowing, but it was doubtless that Shinobu was enjoying herself. As Rin watched, for however long she stood there mesmerized by Shinobu's dance, she found herself wanting to know more.

 

Finally, Shinobu slowed, a bit of sweat visible on her brow, and eventually stopped completely, bowing slightly to an imaginary audience. Rin followed her instincts, and began quietly clapping for her. It was loud enough, though, that Shinobu heard, and opened her eyes to see Rin standing there. Shinobu immediately turned a red brighter than most any Rin had ever seen, letting out a high-pitched noise akin to a steam whistle.

 

“Oh!” Shinobu said, her posture immediately going rigid, absentmindedly backing up to pick up her beret. “Rin! Haha. Hello! There. How long have you been watching.”

 

“Um, I donno.” Rin said. “I kinda lost track of time. Your dancing was, uh...” The heat in her cheeks suddenly alerted Rin to the fact that she was also quite red. “I enjoyed watching you.” And that was true, if the odd sensation in her chest told her anything. “I didn't know you like dancing.”

 

“Ahaha, well, yes.” Shinobu said, her hands fumbling her beret back onto her head. “A woman of culture like myself, yes, well, naturally. Oftentimes when I am at home by myself I shall give myself to dance. It is an effective way of removing excess energy from my system in an enjoyable and constructive manner!”

 

“Oh, neat!” Rin said. “I don't know if I dance or not, but I'd love to dance with you sometime.” She smiled, and stepped closer. The Colonial Collection that the two found themselves in was full of plants that carried a vaguely tropical vibe, to Rin. “What does Colonial mean?”

 

Shinobu cleared her throat. It seemed like that question allowed her to get back on point. “I believe this is in reference to the colonialism of Victorian England, my dear.” She said, a catlike smile on her face. “Though why the architects of Compound VK would name it such, I haven't the foggiest. Perhaps they have a fine appreciation for Victorian society?”

 

“You mean like you?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“Ka ka! Indeed, I suppose so!” Shinobu tittered. “Though, admittedly, I am more interested in the fashion and the era's importance to detective fiction.”

 

“And crusty old guys and their rules for mysteries?” Rin said.

 

“Young lady!” Shinobu leaned in, chiding. “Monsignor Knox might be old, indeed, but I assure you he is almost certainly not crusty! If anything, no doubt he has completely decomposed by this point.”

 

“Oh, yeah, you're right.” Rin nodded. “But why would this place even have all these 'colonial' plants? Why any of the plants?”

 

“Any number of reasons, really.” Shinobu said. “Atmospheric assistance, both literal and aesthetically speaking. Educational purposes, perhaps. The edibles, no doubt, are for eating!”

 

“Yeah, and they're pretty good.” That was Stella, walking up from behind and chowing down on a tomato. At Rin's quizzical look, she said, “I thought I should look around while you two were having your little moment.”

 

“W-was it really long enough for you to take the whole tour?” Shinobu said, a drop of sweat running down her forehead. Stella nodded. Shinobu lit back up.

 

“I didn't take much of a look at the carnivorous section, though.” Stella said. “I'm not in the mood to get eaten by plants.”

 

“Is anyone ever in the mood to get eaten by plants?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. Stella shrugged.

 

“At any rate, whoever built this compound no doubt either has far too much free time or significant amounts of money to spare,” Shinobu said. “Quite possibly both. Not that I mind private expenditures such as this bolstering the construction economy, but certainly they could find a use for such a full-featured facility unrelated to kidnapping, no?”

 

“I mean, I don't think it was built for that.” Rin said. “It doesn't seem like it was originally built for, uh, kidnapping purposes.”

 

“Indeed.” Shinobu said, crossing her arms and making little humming noises. “But this is an odd situation, nonetheless. A replica of Junko Enoshima's killing games performed in this day and age, complete with a Monokuma, yet supposedly unrelated to Ultimate Despair. What in the world could possess someone to do something so daft?”

 

Rin thought for a second, her antenna waving back and forth. “Maybe a grudge against Hope's Peak?” she said. “I mean, if they wanted to get on Hope's Peak's bad side, pretending to be Junko Enoshima, the school's biggest mistake, would be fitting, I guess.”

 

“Does it matter?” Stella said.

 

“Absolutely!” Shinobu huffed. “Stella, dear, ignoring the heart of a mystery only leads to half-hearted mysteries. As an author, I can't accept such a thing.”

 

“The heart?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “What does that mean?”

 

Shinobu cleared her throat. “'Whodunit, howdunit, whydunit.' The three tenets of the mystery story. The identity of the culprit, the method of the crime, and the motive behind it. Poorer mysteries often take a weak attitude towards the motive, claiming that the crime itself is the object, but I strongly disagree. A motive is the color that adds life to criminal fiction!”

 

Rin's heart twinged as she thought back to the sight of Wanda's camera, walking through the cold, dark hallway. Was that it? An illumination of her 'motive?' “I guess I can see that,” Stella said, “but you don't necessarily need motive to convict someone. This is a real criminal, Shinobu.”

 

“Even so.” Shinobu said. “To write off a criminal as simply criminal for criminality's sake will not help us with a crime that feels so... confound it, I've lost my words, what am I looking for?”

 

“Personal?” Rin said.

 

Shinobu's face brightened. “Yes, yes! Personal! This is a strongly motivated case, not something merely done for 'kicks,' if you will. That is what I believe. If they claim to not be a manifestation of despair like Junko Enoshima, then I shall strive to understand the heart of our captor.” She cast her eyes downwards. “I believe it to be my duty as the Ultimate Mystery Novelist.”

 

“Any theories?” Stella said.

 

“I've formulated a few, but I have discarded most of the lot.” Shinobu said. “It's actually rather possible to construct a narrative casting you, Rin, as our culprit.” Rin's breath hitched. “Assuming, of course, that you are a genuine Hashizawa, and would therefore have access to significant amounts of money. In fact, it's easy enough that I can only assume it has been done intentionally to misdirect our attentions.”

 

“Am I...” Rin's voice became quiet. “Am I really that suspicious?” A cold feeling began to take root in her chest.

 

“I do not believe so.” Shinobu said. “Aside from your character witness in Yashiro, there are enough holes in the theory that it leads me to believe that you are an intentional misdirection on the part of the mastermind.” And then, she smiled. “Of course, it is also true that I trust you, and do not believe that you are capable of committing such a dastardly scheme even in the worst circumstances.”

 

The cold feeling disappeared at the sight of Shinobu's smile. “Thank you,” Rin said. “I, um... I really appreciate it.” She blushed and looked away, twiddling her fingers.

 

“Anything for you, my dear!” Shinobu cackled. For some reason, Rin's heart fluttered a bit when she said that. “Oh,” Shinobu said, with a look of sudden realization. “Have the two of you seen Hansuke about? He and I were unable to finish an important discussion the other day, you see.”

 

“Um, we last saw him in Ventilation a few hours ago, but he left.” Rin said. “I donno where he is now. He might've gone to sleep.”

 

“Ah, I see, I see.” Shinobu nodded. “I shall be taking my leave then, ladies. The modern-day Mistress of Mystery is off to grasp the truth! Adieu, until we meet again, my friends!” With a loud cackle, Shinobu was off.

 

According to the artificial sky, it was getting to be nighttime by the point that Rin finished inspecting the rest of the Greenhouse, having taken a moment to try some tea in the Tea House Garden (much less bitter than the ku ding Daisuke made her,) trying her own tomato from the Edibles, and having her hand be clamped into a venus fly trap. It was rather fun, all things considered.

**8 P.M.**

 

The curtain blocking the Venue was remarkably thick, even entering from the designated entrance. It had to be, Rin supposed, to block as much sound as it clearly did, considering that as she and Stella walked through it, they immediately heard the sounds of a sitar, as well as the droning voice of Daisuke Harada accompanying it.

 

Rin wasn't certain what she was expecting when she heard the word 'Venue,' but apparently it was actually a concert venue of some description. Walking in, three rows of fixed-in-place chairs lined the slowly-sinking floor in defined aisles, handrails separating larger sections. In front of the chairs, a raised stage with _ludicrously_ massive speakers flanking it (that, no doubt, had to just be for show, right?) and rows of spotlights above made the room a proper Venue. Luan was sat in one of the chairs, sitting obligingly as Daisuke, on-stage, played away on his sitar. Rin didn't recognize the song, but it sounded oddly threatening. Something about marriage registrations and blood?

 

Anyway, eventually he finished his song, and Luan obligingly clapped. “And that was 'Let My Feelings Reach You Too!'” Daisuke said, leaning into his microphone. “Glad you enjoyed your time here, just two guys and we're having a good time, hey, wait, when'd you two get here?”

 

“We pretty much just got here.” Rin said. “You play frightening songs!”

 

“You completely butchered it.” Stella said, looking just incredibly unimpressed. “Seriously, a sitar arrangement of an Ibuki Mioda piece? Are you kidding?”

 

“Wait, you mean like, the Ultimate Musician, Ibuki Mioda?” Rin said, blinking. “Wow! Was this pre-Jabberwock or post-Jabberwock?”

 

“Pre-Jabberwock, one of her first pieces commercially released, _thank you._ ” Daisuke grumped. “And if you were a real Ibukid, you'd know, _Stella,_ that it was officially arranged for sitar in 2035 by the lady herself! This arrangement is older than like, _all of us combined._ ” He clicked his tongue.

 

“I thought it was good.” Luan said. “Thank you for having me, Daisuke.”

 

“My pleasure, my pleasure!” Daisuke said, bowing and hopping off the stage. “Being a Brewmaster means staying on point, and staying on point means entertaining my budz, that's buds with a z. This venue's great! It's way better than that musty old Auditorium.” He put his sitar back in its holster and planted his hands in the pockets of his robe.

 

“The electronics seem pretty impressive.” Stella said. “Really heavy-duty. One of those things probably costs more than my net monetary worth.”

 

“You're worth a thousand heavy-duty speakers, Stella.” Rin said. Luan nodded in agreement. Stella rolled her eyes.

 

“Ooh, can I write that down?” Daisuke said. “Luan, hand me a pen, that's a really good line!” Luan handed him a little pink pen (oh, he carries it with him?) and Daisuke scribbled something on the palm of his hand.

 

“Hoho, what's this now?” Rin said, leaning in. “Have I finally become the Sensei? Are you my apprentice now? Shall I teach you in the ways of catchphrases?”

 

“Nah, I'm good.” Daisuke said. “I've gotta stay on point and all. Can't teach greatness!”

 

“Well, it's a good thing you're chipper, at least.” Stella said. “You were kind of a mess for a while there, Mr. Cranberry Juice.”

 

“Hey, s-shut up!” Daisuke said, his sunglasses drooping a bit. “Look, I'm just a humble entertainer slash world-class brewmaster. I don't have a finely-honed temperament or anything. I just wanna...” He trailed off, making humming noises, before his eyes widened and his face shifted into a big, goofy grin. “Oh, man, yeah, totally! That's the stuff!”

 

Rin, Stella, and Luan all blinked. “What stuff?” Rin said.

 

“Yours truly just had a great idea that he's not going to go into any further until he consults with smarter individuals!” Daisuke said, powerwalking out of the Venue. “I gotta go find Yashiro! And Claus!”

 

“Claus is probably in the Infirmary dealing with a possible concussion.” Rin said.

 

“I gotta go find Yashiro!” Daisuke called, and disappeared behind the curtain.

 

The room was silent again as Rin processed Daisuke's exit. Luan helpfully offered, “There are two more rooms behind the curtain on-stage.”

 

“So, just out of curiosity, did he make you sit and listen to him play?” Rin said, her antenna curling.

 

Luan shook his head. “I asked him to play. I thought it might help him if he played.”

 

“Aww, you're a big ol' softie, aren't you, Lou?” Rin yanked him into her grasp for a hug and poked at his rough cheek. “On Daisuke's behalf, let me thank you for looking out for him.”

 

“You're welcome,” Luan said.

**8:30 P.M.**

 

Behind the curtain at the back of the Venue's stage was one last area of Newcomb Hall, the “Backstage.” Comparatively to the rest of the hall, it was more wooden and less showy, with minimal lighting and several boxes full of what appeared to be props of some sort lying around. It continued off to the right into another hallway that claimed to lead to the “Swimming Pool,” and to the left, there was a door labeled “Classroom 3-B.”

 

“Ugh, finally, I've been wondering when this stupid room would show up.” Stella said.

 

3-B was a bit more complex than the rest of the classrooms so far. Aside from the usual amenities, blackboard, chairs, and all, it also had two other doors and a small panel on the right wall. Right next to the blackboard on the far wall was the telltale Monokuma-faced door that indicated an entrance to the Monokuma Service Elevator. On the left wall was another, smaller door that Rin took a peek through; a dark hallway led to what seemed, judging from the make of it, to be the other side of that locked door from the left wing of Newcomb. Knowing this place, it was probably one-way or something, so Rin didn't bother going and opening it.

 

It was at this point that Rin noticed that Stella hadn't moved much, instead sitting down at one of the desks, staring blankly at the blackboard. Rin looked at it, too. Much like Miria's, it was almost like a short comic-format biography of Wanda Morinaga, from the situation with her father to being recruited to the Little Ultimates Initiative. Despite the minimalist style, all the implications behind the drawings were quite clear to Rin, at least. It all lined up with what Kazuya had said this morning, after all.

 

“What makes me and her different?” Stella said, in a quiet tone of voice. Rin turned to look at her. Stella's face was shadowed by her hair, turned down, away from the blackboard, now. “That was really close... to being me. I could've wound up the same way.”

 

“Stella, are you...” Rin sat down next to her. “Are you okay?”

 

“Right here, this is it, right here, this could've been me.” Stella said, her voice beginning to speed up. “Why wasn't it? Why did she die and I didn't?”

 

Rin breathed out through her nose, and closed her eyes. “I don't know.”

 

“I was the one who got saved from this,” Stella said. “Because my mom, she's so good, you don't even know. I love her so much. I was the one who got saved from this, and-!” A choking sob alerted Rin to the fact that Stella was now crying. “And because of that, Kei and Aoto are dead.”

 

Inwardly, Rin made the decision to let Stella ride this out for a bit to get to whatever was _really_ bothering her, and decided to silently hold her hands as Stella began to cry. “Why am I even alive? What the fuck good am I? Why can't I just stay quiet when I want to say something bitchy? I'm a leech, I just suck all the happiness out from the room because I can't let anyone else be happy, either. Why...?”

 

Stella leaned into Rin's body, grasping her back tightly, and crying into Rin's shoulder. “Why are you all so _nice_ to me? I don't _get_ it. Especially you! I don't understand you at all! I tried to _kill_ somebody! You should know that better than anyone! So why do you trust me so much? Why do you _like_ me so much? Why... why haven't you just left?” She gripped tighter. “I'm not worth the effort. Why are you trying so hard?”

 

Rin hooked her arms under Stella's to return what turned into a hug. There was a pause, where the only sound in the room was that of Stella's crying, before Rin said, “Is it okay if I talk now?” A small nod and an 'mm-hm' signaled the affirmative, so Rin began. “First off, you and Wanda are not interchangeable in the slightest. A person isn't just a collection of events that happened to them. Even if that _had_ been you, and I'm really glad it wasn't, you and Wanda would still be different people who react to things in different ways. Your mom loves you, Stella, and Wanda's... I don't think Wanda's did, but it's not just because of that that you're here now. It's because of you.”

 

She broke off from the hug to stare Stella in the eyes. Stella's face was red. “Second.” Rin began. “This is connected to what I just said. You're a unique person with your own personality, values, and beliefs, and that's why you're alive. You're not good just because of your talent, or anything like that, you're good because you're _Stella Masaki._ Nobody else...” She gave a self-effacing chuckle. “Well, I mean, I love pretty much everyone here, but... You're my best friend, Stella, and I don't think anyone else could say that.”

 

“I'm your _what?_ ” Stella said, the disbelief obvious even through the fading tears.

 

“I'll say it again if I need to.” Rin smiled. “We've only known each other for about a week and a half now, but I feel like, out of anyone here, I understand you the best, Stella. I'd be heartbroken if I lost you. I love having you around. I know you don't really like yourself much, but I think you don't really give yourself enough credit. I mean...” She chuckled. “Daisuke's singing was _pretty_ bad! I like how snarky you are. I mean, honestly, you could say I'm too nice for my own good, right?”

 

“Well, yeah, of course.” Stella said.

 

“I like how honest you can be when people are being stupid.” Rin said. “I mean, sometimes when you're in bad places you can take it a bit too far, but that doesn't mean I don't like that about you. You're a lot more level-headed than I am, and I'm just... really glad that I know you, and that you're my friend. And I trust you because I know you're a good person.”

 

Stella began trembling, and tears began to well up in her eyes again. “But-!”

 

“I don't believe for a second that, even if I hadn't come out, you would've actually gone through with it.” Rin said, as seriously as she could muster. “You're made of stronger stuff than that, Stella. I _know_ you are.”

 

“How can you know something like that?!” Stella cried.

 

Rin smiled, closed her eyes, and tilted her head to one side. “Don't you remember what Hansuke said earlier today? I'm not supposed to question _why_ I know something. I just _know._ That's how being me works.”

 

The tears in Stella's eyes quickly stopped welling up as she stared at Rin in disbelief. Her mouth opened slightly before she shouted, “Are you _serious_ right now?!” Stella gritted her teeth and planted her face directly into Rin's chest, still crying a little, pounding her fists against Rin's shoulders. “You are the dumbest- stupid as a box of rocks- how are you even alive if you're so, so, _rrrragh!_ ”

 

“I love you too, Stella.” Rin giggled and patted the shorter girl's head. “Enjoying yourself down there?”

 

Stella growled. “Yes. Yes, I am _enjoying myself._ You have _a nice chest to cry into,_ does that make you happy?”

 

“Fills me with this sort of existential glee that I think most people try to find from religion.” Rin said.

 

“You say the stupidest shit I have ever heard come out of a human mouth,” Stella said into Rin's breasts. After a bit of sitting there, though, she gave a long, deep sigh, lifted her head back up, and said, “Do you mind if I sleep in your room again tonight?”

 

“Eh?” Rin's antenna pointed. “Um, no, why?”

 

Stella closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth again. “Because I have been trying my absolute fucking hardest to stave off the urge to cut myself but it is _really_ strong today and I think it'd do me good to stay in your room because I trust you and you're...” Sigh. “Also my best friend somehow.”

 

“Oh, well, of course!” Rin said. “Sleepover! Alright! Whoo! I'm mad down.” She fistpumped triumphantly before standing back up. “First things first, though, I wanna finish my sweep of this floor. Is that alright?”

 

“Uh, right, sure.” Stella said. Rin had a feeling she'd forgotten they were working. “Just, uh... give me a minute to gather myself.”

 

Rin nodded, and went and checked out the panel on the right wall next. After fiddling with it for a bit, she managed to make something happen. With a loud sound, the floor near the panel and across to the back corner suddenly gave way to a dark stairwell of similar make to the one in Goodhart that led to the Darkroom. Using her incredible powers of observation and knowledge of the halls' layouts, Rin deduced that the stairwell this time led to somewhere in the vicinity of the Basin, but considering it was probably one-way, she didn't much feel like checking it out right now.

**9:20 P.M.**

 

The last destination for Rin and Stella was the Swimming Pool in the backstage of Newcomb. At least, Rin mused, unless there were even more doors past that.

 

She voiced that thought, and Stella's response was to groan and say, “Ugh, this floor's stupidly big as it is. My feet are killing me.”

 

“Really?” Rin said, bouncing up and down a bit. “Mine feel fine.”

 

“Yeah, well, you're a special case, Rin.” Stella said. “I don't know if you can even feel pain.”

 

“No, no, I definitely can.” Rin said, nodding sternly to herself. “That coconut hurt quite a lot.”

 

With that settled, the two of them stepped into the Swimming Pool. Rin wasn't entirely certain what to expect, but she found herself pretty impressed with the pool itself. It looked a goodly size, easily enough to comfortably contain the whole class, even with Yashiro (who, she was sure she should mention at some point, took to water about as comfortably as a cat usually did, even one so large as himself.) Several diving boards of varying heights and lengths were in place, and there were three different stairwells into areas of the pool with similarly varying depths. The clean, white floors beside the pool had a great deal of absorbency, so it seemed they dried easily. The walls were a pleasant shade of cyan, and it was all quite easy on the eyes, Rin thought. Over to the left was an entrance to the “Shower Room,” but Rin really wasn't in the mood for a shower in a different shower right now.

 

There was also a green-haired young man leaving the Shower Room, his hair still somewhat damp, but seeming in rather good spirits, all told. Rin wasn't certain she should ruin Jun's day by showing up, but before she had a chance to really think about that, he'd noticed her anyway.

 

“Oh.” He said. “Hashizawa.”

 

“That is my surname!” Rin said, gingerly stepping over to view a posting of the pool's rules. There were various notes about where certain water equipment could be found, but the important part was that the Pool, like the Auditorium and the Cafeteria, was off-limits at night. “Mm, okay.” She nodded, registering this information. “I didn't know you swam, Jun.”

 

“I don't, really. Gavin suggested that some time in the water could be good for my health, though, so I obliged.” He shrugged. “He wasn't wrong. I enjoyed it.”

 

“Is this your first time in a pool?” Rin said, tilting her head.

 

“Infrequently does the opportunity arise for me.” Jun said. “See, Hashizawa, unlike some people, I actually have to-!” He furrowed his brow and groaned. “Ugh.”

 

Rin thought back to what Hansuke had said before. It wasn't just Jun being Jun, he'd said. Jun had some _reason_ to dislike and distrust her, so even if he was trying to become a nicer person, he was probably still having some difficulties.

 

Stella was standing behind Rin, and Rin could tell she was probably also feeling pretty awkward. Of course, thorough awkwardness was a step up from outright vitriol like Jun had carried with him in the past, so that was good.

 

That said, the silence was getting really heavy at this point, and Rin wasn't certain which of them was going to break it first. Perhaps she should say something? Or no, that might set Jun off and remove some progress-.

 

“You did well yesterday.” Jun said.

 

Eh? “Eh?” Rin said, her antenna pointing.

 

“In the trial.” Jun said. “You did well. I was wrong, and I let myself be tricked. You didn't. You did a good job.” Judging from the subtle motions of his face, it almost seemed to Rin like giving her credit like this was physically injuring him.

 

“Um, oh.” Rin averted her eyes and pursed her lips. “Thank you, Jun. I appreciate it.” Feeling a bit guilty, she added, “Well, I think that even if it's not perfect, the things you've done with your technical skills have been a big asset to the group. And, well, even if you really, really don't like me, I respect that you're trying to be nicer. So, thank you, Jun.”

 

“You're welcome,” Jun said in the most stilted voice Rin could imagine. “And, Masaki... er, no. Stella.” Jun said, looking over at her. “I'm... sorry. Again. For... being... um, how did Yayoi put it... a... 'colossal asswipe.' To you. On... several occasions... with malicious intent... mm. Yes.”

 

Stella blinked. “Are you sure you're okay? Those words sound really weird coming out of your mouth.”

 

A vein bulged in Jun's forehead. “Now you listen here-!”

 

“No, I'm serious.” Stella said, putting up her hands. “It sounds like your gut is wrenching every time you try to apologize. Are you okay?”

 

Jun gritted his teeth, and out came a hiss of, “I can't be okay if I'm doing this in front of _her. Especially_ without any sleep. So no. I am not okay. I'm going to go to my room and go to sleep. Thank you for listening. Good night, Stella. And...” He made some sort of strange grunting noise. “Hashizawa.”

 

He wheeled off the fastest Rin had ever seen him move, and once again, Rin and Stella were left with an awkward air in the now-empty Pool. “Wow,” Rin said. “He really _is_ trying! How about that?”

 

“Truly an inspiration for us all.” Stella said.

**11:30 P.M.**

 

And with that, the scan of Kavka and Newcomb was finally complete, so Rin retired to her boudoir along with her good friend Stella so that the two could sleep alongside each other in the same bed. Rin was quite excited about a completely regular and normal sleepover happening for the first time in recent memory, so even after the lights were off and the two of them were in bed, she had a bit of trouble going to sleep.

 

“Hey.” She said to Stella, whose hair was out of its ponytail for the evening, lying on her back. “Hey, Stella.”

 

“Go to sleep, Rin.” Stella said, adjusting her legs a little bit.

 

“Wow, this is really exciting. I can't believe I'm having a sleepover! I'm all giddy inside!” Rin said. “I mean, I've never had anyone else in my bed before. It's exciting!”

 

“Go to _sleep,_ Rin.” Stella grumbled.

 

“Though, I mean, I guess I could ask, but there's not really anyone else I'd _like_ to sleepover with. Everyone else I feel like it'd be awkward for some reason or another.” Rin said.

 

“What about Shinobu.” Stella mumbled.

 

“Well, uh...” That was a valid point, and it was one Rin had kind of been avoiding thinking about. “I kind of get this weird feeling in my chest when I think about sleeping with her. It's not, like, bad, but I'm not entirely sure what it is, and I feel like I should figure out what it is before I do something like that? I mean, I like Shinobu a lot, obviously, but there's this weird uncertainty to it-?”

 

“You mean how you're in love with her?” Stella grumbled.

 

There were a few moments of silence as Rin processed what Stella had just said. She mulled it over in her mind, flipped the statement up and down and all around, stretched it a little, squeezed it a little, melted it, froze it again, condensed it, did several things to that statement, really.

 

A lightbulb went off in her head.

 

“ _Ohhhhhhhhhh!_ ” Rin said. “So _that's_ what it was! Wow, thanks, Stella!”

 

“Go to sleep, Rin.” Stella grumbled.

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Ten.**

 

**No students died today. Thirteen students remain.**

**No abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**

 


	25. Day 11 - Love Pattern

**8 A.M.**

 

It felt like it had been quite some time since Rin had experienced an uneventful morning's breakfast- if such a thing had ever occurred in her life at all. Since Aoto's death, every morning had brought with it some portent of new tidings, whether bad or good.

 

“So I tell the guy, right, I tell him, trip, man, you think all footballs are suspicious 'cuz they made of leather?” Gavin said, waving his hand to accentuate his statement.

 

“No waiter I've ever seen wears leather gloves, Sakaki,” Yayoi said, rolling her eyes. “The guy was clearly in on this whole conspiracy.”

 

“Actually,” Claus said, with a bandage still on his head, “my older sister works as a waiter in a restaurant near where we live, and regularly wears leather gloves in order to avoid the dangers of handling certain foods. It's not completely unheard of!”

 

“The hell kind of food they serve where you live?” Yayoi said, cocking her eyebrow.

 

“I donno, maybe jellyfish?” Rin said, tapping her chin. “They sting you, right?” (“Do people eat jellyfish?” Luan wondered.)

 

They were all sat around the central table. The way conversation had flowed, everyone had wound up listening to one of Gavin's many, many stories about the incredible things that happened in his life. His dog didn't seem to factor into this one, which saddened Rin a bit, but it was fun nonetheless.

 

“So then, craziest thing happened!” Gavin said, leaning back and staring into the sky like he was having a religious experience. “You know like, that statue of the masked dude in the front lobby? Well, turns out it ain't no statue- it's a dude painted up all gold, and he wakes up and starts punching the terrorists!”

 

“W-wouldn't that be incredibly dangerous for your health?” Kazuya said, frowning deeply.

 

“Not necessarily,” Hansuke said. “Depends on the kinda paint they used. Probably something totally non-toxic. I've got a few canisters of non-toxic gold paint in my truck, actually.”

 

“Punching terrorists is absolutely hazardous to your health, though!” Daisuke said, sweating. “What kind of superhero was this guy that he could just stand in the same position for two days and then beat up a gang of terrorists?”

 

Everyone closed their ears when Yashiro made a noise of realization. “Oh! Why, that must've been old man Tenmei! I took lessons from him once in the pursuit of better Strongmannery!”

 

“Small world, man!” Gavin said.

 

Rin had a long day of work ahead of her, so she was glad for the bit of reprieve this uneventful breakfast offered her. After all, though she had figured out how to work with wood already, the actual work of whittling such finely-crafted statuettes was still quite difficult.

 

“Oh, snap, hey J, maybe you'll be able to explain this to me, man,” Gavin said. “So at this point, Ho229, that's the robot dude, he starts talkin' about how embarrassed he is that with all his massive intellect, dude's physical strength can't even measure up to 'an average Gaulem.'”

 

“Damn right he can't!” Yayoi puffed her chest proudly and slammed her fist into it. “If people could mass-produce shit better than a golem, where'd the Jews be then? We've already got enough trouble!”

 

Stella blinked. “Wait, what?”

 

“While the technological and anthropological implications of mass-producing robots to overthrow various Jewish communities is a fascinating topic I'm sure I'd love to hear more about,” Jun said, “Gavin's robot friend actually meant a G-OLM unit, the original mobile strong-AI humanoid machines created by Doctor Sigma Klim in 2038 in cooperation with the philanthropic organization Crash Keys. While strong AI had been perfected before, and a humanoid strong AI existed in society, even-”

 

“Oh!” Rin's antenna puffed. “The first humanoid strong-AI machine required an entire quantum computer to house him, right? And in order for him to walk around in the world, his consciousness needed a satellite relay, as opposed to any data being stored on the side of the body.”

 

“Wait, how'd you know that?” Daisuke said. Rin shrugged, which was more of an answer than he usually got.

 

“Hashizawa's correct. I guess she is good for that, at least.” Jun smirked. “Klim's advancements in the field of robotics and strong AI are the building blocks upon which the late-20th early-21st Artificial Intelligence Renaissance was built. Where before the idea of intelligent machines was a pipe dream, nowadays it's very much a reality. It's said that within the nation of Japan alone, at least 100,000 intelligent humanoid machines, or 'Replicants,' are currently living day-to-day lives.”

 

Hansuke nodded his head slightly. “Interesting. I've run into a few on the road. Who'd've thunk there were so many.” He scratched his chin.

 

“Man, dude, this clears up like, three questions I had and then twenty more I didn't!” Gavin smiled and gave a thumbs up. “Good stuff, J.”

 

Jun looked very pleased to have his intellect appreciated as the door to the Kitchen slammed open, and one Shinobu Koshimizu hollered, “ _Ladies and gentlemen!_ The task as simple as choosing whether to put butter or jam on your morning toast has been completed! Witness the culinary wisdom of a reclusive, eccentric author!”

 

Kazuya chuckled. “I wasn't expecting you to be this chipper about it.”

 

...Well, no, Rin thought. This morning wasn't entirely uneventful, was it? After all, this was the first morning in her living memory that she awoke having a concrete name for this feeling that had been in her chest for the past few days. According to Stella, anyway, but Stella had a way of cutting to the truth of emotional matters, and besides, Rin trusted her.

 

With a 180-360-540-720-900-degree spin on her heels (wow), Shinobu presented Rin's dishes to her. “And for the lovely lady in Room Seventeen!” Shinobu said, regaining her balance and curtsying.

 

“How the hell can you manage that but not a rope?” Yayoi said.

 

“She's actually a pretty good dancer,” Stella said, idly stabbing at... was that a grape tomato? Something red.

 

Now that she _knew_ what she was feeling, Rin couldn't keep her eyes off of the movements Shinobu made, both the understated and those well past the point of exaggeration, as after all, Shinobu Koshimizu was not one for much middle ground. From several points of view, she was a patently ridiculous person, especially in this day and age, with her Victorian poseur affectations and sense of dress, her _laugh-_ oh, there it was- her small, delicate hands and nails that, now that Rin had seen an instance of it, she could tell that they were done up to avoid the slight, but still remaining, remnants of having bitten them rather fiercely once upon a time.

 

Mm, wait. Her hands weren't actually very odd, Rin realized. She had gotten sidetracked from her original train of thought. It was hard for her not to, looking at the way Shinobu's shining azure orbs were glowing now as she sat down and began informing Gavin of how, _naturally,_ the thief in his story had actually stuffed the stolen jewel inside a deflated lifeboat and used a vinegar trail to deter crime dogs. The glee Shinobu felt in unveiling the trick was infectious, and Rin almost felt herself bursting into a little cackle of her own.

 

So this is love, Rin thought to herself. She thought back to some of Chihaya's words (with a pang of pain in her heart at remembering that the 'Ghost' had yet to leave her room), regarding the nature of love and her feelings towards Miria. They didn't quite seem the same as her own sentiments, but, well, perhaps that was just the nature of things when dealing with feelings. Oh, that was catchy, 'dealing with feelings.' Rin marked that phrase down in her phrasebook.

 

“They call it 'breaking fast' for a reason, Rin!” Yashiro boomed. “You should eat your food in order to grow properly!”

 

She blinked. “Oh right, it's breakfast.” Perhaps rumination was best saved for later.

 

**11 A.M.**

 

Yashiro Narumi had met many an individual interested in the pursuit of greater physical fitness. It came with the territory when, as part of a traveling show, one was adored by hundreds of thousands for one's raw strength and, Yashiro liked to think, stunning character. That, in and of itself, was nothing new.

 

What was new was this one specific person, one Kazuya Okudaira. According to everyone else here, the boy was a master of speech-writing and public speaking of some degree. He didn't necessarily seem the _type,_ but looks could be quite deceiving. His talent was not what was surprising about him.

 

No, Yashiro thought, as he raced over to help brace Kazuya, who was currently doubled over having a coughing fit after a bout of running on a treadmill. What was surprising was-

 

“I'm _fine!_ ” Kazuya coughed. “Let's keep going.”

 

-the boy's bullheaded stubbornness in doing things well above his starting level, not to mention his sudden fervor.

 

“Kazuya, my boy, you're clearly not fine,” Yashiro said, frowning at Kazuya. “Do you suffer from asthma? I can hear wheezing in your breath.”

 

“Yes, but it's-! Hggk!” Kazuya winced, and took a moment to steady himself. “It's nothing serious. I'm fine.”

 

“I think perhaps you should try something a bit less strenuous,” Yashiro said, “if you are having quite this much trouble.” Thankfully, Yashiro's natural size meant that he was able to prevent Kazuya from hopping back on the treadmill even if he wanted to, and he sat Kazuya down to help him recuperate.

 

Kazuya gritted his teeth. “Fine. Okay. What do you suggest?”

 

“Would removing your coat be a reasonable suggestion?” Yashiro said. “It seems far too heavy for you, especially if you're attempting to work up a good sweat.”

 

The look on Kazuya's face told Yashiro that he very much wished the answer was 'no,' but with a groan, Kazuya began to unbutton his coat. Eventually, he sloughed the oversized mass of fabric off his shoulders, and it fell around him. The pants he wore were a bit longer than ideal, but thankfully light, and he'd brought a plain, grey t-shirt along for the ride.

 

Actually, now that Yashiro got a look at him more closely, Kazuya wasn't necessarily _out of shape._ His musculature was a bit more defined than Yashiro had been expecting it to be, based on Kazuya's own self-assessment.

 

Yashiro hummed, and sat down. “Kazuya, might I have a word once you feel well enough to breathe? I find myself concerned.”

 

“There's nothing to be concerned about,” Kazuya said. “Maybe something less lung-intensive, it's fine. I'm fine.”

 

“Why do you want to become stronger, Kazuya?” Yashiro said. “If there's a story, I'd love to hear it.”

 

“Huh?” Kazuya's eyes widened. “Well, what does that-?”

 

“You're acting very unusually,” Yashiro said. “Ordinarily you're quite placid, but it seems almost as though you're possessed. I can only assist you in good conscience if I know it is not for unhealthy reasons, friend!”

 

There was a moment of silence before Kazuya gave a weak grin. “Right. Of course. I don't know what I expected. Justice, right?”

 

“Exactly!” Yashiro said.

 

“I know I seem calm, and quiet,” Kazuya said. “But I wasn't always like that. When I was a kid, in elementary school, I got into a ton of fights. I knew a lot of people who'd get bullied, so I'd stand up for them by fighting the bullies. I hated them, especially the kind of guys who'd use their physical strength to get what they didn't deserve. I don't know if it was really the kind of 'justice' you talk about, though.”

 

“It's not my place to speak on such matters,” Yashiro said. “Continue.”

 

“As I started growing up, though, things changed,” Kazuya said. “I couldn't do that anymore. Other boys started getting taller or stronger, and every day it felt like I was just getting more _vulnerable._ I lost and I lost and I lost, over and over again, and they kept laughing at me, telling me to run along and play with my dolls already.”

 

Yashiro's brow furrowed. “Did you even like playing with dolls?”

 

“Of course not!” Kazuya said. “I hated them! But that was what started it. Nobody took me seriously anymore. Nobody really paid attention to me, even, but every time people looked at me I felt like they were laughing, laughing at me for being weak. So I started writing. I sank inward, and I started getting out my aggression by writing horrible, hate-filled screeds about everyone I wished I could beat up. I'd talk about how much I'd love to break their teeth in, break their wrists, punch them so hard they cried for their parents.” He was rapidly clenching and unclenching his fists.

 

“That seems to me to be something of an unhealthy level of unchecked aggression,” Yashiro said.

 

“Yeah, I know.” Kazuya nodded. “But then, one day, all the hate I'd spewed out in my journals got found by someone running for student body president. She brought one to me, one that I'd lost, and started reading out loud everything I'd said about how much I wished I could _break_ people. And you know what she did?”

 

“I can't imagine, honestly,” Yashiro said.

 

Kazuya snorted. “She told me that I should write speeches for her, or else she'd show my writings to the principal. So I did. And then she ad-libbed and credited me in her acceptance speech.”

 

“Was that-?” Yashiro said.

 

“The beginnings of the Ultimate Orator,” Kazuya said, a bitter tinge to his voice. “All of a sudden, I magically obtained a reputation as a reserved, bookish soul who was incredibly good with words. My parents signed me up for the literature club, and people kept acting like I was something special, when my 'talent' was just borne of hate. I didn't want that kind of attention. I wanted to be respected, but now when people looked at me they saw someone completely different.” All of a sudden, he stood up, and began pacing, a wildness in his eyes.

 

“Kazuya, calm down,” Yashiro said. “Please don't aggravate your lungs.”

 

“And you know what? It drove me nuts. It was like they were ripping out my heart every time someone said, 'Oh, and this is Okudaira-chan, she's so _sweet!_ She's a writer, you should really read her poems sometime!' The kind of girl all the boys thought was sooooo _cute._ Cute little Maho Okudaira, with her beautiful eyes and her smooth skin and her... her _tits!_ ” Kazuya spat. His arms were flailing in his hair, and he was beginning to tear up.

 

At that point, Yashiro was quite certain he was absolutely clueless about how to proceed. He hadn't been expecting to step into such a sensitive issue when he agreed to assist Kazuya in the first place, that was for certain.

 

“What good is my talent if people look at me and just see a scared little girl who can't do anything?” Kazuya said through his teeth. “What good are words, even? _What the hell good am I if I can't fight- hhkk!_ ” And it was at that moment that he began coughing again, and Yashiro rushed over to support him. The smaller boy was shedding tears.

 

Yashiro waited some time for Kazuya to regain his composure. “I see,” he said.

 

“I want to be strong,” Kazuya said, finally, “so people will look at me and see a man. That's why. I don't want to be associated with this fake image of a reserved literary girl. I don't want that.”

 

“Hm.” Yashiro scratched his chin. “You know, the strongest person I've ever known is my Nana, but the strength she possesses is not physical. She has a prosthetic leg, and is getting well on in years. She might be able to win a battle against those schoolyard bullies of yours, but she would probably throw her back out in the process!” He laughed.

 

“Then what is it?” Kazuya said.

 

“An indomitable spirit.” Yashiro closed his eyes, and nodded. “My Nana survived the loss of her whole family, myself excepted, and continues to live, and survive, and direct our troupe to the best of her ability. She is a ringleader _par excellence,_ and has handled many a hostage situation, and even a few bombing threats, with aplomb. It is from her that I obtained my ideals, my 'justice,' and she remains the greatest idol I have.” He smiled. “I believe that you are not unlike her.”

 

“Really?” Kazuya said. “How do you figure?”

 

“Do you truly believe yourself weak simply because you cannot throw the world's greatest punch?” Yashiro said. “Of course that does not mean you are weak! Why, in many ways, you are much stronger than I. Words hold a great power, Kazuya, a great power indeed, a power to shake the heavens in ways muscles cannot. It is not the fault of words that you feel this way, is it?”

 

“I...” Kazuya trailed off.

 

“As it seems to me, you wish to defeat the spectre of Maho Okudaira that has been shadowing you, and claim your life as your own. However, I do not believe that abandoning your way with words and attempting to emulate my sheer brawn is the way to go about it.” Yashiro put his hand on Kazuya's back. “Words can change the world, Kazuya. Even if the origins of your words were in hatred, as you say, I do not think you should abandon them entirely.”

 

“Yashiro, you...” Kazuya was tearing up again.

 

“Granted, I have not known you for long, but it seems to me that this group respects you and appreciates you as Kazuya Okudaira. It might be difficult, but I feel that having confidence in yourself is the first step to becoming truly strong, for you.” Yashiro clenched his other hand into a fist, and a vein bulged in his forehead. “Soon, you too shall be a Strongman, once you accept your own strength of character!”

 

Through his tears, Kazuya looked up at Yashiro, and began to laugh. “You sure are... one heck of a guy, Yashiro.”

 

“Indeed!” Yashiro said, standing up in one swift motion. “Now, my friend, you may do what you will with our discussion today. I am perfectly willing to hone your body with you, but on the condition that, for god's sake, man, take off your binder while we're working, you're killing yourself!”

 

“Alright, alright,” Kazuya said. He was smiling now, and looked to Yashiro as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Lock the doors, though, would you?”

 

**1 P.M.**

 

Though they weren't real, the atmospheric mid-day nature noises accompanying the Tea House Garden did help in concentration. It was probably the nicest room that anyone had found so far in Compound VK, or, at least, in Luan's opinion, it was. He hadn't had the chance to visit very many gardens in his life yet, but it nonetheless made him feel a bit nostalgic.

 

“Queen to e8! Yeah, eat it!” Yayoi shouted, nabbing one of Luan's bishops. She fistpumped.

 

He and Yayoi were sat in the garden playing chess. Luan wasn't particularly experienced in the game, but Yayoi had loudly insisted that they play, and that if she won, Luan would put his skills as the Devil's Hand to work on dealing with a particularly frustrating knot in her shoulder. The fact that Luan was willing to do so without the need for a competition seemed to have missed Yayoi.

 

“Alright, I will.” Luan smiled, and took Yayoi's queen with one of his knights. “Thank you.”

 

“Wha-?! Horses can move backwards?!” Yayoi said, making a face Luan could only describe as... loud. A very loud face.

 

“...Do you know how to play chess?” Luan said. “Are you certain this was the right idea?”

 

“Of course it was the right idea!” Yayoi said, poring over the board with hawkish eyes. “I gotta hone my skills. If I play enough, I'll become a grand master!”

 

“Then why did you let me be white?” Luan said. “Historically, doesn't white have a higher win rate?”

 

“Hey, hey, hey, now you listen here,” Yayoi said, waving her hand in front of her face. “Boss Murasaki plays fair. I gotta give my subordinates a leg up so that when I win, they know I'm the boss!” Luan wasn't certain when he became one of her subordinates, but accepted this explanation anyway.

 

The game continued in that vein for a while. Luan was decidedly winning from a very early stage, especially since Yayoi threw away her queen as easily as she did.

 

“You ever think about what's waiting for you after high school?” Yayoi said, knocking down one of Luan's pawns. “I mean, me, I know what is. But how 'bout you?”

 

“I will probably work to support my family,” Luan said, taking her rook with a rook of his own. “As of yet, there's little else I want to do.”

 

“That's pretty respectable,” Yayoi said. “Hell, 's what I'm doing. Probably different in your case, though.” She pondered her next move. “You ever think about dating someone?”

 

“No, not really,” Luan said. “Why do you ask?”

 

“Dunno.” Yayoi shrugged. “Just curious. Didn't think you would, though. You don't seem like the dating type.” She decided on moving one of her last two remaining pawns. “Your folks back in China, you miss 'em?”

 

“Very badly,” Luan said. “Especially now. I hope someone has informed them of the situation.”

 

“Hope's Peak's a big place,” Yayoi said. “They probably have. No way shit like this wouldn't make prime-time news.”

 

“Mm,” Luan said.

 

“...Fuck,” Yayoi swore. She leaned back and tilted her head up, looking at the sky above them through the see-through roof of the tea house. “I miss Hayashi and Inoue. Damnit, I even miss that annoying prick Morinaga a bit.”

 

“Killing games are very cruel,” Luan agreed. “It is not an experience I enjoy.”

 

“The hell kind of idiot was Junko Enoshima to come up with this crazy shit? The hell kinda shit is our Monokuma on? Ugh.” Yayoi rubbed her temples. “You got any ideas?”

 

“I am curious,” Luan said, “about the structure itself. It could not have been built just to house us, could it? This is far too much time and effort to put into a simple hostage situation.”

 

“You're definitely right about that.” Yayoi hunched over, staring at her feet. “Shit, if this place is built like I think it's built, woulda taken at least a few months if you got a no-questions construction group, and that's assuming you're right off the coast, not in the middle of the damn ocean.”

 

“How do you think it's built?” Luan said.

 

“Well, likelier than not, it's an upside-down cone,” Yayoi said. “Probably some kinda flotation slash balancing ring near the top of the water, keeps it from tipping over. It'd have to be anchored down to the seabed, though, too, to keep it from floating off somewhere. I mean, assuming Monokuma's telling the truth about there being five layers and all.” She scratched her chin. “I'd figure some bit of it'd have to be above water, though. For construction's sake, and shit.”

 

“Fascinating,” Luan said, nodding. A thought occurred to him. “Could this facility be for attracting plesiosaurs?”

 

“Uhhhh, no way,” Yayoi said. Luan frowned.

 

“This structure's facilities make it seem as though it was built to house at least some people for an extended period of time, though,” Luan said. “Not only is the Housing Suite present, but we've now found the Crew Quarters. What could they have been doing here?”

 

“Maybe we got stuck with the world's craziest houseboater.” Yayoi scoffed.

 

“Perhaps,” Luan said, taking Yayoi's pawn via _en passant._ “Check.”

 

“Ah, piss.” Yayoi growled. “Anyway, the name's probably got something to do with it. VK. VK, the fuck does VK stand for?”

 

“It was a Russian social media site in the early 21st century,” Luan said. “But all the signs are in Japanese. I doubt that this compound is Russian.”

 

Yayoi blinked. “How the hell do you know about Russian social media sites?”

 

“I had an acquaintance who was very insistent that he tell me all about it, once,” Luan said. “I have committed it to memory.”

 

“Got it memorized, huh?” Yayoi shook her head and shrugged. “Kids these days are into the weirdest shit.”

 

“You and I are the same age,” Luan said.

 

“Yeah, but I've got the chutzpah of a lady twice my age!” Yayoi said, laughing proudly. (...'Hootzpah?' Was that a word Luan didn't know?) “So I'm more up with the shit early middle aged adults get up to.” She moved her king upwards and to the right, to attempt to escape Luan's pawn.

 

He angled a knight in to cut off its escape. “Check. I do not think that his interest in early Russian 21st century social media sites was quite normal. In fact, it struck me as rather odd, especially at the time. He also spoke at length about the works of Kurt Vonnegut and thought experiments regarding socks.”

 

“You, uh... you meet a lot of wackoes in your line of work?” Yayoi said. Her only valid move at this point was a move due backwards.

 

“I don't feel qualified to say.” Unfortunately for Yayoi, Luan's bishop was standing ready. “Checkmate,” he said, knocking over her king.

 

“Aw, damnit!” Yayoi pounded her fists on the table. “I almost had you there! Argh, damnit, can't believe the horses can move backwards.”

 

Luan stretched his fingers. He'd already done so just before the game, but there was no harm in ensuring he was in top form. “In your shoulder, you said?”

 

“Yeah.” Yayoi groaned. “Damnit, coulda gotten you.”

 

“These are not ideal conditions, but I will do my best,” Luan said. “Remove your top, please.”

 

“Got it,” Yayoi said, beginning to strip bare her upper half. For a woman of her age, she was really impressively burly, Luan thought. “I mean, yeah, come to think of it, you see topless girls all the damn time, don't you? Or, uh, topless dudes, I guess, I dunno what you're into.”

 

“I haven't given it much thought,” Luan said, cracking his knuckles, and getting down to business. Her muscles were indeed quite tense, and it seemed like perhaps she needed a bit of instruction in loosening them a tad more. Being that she was a noisy person, it was easy to tell from the “oh hell yeah”s and “ahhh yeah that's the stuff”s that he was, in fact, doing good work. It was very nice, he decided, to have something familiar to do.

 

**2:30 P.M.**

 

“Stella?” someone called out from behind her. Stella returned to the land of the living when she heard her own name. She seemed to have zoned pretty far out.

 

She craned her head over her shoulder. Standing at the entrance of the A/V Room was Kazuya, looking remarkably sweaty and, for once, not wearing his coat. Huh. “Hi,” she said. “Exercising go well?”

 

“Well...” Kazuya made a middling motion with his hand. “At the very least, I hadn't realized I'd been so stressed out. I may have said some things I can't take back, but I think it was cathartic to get to shout at someone for a while.” His smile was at least fifty percent awkward, but it was a smile nonetheless.

 

“I mean, he's basically always shouting, so it's only fair,” Stella said, turning her head back to the screen and registering... what was Goku doing now? Oh, he was dressing up as a little girl to fool a shape-shifting pig. “Seems like everyone needs a good shout these days.”

 

“It's not something I try to do too often, but yes.” Kazuya laughed lightly. “That aside, though, he doesn't kid around,” he said, sitting down next to her. “There were a few points there when I thought I was going to just have a heart attack and die.” He slumped.

 

“Did you hurt him at all?” Stella said, lolling her head over in his direction.

 

“Um. No, I don't think so.” Kazuya crossed his arms. “Why?”

 

“You did better than Yayoi, then,” Stella said. She sank back a bit deeper into the cushion of the sofa. “She beaned Claus in the head with a pool ball. And if anyone got hurt from mine, it was me, because I swear to god, Rin doesn't know how to _go the hell to sleep._ ”

 

Kazuya laughed again. “That sounds like her!” He looked at the screen. “Er... is this Dragon Ball?”

 

“Well, Yashiro mentioning Goku got me kind of curious, so I looked around and I found a whole bunch of Dragon Ball on the shelves here,” Stella said. “So I'm binge-watching Dragon Ball now.”

 

“Aren't there several hundred episodes?” Kazuya said. “I feel like you'd have to be here for quite a long time to watch all of it.”

 

“That's a problem I'll face when I come to it,” Stella said. “It's entertaining me for now, though.”

 

“That's good,” Kazuya said. “Anything to keep our minds off of the situation, right?”

 

“Right,” Stella said.

 

They sat there for a bit longer, both of them slowly becoming one with the sofa. Monokuma didn't skimp on upholstery, at least. It wasn't a particularly large sofa, but it was nice, at least.

 

“I didn't take you for the type to have to scream,” Stella said. “I bet it was probably better thought-out than anything I've ever screamed, though.” She snorted.

 

“Oh, no, of course not. Frankly I'm surprised Yashiro didn't just run away,” Kazuya said. He began blushing. “I actually have a lot more complaints to make than you might expect.”

 

Stella rolled her head over to look at Kazuya. The room itself wasn't very bright, so he was largely illuminated by the light of the screen. He turned to look at her as well. His eyes were... very vibrant, she suddenly noticed.

 

“Thank you for spending as much time with me as you have, Stella,” Kazuya said. “I appreciate it.” He smiled, a genuine, earnest smile.

 

“Huh? Um, no problem...” Stella felt blood rush to her cheeks for some reason, that was weird. “I mean, I should probably be saying that to you, haha, ha, heh.” Oh, god. She was acting like an idiot. It wasn't as bad as being a total bitch, but she was acting like a total idiot.

 

The shape-shifting pig ('Oolong,' she was pretty sure) became Goku and Bulma's friend, and the episode came to a close as the melodic piano began to play.

 

_Be as brave as you can be_

 

“Oh, I don't think that's true, Stella. I like you,” Kazuya said. “I wish I could be as outspoken as you sometimes. It makes me a bit jealous, actually,” he said, looking downcast.

 

_A childlike love of fantasy_

 

“Seriously?” Stella's mouth gaped a bit. “How do you all keep thinking this? I wish I could hold myself back like... like I guess you do. So I guess I'm kind of jealous of you.” Had she just inched closer to him?

 

_The world is a mystery for you and me_

 

“Well, even so, I think I've developed an appreciation for your candor in the past few days,” Kazuya said, looking back up, then he closed his eyes. “Oh, look at me, using words like 'candor.' I talk like such a weirdo sometimes.”

 

_A miracle, an adventure too_

 

“I've never had the biggest, uh, vocabulary, I guess,” Stella said. “Five-dollar words are more Shinobu's thing... but uh, what, exactly, does candor mean?”

 

_A single wish waits for you_

 

“I'd describe it as... the quality of being open and frank. Probably something a Commentator has a lot of use for,” Kazuya said.

 

_The beating of your heart will see you through!_

 

“Oh, I... didn't know there was a word for that,” Stella said, her heart suddenly racing, why was she so flushed? “Well, I mean, I kinda knew, I guess, I figured, because language, but you know... you know?” She let out a nervous chuckle. “Um, I should just stop talking.”

 

_When you think you can't go on, give it another try_

 

“No, no, language is actually really fascinating,” Kazuya said, his eyes beginning to light up. “I mean, I've had kind of a weird relationship with it, but it's kind of amazing the sorts of concepts we can and can't put forth through language, and the differences between the concepts expressed by one langauge from another. For instance, German has a bit of a reputation for having words for every little concept, very strange words, really.” He was... really excited about this, wasn't he? Kazuya really loved words, Stella thought. His face glowed in the screen's light as he spoke.

 

_The power of your youth is strong, and it's big as the sky!_

 

“I mean, I've never really given it much thought myself,” Stella said. Was she closer to him again? “It seems like there's a lot of things language is kind of inadequate for, though. It's pretty annoying. I mean, half the time when I'm commentating on something really heavy I just wind up yelling, I feel like.”

 

_Search over the valleys, the mountains, and you'll see..._

 

“That's true, but a lot of the ways in which people use words is commendable in the sense of how much it does to bridge that gap,” Kazuya said. “It may not be perfect, but it's part of being human that we can't fully communicate our intentions that easily. If language were perfect, well... I feel like I might feel a bit too exposed. I'd rather... keep some things that you can only communicate without language. Does that make sense?”

 

_Believing in yourself sets you free!_

 

“Yeah,” Stella said. She gulped. “I think...” She breathed. She was definitely close now. “I think it does.” It made plenty of sense, to communicate through other ways--

 

_Come on, I'll give you romance!_

 

“Mmph?” Kazuya made a little noise of surprise. He tensed up briefly--

 

_Come on, I'll give you paradise!_

 

\--but even as Stella's eyes grew lidded, she could feel his mouth letting her in, and his muscles relaxing, lowering their guard--

 

_Liberate the you that you keep inside!_

 

\--and she bound him even closer, the heat in her body spurring her to drink more deeply of this amazing boy--

 

_Come on, I'll give you romance!_

 

\--and he was flat now, flat beneath her, grasping at her sides to give himself momentum and beginning to push back past her lips--

 

_Come on, I'll give you paradise!_

 

\--ah, god, it felt so right, to kiss him, to kiss him more and more, to let everything go and listen to what her heart said to do--

 

_Make your dreams come true! You'll see fantasy..._

 

\--he pulled her closer, and she rested closely against his body, the pain in her arms a mere buzz next to the dull roar of the warmth and comfort of physical contact--

 

_Magic can happen to you!_

 

\--and all of a sudden, her head was resting on Kazuya's chest, rising and falling with his weak breaths. The song chose that moment to end. Stella blinked, giving her conscious mind the chance to catch up with what she had just done.

 

With a massive, sudden motion, Stella shot up off of Kazuya, her eyes wide as she stared at the laid-out boy she'd just... well, that she'd just _made out with._ “Um,” Stella said, a single syllable meant to convey the sentiment of 'I'm not entirely able to process what just happened, and am wholly shocked that it occurred, but didn't find it unpleasant in the slightest.'

 

Kazuya looked up, a similarly shocked look on his face. “Huh,” he said, a single syllable Stella interpreted to represent the sentiment of 'I find myself similarly shocked as to what we just did, especially considering that I did not instigate, and am surprised as to the fact that I enjoyed it as much as I did.'

 

“So,” Stella said. “That, uh. That happened.”

 

“It sure did,” Kazuya said.

 

There was a pause. “So, uh...” Stella said, averting her eyes a bit, and twiddling her index fingers. “Have you... ever, uh... done that... before?”

 

“No. Uh, no. No, I haven't,” Kazuya said.

 

“Well. Um. Neither... have I?” Stella said, her cheeks feeling like they were about to go supernova. “So I... um... well. Uh. Mm.”

 

“Mm,” Kazuya agreed.

 

There was another pause.

 

“You're really hot,” Stella said. She couldn't even keep her eyes open at this point from the sheer force of awkwardness.

 

“Oh,” Kazuya said. “I see. Thank you.”

 

There was another pause.

 

“I think you are, too,” Kazuya said. “Really hot, I mean.”

 

“Oh! Aha! Ahahaha, ahaha, aha, um! Whaaaaat?? No way, haha, what?” Stella said, her lungs forcing out more air than she felt like could possibly be healthy at a time like this. “I mean, pfft, uh, I mean, c'mon, uh... seriously, like... um...” She trailed off. “Seriously?”

 

“Yes,” Kazuya said.

 

There was another pause.

 

“Oh,” Stella said.

 

There was another pause.

 

“Thank... you,” Stella said. “I mean, I guess, uh, ahaha, I mean, I'm a teen girl celebrity so I bet a lot of guys think that, um...”

 

“Would you like to meet my parents?” Kazuya said, and then his eyes went wide. “Oh, no, that's... that's a horrible line in this situation, what's, uh, what's better. I mean, it's true, but- no, no, bad Kazuya, that's too old-fashioned and, well, it's kind of weird...”

 

“You... want me to meet your parents?” Stella said, blinking. “Um... you mean, like...”

 

“...and well, so, um... I mean, there'd be a lot of things I'd have to say first, of course... lots of, um, pleasantries to be made, preparations, I mean they might not even... no, no, of course they will, they have to, they will, they're my parents... I mean compared to that I think me bringing someone home like that would be probably much less shocking...” He was... really babbling.

 

“Kazuya, are you... asking if I'll date you?” Stella said. Her face was... Rin would probably describe it as 'square.'

 

“Well, erm. Yes.” Kazuya nodded. He was also quite square. “That is, in fact. What I am trying to get across. I like you a lot will you please be my girlfriend.” Man, he was bright red.

 

“I... I mean, uh... you're... you're serious? Me?” Stella said. Her heart was racing again. “I mean, I'm... I'm kind of fucked up, Kazuya. You sure you're okay with that?”

 

“Absolutely.” Suddenly, Kazuya was utterly resolute. “I'm not perfect myself, you know.”

 

“I pick open my self-inflicted scabs,” Stella said.

 

“I just got finished telling Yashiro about my several months' worth of long, hate-filled screeds that I have logged in journals at home about how much I wanted to punch the teeth out of several people at my middle school,” Kazuya said, without skipping a beat.

 

“Oh,” Stella said. She blinked. Pause. “Uh. Okay, then, that...” She whistled. “That changes things, I guess... maybe... I still don't really think that's the _same thing..._ ”

 

“Um, I'm sorry, maybe that was... a bit too forward?” Kazuya stammered, averting his eyes slightly and instinctively grabbing at the space where his scarf should've been. “I mean, that's... probably kind of creepy to hear about, actually. I mean, they're kind of old now, I mean, so it's not like I'm still writing them or anything.”

 

“Wait, wait.” Stella raised her hands up in a stopping motion. “Hold on, let me say it out loud. You... want to be my _boyfriend._ ” And Kazuya nodded. “Well... um... I...” She'd be lying if she said there wasn't a great deal of hesitation in her chest. A relationship? Did she really deserve something like that? Surely a man of Kazuya's caliber deserved someone better, someone more worthy of his talents, his dashing good looks, his--

 

In the back of her mind, she thought of a certain rambunctious, scatter-brained math whiz. _I trust you because I know you're a good person,_ she had said. _You're good because you're Stella Masaki._

 

“...I... would love that, Kazuya,” Stella said, beginning to blink away tears. “It would make me... really glad to be your girlfriend.” She laughed a little through her tears. “Or... something, I don't know what I'm supposed to say here...”

 

Suddenly, he was very close to her. “Well, if you're my girlfriend now,” Kazuya said, “then... I think we should continue our discussion from earlier.” He was smiling, and his eyes were half-lidded. “I have more I want to say.” He reached up, and touched her cheek.

 

Stella gulped. Her mouth went dry. “Oh... okay, yeah. That sounds... really great.” She could see the reactions now; Rin would be over the moon in joy, as would, probably, her mother. The public might be a bit shocked to hear that she had obtained a lover, but he wasn't a scandal waiting to happen. He was a handsome young man with a good head on his shoulders. He was... amazing. And he thought _she_ was amazing, too.

 

For the first time in her life, it felt to Stella like she might be able to believe it, just a little bit.

 

(Incidentally, Gavin actually opened the door to the room during their first makeout, but, being the conscientious man that he is, he closed the door and left them to their own devices.)

 

**4 P.M.**

 

“...and so, gentlemen and lady,” Shinobu said, with a flourish and a curtsy, “allow us to begin our lecture!”

 

Claus and Gavin clapped respectfully for the modern-day Mistress of Mystery's beginning from the seats they'd pulled up in front of Woodworking. From inside the room itself, Rin gave a thumbs up, then turned back to attempting to properly craft an uneven jawbone in wood.

 

“Knox's Decalogue,” Shinobu began, “is a set of ten rules to construct a 'fair play mystery.' That is to say, a mystery that's fairly solvable by the reader before the detective reveals the truth. They were penned by Monsignor Ronald Knox, a Catholic priest and mystery writer in the early 20th century. He also began The Great Game of Holmes and Watson, a series of mock-critical and mock-historical papers which attempt to construct proper biographies for Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, which is an absolutely fascinating subject.”

 

“Wait, I thought those dudes were real people, man,” Gavin said. He rubbed his temple. “Trip, this is already blowing Gav's mind.”

 

Shinobu cackled, leaning over to pat Gavin on the head. “A common misconception in this day and age, I find, but we digress. As the name implies, the Decalogue consists of ten rules. It is worth noting, however, that each of these rules may be appended with, 'unless properly foreshadowed.' Many of the mystery greats frequently broke these rules with wild abandon, but unless you are specifically aiming for such a mystery, they are solid guidelines to live by.”

 

Claus raised his hand. Shinobu nodded at him to give him permission to speak. “Have you broken any of these rules?”

 

“Oh, absolutely.” Shinobu smirked. “When the creative juices flow, if you catch my drift! Why, one of my most acclaimed works...” She trailed off. “I digress again.” Pounding her fist into her hand, she declared, “If I do not explain these rules I will continue to be distracted.”

 

“I know that feeling very well!” Rin called. “Also, I think I've almost got this jawbone!”

 

“Knox's First. _The culprit must be a character introduced in the early segments of the story, but cannot be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been permitted to follow._ ”

 

“So like,” Gavin said, his eyes going vague in thought, “if we get a segment where the dead dude's brother Jimmy is like 'and then I went and got myself some lunch,' Jimmy shouldn't turn out to be the perp?”

 

“Excellent example, Gavin! Full marks.” Shinobu smiled and nodded. “It's the subject of much debate whether it is possible to have a fair play mystery where the reader sees from the perspective of the culprit. The first Mistress of Mystery, Dame Agatha Christie, put forth an astounding mystery which shatters this rule to bits in-” Hold, hold, hold! “Er, aha, well,” she said. She had begun gesticulating a bit overmuch. “That would be, er, a _massive_ spoiler for one of my personal favorite Dame Christie works.” She adjusted her beret to the left, then back to the right, a few degrees to the left, back to the right. “Aha.”

 

Claus nodded. “I see. It seems to me like it would be an issue of whether the narration _lies_ to the reader, in that case.”

 

“Indeed!” Shinobu said. “There are several distinctions to be made between omitting the truth and presenting counter-factual information. In other words, if you see from the perspective of the culprit, their thoughts and actions must still make logical sense, or else the story utterly falls apart.”

 

With two nods and a call of assent from the back, Shinobu stamped her foot to place a period on this matter. “Knox's Second. _All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out._ ”

 

“If I've learned anything from listening to you, it seems you take that rule quite seriously,” Claus said.

 

“Oh, well...” Shinobu looked away. Damn him and his quick wit. “It is not so bad in stories, I suppose, if it makes for a good story. Really, though, the, uh...” Hold yourself back, Shinobu. “Our world is a really... beautiful place...” No rambling. “With many... amazing sights to see... and I think it's a shame that a not insignificant number of people choose to instead chase after flights of fancy?” That was too squeaky argh.

 

“Makes sense,” Gavin said, nodding furiously. “Nobe speaks truth. Good stuff.”

 

“Yes I'm glad you understand,” Shinobu said. She stamped her foot a second time. “Knox's Third. _No more than one secret passage or room is allowed, and ideally, there will be none._ ”

 

“Oh, that must've been the one that got broken last time!” Rin said. “With the Clothes Bay _and_ the sewer passage. Ooh, okay, gotta get the curve here right...”

 

“After all,” Shinobu said, “if there is simply a way to get from one place to another without someone's knowing that is that easy, is it not a bit cheap? It is as easy a trick as anything, and is simple to use in an unfair way.”

 

Two nods and a call of assent. A stamp of the foot. “Knox's Fourth,” Shinobu said. “ _No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor anything that will require a long scientific explanation at the end._ ”

 

“So, in other words, your solution can't involve something that the average reader would be incapable of knowing,” Claus said. “In the interest of fairness.”

 

“Indeed!” Shinobu said. “You're all catching on quite quickly. Now, Knox's Fifth. _No Chinaman must figure into the story._ This is... a touch of an odd one to explain.”

 

“Oh, yeah, makes sense to me, man.” Gavin placed his hand in his hair. “Probably a bunch of hack writers back then puttin' Chinese people in there as a way to cheat out of motives or make people suspicious just based off of racial tensions, yeah?”

 

“The inscrutable motives of the Orient, if you will. Indeed, Gavin! Full marks!” Shinobu cackled up towards the sky. “Ah, if only everyone I explained these concepts to took them as easily as you all do, hm? In other words, a more modern interpretation of this rule could be taken to be, do not write a story that hinges on prejudices against a specific group, no matter what that group might be.”

 

Nods. Stamp. “Knox's Sixth!” Shinobu said. “ _No accident may assist the detective, nor may the detective have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right._ ”

 

“I'm pretty bad at that one!” Rin said. “Yes, yes, this is the right shade...”

 

“After all,” Shinobu said, “if the method by which the case is solved is not, at all steps, logical, then how can the case itself be logical? If the detective is only able to find a crucial piece of evidence by accidentally slipping on a banana peel, how is the reader supposed to alight on this case or trust that any further steps are not similarly illogical? Everything in a proper mystery must flow from one step to the next.”

 

“All seems like a lotta work, man,” Gavin said. “I mean, trip, man, I'd be down to solve a case by tripping on a banana peel. You ever tripped on a banana peel? I remember this one time, me and Ruff Ruffhouseman were... ah, sorry, sorry.” He grinned, raising his hands up. “Please continue, por favor, my dude.”

 

“Knox's Seventh,” Shinobu said. “ _The detective may not commit the crime._ In several ways, this rule is similar to the first, but it establishes a hard and fast rule that the detective's point of view may be trusted; that no false or counter-factual information will be seen by the detective. In stories that possess a detective, anyhow.”

 

“Well, what is a 'detective?'” Claus said. “Is that necessarily the protagonist, or the viewpoint character?”

 

“A fantastic question!” Shinobu said. “Perhaps another lesson, though. Knox's Eighth. _The detective must not find any clues that are not immediately presented to the reader._ ”

 

“Uh, what, dude?” Gavin said, crossing his arms. “Not sure Gav gets that one, Nobe.”

 

“Simple, my boy,” Shinobu said, wagging her finger. “For instance, if, at the end of the story, the detective claims that he has found a footprint directly matching shoes only the culprit had worn, that is damning evidence. However, if the reader is not informed that the detective has found this footprint, then the detective of the story has different evidence from the reader, and therefore the reader cannot properly deduce.”

 

“Ohhhhh.” Gavin nodded. “So, does-?”

 

“No, _Butterfly_ does not violate Knox's Eighth, Gavin,” Shinobu said. (What a concept that would be. Why, I never, Shinobu thought to herself.) “In any case, Knox's Ninth. _Observers are permitted to speak their own interpretations._ In other words, if John Watson could not have his own perspective, very slightly behind the average reader of Doyle's works, then he could not serve as a proper assistant character to the detective, could he?”

 

“So, other characters are allowed to be wrong, or even lie, so long as it is not the narration or the detective who is lying,” Claus said. “The difference between narration and testimony.” He nodded. “That makes sense to me.”

 

“And finally, Knox's Tenth!” Shinobu said. Nods. Stamp. “ _Twins or other doubles must not appear unannounced._ ”

 

“So Jimmy can't have an evil twin brother named Bimmy?” Gavin said. “Dang, here I thought Gav could write his own.” He snapped his fingers.

 

“I mean, I think he could, you'd just have to introduce Bimmy too,” Rin called. “Also, what kind of name is Bimmy? Yes, good, set, my paints, set!” She was bent over, staring very intensely at a wooden Miria.

 

“Unfortunately, Gavin, I do believe it takes a bit more craft than that,” Shinobu said. “After all, one does not become a modern-day Mistress of Mystery that easily!” And that, she thought, earned a cackle.

 

“Trip, man, can't ol' Gav be a Mister of Mystery?” Gavin said, slumping over. “A Mister-y?”

 

“And that, friends, is the Decalogue.” Shinobu bowed, with as much flourish as she could muster. “My good friends, thank you so much for listening.”

 

“No, thank you for the lesson! I'd been quite curious,” Claus said.

 

As Claus stood up to leave, though, Shinobu heard the door to Goodhart Hall open, and then in short order found herself being squeezed tightly from behind. “Grack!” she cried, in a manner lacking any dignity at all, which was a deep, horrific tragedy.

 

“Today is a _good day,_ Shinobu!” cried Kazuya in a remarkably peppy manner. He swirled around her and leaped in front of Gavin. “Gavin! Secret handshake, now!” He wasn't wearing his coat?

 

Shinobu hacked a bit, but was able to perceive a befuddled Gavin standing up and performing some ridiculous set of hand motions. “Oh goodness, what-?” She stammered out.

 

“Uh, what's the occasion, Kaz?” Gavin said. “You're not usually this... uh...”

 

“Exuberant?” Kazuya said, performing a series of six different high-fives in rapid succession. “I think exuberant is the word you're looking for!”

 

“Sure, let's go with that, man.” Gavin nodded.

 

“Claus, it's been an honor working with you, and I greatly value your leadership,” Kazuya said, zipping over to Claus and shaking his hand quite forcefully.

 

“Oh, erm... thank you...?” Claus said.

 

“You are SO welcome!” Kazuya said, breaking out into a little jig probably unconsciously. “Yes! Best day ever! Yes!” And just like that, he ran out of Goodhart Hall again, jumping and fistpumping into the air with a “Wahoo!”

 

Rin poked her head out of Woodworking. “What was that all about?”

 

“Guess he musta really liked lunch,” Gavin said.

 

**6:30 P.M.**

 

“Oh, I see!” Claus said. He placed his hands on the Lounge table. “That explains his behavior earlier. Well, I'm quite happy for the two of you, then.”

 

The black walls of Abilene only served to further accentuate the luminescent blush on Stella's face as she looked away awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. Thanks,” she mumbled. “And sorry he, uh... burst in on your... thing like that.”

 

“Well, that's quite alright. I think Shinobu was a bit bamboozled, though,” Claus said. “Still, though, Kazuya seems like quite the catch. Good on you, Stella!” She blushed even harder.

 

Yayoi (who, incidentally, Claus was reviewing hypothetical architectural plans with when Stella entered) snorted. “'Quite the catch?'”

 

“I-I mean.” Claus adjusted his tie. “Well, that's how my mother always describes, er, ideal dating partners. Do people not usually say that?”

 

“Nah, just seems a bit unlike you is all.” Yayoi smirked. “Hell, ain't like I disagree, though. Good on you, Masaki.”

 

As Stella slowly shrank inwards further to become something akin to a roly-poly, the sound of tramping footsteps heralded the arrival of Daisuke, stomping into the Lounge from the Stairwell at quite a rate. “Claus! Finally!” he said, jumping up and taking a seat. “Well, I could've seen you any time, I guess, but I had a job to do and you've been busy doing leader things, you understand.”

 

“Hello, Daisuke,” Claus said. “You seem in good spirits today.”

 

“I've got a fantastic idea!” Daisuke said. “So, in the interest of making use of the places we've been given, and in the interest of raising morale... I'd like to hold a concert!”

 

He certainly looked excited from the massive grin on his face. Claus hummed. “A... concert? You mean, with the large venue in Newcomb Hall?”

 

“Yeah, yeah!” Daisuke nodded excitedly. “It's great, really good to put on a show with! And it doesn't have to just be me, either. Yashiro told me that if you signed off on it, he'd put on a show for us, too! You know, with his... circus knowhow. Right?”

 

“When would you like to hold this concert?” Claus said. “If you want to make it a big event for all thirteen of us, it would probably take a solid amount of planning.”

 

Suddenly, Yayoi stood up, slamming her foot on top of the table and grinning towards the sky. “You want planning? You've got your lady! This shit is my job!” She levied her gaze directly at Daisuke. “I'll have you working your ass off, beer boy.”

 

Daisuke gulped. “Um, how does two days from now sound?” He adjusted his collar. “Please work Yashiro's ass off, too.” He squeaked. “AndmaybeLuan?”

 

“Now, now, let's all calm down,” Claus said. “In any case, I'll allow it. Oh, but do try to be reasonable. We don't know what Monokuma has the budget for, after all.” He smiled.

 

“Oh yeah, large-scale projects are Boss's lifeblood.” Yayoi said, trumping over and beginning to drag Daisuke off. “C'mon, let's go grab Narumi and do this shit!”

 

“Some might say that I have made a mistake,” Daisuke said quietly as he was dragged. “But, no. I must remember: this is what it means to 'stay on point,' as passed down by my ancestors.”

 

With their departure, the room was now much quieter. “So,” Claus said. “I suppose that'll be happening now. How nice.”

 

Stella made a muffled noise that sounded something like 'oh god, his singing is horrible, though,' before uncurling from her ball and looking Claus in the face. “So, um... yeah. I agree. Kazuya is, uh... quite the catch.” She chuckled nervously. There was a smile on her face, thankfully, awkward as it was.

 

“He does seem to be just the kind of man my mother prefers for her children,” Claus said. “I mean, if my brother-in-law is any indication.”

 

“Oh, I didn't realize you had any in-laws yet,” Stella said. “How old?”

 

“He and my brother are both in their late twenties,” Claus said. “My mother's face really lit up when she first saw their engagement rings.” He laughed. “I feel like I've never seen her more happy! Hopefully, I'll be able to make her feel that way as well someday.”

 

“Hopefully Mom will like him,” Stella said. “Oh, who am I kidding? She's going to love him. She, uh...” The same bashful chuckle. “She knows my type, I think.”

 

“Your mother says those sorts of things to you?” Claus said. He sighed deeply, beginning to reminisce. “I can't help but feel a bit envious. All my mother does is smile and laugh when I watch women's golf.” And, for some reason, Stella broke out into a smile and started laughing too! “What is so funny about me watching women's golf?!” Claus shouted. “Please explain the joke to me! I swear I'll still laugh!”

 

**7:30 P.M.**

 

The novelty of placing her statuettes in the trophy case was gone, but that didn't make it any less important for Rin to do. It seemed, at the moment, that everyone else in the facility was off in other places, so Abilene Hall was deserted. And a good thing that was, too, because Rin felt the need to be alone with her thoughts at the moment.

 

She trotted up to the trophy case, but only when she saw her reflection in the glass did she realize that she'd begun to tear up a bit. Rin looked down at the two wooden statues in her hand. Other than Wanda's hat (which Rin had taken back to her room but hadn't actually decided to _wear_ because of the emotional baggage), these two statues were all that remained of two girls who, not two days ago, were alive and well, living and breathing people just like the rest of them.

 

Rin brushed the Miria statue's face with her thumb. “...Hey, Miria. I don't know if you're listening or not, but...” She closed her eyes, and held Miria to her chest. “Thank you. Thank you for everything, Miria. I promise I'll keep her safe.”

 

Next to Aoto and Eriko went the figure of Miria, standing demurely with a quiet smile on her face and her hands behind her back. She was a much quieter person than either Aoto or Eriko, so it hadn't been as easy to properly evoke her in pose, but as far as Rin was concerned, it seemed like she'd done a pretty good job.

 

Once Miria was safely out of her hands, though, Rin felt a pang of hesitation. There was one more statue in her hands, of course, but... she looked down at Wanda. Nobody had noticed, she didn't think, but she'd been rather loud about making Miria's statue during Shinobu's lecture because of the awkwardness she felt about this second one. If pressed, she could just say that she'd only made one, if she opted not to put Wanda in as well. Naturally, Rin _wanted_ to, but should she? Would people disapprove if she were to place Wanda on this shelf, to memorialize her and Rin's belief that she, too, could've become a good person? …No, that was dodging the issue. Could Chihaya ever accept-?

 

“What are you just standing there for?” someone said from right behind her.

 

“YEEARGH WHAT THE HECK?!” Rin spun around and started back, plastering herself against the trophy case (wow that glass was cold), in surprise. “How have people surprised me _twice_ now as I'm doing-?!”

 

Rin blinked once, twice, and a third time before she properly registered that the person who'd surprised her this time was one Chihaya Inoue, out of her room for the first time in two days. She hadn't immediately recognized the Hide-and-Seeker on account of the fact that she was now wearing a very different outfit; a muted red blazer overtop a white shirt, and a long, pleated white skirt over grey, thigh-high socks. Her hair was still curled, but a bit less... evenly? Nicely? It didn't take a genius to figure out she'd done it herself this time.

 

“You're, um. Oh!” Rin blinked a fourth time. “Whoa! H-hello! Hi!” She chuckled nervously. “Um. Okay, well, I guess if it was you, that explains why I didn't hear you coming up or, or anything. Hi there, Chihaya.”

 

“Oh, you remembered my name,” Chihaya said. “That's sweet.”

 

“I mean, I had to correct my own thought processes a few times, but I think I've got it down now,” Rin said. “Where'd you get the clothes?”

 

“It's my old school uniform,” Chihaya said. “I never had much opportunity to try it on when I was actually going there, but I'd been wearing it for a bit of stress relief when I was kidnapped.”

 

“Ooh, it's actually really cute!” Rin said, leaning in for a bit of a closer look. “I like it, it looks good on you! Er, Chihaya?” she said, tilting her head to one side. Chihaya was sweating. “You okay there?”

 

“I'm not used to being ogled,” Chihaya said. “I don't exactly wear clothes conducive to it most of the time.” She adjusted her collar. “Plus I'm not used to being looked at, either.”

 

“Oh yeah, that's true.” Rin sent her eyes up and down Chihaya's sides. Judging from her attire up to this point, she hadn't expected the Ghost to be as... what was the word... shapely, that was it! As she was. “Damn, girl, look at you.” Rin's antenna puffed proudly. “Now who went and gave a body like this the talent to _hide?_ ”

 

“Are you hitting on me?” Chihaya said, crossing her arms.

 

“Well, no, of course not. I'm just being honest. I mean, hitting on you would be insensitive for any number of reasons, plus there's that part where I'm in love with Shinobu so if I should be hitting on _anyone,_ it should be her. Pleasedon'ttellherIsaidthat,” Rin hurriedly added.

 

“Really,” Chihaya said. She looked completely unsurprised. “Anyway, you're stalling. Don't you have another figure to put up on that shelf?”

 

“Say what now?” Rin said as she realized she still had a wooden statue of Wanda clutched in her left hand. “Right! Right! Er, well...” And the hesitation came back, too. “Should I?”

 

“Why shouldn't you?” Chihaya said.

 

“Uh, well... I mean...” Rin stammered, and her antenna drooped. “Chihaya, are you sure I should do that?”

 

“Why would that matter?” Chihaya said.

 

Rin twiddled her fingers, and looked down. “Because... well, she killed Miria. And...” Sigh. “Well, you loved Miria. And I, I don't know. I didn't want to... offend you, I guess, by...”

 

“By placing Wanda up next to the three of them, considering what she did?” Chihaya said. Yeah, that was it.

 

“Man, I'm really glad you finished that sentence for me, I was having a lot of trouble!” Rin laughed.

 

“There's a part of me that will never be able to forgive Wanda for what she did,” Chihaya said. “But you did the same thing for Eriko, and the people who cared for Aoto might never be able to forgive her, either. It's not like you're saying you forgive her for killing Miria, right? You just don't want to forget her.” She smiled. It was a soft one. “So put her up there. I'm not going to say no.”

 

“Oh thank goodness, I was kind of freaking out over here!” Rin said, spinning back around and opening the trophy case to sliiiide Wanda in next to Miria. Rin had decided that Wanda was best represented posed on a little chair, with a teacup in her hand, looking fey and aloof; but in her eyes, Rin had done her best to express whatever small glimpse of kindness and hope Wanda had left. It was hard to see, but it was there.

 

Rin stepped back to admire her own handiwork. Having finally gotten a clear view of Miria, Chihaya stepped forward now, gazing at the statue of her late girlfriend. “You did a fantastic job.” Her voice was shaking only slightly, but Rin could see in the mirror that the tears Chihaya shed were of a far greater magnitude than her voice let on. “When we leave, do you mind if I keep this one?”

 

“Not at all,” said Rin, shaking her head. “I think you'd be the best person to keep it. I just hope it has a long shelf life!”

 

“I'll keep it safe,” Chihaya said. She turned around, still shedding tears, but more controlled, now, and smiling. “I wasn't sure if I had any more of these. I guess I must.”

 

There was a lot Rin didn't understand yet about Chihaya, such as her name, or her talent, but there was one thing Rin knew for sure. “I'm glad to see you,” she said. “It was lonely without you around, Chihaya.”

 

“That's not something I hear every day,” said Chihaya, stopping her own tears and returning to composure. “It feels nice.”

 

“I'm... kind of amazed you're out so quickly, though,” Rin said. “I mean, it's only been two days, and you seem... a lot better than I expected?”

 

“Mm,” Chihaya hummed. “I actually mostly came out to see your work. I'm glad I arrived just on time.”

 

“Really?” Rin's antenna curled. “Wow, am I that important?”

 

“Well, it's more because of Miria,” Chihaya said. “I spent a long time in a haze, not really able to move at all, just alternating between crying and staring, dead-eyed, at the ceiling. With Miria dead, it didn't feel like there was anything left for me. Nothing to look forward to, once I escaped. Eventually, I just couldn't feel anything.”

 

At some point, the two had migrated to a sofa on the opposite side of the hall. “But then my head lolled over to one side, and I saw my hair curlers, and I remembered something that Miria would always say, when she talked about us living together.”

 

“What?” Rin said.

 

“She said she wanted to show me to the world,” Chihaya said, looking wistful and nostalgic. “To let the world see me. And I decided, laying around, wallowing in misery and hopelessness, that wasn't doing what she'd want. She'd want me to introduce myself properly now, for one thing.” She snorted. “So I figured that, for my first real journey out, I should come to see the memorial you made of Miria. Both so that I could see her one last time... and so that I could start doing what she wanted, by talking to you.”

 

Tears had begun to well up in Rin's eyes. No, wait. She was straight up bawling now. “Oh my god that's so touchiiiing!” she said, latching onto Chihaya's head and hugging her. “You're so strong and inspirational, I wanna be like you when I grow up, Chihaya!”

 

Chihaya's arms flailed a bit. “Thank you but please let go of me _your grip is very tight and I'm still not used to physical contact!_ ”

 

“Oh, right!” Grasp, release! Chihaya bent over, taking a deep breath. “Sorry,” Rin said.

 

“No, no, I'm going to have to get used to things like this. I'm really...” Chihaya breathed. “ _Really_ glad that nobody else was here right now, though.”

 

“Baby steps?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“I'm glad you understand,” Chihaya said. She stood up. “So, if I may...”

 

“Go right ahead,” Rin said, standing up as well.

 

“I'm Chihaya Inoue, a second-year high school student.” Chihaya extended her hand. “It's nice to meet you.”

 

“I'm Rin Hashizawa! I think I'm probably a second-year high school student too!” Rin took the handshake. “And it's nice to meet you, too!”

 

The two girls looked each other in the eyes, and smiled. For Miria's sake, Rin would be the best friend to Chihaya that she could. That was her job.

 

Unfortunately, their nice moment was ruined by the very loud noise of Chihaya's stomach growling. “Oh, right,” Chihaya said. “I also came out because I haven't eaten in two days.”

 

“That's really important!” Rin said, pushing her cheeks together. “Good thing dinner is like, now!”

 

“Uh, no,” Chihaya said, her eyes darting back and forth. “I'd rather wait to properly greet the group until breakfast tomorrow. I haven't eaten or slept and it's going to be a long story.”

 

Rin nodded. “You want me to grab two of whatever's on the menu and bring one back to your room?”

 

Chihaya nodded back. “That'd be lovely, thank-”

 

Before she could finish, Yashiro bounded through the door. It almost seemed like doors opened louder when he opened them, even. “Rin, my friend! And how is your evening tonight? Full of justice, I hope!”

 

“Probably!” Rin said. She looked over and Chihaya was gone. Ah, stealth. She definitely missed that about her.

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Eleven.**

 

**No students perished. Thirteen students remain.**

**No abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**

 


	26. Day 12, Part E - P.T.A.

 

“Mr. Headmaster, sir. The families of the students have all arrived.”

 

Forced into coming in slower than they'd like, a vast array of people of various walks of life entered into Headmaster Nobuyo Kagenui's office. He'd met several of them before under more pleasant circumstances before, but some of them- for instance, the Chinese couple that he'd assigned one of his aides to interpret for- were new. The mid-morning light streaming in through his large windows framed him in shadow, a fact which he knew was probably not helping the frayed emotional states of his guests.

 

Well, he thought wryly, _guests_ is a bit kind. Still, though. He pressed a button on his desk, and the curtains were drawn. Even as a young man, people had told him he had the countenance of a snake, and as he aged, his skin becoming more drawn and his hair graying, he became ever more intimidating to large crowds. As a result, it was frequently the Vice Principal who performed public addresses.

 

Nobuyo cleared his throat. “As you have all no doubt been made aware, the person who kidnapped your children and their classmates has scheduled a meeting this morning, insisting that you all be present. I'd like to make clear one more time that, if need be, any of you may leave for any reason.”

 

“Somehow I expected more people to come for sixteen children,” said a plain, somewhat overweight woman Nobuyo recognized as the mother of the Toranosuke family.

 

“Three of our students' families declined to come,” Nobuyo said. “In particular, Mr. Fukuyama's legal guardian didn't even respond to our summons.”

 

“Oh, well, now that's just tragic.” A round, yet well-built woman with a puffy afro said. “What kind of parent wouldn't come? I oughta give 'em a wallop.”

 

“Now, now, calm down, dear.” Her husband, with his thick eyebrows and his glamorous, model-like good looks, said. “Would Gavin approve of you walloping his friends' guardians?”

 

“Well, I guess not.” Mrs. Sakaki said. A schnauzer in her arms barked.

 

A man wearing what were clearly ripoffs of brand-name, designer suits checked his fake gold pocketwatch. “It's five minutes until noon,” he said. “If this beast wants to have a morning meeting, they don't have much time left.”

 

“Wow, would you look at this office...” Said an old man with a bit of a country twang, staring around at Nobuyo's upholstery. “Oy, Haru-chan! Take a few pictures! I'm gonna plaster them up on the wall back home!”

 

“Ugh, Grandpa.” A fashionable, finely-nailed twenty-something blonde girl rolled her eyes. “Can we save the celebrity worship until we know Daisuke's safe, please?”

 

“Yeah, Grandpa.” A small girl, no more than eight, standing by the older girl's, said, similarly rolling her eyes. “Save the celebrity worship.”

 

“Two minutes,” the pocketwatch man mumbled to himself.

 

“Does it really matter if they show up before noon?” Said a dark-skinned woman with pointy, red hair. “I swear, you politicians. You'd slit your momma's throat for a nickel, I bet.”

 

“The Shigure Guarantee,” Mr. Shigure said, “is not to be disregarded so easily. The importance of punctuality on the human condition-!”

 

“Oh, can it, you two!” Mrs. Sakaki said, pointing up as the transmission monitor descended from above. “Think that means they're here.”

 

Her insight was on the dot. Nobuyo had seen several transmissions through this double-sided monitor, but very few had filled him with such a sense of unease. It burst into static, as it had for the last two transmissions, then suddenly cut to... a dark room.

 

Nobuyo cleared his throat. “Excuse me.”

 

A voice rang out. “Oh my gosh, can you not even tell how wrong this is?” It was the voice of a young woman. “You have the camera turned the wrong way, they're just seeing darkness!”

 

“Maybe you could turn on the lights.” A young boy's voice grumbled. Nobuyo had heard that voice a few times during prior transmissions, but had never seen the owner. He operated the perpetrator's camera rig, it seemed. “Fine, fine.” He swung the camera around, towards a red velvet throne amidst a field of torches. And atop that throne...

 

“Oh, there we go!” The chipper young lady on the end of the line clapped. “YA-HO! Hey there, party people! Hi again, Headmaster! It's so nice to see you again!” She waved.

 

“The pleasure,” Nobuyo said, “is not mutual, I assure you.”

 

The perpetrator of this incident was, unsurprisingly, unusual. In the transmissions, the audio, particularly, her voice, was not altered at all. In addition, while she wore a red face mask to cover the upper half of her face, and her hair was under a wide-brimmed red witch's hat, her hands were completely uncovered (though she had claimed, in her first transmission, that searching off of her fingerprints would be useless; and so far, it had been.) The ornately-designed black shirt and pants she wore also did nothing to hide her figure, for whatever that was worth.

 

The woman lounged around in her large, black-and-red coat, kicking up her shining, black stiletto heels onto one of the arms of the throne. She looked up to the ceiling, though at what, Nobuyo didn't know. “Wow, are we already almost two weeks into this whole incident? How time flies, am I right?” She twirled a bronze scepter in her hands.

 

“Who are you?” said a clean-shaved man in glasses, who'd been notified so quickly he'd forgotten to take off the rubber gloves he was wearing. “What have you done with-?”

 

“Hold your horses, Doc!” She sat up straight again. “One question at a time, 'kay? So, first question. 'Who are you?' Well, that's quite simple.” She cleared her throat. “It's nice to meet you all! **You can call me The End. I'm the mastermind behind this incident!** ”

 

“What kinda person calls themselves 'The End?'” Said a middle-aged man wearing a blue bandanna, all in clean white. “Stupid name, if you ask me.”

 

“...And to whom am I speaking?” The End said, tilting her head to one side. “I don't actually recognize you, fella.”

 

“Oh, well, I'm Ken Uesawa, community manager down at the Oborozuka Shopping Department,” he said. “I manage pretty much everything we've got going on down there. Lotsa people who wanna set up shop.”

 

“I see, I see.” The End nodded. “And why are you here?”

 

“I came on behalf of the whole town to ask you to please give us Shinobu back, we all miss her quite a bit.” Mr. Uesawa said.

 

“Ohhhhh!” The End said, raising her finger in time with her voice. “I gotcha. Okay, that makes sense.”

 

“Just _stop!_ ” A disheveled-looking brunette wearing a decorated jacket cried, throwing her hands out. “Please, why have you taken Stella? What do I need to do to get her back? Please, I'll do anything if you'll just please give her back!”

 

“Me, too!” Said a fading red-haired man whose stress lines were incredibly developed. He had a faraway look in his eyes. “Please, Chizuru can't handle this sort of excitement! She needs to come home!”

 

“Oh, Mr. Inoue.” The End sounded unimpressed. “Get a reality check already. Geez.”

 

“W-what?” Mr. Inoue said, going pale. “I-I don't understand, what do you mean?”

 

“I don't have time to be your therapist!” The End said, wagging her finger. “Well, actually, I could probably hire one for you... Oh, but that's beside the point. I believe the next question was, 'What have I done with your children?' Well, you probably already know the whole killing game part.”

 

Evidently, Luan’s parents hadn't, as they both grew quite concerned the instant the interpreter caught up. “They hadn't been informed,” the interpreter said. Subordinates.

 

“Anyscootle,” The End said, “I've taken them to my eeeeevil base for it! Nobuyo and his crack team of fellas have been hard at work trying to track me, buuuut no dice yet.”

 

Nobuyo finally stood from his desk. “I have a question for you.”

 

“Oho? I do like your questions, Nobuyo.” The End said. “Ask away!”

 

He thought back to the four strange broadcasts he'd received- sudden broadcasts from the same channel, in an almost incomprehensible format. “What is the meaning behind the 'Monokuma Theater' broadcasts?”

 

“Good question! You get a gold star!” The End pulled out a photo of Nobuyo, where had she gotten that? And placed a sticky gold star on it. “Anyway, so each of those Monokuma Theater segments, as I'm sure you might've guessed, corresponds to one of the participants in the game, gives you a little insight as to their secret, or not-so-secret, backstory. Say, say, Nobuyo!” She leaned into the camera. “Guess when I send them out, huh? Huh? Bet you can't guess~”

 

A cold fear gripped Nobuyo's stomach. The answer was obvious, so obvious it almost hurt his pride to have to say it aloud, but at the same time, he'd never been forced to admit something so terrifying in his entire stay as Headmaster. “You send out a student's Monokuma Theater when they die.”

 

“Ding ding ding! That's right!” The End said, winking through her mask.

 

“Wait, does that mean...” A black-haired man in glasses went pale, grabbing onto the hands of his shorter, similarly-dressed wife. “Some of the students have died? What's happened to our daughter? _What's happened to Maho?!_ ”

 

“Both more and less than you might think,” The End said with a strange tone in her voice. “Anyway, yes indeedy! As is proper form in a killing game, killing has in fact happened!”

 

“You're lying!” Said the red-haired pointy woman. “You're just trying to freak us all out!” She began stomping up to the front. Nobuyo flinched. Of all the-

 

“Ohhhh...” The End frowned. “Of all the people, it had to be _you_ who said something, huh, Mrs. Maebara?”

 

Mrs. Maebara stopped cold in her tracks. “...What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Well gee, sorry to be the bearer of bad news and all...” The End said. “But your son's been dead for a week! I took pictures of his dead body! You want some?”

 

“N-no... What?” Mrs. Maebara said. She stepped back.

 

“Oh, yeah, you probably wouldn't.” The End said. “Sorry, sometimes I forget my basic manners. Don't worry, though! He died instantly, poor guy.”

 

The first bereaved to come of this incident fell to her knees, and grew unresponsive. “Aaa, aaah...”

 

“...Someone please escort Mrs. Maebara to the infirmary,” Nobuyo said.

 

As she left, The End mumbled, “Let's see, who else... Oh yeah! Anyone here for Eriko Shigure? Cause that girl is deaaaaad as a doornail!”

 

Mr. Shigure gripped his pocketwatch so hard that some of the metal shattered. “Wh-what?!” He grimaced.

 

“I mean, she did kill poor Aoto, so she kind of deserved it.” The End said. “Isn't it sad, you washed up has-been?” She craned her head upwards to look down on him.

 

“...You... I swear I'll destroy you.” Mr. Shigure said, throwing his pocketwatch to the floor. “I'll do everything in my power to have you ruined once you're caught. You'll-!”

 

“Oh, well that's just hilarious.” The End said. “Power? You work the sink at a sushi conveyor belt now. Don't make me laugh.”

 

Some of the direction in Mr. Shigure's eyes left him, but The End stopped paying attention to him to say, “Okay, next up, anyone here for Miria Hayashi?”

 

Silence. “I said, is anyone here for Miria Hayashi?”

 

“Her mother declined to come,” Nobuyo said.

 

“Ooh, ouch.” The End made a noise like she was recovering from a burn. “That's harsh. Well, not like I'm surprised, though... her mom was a preeeeetty big bitch... But who cares?” The End put on a massive smile. “Well, anyway, I saw you earlier, Doctor, so lucky you! Miria got murked by one Wanda Morinaga! She is also now dead!”

 

The rubber-gloved man, Doctor Ijuuin Morinaga, looked down towards the floor and sighed. “...I see.”

 

“Oh, but it'd be remiss of me not to mention her last request...” The End said. “She asked something of you right before she died, Doc.”

 

“W-what?” His eyes widened. “She did?”

 

“Allow me to answer your question with a question!” The End said. “Is Miki Murasaki present? I repeat, is Miki-?”

 

“I'm here,” said a weak voice from the back of the crowd. A sandy blonde girl in a blue dress stepped forth. “I'm Miki.” Her attending physician stuck close to her to ensure she didn't fall of an attack.

 

“Well, first off, Miki, allow me to congratulate you on your sister's continued living.” The End said. “But anyway, Doctor Morinaga, you might not remember, but that little girl there was a patient of yours a few years back. She's currently suffering from Post-GUILT Syndrome from after you operated on her, and her older sister's been hunting high and low for you! You're a hard guy to find!”

 

“That's... not untrue,” Doctor Morinaga said. “I am... a bit remote, I suppose.” He looked towards Miki. Faint recognition flashed in her eyes as she looked back.

 

“Anyway, so before she died, Wanda's last request was that you please operate on poor little Miki.” The End said. “It might be a tough job, though. I hear her case is-”

 

“Why are you telling us this?” Nobuyo said. “What does it benefit you to transmit Wanda's last wishes?”

 

“Huh?” The End said, tilting her head to one side. “Well, why wouldn't I? Isn't it basic logic to save a sick kid if you can? And it'd be tragic if her last wishes weren't communicated, wouldn't it?”

 

“What gives you the right to talk about tragedy?!” Luna Masaki shouted. “Please, just give our children back!”

 

“Well, I have good news for you. Everyone whose name I didn't mention in this list is still alive!” The End said. “That includes dear little Stella, Ms. Masaki. I totally wasn't expecting that, either, she had a few _very_ close calls.”

 

“But why?” Luna said, clutching at her chest. “Why are you doing this?”

 

“Why am I doing this, huh...” The End tapped her scepter on the arm of her throne. “Well, isn't it obvious from my name?” She stared the camera dead in the face. “ _I am The End._ No matter what, I'm going to put an end to this story of ten years, and I'm making it happen through this killing game!”

 

“We're going to stop your killing game first,” Nobuyo said. “Mark my words.”

 

“You have my utmost permission, Nobuyo!” The End said. “Buuuuut, you've gotta find me first. Watch out! All these innocent children are stuck until you do!”

 

Suddenly, a crow's caw from the back of the room stopped both Nobuyo and The End in their tracks. In the back of the room, leaned against the wall, the pet crow of an old woman had called out. It rested on her shoulder as she stood off of the wall, a thinning but flowing mane of white hair falling behind her. One eyepatch and several scars covered her face, and one of her legs was clearly prosthetic under her baggy grey coat and cargo pants, but she struck an intimidating figure.

 

“Is that what you think?” said the old woman. “You're kidding yourself if you think they'll all take this sitting down, young lady.”

 

“Uh, do you take that crow everywhere?” The End said.

 

“Even if nobody else does, you won't beat Yashiro,” said Tomoe Narumi, ringleader of the Narumi Circus. “That boy won't lose to you, no matter what. 'Losing' isn't in his dictionary.”

 

The End's usual cheer faded. “You're annoying,” she said in a completely neutral tone. “I don't like you.” And just as quickly, it was back. “O-kay, party people, now that Debbie Downer over here is done, I've got a present for the families of the survivors! I've had transmission boxes and monitors sent to each of your places of residence, or the nearest equivalent. Be there at 10 P.M. And you'll all be pleasantly surprised!”

 

“What?” Mrs. Okudaira said. “Transmission boxes? You mean-?”

 

“Be there or be square!” The End said. “Nice chatting with you all, and by the way, Nobuyo, you've got bags under your eyes something fierce. You might wanna take a nap. The End is over! Hehe, it's a tautology.”

 

The transmission cut out. After receiving the news, predictably, most of the families hurried out of the room to return to their residences, so that they could be certain not to miss what they hoped would be communication with their children. Nobuyo gritted his teeth. He couldn't very well warn them away from it, but he had a bad feeling.

 

Only four family members remained in the room once the crowd had left, and Mr. Shigure, carrying his shattered watch, was the first to leave, almost in a daze. Doctor Morinaga was consulting with Miki's attending physician.

 

“This is a serious case...” He said, looking at what bits of Miki's records the physician was able to produce on such short notice. “And so young. I'm... sorry I haven't been easier to find, Miki. I could've cured you earlier.”

 

“Well, you did make Yayoi do a lot of looking. That was pretty crap of you.” Miki said, narrowing her eyes. “But I shouldn't be getting mad right now. Your daughter died. I'm sorry, Doc.”

 

“...Thank you.” Doctor Morinaga said. “It's not the time for mourning, though, either. I should operate as soon as possible.” He kneeled down to look Miki in the face. “I promise that I will cure you.”

 

“You promise? I've always been taught promises are a pretty big deal.” Miki said. “If you break your promise, I'll punch you, got it?”

 

“Did you learn that from your older sister?” Doctor Morinaga said, grinning.

 

She smiled. “Yeah, she's pretty cool.”

 

After they left, the only remaining person was Ms. Tomoe Narumi and her pet crow. She walked slowly up to Nobuyo's desk. “You're the headmaster, right?” She said. “How's the search going?”

 

“We've received several signals from The End, but tracking them's proving quite difficult.” Nobuyo said. “There's an odd sort of interference. We're unsure of its origin, but it's throwing off our search calculations and placing possible locations all over Japan. We've been attempting to analyze features of the recorded videos and possible locations-”

 

“Okinawa.” She said.

 

“What?” Nobuyo said, his eyes widening.

 

“I have a feeling we should search around Okinawa.” Tomoe said. “I'll obtain my records of our performances there so you can obtain a more complete map.” She began to walk away. “I'll explain my theory in greater detail when I return.”

 

“Then, you want to help with the investigation.” Nobuyo said. Her crow turned its head and nodded for her. “I see. We'll be glad for any assistance you can provide.”

 

Alone again, Nobuyo steepled his fingers. 'This story of ten years.' The End had used that phrase more than once. He had a suspicion of the common thread of the bits of the story that The End had thrown him, but it was not enough to follow breadcrumbs. He needed to pull out the big guns.

 

With one swift motion, he tied a white cloth around his head, and leapt down beneath his desk. Producing his rods from within his sleeves, a cloth puppet was taken from beneath the desk and placed in his seat. An all-blue set of samurai armor with a mask for a head now sat as the Headmaster, pushing a button on the intercom.

 

“Hyoooooohhhhh!” The former Ultimate Puppeteer said, under the guise of one of his oldest characters, Uendo the Sapphire Samurai. “Washizu! Washizu, the Samurai Signal calls you!”

 

“Yes, Mr. Kagenui.” Recruitment Officer Washizu was always quick on the draw, and it was one of his most admirable qualities as an employee.

 

“The law of Jewelled Bushido requires that you bring me Candidate B37 for this year's class right now! The fate of Hope's Peak, nay, the _world_ depends on her!” Nobuyo said. He added a few kung fu noises for good measure.

 

“Understood, Mr. Kagenui.” Washizu hung up.

 

“ _Hyooooooohhhhh,_ ” Nobuyo added.

 


	27. Day 12, Part 1 - Talking Time, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Make Friends, a Sci-Fi Mystery Story

**8 A.M.**

 

There was absolutely no logical reason for Chihaya to feel at all apprehensive about walking through the doors she was staring at right now. After all, everyone on the other side of that door already knew her, for one thing, knew her real name, had been friends with Miria before she died. Of course, anxiety was very infrequently logical, and though hers had somewhat logical roots, she still couldn't help but feel quite hesitant about the idea of _walking through a door like a normal person._

 

After all, doors were quite easy to pass through silently if you knew how. Even in her new old uniform, Chihaya was still the Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker. It wasn't as though she'd lost her talent. Actually, if she were to honestly evaluate herself, she'd say it was more likely that the new clothes would improve her skills by forcing her to remove the safety net of having such quiet clothes. She'd done her best work in the past when wearing much less drab clothing, after all. It'd be child's play to pass through this door undetected, possibly eat breakfast undetected depending on whether whoever was in charge of it that day was feeling conscientious enough to make her something despite her non-presence.

 

The end result of all this thinking was the understanding that passing through this door _without_ concealing her presence was by far the harder option Chihaya had available to her. She bit her lip in hesitation. Like it or not, she was going into that room to introduce herself properly in a way she had only done... three and a half times before now. To Miria, to Kei, to Claus, and then halfway to Rin, but she had deferred the actual explanation. Chihaya broke into a bit of a sweat. She twirled one of her hair curls. Oh, perhaps that was a question. Maybe it would be best for her to go back and un-curl her hair before she went in- _no, no, no._ It had been a statement for her to make while Miria was alive, but since she was being honest with herself right now, sure, the long hair was more 'her,' kind of, maybe, but damn it she just looked _better_ all curled.

 

Many people probably didn't expect that the Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker was the kind of girl to actually pay much attention to appearance, but Chihaya knew her way around a changing room in large part by necessity. After all, in an open space, hiding can be best performed by blending in with other people in the crowd, so the arts of the quick-change and outfit composition were part and parcel to her Ultimate title. Dyeing her hair and performing hairstyle changes were also somewhat part of the toolkit, but that was not a part of it she was particularly fond of, despite her hair being somewhat easy to notice, just because she was a bit finicky about people touching her hair. Well, she was finicky about people touching her to begin with for one reason or another, but-

 

“Heyyyy!” Gavin shouted. “It's Chi! She's out of her room.”

 

Oh. Her arm had opened the door without her noticing. _Oh, her arm had opened the door without her noticing._ Or was that the case? Maybe she had noticed and just pretend she hadn't noticed. Haha, well. That was her, sunk. The CI-84 stealth aircraft had crashlanded in the mountains of Siberia and landed directly into enemy territory.

 

“And not even hiding.” Stella said. She was oddly close to Kazuya, had something happened there? “Good job.”

 

“It's very good to see you, friend!” Yashiro laughed. Why was he so loud? Oh, what mad deity had blessed him with those vocal cords of his? Or was it a curse? ...Was there a neutral term for that sort of thing?

 

“We missed you.” Luan said.

 

Chihaya opened her mouth. She actually managed to make noise, which was more than she had been expecting, but it was little more than a raspy croak. That was not words. She had been talking about baby steps just yesterday and then she went and did this. Why did she do this? Why did you do this, Chihaya? Do you want to destroy yourself? Do you want to _tear yourself to pieces?_

 

Claus didn't move, but he was frowning. “Are you certain you're alright? Do you... would you like me to go grab a box to cover your face with?”

 

“Aw snap, dude, lemme go grab my laundry basket.” Gavin said, clapping his hands together.

 

“Uh.” Chihaya said. She gritted her teeth and began attempting to force words out of her mouth. Okay, yes, how do you greet people in a situation like this? 'Salutations?' 'Good morrow?' 'Sorry I hid in my room for two days?' “Hi.” Okay, yes, that was a start. Yes. She had said a word.

 

“Hi!” Rin said, waving her hand. “You've got this!”

 

Chihaya gulped. It was just one thing, right? Just introductions. Just introductions, then you can... something.

 

“Hello... everyone.” Chihaya said. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. “Sorry to... keep you waiting.”

 

“Dear, are you certain you're alright?” Shinobu said, beginning to stand up. “Do you need some assistance?”

 

“The blazer looks good on you, dude!” Gavin said.

 

“After the last trial, I'm sure most of you have some questions.” Chihaya said. She'd practiced this in the mirror last night. She could do this. “So I thought...” In, out. “That I should properly introduce myself this time, and... explain my whole... thing.” Losing her words... no, no, she could do this...

 

“I mean, I don't think you gotta if you don't want to.” Yayoi said.

 

“No!” Chihaya said. Louder- louder than she'd expected. “I... I need to. I need to do this. So just... everyone be quiet for a bit.” As long as they stayed quiet... she could do it. She'd already told Claus, so she knew she could do it again, if she just stayed quiet... went over the story in her head... and just said it as she went.

 

Her name was Chihaya Inoue, and she was the Ultimate Ghost. Her title as the Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker wasn't too different from that, but Ghost was more 'proper' for her. The title referred to someone who could hide themselves away so well, it was like they never existed.

 

When she was born, she was born a twin. She was Chihaya, and her twin sister was Chizuru. Their mother died soon after from illness, so their family was just the two of them and their father. Chizuru always played at being 'formal,' but being that she was just a small child, the act wasn't very thorough. The two of them dressed and acted similarly, but by whatever small measure, Chihaya was the more outspoken and brash one of the two.

 

When the two of them were six years old, an accident occurred. They were on the roof of a nearby small building, guarded by a fence that was taller than they were, when Chizuru decided that she wanted to climb up the fence to get a better view of the horizon. Chihaya hadn't thought that was a very good idea, but as Chizuru began walking across the fence, she tripped and began to fall. Chihaya jumped to save her sister, but just wasn't quite tall enough, and only managed to fall and hit her own head.

 

She woke up in the hospital the next day. Her father was there, and she asked him, what happened to Chizuru?

 

And he said, What are you talking about? You're right here, aren't you?

 

Chizuru had died, of course. She hadn't survived her fall. Her father had been lonesome already, and the loss of his daughter so soon after his wife took a great toll on his mind. In his state at the time, he was unable to recognize that Chihaya was not Chizuru, and would become greatly agitated and unstable if anyone, especially her, said anything about it. Her grandparents, from her father's side, asked her, “please, just for a little while, be Chizuru. He has to be ready first to face this loss.”

 

And so she did.

 

She wore her hair like Chizuru. She spoke with Chizuru's fake 'formal' air. She answered to the name “Chizuru” as best she could. The other children at school thought it was quite odd, especially when they saw her father become agitated once, but her grandparents decided to move the two of them to a new district instead.

 

That was how it began. Nobody was able to tell her how long it would be until her father would recover, but her grandparents were insistent that Chihaya play along until he did. And so she continued to act like her sister, thinking it would only be for a few weeks, maybe a few months.

 

Once two years had passed, reality began to sink in. There was no end in sight for her, and she was stuck, stuck being her six-year-old little sister. Other people began slowly to mature, to alter their habits, to _grow,_ but her father could not accept any other Chizuru but the Chizuru he had lost, so for his sake, she retained the same habits.

 

She grew fearful of people around that time. She was not Chizuru. She did not want to be seen pretending to be a dead little girl. That was when she began hiding. It started with sitting in the backs of the classrooms, but eventually, she learned that she had a skill for it, and began playing a game with herself to try and be stealthy.

 

Soon, she was almost invisible. She had no presence, and nobody noticed her. When people did, what they got was words from Chizuru, for she was not allowed to say any others.

 

Eventually, even her own body began to betray the illusion. From a physical standpoint, many would say that puberty was quite kind to Chihaya, but Chizuru was still a little girl, and that was what her father expected to see. So, Chihaya hid her own body, as well, hid it with the most drab, boring clothing imaginable, so that nobody could see.

 

She felt like she was losing her mind. Everyone in her life, her family, the teachers, what few friends she had, all of them spoke to Chizuru, not to her. Nobody looked at her and saw Chihaya. She felt like she was unable to trust her own memories anymore, began to doubt that she really _was_ Chihaya, and not Chizuru, for if she was the only one saying that, wasn't it possible that she was wrong? Perhaps she had survived that fall, but _she_ was the mad one, unable to cope with the loss of her sister and gaining some sense of being her in her mind.

 

When she was fourteen, her name was legally changed to Chizuru Inoue by her grandparents.

 

She didn't remember much after that. After what could only have been several hours of running, she found herself alone in the wilderness with nobody by her side. She was completely, and utterly, alone.

 

And then she met Miria.

 

And for the first time, Chihaya had hope. Hope that eventually, she could be her own person again.

 

It was Miria who kept her going through the next two years, the one person who honestly recognized that Chihaya was her own person. She had lost contact for a while, though, when she received her invitation. Hope's Peak had recruited 'Chizuru Inoue' as the Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker, but the envelope held two letters. One for 'Chizuru,' and one behind that, for Chihaya herself. Somehow, Hope's Peak had recognized her, as well, as the 'Ultimate Ghost.'

 

“So... here I am.” Chihaya said. It was nearing the end of her practiced story. “It's still very uncomfortable for me to be up here talking to you, but I hope that explains the way I've acted in the past. Thank you for listening, everyone. I hope we can continue to OH MY GOD SHINOBU LOOK OUT FOR THAT VAMPIRE RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!!!!”

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” Shinobu said as eloquently as she could manage.

 

Thankfully, by the time everyone realized that there was no vampire and Shinobu screamed for no reason, Chihaya had successfully hidden herself somewhere in the room (not thinking about where exactly it was on the incredibly off chance someone was reading her mind.) “Sorry,” she said. “I, um, couldn't think of any other way to get you all to turn around at once.”

 

“Oh, ahahaha, I see.” Said Shinobu to thin air. “I see, I see. No problem at all.”

 

“That's... a pretty crazy story.” Daisuke said. “Wow. Um...” He whistled.

 

“Yo, man.” Gavin said. “I'm sure she knows that pretty well, so she don't need us to tell her twice.” He smiled. “Good to know you, Chihaya! Glad you're outta that room.”

 

“Yeah!” Rin said. From the sound of things, it seemed like everyone basically agreed.

 

Chihaya sat in her hiding place, not looking at any of them. She was safe again, hidden away from their eyes, but a new sense of peace found its way into her heart. Perhaps this really could go well. Perhaps... something could be waiting for her outside of this facility, if this kept up.

 

“Thank you, everyone.” Chihaya said. She then took a look at the straw she'd discretely taken. Thankfully, she was not on breakfast duty today.

**10 A.M.**

 

“The meeting has come to order!” Yayoi said, slamming her hand on the table in place of a gavel. “All'a you, pay attention!”

 

At the moment, the Concert Construction Committee consisted of Yayoi herself, along with Daisuke, Yashiro, and Gavin. They sat around the Lounge table, and Yayoi counted herself blessed to have managed to get these two to sign on.

 

The concert's current status was a four-part show. The show would begin with Yashiro performing some act he'd picked up from his Nana or something as a circus trooper, or whatever the lingo was. Then, Daisuke would pick up and start playing for three songs. Gavin would come on stage for an improv comedy session after that (apparently a lot of people thought he'd be good for it,) and then Daisuke would come back on stage for three more songs. It was all pretty well and good, and Yayoi found herself pretty confident in the material Yashiro and Gavin had planned.

 

Unfortunately, the same could not be said about Daisuke.

 

“So, I really think that you're underestimating me here.” Daisuke said. “I mean, come on! I'm not that bad! I can totally do it!” His sunglasses were off, and his ponytail was zig-zagging behind his head.

 

Yayoi rolled her eyes. Ugh, this guy sometimes. “You can play, Harada, I'll give ya that. But, and now you listen here 'cuz this is a big but, you can't _sing_ worth _shit._ You hear?”

 

“Come on, guys, back me up!” Daisuke said, flailing with pleading gestures towards the other two men. “Guys!”

 

“Sorry to say it, Dice, but it really ain't the most quality singing Gav's ever heard.” Gavin said. “Now, if we had my buddy Kenichi in here, then we'd be in business. Trip, man, now there's a guy who sings like there's no tomorrow.”

 

“What does he sing?” Yashiro said.

 

“Mostly covers of old country songs.” Gavin said. “But dude's got heart and a crooning set o' pipes! You listen to Kenichi, man, it's like a religious experience.”

 

“Well, we don't have your buddy Kenichi here.” Yayoi said. “And you three bozos ain't gonna cut it as far as singing goes.”

 

“Are you sure we couldn't get Kazuya? I bet he can sing really well.” Daisuke said. Yashiro shook his head again just like the last three times Daisuke asked that question, though.

 

Yayoi groaned. “Okay, well, I guess we've gotta go over our other choices. We ain't got any kinda musical talent in here, so we've gotta improvise, folks. You heard anyone else sing?”

 

“I heard J singin' in the bathtub once!” Gavin said, lighting up. “It, uh, it ain't great.”

 

“As if he'd even agree in the first place.” Yayoi said. “It's Fukuyama. Next. Hey, Narumi, how's Hashizawa's pipes?”

 

“I seem to recall they're a reasonably capable set of vocal cords,” Yashiro said, “but somehow I doubt our capacity to get her to properly learn it.”

 

“Aaaagh!” Yayoi said, grabbing her head. She leaned forward onto the table. “You're right, she's zippy as all hell.” She stood up, and began pacing around, tapping her foot. “Think, think, think.” She turned around on her feet. “Even if Shinobu's got good pipes, like hell she's got the endurance to learn a song on this short notice. I guess we could consider Masaki...” Her eyes widened. “Wait.” Suddenly, Yayoi was filled with what one could call divine inspiration, though you could also just call it a hunch. “Wait, wait, wait. I know just the guy for the job.”

 

“What?” Daisuke said, putting his sunglasses on for the express purpose of lowering them again in surprise. “How the heck did you do that?” She didn't bother answering his question. Thundering up the stairs, Yayoi turned towards Kavka Hall, and slammed open the door to the Rec Room.

 

“Oh, hello.” Luan said. He was playing darts.

 

“Yun-Fat, I've got a job for you!” Yayoi said, slamming her hands on his shoulders.. “How good are your pipes?”

 

“My... pipes?” Luan said, raising his eyebrow. “Well... the plumbing in my apartment is sufficient.”

 

“No, dumbass, I mean your noise pipes.” Yayoi said, shaking him a bit.

 

“I don't own any bagpipes.” Luan said. “Or an organ.”

 

“ _How well can you sing?_ ” Yayoi asked, groaning.

 

“Oh,” Luan said. “Singing pipes.” He nodded. “I do not know if I'm quite as good as you might want, but I have been visiting karaoke booths regularly for the past three years in an attempt to improve my Japanese. I am reasonably confident in my ability to sing.”

 

“What, karaoke? For real?” Yayoi said, letting go and staring at him. “Huh.”

 

“Speaking is all well and good,” Luan said, “but in a service-based industry there needs to be clear communication. Properly scoring in karaoke requires that I not only have the words, but the inflection and other factors in the song. I have always found it a useful tool to ensure that I'm able to speak on the same wavelength as my clients. The local karaoke booth has a booth permanently reserved for me for my regular patronage, and I've obtained several unofficial awards for patrons, including 'Most Improved from First Visit,' 'Most Perfect Scores,' and 'Best Interpretation of Alternative Polka Music.”

 

Yayoi blinked. “Huh. Wouldn't take you for the type. Think you could help Harada and me out by singing?”

 

“Why do you ask?” Luan said.

 

“Because the alternative is we get Harada hamming it up for a while and nobody in their right mind wants that.” Yayoi said.

 

“Well, I suppose I should, then.” Luan said. He nodded.

 

A bit of a walk later, the second meeting of the Concert Construction Committee came to order, though Yashiro and Gavin had gone to practice their material. “So we've got our singer, Harada.” Yayoi said, gesturing to Luan.

 

“Really? I didn't know you could sing, man.” Daisuke said. “That's pretty impressive.” He pulled out some sheet music he'd grabbed from the Archive, and handed it to Luan. “Can you read this?” He asked, and Luan nodded. “Great, good stuff. I'll just lay this down, then, and you can show me what'cha got.”

 

Yayoi was not a person who was much for poetic descriptions of things. She had always been, as it were, a very blunt person. As a result, she didn't have many words to describe the next minute or two of hearing Luan sing, or to describe his voice. If it were, say, Shinobu or Kazuya here, that'd be a different matter, but Yayoi was a simple girl with simple words, so the only things she had once the song was finished were the following: “Holy shit, you're good at this.”

 

“Yeah, no kidding!” Daisuke said, taking his sunglasses off to widen his eyes. “How'd you learn to sing like that, dude?”

 

“Er... karaoke booths,” Luan stammered, blushing a little.

 

“I am HONORED to have you as my costar, man.” Daisuke said, standing up and grabbing Luan's shoulder. “If you'd have me, let's rock the house!”

 

Yayoi closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and nodded. These two goofballs were going to work together to make something really great. Heh heh, she thought, Boss Murasaki strikes again.

**12:30 P.M.**

 

“Gavin, I do not need you to wheel me horizontally,” Jun said, groaning in his wheelchair. “I am perfectly capable of moving horizontally.”

 

“C'mon, J, lighten up.” Gavin said, grinning. He wheeled Jun through Target Hall and out. “Don't be a Mr. Grumpy Gills, my dude.”

 

“I am not a-!” Jun craned his head around and looked like he was about to say something, but then deflated. “...No, you're right. I am a Mr. Grumpy Gills, aren't I.”

 

“Among other things,” Gavin said. “But hey, sometimes, every one of us under the sun of us can be a Mr. Grumpy Gills, even the misses! Wait.” He stopped. “Do you think there's a Mrs. Grumpy Gills? Whaddya suppose she's like? She must really like ol' Gilly to marry him with a name like that, right?”

 

“What are you talking about?” Jun said. “Oh, never mind. I probably wouldn't understand anyway.”

 

Their destination was close at hand at that point. It was the first door in Spare Hall, after all. Door Seven wasn't far, but Gavin could see Jun begin to scratch at his dandruff as they wheeled up. “Hey, J.” Gavin said. “Stay cool, my man. Remember, you were the one that wanted to do this.”

 

Jun was gritting his teeth. “I _know._ You don't have to keep informing me of that. And...” He trailed off and began making some very confused noises. “Why are you even here, Gavin. Why is it that you are insisting on coming along for this?”

 

“Trip, man, I'm just making sure you don't betray yourself.” Gavin said. “If I'm here, way less chance you can't handle it and run away, right?”

 

Again, Jun craned his head around and looked like he was about to protest, but then stopped, and sighed. “Yes, you're right. I probably couldn't do this on my own. Thank you, Gavin.”

 

The two of them stood there for a few moments. “You know, Gavin, I still don't really get it.” Jun said. “Aren't I an unpleasant person?”

 

“Most definitely, my man.” Gavin nodded.

 

“Then why are you so... insistent... on helping me around?” Jun said, gritting his teeth. “Why are you so ridiculously insistent on spending time with me?”

 

“Well...” Gavin sighed. “After Eriko died, trip, it didn't seem like _anyone_ wanted to hang out with you, J. And, well man, I really can't blame them. You beefed it hard.”

 

“You are informing me of things I already know, Gavin.” Jun said.

 

“But that's why, man!” Gavin said. He stood proudly, staring into the distance, pretending there was a waving American flag behind him or something. “It's my duty as the Ultimate Buddy to be the pal of folks who can't manage it on their own. If you were _really_ a lost cause, my man, trust me, I'd know. I know lost causes when I see 'em.”

 

Jun rolled his eyes. “Lost causes? What is this about?”

 

“Way I see it, J, seems to me like you don't trust yourself much.” Gavin said. “Like, here's how Gav sees it. You've got this whole thing about your talent and getting into Hope's Peak and all, but whatever happened to you in your life, it's gotten in your head and is making you think that's all you're ever gonna be good for, that you've just gotta be the Ultimate Net Admin, and not Jun Fukuyama, you dig?”

 

“...What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jun said.

 

“I dunno, dude, it's your backstory!” Gavin said, grinning. “I'm just sayin', though, I'm tryin' to help you, you dig? Help you get to that level where you can say you are most triumphant!”

 

“Your dialect still makes no sense.” Jun said.

 

“Well, methinks that's just part of the Gavin Sakaki Institute for Friendship's appeal.” Gavin said. “But, uh, seriously, J... you ever got anything you wanna say, just, you know, I'm right here, my man. I can tell you ain't a cat who's all used to being honest with people, but, you know.”

 

“Put a sock in it, you simpleton.” Jun said, turning back towards the door. He avoided Gavin's eyes as he did. “Alright, I'm tired of sitting here. Let's get this over with.”

 

“That's right, man!” Gavin said, his chest filling with pride for his small, angry pal. “It's time to make a friend!”

**12:35 P.M.**

 

It wasn't as though the door was particularly threatening. It was a simple door that Jun had to knock on for a simple errand. If it weren't for Gavin making it all complicated, he'd probably be done by now, but no, Gavin had to go on about how proud he was of Jun, of Jun reaching out to make a friend.

 

Which was ridiculous in and of itself, of course. It was only right to thank Chihaya, now that he had a moment, for going along with his trick against Hashizawa a few days ago. And, certainly, the Ghost's company wasn't horrid. But it wasn't like he was making a friend or anything.

 

_But J,_ his newfound shoulder Gavin said. _Ain't this like the definition of thinking someone's your friend?_

 

Ugh. Maybe. Who cares! Jun shouted at his shoulder Gavin. Who cares? I don't have friends. I never have. It hasn't happened and that means it never will happen. He was Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin, and his role in life was to be the Ultimate Net Admin. Who cared about his personal life? It didn't matter. Other people didn't matter. Nobody in this world cared about him, so why should he care about anyone else?

 

_But J, ain't you just saying that 'cuz of how the foster system treated you?_

 

Shoulder Gavin had an unpleasant way of bringing up memories Jun didn't particularly enjoy reliving. Even in Jun's thoughts, he was the most annoying man he'd ever met. What idiots had decided to procreate and put Gavin in this world? Jun felt, just, he just felt, ugh! What a frustrating man! Never mind. The point was, nobody cared about Jun Fukuyama, so it was worthless for him to try and care about anyone else.

 

_But J, don't I care about you?_

 

Jun gritted his teeth. Shut up. Shut up! You're just... an exception! Some sort of weird alien or something! Why am I even here? What am I even doing here? There's no point in doing this. It wasn't like Chihaya would even think anything of it. It wasn't, like, anything, _would happen!!_

 

_Maybe I should listen to Gavin just this once._

 

But of course, shoulder Gavin was also just a part of Jun. A part that was new, and recently formed, but a part of him nonetheless. So that meant... Jun knew what that meant. It meant he had to knock on the door, and try and... make a friend. So that meant that he was going to do this. He was going, to take his hand, and _**knock on that door!!**_

 

Knock, knock. “Hello?” Pause. “It's... Fukuyama.”

 

He looked around. For god's sake, where was Gavin? He'd somehow disappeared in this barren hallway. This wasn't funny, Gavin! This wasn't some kind of joke!

 

The door opened. Chihaya was in the doorway, looking at him with a rather befuddled look. “Um... hello, Jun.” She said. She averted her eyes awkwardly. “What can I do for you?”

 

“Hello, er. Chihaya. Good afternoon.” Jun said. Argh, god, what was he doing? “I... wanted to come by and... properly thank you for your help a few days ago.”

 

“A few...” Chihaya mumbled. “The hide and seek game?” She was looking at him now.

 

“Yes! That.” Jun said. “I... appreciated your assistance... in that matter. It was... well, you know, ordinarily I mostly work alone, I wasn't really... I felt very... grateful. Towards you.”

 

She seemed to be looking almost pityingly at him. “Did Gavin put you up to this?” Chihaya said.

 

Gavin?! Gavin!! “I'll tell you what _Gavin_ did!” Jun shouted. “I just express my intentions to go over to this room and express gratitude for a single incident four days ago and he has to start gumming up the works with his nonsense about oh J you're making friends and I am so heckin proud of you my duderino, or whatever stupid shit he says today! The man comes along with me for _no_ reason, decides he wants to invade my _thoughts,_ even, and then disappears the instant the door opens and leaves me standing here looking like a buffoon prattling on about nothing! That inconsiderate man and his mind of dirt wouldn't know what I was thinking if I reached over and I took a chunk out of his rear end! Why, insinuating that I even need to-”

 

“You're welcome.” Chihaya said.

 

“-do something so ridiculous as-” Fukuyama.exe has stopped working. Please wait while we attempt to find a solution...

 

…

 

…

 

“Huh?” Jun said.

 

“You're welcome,” she repeated. “For helping you. It was a very clever trick, actually. I liked it.” She smiled.

 

“Um...” Jun found himself at an impasse. What do you say when someone says something like this? Was 'hello' the right statement? “Thank you,” he said.

 

“I heard that you were trying to become kinder, but it's nice to see it properly.” Chihaya said. “Actually...” She looked away and began twiddling her fingers. “I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about what it is you do sometime. I'm curious.”

 

Jun blinked. Had she just _asked_ for him to tell her about his work? “Er. Alright.” He also looked away awkwardly.

 

“It wouldn't be a bother?” Chihaya said. She was still looking away! Why was _she_ awkward? He's the one who should be- oh. Right. Social anxiety probably does that to people, or... or something like that. Yes.

 

“No, I...” Jun put on his neutral face. “I enjoy talking about my work. Quite a bit. That would be... fine.”

 

“Does a certain time work best for you?” Chihaya said. “I wouldn't want to come in at a bad time, or anything.”

 

“Between three and seven, I'd say.” Jun said. “Since the pool was unlocked I've been going for nighttime pool visits at seven until nine. I enjoy it quite a bit. I've never, er. I've never really been to a pool before.”

 

“I've never been at all outside of school.” Chihaya said. “They were, er... not quite... the best places for me.”

 

“Mm.” They both nodded at each other.

 

“Okay, good talk.” Chihaya said. “I'm going to close my door now. Bye, Jun.”

 

“Goodbye, Chihaya. I'll see you later, I suppose.” Jun said. And she did just that, leaving him alone again. Huh. That had just happened. A thing just happened that occurred. Its having-occurred-ness was off the charts oh _god he was starting to sound like Hashizawa god damn it!_

 

Suddenly, behind him, he heard the door to Spare Hall open, and Gavin, with tears in his eyes, fist clenched in presumably pride, enter through it. “J, my man, you did it!” Gavin came up and gave Jun a thumbs up. “You did it, you made friendly!”

 

A vein in Jun's forehead bulged as he glared at Gavin. “Gavin Sakaki, you nincompoop, what were you even thinking pulling a disappearing act like that? I don't know what you were even thinking with this whole exercise,” and Jun grabbed Gavin's vest, “and staring at me like you think you're proud of me for having just a regular conversation or something, which I suppose it was _alright,_ but did you have to just disappear like that and leave me in the lurch, you bast _argh!_ ”

 

The fervor of Jun's grasp wound up giving him enough momentum to send him toppling out of his chair. Jun Fukuyama, winner of the Marufuji College Tech Expo, the Ultimate Net Admin, now found himself with his cheek pressed against the cold floor, grabbing onto the pant legs of a man with the hair of David Hasselhoff.

 

“Gav figured he should give you some privacy and all, my man.” Gavin said.

 

“That's lovely.” Jun said. “Please help me.”

**4 P.M.**

 

Kazuya gazed into the mirror, giving himself the once over. Then a second... then a third... hm. He pulled away the curtain to the Tailor's fitting room. “How do I look?”

 

“I think the suit-and-tie look suits you.” Stella said.

 

In a remarkably Claus-esque gesture (it seemed even non-verbal communication caught on in such a small space, he mused,) Kazuya awkwardly adjusted his necktie. It wasn't a thought he had often, but looking back at himself, in the suit-and-tie secret agent sort of look he was sporting, he actually found himself sort of _agreeing._ Though...

 

“It's a bit narrow,” he said, feeling the sides of his suit. “Are you any good with alterations?”

 

“Not really.” Stella said, shaking her head. “I've never had to be, nobody in my family has.” Her face lit up, and she raised her finger. “You think Shinobu knows anything about this?”

 

“Oh, that is possible.” Kazuya said. “Though, on the other hand, I feel like she might complicate things a little... Would she even agree?” He took a beat. “Wait, it's Shinobu. Of course she would. I'd have a harder time getting her to _dis_ agree.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Stella said, rolling her eyes. At some point, she had gotten remarkably close behind him, and was now lifting up his arms and inspecting them in the sleeves of the suit. Kazuya wasn't sure whether this was to help or to just get a look at his arms or something, but either way, he honestly didn't have much to complain about.

 

“The question is, are Daisuke and Yayoi going to agree?” Kazuya said. “I mean, I'm sure they probably have a plan already. Asking to fit me in too might cause an issue of some sort.”

 

“It won't.” Stella said, letting his arms go. “Seriously.”

 

It was a good thing, Kazuya thought, that the doors to this room _locked,_ or else he'd probably be breaking out into a cold sweat by the prospect of undressing, even with the curtain he pulled around himself. Considering he and Stella were about the same size, it was possible he could just hide behind her, but still.

 

Actually, that was another subject entirely, he thought, removing his pants. He was... well, he was undressing. In the same room as another person- wait, oh yeah, he realized again with a sudden start. I have a _girlfriend_ now and I am _undressing_ in the _same room_ as my _girlfriend._ There was just a curtain between his almost entirely bare body, unfortunate parts and all, and being in full view of his _girlfriend,_ who apparently thought he was _sexually attractive._

 

It had been a strange two weeks for Kazuya Okudaira. Actually, it had been quite possibly the strangest two weeks of his life. Just as a newborn is born into sound and fury, his new identity as a man was born into chaos and strife. In fact, come to think of it, if it hadn't been for Rin's intervention, this quite possibly couldn't have happened because Stella would be _dead._ That was a very strange thought, a very strange thought indeed.

 

But Rin had intervened, and here he was, now almost entirely nude in the same room as a woman who thought enough of him to want to be his girlfriend. Unbidden, these facts led to a vague mental image of Stella undressing. He'd never been much to daydream or fantasize, so his imagination was not too vivid, but it was enough for him to both twinge in empathy at seeing her scars again and nonetheless stare in appreciation at her naked limbs.

 

He blinked, remembering that he was currently in a state of undress. Shaking his head, Kazuya began to put on his regular clothes at a speed other people tended to envy. Within instants, he was briskly walking out from behind the curtain, attempting to regain his composure. Unexpectedly, though, he found Stella blushing and attempting to hide her face inside of her blazer outside.

 

Kazuya blinked. This looked familiar. “Were you... imagining me naked, Stella?”

 

“No! Yes,” Stella said. “I mean, sorry, I just-!”

 

“Well, how did I look?” Kazuya leaned down next to her, grinning. “Don't leave me hanging.”

 

Stella looked up at him and stared, her lips in a flat frown. “And how am I supposed to answer that question? What's a _good_ answer to that question?”

 

Kazuya chuckled, and patted her on the back. “I'm kidding, I'm kidding.” He stopped himself. “Actually, wait. Let me think about that. What would be a good answer to that question?” He tapped his chin. “Is 'good, but could use improvement' a decent answer, do you think, or is it too wordy for the question?”

 

“Oh my GOD, shut UP,” Stella said, grabbing him by the shoulders and jostling him a bit. She was laughing, though, so that was good.

 

...What was he _doing?_ All of this was definitely not the sort of thing Kazuya had ever gotten up to before. Surely this looked ridiculous. Was this even the right way to treat a girlfriend? _Was_ there a right way? Despite himself, he began to feel a bit of envy for people lucky enough to be attracted to the same gender. He'd always felt like there was something of a wall between him and the vague, semantic core of what it was to be 'woman,' and it was a keen understanding of his own _lack_ of understanding that kept him from being fully confident in his own romantic abilities. Perhaps other women simply knew better how to treat a woman as a partner, and men how to treat men. ...No, but that didn't make sense either. He had no idea how to treat _himself_ as a romantic partner, so why would he know better about other men?

 

A few stray lines of thought, malignant ones, entered his head for a brief moment, but he batted them away. One managed to stay on course, though, and dug itself into his conscious mind; a line of thought regarding Stella. What if, it said, you're wasting her, taking advantage of the situation to take her away from people who would deserve her more? Haven't you ever heard of the suspension bridge effect? Obviously she only thinks she's in love with you because of the situation. Once it wears off, she'll realize you're just a cowardly little nothing and leave.

 

Because you don't have anything to offer. A body that's incapable of performing the function it was born for, a mind that constantly tries to accomplish tasks its body is incapable of, and a heart that's weak. Weak, weak, weak. A heart that hides itself, behind a coat, behind a fake name, so nobody has to see how lacking it is. You may not be a woman, but can you really say you're a man, either? You're nothing. You're just weak. Weak, weak, weak, weak, weak, _weak-!_

 

Kazuya made a hissing noise, threw his hands up, blinked rapidly, and shook his head. “Sorry! I got wrapped up in my own head there.”

 

“Oh, I get you, happens all the time.” Stella said quietly. Her eyes were wide. Kazuya had probably shocked her, at least a little bit.

 

Breathe in, breathe out. “I'm going,” Kazuya affirmed for his own sake, “to write a speech. And then I'm going to deliver it, at the concert tomorrow.”

 

“Mmhm.” Stella came up behind him and put her arms around him.

 

“And then that'll be that.” Kazuya said. “I'll be done hiding. I'll have pulled the trigger.” He waved his fingers around in the air. “I will, _properly,_ be Kazuya Okudaira from that point on.”

 

“Mmhm.” Stella nodded on his shoulder.

 

It was only then that he noticed the warmth. Stella was slender, but the weight of her body against his, of her arms around him, still carried with it the unmistakable warmth of another person. _That's right,_ he thought. _I have time to worry about whether I'm good enough or not after I get out of here. ...With her._

 

“Huh.” Stella said, her head moving curiously. “You know, it actually feels kind of nice being the emotional support for once. I could get used to this.”

 

“Oh, come on, don't take away my job.” Kazuya laughed. “If you start being the emotional support, what am I supposed to do?”

 

“You'll probably get your chance when the high of having a boyfriend wears off.” Stella mused, leaning back into him.

 

It was a good feeling, being loved. Kazuya quite liked it. He turned around and properly hugged Stella back, kissing at the bottom of her neck. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too-”

 

A loud knocking emanated from the door, interrupting the moment. “I've been waiting out here for half an hour waiting to fix this tear in my coat.” Hansuke said. “Would you two please quit screwing and unlock the damn doors?”

 

Silence. A drop of sweat, a chill of awkwardness down Kazuya's back. “Sorry!” He called.

**6:30 P.M.**

 

“...and so,” Rin said, placing her elbow on the Archive table, “I've been trying to think of ways I could help by trying to regain my memory and stuff, right?”

 

“That makes sense.” Claus nodded.

 

“But I've chewed through a ton of prior killing games and have come up pretty much empty other than a lot of people dying.” Rin said, shaking her head. “So that seems like a dead-end. And I've been hanging out with people, but that's not bringing anything back either. Whatever's blocking my memory seems like it needs something really specific, I guess.”

 

“It seems like a very troublesome form of amnesia, to be sure.” Claus said. “Do you have any theories about yourself?”

 

“Theories about myself, huh?” Rin said, her antenna pointing and waving around in a bunch of different directions. “Man, that is a super weird thing to theorize about, you know? But, no, I haven't been able to come up with anything particularly good. Rin Hashizawa's a big ol' blank to me right now.”

 

“Well, perhaps you could work backwards somehow?” Claus said.

 

“Work backwards... hm, well, okay, I know I had to be in the Okinawa area for some reason... Wait!” She struck her open palm with her fist. “If I'm some sort of crazy math whiz, that probably means I'm involved in some sort of field that involves math, right? Or, at the very least, I have some kind of mathy hobby, but I am an Ultimate, so it's probably an Ultimate skill of some kind. Do you ever wonder,” Rin said, staring off into space, “what an actual Ultimate Amnesiac would be like?”

 

“It seems like it would be a very troublesome talent,” Claus said.

 

“Troublesome, troublesome. Troublesome makes me think of Jun.” Rin said. “And then there was that thing Hansuke said, about how Jun must have some reason for his dislike of me. So maybe there's something there, but I'm not sure what I'd do to get him to open up or something. And then on top of this all, I'm in love with Shinobu-”

 

“Wait, you are?” Claus said.

 

“-and I'm not sure, like, should I say something? Should I say nothing? Should I not not say something but initiate non-verbal cues to attempt to show my amorous emotions in a demure, yet alluring way?”

 

“Well, perhaps breaking the ice by talking about something she likes might be a good idea.” Claus said.

 

“Breaking the ice, yeah, that might be a good idea as a basic conversational starter, but I mean, we already had that lecture and I'm not sure I've formulated any new questions yet. It's like, how can I properly be interested when I've got things like my lost memories and robotics and the mystery of Monokuma and robotics and the quizzical nature of the killing game as a concept and robotics and how much I want to smooch Shinobu and robotics and robotics to think about?” Rin said.

 

Claus stared. “Are you, er... interested in-”

 

“Oh my god, Claus, you're a genius!” Rin said, leaning over and squeezing his cheeks together. “You're right, I did have robotics knowledge for some reason when Jun was rambling on yesterday at breakfast, which probably means I'm interested in robotics at least a little bit, which would also explain this deep desire I have to go ask Jun about robotics! Also, Jun loves talking about himself and how smart he is, and robotics is programming-adjacent, so it'd probably do a lot to get him to open up to me!”

 

“That seems like a sound idea,” Claus said.

 

“And if I do that and find something out, it might lead me on a path to discovering stuff about my lost memories!” Rin said. “Thanks, Claus. You're the best!” She stood up, and dashed out of the room.

 

Claus nodded. “Well, okay then.” He then silently went back to his copy of 'Women's Golf: A History (With Pictures!)'

 


	28. Day 12, Part 2 - Burning Body

**7 P.M.**

 

Hansuke patted down the new patch on his coat. It was getting to be a bit divorced from its original shape, but it was still the same old coat, so who cared? More importantly, he had a lead. Somehow or another, he'd garnered a reputation as an investigator, he thought as he entered Newcomb and strolled through the Venue, but that wasn't a problem. Unless someone was immediately about to be dead or had already died, it wasn't like anyone had a reason to hide information.

 

Well, except for this guy, he thought, stepping onto the stage. Jun Fukuyama was a real tightwad in more ways than one. Thankfully, he'd revealed a sort of weak point yesterday, and now that Hansuke had a nice, stiff drink lined up for after this, he felt perfectly prepared to deal with this. Plus, Fukuyama wasn't liable to do anything too stupid if Hansuke came alone.

 

That was the plan, anyway. The plan, as plans often do, went awry when Hansuke was blazed past by a mostly-black blur shooting past him and into the pool. A gust of wind blew his coat a little as what was no doubt Rin Hashizawa entered the pool ahead of him. At this juncture, Hansuke wasn't sure whether to be proud that she might've taken some investigative initiative or to dread the effect she'd have on Jun.

 

Hansuke walked up and opened the door to the Pool, to see Jun, in the middle of wheeling up to the water, topless and in his swim trunks, with his eyes narrowed at Rin, who'd finally completely stopped in front of him.

 

“...sorry, sorry!” Rin said, finishing a statement. “I just sorta got so excited I forgot about this whole antagonistic relationship we have, you know?”

 

“No.” Jun said. “No, I do not know, what in the hell are you talking about? Can I not please enter the pool in peace?”

 

“Actually, I was really hoping you could talk to me more about that stuff you were talking about yesterday morning.” Rin said. Oh, so she had taken the initiative. Good on her. “You know, robotics and all that? For some reason, I'm really interested.”

 

This statement alone was enough to stun Jun into silence, as he stared at Rin with his eyes wide. “What?” He said, after he regained his wits.

 

“I thought the lady's request was pretty clear,” Hansuke said, walking up behind her. “She wants you to tell her about robotics.”

 

“Oh, hi, Hansuke!” Rin said. Then her antenna drooped. “Wait, was that you I ran past on my way in here? Please forgive me!” She got into her knees and bowed.

 

Jun continued gaping. “You're _serious?_ ” He pointed at Rin. “ _You?_ Want _me_ to lecture you on robotics?”

 

“What is so confusing about this?” Rin said, standing back up and frowning. “Why is it a big deal?”

 

“But, there's no way...” Jun looked down at his hands. “What? But... There's no way...! What?!”

 

Hansuke stared blankly at the gesticulating Net Admin, wishing dearly that he would get to the god damned point already. “There's no way what?”

 

Then, suddenly, realization dawned on Jun's face, bright as the sun on a crisp spring morning. It was like, for the first time in his life, he was finally seeing the truth, pure as day, like he was Muhammad being granted visions of Allah after fasting for several days.

 

“You really do have amnesia!” Jun said, pointing at Rin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Yes,” Rin said. “Yes, I do.”

 

 

 

 

Hansuke placed his face into his open palms, breathing deeply, in and out, of that stuffy in-your-hands air, mumbling an 'oh my fucking god' under his breath. He began to pace around, almost incapable of believing what he'd just heard. This wasn't the stupidest thing he'd ever heard, he thought to himself, it wasn't, it really wasn't. He'd heard stupider. He'd heard stupider. _He must have, at some point or another._

 

Rin kept throwing her arms out towards Jun, but she didn't have any breath behind her words, so her pleas of “Why?” came out as hoarse gasps instead. It was more than Hansuke could manage at the moment. “Whyyyyy?” That one was towards Hansuke.

 

“I don't know.” Hansuke's normally stoic face wasn't able to hide the cracking frustration and disbelief. “I don't... I don't know. Maybe... maybe he's...” He gritted his teeth, grasping for answers himself. “Maybe he's some kind of alien, maybe he doesn't work by Earth laws. Aliens exist, right?”

 

“Yes, but, but whyyyyyyy?” Rin said, furiously pointing both her hands and her antenna at Jun. “Why anything? Why any of this? Why? How? How do any of these statements logically lead to each other?”

 

“I don't know!” Hansuke shouted. He began grunting. He heard Jun say, 'What? What did I say?' but that just made it worse.

 

Rin and Hansuke seemed to have the same idea at the same time, as they both ran over to the edge of the pool and dunked their heads in. It was cold as hell because of some laws of physics Hansuke didn't know or care to remember, but having his head floating underwater did a lot to shock the system back to normalcy. His breath-holding ability wasn't bad, but he came up, gasping for air, a few seconds before Rin did. Her hair apparently retained a lot more moisture than his did, noting the droplets off of hers.

 

“I don't even know how to feel about this.” Rin said. “This is just... Oh my god, Hansuke.”

 

“Yeah, I feel you.” Hansuke said. He ran to grab a towel from the shower room, then used it to dry off Rin's wet head. “I feel you far more strongly than I ever wanted to.”

 

“I don't know whether to laugh or cry or just fall down on the floor and writhe around in pain.” Rin said.

 

“We have a job to do.” Hansuke said. “Remember we have a job to do. We have a job to do. We can't let this stop us. Got it?”

 

“Right...” Rin huffed out what air she had, and then took a deep breath. “Right!” She held out her hand for a handshake, and Hansuke took it. The two of them shook hands, firmly, strongly, before turning back to Jun.

 

Jun stared awkwardly at the two of them. “What the hell are you two doing?”

 

“Jun, please, you are hurting our heads.” Rin said, pressing her hand to her temple. “Please, just... please explain how that led you to that conclusion. I am begging you. I will get on my knees and beg you.”

 

The small boy sighed. “Alright, alright. I'll explain it. I suppose if you're willing to debase your pride to that extent, there's no doubt that you really do have amnesia.”

 

“Debase her pride, huh?” Hansuke said. He scratched his scruff. “So my hunch was right.”

 

“Wait, Jun...” Rin's eyes widened. “Wait. Did you- did you know me before this? And you remember it?!”

 

“That's right.” Jun said, nodding. “I did. Rin Hashizawa, the technological rival I met on a message board online roughly a year and a half ago.”

 

“Well, this is pretty important info.” Hansuke said.

 

“I only met you in person a few times.” Jun said. “You were quite annoying, though. Very insistent that, as young tech people, we should get along. I never did fully ask what the breadth of your work was, but I gathered you had a strong interest in robotics, given how much you'd ramble about its history.”

 

“So, I had regular contact with you over that time?” Rin said, leaning closer.

 

“Unfortunately.” Jun said. “Though you've taken great lengths, as far as I can tell, to improve your appearance since then. You were...” He took an appraising look at Rin. “Dumpier, last time I saw you. I never did understand all that wanting to get along crap you spouted,” he grumbled, “and you're no less annoying now.”

 

“But how's that lead to all this distrust of her?” Hansuke said.

 

“Simple.” Jun said. “It's because I beat you.”

 

“Oh!” Rin said, her antenna rocketing up. “You're saying... You're saying that I was a participant at the Marufuji College Tech Expo, right?!” She looked really giddy to hear she'd lost.

 

Jun smirked. “I'm glad you understand. Yes, that's right, we were both participants, and while I may have lost my memory of the day itself, the fact remains that I _won,_ and was selected to be a Hope's Peak student as a result, whereas you were not.”

 

“So you're saying,” Rin said, taking the words out of Hansuke's mouth, “that you thought this whole thing was a plot by me to get back at you for winning the Expo? That I was jealous of you and decided to do all this because of that?”

 

“I mean, basically, yes.” Jun said.

 

“You're really self-centered, huh?” Rin said. Jun seemed to have a little argument with something around his shoulder area without saying a word before shrugging and nodding. “So, if that's the case, can we please, like... set aside this whole... _thing_ the two of us have had going? Please? I would really love to not be your archnemesis! Seriously!”

 

“No promises.” Jun said, which, as far as Hansuke could tell, was a massive improvement. “I still don't like you.”

 

There was clearly some more to talk about regarding this issue, but Hansuke decided he should do that by himself later. “So now that we're past _that_ issue,” he said instead, “lecture us on robotics. If the lady's so big into it, maybe it'll help us.”

 

“If she really does have amnesia, I might as well.” Jun said. “Well, what do you want to know?”

 

“Rin?” Hansuke said, turning to look at her.

 

“Hmmm...” Rin's antenna wiggled. “I think I'd like to know what challenges Replicants face as a race at the moment. I think I have a pretty good idea of their development, but it's a growing science, right? What's the next step?”

 

“There are several issues Replicants and the people who create them face.” Jun said. “First and foremost is the issue of storage media. It's not remotely surprising, but to contain a living, growing personality within a human-shaped body is quite difficult. While some strides have been made in the field of storage media, most Replicants are stored on newer models of the D-COM quantum computer that housed the first humanoid strong AI. The goal in this is to create a Replicant whose body contains their consciousness entirely, without the need for a relay of any kind.”

 

“So, Replicants still aren't able to be separate from quantum computers?” Rin said.

 

“A few experiments were performed, but at best, it caused significant mental stress, malfunctions, and eventual overheating of the body, so the Replicants in question had to be placed into a quantum computer anyway.” Jun said. “It poses a significant risk to the livelihood of Replicant citizens. After all, a great number of them are, physically, housed together in the same computers, but even the Replicants with their own personal quantum computers have a gaping weakpoint.”

 

“That's... kind of horrible.” Rin said. “I mean, if someone really hated Replicants for some reason, they could destroy just one computer and kill... hundreds of people.” She shuddered.

 

“Hence why it's an issue, yes.” Jun said. “Most multi-Replicant quantum computers are kept underground in secure facilities, but even so, it's a security threat to several thousand Japanese citizens, ignoring the Replicants in other countries. However, this ties into a greater problem that faces the Replicant race. Some Replicants believe that it's not a problem, but to an AI scientist, it is a massive issue.”

 

Hansuke saw Rin scrunch up her face, like she was beginning to remember something. “Go on,” she said.

 

“The first humanoid strong-AI machine—the original 'Replicant,' if you will—managed to perform a feat no other Replicant in history has managed.” Jun said. “Granted, it was under a strange set of circumstances, according to the eight witnesses, but nevertheless it was unprecedented then and it still is today. Namely, this AI, code-named 'Sean,' stripped of his memories, was able to convince himself that he was, in fact, human.”

 

“What's the big deal about that?” Hansuke said. “Seems pretty basic to me.”

 

“It's because even strong AI have a division in their thought processes from humans,” Rin suddenly piped up. “No matter how human-like the AI is, Sean was the only AI in history capable of fooling himself into believing he was human for any period of time.”

 

“The nature of artificiality in thought is a long, hard-thought problem many scientists have been pondering over for decades.” Jun said. “An AI, a Replicant in society, can love, laugh, learn, grow, change, do anything that any other human can do, but they're incapable of psychologically accepting themselves as being _the same as_ humans. All Replicants immediately know that they are Replicants no matter how few memories they have. The government recognizes human and Replicant partnerships, for instance, but the Replicant will always battle, no matter how small it is, the constant _knowledge_ that they are artificial.”

 

Hansuke grumbled, then let out a long sigh. “Well, shit.”

 

“So, the current end goal for AI sciences, robotics, and the like,” Jun said, “is to recreate the feat Sean's creator managed: to make a Replicant that doesn't have this intrinsic, forced knowledge, that can accept that it is essentially human. The term itself, 'Replicant,' derives itself, I understand it, from some old sci-fi movie called _Blade Runner,_ and the qualification they're aiming for was named the same way. I've never seen it, but apparently she has.” He looked at Rin.

 

“A Replicant capable of accepting itself as human...” Rin said, tapping her foot on the ground. “...would require not only an incredibly advanced AI by today's standards, but also a body that wouldn't betray its expectations. Right? So, the storage media issue is a big part of it along with the issue of advanced programming... and the energy that'd be required to run such a system, too.”

 

“Seems like a pretty complex issue.” Hansuke shrugged, scratching the back of his head. “Way over my head, at least.”

 

“ _Blade Runner_ apparently had a test to distinguish Replicants from humans.” Jun said. “It's not the same test we have, of course, given the differing tech and motives, but in its honor, this theoretical Replicant, with its body and mind in alignment, would be said to be 'Voight-Kampff complete-'”

 

“ _Voight-Kampff!_ ” Rin suddenly shouted, beginning to turn rapidly, gesturing at the air as though she were physically moving the information around. “Voight-Kampff! Voight-Kampff!”

 

“VK.” Hansuke said, nodding. “That's something else it could stand for, I guess.”

 

“It's definitely familiar!” Rin said. “Not TOTALLY sure it's what Compound VK stands for, but this is definitely a big help for me.” She bounced a bit on her heels. Hansuke was again amazed at the depth of her reserves of energy. “Thanks a ton, guys. No, no, two tons! This is totally good!” And then, she was off.

 

“Not sure I did anything, but okay.” Hansuke said. He turned to regard Jun. “Jun.” He nodded.

 

“Am I allowed to get in the pool now?” Jun said. Considering he'd been topless this entire discussion, Jun probably deserved his alone time now. Hansuke politely excused himself, and left the Pool.

 

Left alone with his thoughts once more, Hansuke pondered the information he'd just been given. Jun's rationale for distrusting Rin was pretty close to what he'd figured it would be, but it almost raised more questions than it answered. ...Well, whatever. He shook his head. At this point, it was probably better to leave it to Rin for a while. After all, Hansuke had a date with some freshly-brewed shochu.

**8:30 P.M.**

 

“You're serious? _That's_ what gets him?!” Daisuke said, his sunglasses drooping. He stared at Hansuke, who was chuckling into his tankard.

 

“I couldn't believe it either.” The normally-stoic Salesman was grinning. Not too widely, but he seemed to be in good spirits. “But, yeah, the guy finally cottons onto it and starts actually talking about important shit for once. I can hardly believe a man this dumb exists.”

 

“Now that,” Daisuke nodded, “is a special level of stupid. I mean, I knew the guy was a tool, but I had no idea he was that much of a tool.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Hansuke said. He took another drink. “You know what, Daisuke?”

 

“What's up?” Daisuke said, leaning back against the bar counter and turning his head to look at Hansuke.

 

“This is damn good drink.” Hansuke said, before taking another drink. “You did good.”

 

Prideful butterflies began to fill Daisuke's chest. “I'm just staying on point the best way I know how to, fella. The way of the Ultimate Brewmaster is to master the art of the ultimate brew! Besides, ten days in the making down here, it had better be good, yeah?”

 

“Yeah,” Hansuke agreed.

 

Daisuke bent back further, going perpendicular to the counter, and stared up at the ceiling. “But I tell you,” he said, “Yayoi is a freaking slave driver. I mean, I get that's her talent, but ho-ly crap.”

 

“Sure you're not just not cut out for hard work?” Hansuke said. “Besides, this whole thing was your idea to begin with.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Daisuke grinned. “Can't even gripe a bit about how sore my hands are from all the playing? Lou got the song ten tries ago, god!” He groaned playfully.

 

“Glad you had fun.” Hansuke said. “Least one of us did.”

 

Having Hansuke try his personal-brewed shochu was a calmer, more meditative experience than Daisuke imagined, but that wasn't a bad thing. He really was quite tired after all the setup work Yayoi had him on today, and finally being able to relax, have some proper man-to-man time with his good buddy Hansuke, was just the way to wind down. That said, it wasn't like he wasn't enjoying himself. If Daisuke had one skill, of course he had many skills but if he had one, it was being ordered around by forceful women.

 

The door slammed open with a ring of the bell. “ _Gentlemen!_ ” cried a high, frilly voice. Oh, geez. Speaking of forceful women...

 

“Shinobu.” Hansuke said, regarding her with a muted nod.

 

“What can I do you for?” Daisuke said, with a curious look at the ostentatious Mystery Novelist taking a seat at the counter. She didn't really come by this way very often, so seeing her was kind of a surprise.

 

“I heard that you gentlemen were holding an alcohol tasting.” Shinobu said. “As a lady, it's my duty to accompany you. Your personal-brewed shochu, my good man.”

 

Daisuke's ponytail curled into a question mark. “Seriously? You sure? I'd think a, uh, dainty lady like yourself might like something a little lighter, champagne or something. If you say so, though.” He got to work going back to get some.

 

“Tonight has been quite the night for me as well, to speak true.” Shinobu said to Hansuke. “I have come to... well, a few hard conclusions. Regarding our situation, and... myself, I suppose you could say.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Hansuke said.

 

“I feel... ludicrous talking about it, to be frank.” Shinobu said. “Well, Kazuya also asked me for assistance doing alterations, so that was... heartwarming, I believe is the word I'd use. It's significantly less awkward than the last thing he asked me to do, at the very least.”

 

“What was the last thing he asked you to do?” Hansuke said.

 

“I'm, er, not certain I should say.” Shinobu said. “Bit of a private matter... Quite embarrassing, really... _mortifying,_ really, and the noted parties are never to speak of it again, if you catch my drift.”

 

“So what are these conclusions of yours?” Hansuke said.

 

“Well, among them...” Shinobu trailed off. “This is... difficult. I have yet to confirm my theories, but I feel strongly enough about them that I cannot see an alternative, you understand. Yet, they are of a magnitude of such that I... Mm. Hansuke... I am unsure-”

 

“When are you gonna want to finish our conversation, anyway?” Hansuke said. “I get it's a pretty sensitive issue, and all, but it's important. Both for us, and probably for this situation we're in.”

 

There was a pause. “Tomorrow night, after the concert.” Shinobu said. “I do not know what it is you're planning to say to me, but... I will be prepared then, no matter what happens. I promise you.”

 

“Wow, this is a saucy conversation.” Daisuke said, returning with a second tankard of his shochu. “Talking about romance?”

 

“No.” Hansuke and Shinobu said simultaneously. Hey, at least it was an answer for his question!

 

“Kidding, kidding.” Daisuke said, shrugging. “He's not your type anyway, is he, Shinobu?”

 

Shinobu turned bright red and began huffing. “Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-and just what do you know about my 'type,' Mr. Harada?” She said, pointing at him furiously. “You should be well aware by now that the modern-day Mistress of Mystery is married only to mystery itself! I am like a nun that way.”

 

“Oh yeah, sure.” Daisuke said. “To one specific mystery, anyway.”

 

“Much as I would love to marry Beatrice, the Endless Witch, she is unfortunately fictional.” Shinobu said. She was either being really dense or intentionally obtuse, and both of them were funny, but for different reasons. “In any case, it is now time for me to judge your work, Daisuke. Genuflect before my shining wisdom!”

 

“Have you ever had shochu before, even?” Daisuke said.

 

“No, not really.” Shinobu shook her head, but then huffed her chest proudly. “But drink is drink!”

 

“Be careful you don't overdo it,” Hansuke said. “You look like kind of a lightweight.”

 

“Nonsense! I have the alcohol tolerance of a saint!” Shinobu said, grabbing her tankard. “Bottoms up!”

**9 P.M.**

 

Rin paced around her room, pondering with all her soul the implications of the information she'd learned. Not only did Jun know her, but he even knew about her hobbies, even! She liked robotics! And... maybe other things? Who knows? Regardless, a lot of what he said did ring a bell, and several pieces of applied robotics knowledge were coming back to her, but...

 

She sighed. “Come on, can't I get any memory along with it?”

 

It wasn't really very fair, how the mastermind was playing this. Or were they even playing this? What was 'this?' What were they even doing? Was this even useful at _all?_ She mumbled 'Voight-Kampff, Voight-Kampff' repeatedly to herself. 'VK-complete!' That had to be it, right? If that was the case, why did she feel so uncertain about it? But if it wasn't, why was she so certain that that was important, that that phrase itself was massively important here?

 

_WHAM!_ Went her door, a loud slamming noise knocking Rin out of her reverie. Nobody she knew just knocked once, so it was quite an unusual noise for her to hear. Cautiously, she began to inch towards the door, and opened it with her Handbook.

 

Suddenly, along with the door swinging open came Shinobu Koshimizu, unsteadily splayed against the door, leaning on it for support. She cocked her head up, grinned at Rin, gave Rin a finger-gun gesture, and said, “Hey, hot stuff, how's it hanging?”

 

Blink, 1-2-3-4-5 times. She wasn't gone, and was in fact still in exactly the same pose. “Um,” Rin said. “Hi, Shinobu.”

 

Shinobu launched into a full-on giggle-snort episode, slowly wobbling her way over to Rin's bed. “Oh my god, your face. Aha, oh man it was awesome! Heyyyy!”

 

There were several possibilities as to what was happening right now. The first to come to mind was that Rin could have been having a psychotic break. After all, Shinobu was acting so bafflingly out of character that this could obviously never happen, right?

 

“C'mon, c'mon, Rin, siddown.” Shinobu sat up on the bed, bouncing like Rin herself did sometimes, patting a spot next to her. “The Mistress of Mystery commands you!” she said, and then broke out giggling again.

 

Numbly, Rin sat down next to Shinobu, stone still next to the bundle of energy that was wearing the Mystery Novelist's skin. Maybe this was somebody else dressing up as Shinobu to play a prank on Rin, somehow. But... why would they do that? That didn't really make sense either.

 

“Heyyyyy.” Shinobu sidled up a bit closer to Rin. “Riiiiinnnn. Say something to meeee.”

 

Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Rin realized, slowly, a third, even crazier possibility, one that ordinarily wouldn't cross her mind.

 

“Shinobu...” Rin said, slowly turning to face her. “Are... are you drunk?”

 

“You did it, you solved the mystery!” Shinobu clapped. From the big, goofy smile, she wasn't even being sarcastic, she seemed legitimately overjoyed.

 

Rin quickly took inventory of her situation. Here she was, with the girl she loved, sat here on her bed... apparently _sloshed to hell and back._ What? How had this happened? The sheer absurdity of the situation almost kept her from noticing Shinobu, lying down on the bed now, snaking her arms around Rin's stomach and squeezing her tightly.

 

She yiped. “Uh, Shinobu, what?”

 

“You are _soooo_ soft,” Shinobu breathed, her face plastered in Rin's left thigh. “This is awesoooome.”

 

Rin couldn't keep herself from blushing. Um, what was happening? What in the world was happening? Why? What? How? Was this real? Was... wait. Okay. Okay. Her breathing became a bit more rapid, and... okay. Rin Hashizawa was not a particularly worldly person as of yet, but she knew enough by this point to recognize that she was, in fact, _incredibly_ turned on by this ridiculous situation.

 

“Uhhhh,” Rin stammered, before taking a sharp breath inward. One of Shinobu's hands had snaked beneath her sweater, and was now stroking Rin's back. Her skin was ridiculously smooth, which, of course, Rin already knew, but this was something entirely different. This was, uh, whoa, whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa!

 

“BWAAAAAAAAGH?!” Rin said, suddenly jumping out of Shinobu's arms and backwards, further back onto the bed. “OH MY GOD WHAT.” She panted, her breath heavy, her eyes a bit foggy. The distracting buzz between her legs quieted down, but only slightly. It still had quite a bit to say about Shinobu there on the bed, still laying there, her eyes confused but still slow and lidded, her hair falling in long tresses over her face.

 

“Mm?” Shinobu mumbled. “What's wrong, did... did I get you in a bad spot or something?”

 

“Uhhhhh!” Rin shouted. Okay, wait, no, no, Rin, use your words, use your words. Fire your truth bullets at her! “S-shinobu, are...” Oh god this was a ridiculous question. “Are you trying to seduce me, madam?!”

 

“Yeah.” Shinobu said. She leaned up on her right arm, using one of Rin's pillows as support. “Is it working?” She got on all fours, and got a bit closer to Rin, then sat there, her eyes closed, her lips puckered.

 

_Yes,_ Rin most decidedly did not say. “M-maybe you should think about this, Shinobu,” she instead said, fighting the part of her that would very much like to kiss Shinobu right now. “You're, um, you're drunk. Like, you're really drunk.”

 

Shinobu opened one eye again, looking a bit annoyed. She groaned. “Who cares? Just hurry up and kiss me and... and rip my bodice off already or something.”

 

Thankfully, the power of momentum meant Rin's morality only continued getting stronger. “Shinobu, you're drunk. You're not in your right mind. Would Sober Shinobu want this?”

 

“Sober Shinobu is a _pussy!_ ” Shinobu suddenly raised her voice, causing Rin to start back. Drunk people were scary! “Sober Shinobu's too much of a pussy to take what she wants cause she's always afraid it's gonna get taken away!” In an instant, she was tearing up, close to Rin, raw emotion radiating off of her skin. “Why do you think I just stay inside all the time? It's because I'm fucking scared! I always think people who get too close to me are going to leave me or, or _die,_ so instead I do things that make people not want to be near me!”

 

Rin stared, dumbfounded, at Shinobu. “...Shinobu?” It was true, she'd given off a bad first impression, but...

 

“But I _can't help myself!_ ” Shinobu cried, grabbing onto Rin's arms, squeezing, crying. “I need people! I need people to love me, to validate me, to tell me I'm a good person! But I'm still too much of a coward to just reach out and take what I want, because I'm so scared all the time! Ever since my parents died, it's always been like that, so... so just fucking _kiss me already!_ ” She grabbed Rin's hands, clutched them tightly, looking towards her, pleading. “Don't give me the chance to chicken out! Please!”

 

“No, Shinobu, I-!” Rin gritted her teeth. “I can't do that. I really just can't.” She stared resolutely at Shinobu, though she'd begun to tear up herself, and let go of her hands.

 

“But!” Shinobu shook a little. “But... please, please, Rin, please, I can't ask anyone else this, I...” Rin could hear her gulp. “I love you!”

 

Rin's heart skipped a beat. Of course, it wasn't the best situation to hear those words in, but nevertheless, hearing those three magic words come from Shinobu's mouth was almost enough to make Rin faint from the vapors on the spot.

 

“I love you, I swear, I swear, I do, this isn't the alcohol talking, it's not, I've, I've _been_ in love with you, this is what I _want,_ please, Rin, please, please just do it!” Shinobu was still crying, and she was beginning to babble. Rin's heart was in the strange position of both being incredibly high and incredibly low at the same time. “Make love to me before I can regret it, please!”

 

“No!” Rin said, perhaps a bit more forcefully than she'd meant to, but maybe that was for the best. “No, Shinobu, I can't do that.”

 

“Why?” Shinobu said, quietly and weakly, beginning to huddle up into a ball. “Why not?”

 

“Because...” Rin's antenna pointed and became rigid. This was the right thing to do, and she knew it. “Because I love you too, Shinobu. And... you're forcing yourself if you do it like this. I...” Rin sighed, and looked away. “I can't do that. I care about you too much to let this happen. If anything happens, it needs to happen while you're all there.”

 

The two of them sat there, wordlessly, as Shinobu continued to cry and sob for some time. Rin wasn't entirely certain what to do at this point, but eventually, Shinobu's breathing became softer, regular, and she stopped moving. It only took one look at her still-wet face to tell she'd tired herself out, and fallen asleep.

 

Rin chuckled. “Gee, you fade fast, don't you?” she whispered, gingerly lifting up the balled Shinobu, taking care not to disturb her. She looked under Shinobu's beret, and found her Handbook, just as expected. She stepped out of her own room, walked three doors over, and used Shinobu's Handbook to open her door and lay her down on her own bed. She wasn't about to go ruffling through Shinobu's clothes to look for bedstuff, but hopefully, Shinobu would sleep through til morning anyhow.

 

As she began to leave, Rin took one look back at the peacefully sleeping girl she'd fallen in love with. Tomorrow morning was certainly going to be something strange for the both of them, she knew, but... she had hope that it would be something good.

**9:40 P.M.**

 

Sat back alone in her room now, Rin tried very hard to think about what she'd learned today, but her mind kept going back to Shinobu just now, and she found it quite difficult to concentrate. Why did Shinobu have to be so pretty, anyway? It wasn't really fair that even when she was having a drunken breakdown, Shinobu was so gosh darn alluring that Rin couldn't stop thinking about her.

 

Wait, right, she was in love, so she would think that, wouldn't she? It was only natural. That would account for pretty much everything, the various physical sensations like the flushing, the blushing, the buzzing in her ears, the ill feeling in her chest, the sweating-

 

...She was sweating, she realized. Why was she sweating? Rin stood up, wiping her brow with her hand, but stumbled a little as she did so. Huh. Why was she feeling so odd? She walked to the mirror, a bit unsteady. Why was the room so hot? The temperature in here had never changed before. She looked at herself in the mirror, and her vision was still blurry; if anything, it was blurrier than it had been before. Did she need glasses? No, of course not, she didn't wear glasses.

 

Ugh, no, no, she couldn't think, her head was pounding. She had a headache the size of... the size of Yashiro's voice. Was she getting sick? But... would that happen so suddenly? Nobody else had gotten sick. No, maybe, but... Her headache suddenly increased in intensity, and she flinched, holding her hand on the wall for support. She gritted her teeth, breathing as calmly as she could. Sooner or later, it would pass. Sooner or later, she

 

 

 

 

 

would start to feel fine again, just like that. Just fine. Right as rain. The sweat passed, the pain passed, and it was all fine, like she'd just performed some kind of strange exfoliation.

 

Yup, yup, yup. It was all fine, everything was fine. She looked at herself in the mirror, running her hands up her own body to confirm what she saw. “Oh yeah,” she said. “I am looking _fine._ ” Could maybe stand to lose a few pounds, though, she thought, poking at her stomach. Oh, but it's worth it for _these_ puppies, she thought, pulling up her sweater and pulling down her bra to get a good look at her naked breasts, large and soft like most people of culture (herself included) enjoyed them. She could really do with a more varied palette of clothing, though, she thought as she twanged at her antenna, which was in just the right place, just as springy as it should be.

 

She turned on her heels and began prancing about the room, humming a stupid little tune to herself that she made up on the spot. Honestly, she couldn't help it; she was just really happy! Things were going quite well for her, if she said so herself, and who really cared about anything else? Everyone else could do whatever they wanted, but really, she had the love of her life here and she didn't care about anything else. Nothing else in the world.

 

Looking towards the bed, her sunny smile slightly drooped, though. It took her a second to remember why, but it came. “Oh, right.” She said to herself. “Shinobu's already gone.” And what a shame that was. Shinobu was quite pretty, and honestly, she found herself feeling quite frisky from all this excitement, so it was a shame the opportunity had passed. She found herself growing quite curious as to what would've happened if it hadn't, and inwardly cursed the fact that she didn't have the opportunity to ▬▬ Shinobu tonight. She had such aggression to get out!

 

Oh well, nothing to be done about that. The girl doffed her sweater and jeans, leaving her only in her underwear, and headed to the bathroom. She twanged at her antenna a bit more as she pranced, and turned to _ward t_ he ▀ sink.

 

►“Hùh?” The girl said, suddenly overcome with a w _ave of ex_ haustion and nausea。She fell ↓ , grabbing onto the sides of the toilet.

 

►She didn't‼ understand why this was happening or ╟|0\/\/. Something was •••wrong. This wasn't → this wasn't → she wasn't ▬▬▬▬▬▬ ♀ wasn't. It was hot, it was hot, it was ☼☼☼☼☼☼☼‼‼‼‼

 

►The water of the toilet bowl stared back at her.

 

►The water of the toilet bowl stared back at her.

 

►The water of the toilet bowl stared back at her.◄

 

►►►►►The water◄◄◄◄◄

 

♥.

 

Love. Love. Love. The heart, crimson blood running down the chin from the poison broiling within my veins, →←→←→←andever and ever and ever

the sword of Damocles hanging above the heads of every Ultimate, of every person, stabbing, cutting, tearing, ripping,

she and I

she and I

 

goingandgoingandgoingandgoingandgoingandgoingandgoingandgoingandgoingandgoingandgoingandg

Meltable wall. Solvable meaning. Self who can explain. Smoothness of changeable permeability. Transitioning time. Observation life and execution function. A pinky-less hand. Headless eyes. Rolling carpet.

andcomingandcomingandcomingandcomingandcomingandcomingandcomingandcomingandcomingand

 

_From the day I was born, I have never known the love of my mother_

* * *

 

can only be Ritual Summoned with the Ritual Spell Card, 'End of the World.' If this card destroys an opponent's monster in battle, it can attack once again in a row.

burst balloon. Burned puppet of celluloid. The cannabis of Legion. Grinding and friction. Sun and Moon. Colliding uphill paths. Female and lions. Broken hourglass. Spiraling clouds. I am unparalleled.

_Why won't she look my way? Why won't she look my way? Why won't she look my way?_

_Please_

_make_

_her_

_look_

_my_

_way_

 

►IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE ╟τÄ╤♦∩≡, ice / water

steak / cow

autumn this year / autumn last year

tuesday / wednesday / so is friday

what i say / what i think

a short while ago

 

**log6199162030: WX particles not detected. ▬▬▬▬ failed. ☺☻☺☻☺☻☺☻**

 

I love you! I love you! I love you. I love you! I love you!

I love you! | unfulfillable promise. Tools, tools, tools. Towards endlessly reproducing stars without meaning, without meaning. Better than wishes. Another only me. Contradiction that appears from- | I love you!

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

 

.DATA 0000000000000000ed8259ff05a4297d LDR r1, #0

.DATA 0000000000000000ed8259ff05a42981 CMP r1, #0

.DATA 0000000000000000ed8259ff05a42985 LDREQ r0, #3

.DATA 0000000000000000ed8259ff05a42989 BEQ PLAY_AUDIO_LOG

 

.DATA ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

 

FATAL PROCESSOR EXCEPTION: ILLEGAL INSTRUCTION

 

“Hey, I've been thinking. Even if we all get separated, I have an idea. All ▬▬ of us, we all have a talent, so let's get admitted to Hope's Peak, and all of us can go there together, and we can still be friends! How does that sound?”

 

Compound VK, ▬▬▬▬▬

▬▬day

Partly Cloudy

Temperature: 72 degrees Fahrenheit

Torrent: breaks through spinning and spinning spinning spinning the world is spinning

**5:40 A.M**

**6:20 P.M.**

**0:04 P.M.**

**23:23:23:23:23:23:23:23:23:23 A.M.**

▬☻ **No abnormalities detected.☻▬**

**Good night, Administrator.**

aaaaaaaaa _aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa_ _ **aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-----------------**_

 

_I'll be working in the now_

_Making everybody, everybody say wow_

_Never say never, I'mma show you how_

_You're divine? So am I! B-b-b-blaow!_

 

* * *

* * *

* * *

 

 

“███████████████████████aaa, agh, hah, hah-!”

 

Sound suddenly returned to Rin's consciousness as she coughed out the last of her sudden vomit, and then, sweat covering her entire body, she fell onto the floor, gasping for air. Weakness filled her bones, but pangs of dehydration rocked her body already, so after about a minute, by her estimation, of laying on the cold bathroom floor, she managed to unsteadily lift herself up, open her eyes, and turn on the sink.

 

The water cleared her throat, leaving her able to gasp for air once more, her voice back in working order. She slumped over against the sink and looked at herself in the reflection in the bathroom mirror. Just an hour ago, she'd felt pretty much fine, and now here she was, looking like hell warmed over. And her clothes were off. Had she taken her clothes off? She didn't remember... wait... no, she had a vague recollection of something like that before... entering the bathroom...

 

...what the hell had just happened?

 

Her consciousness had suddenly become incredibly fuzzy as she went to the bathroom, and then an overwhelming wave of... of... strange, almost arbitrary-seeming _information_ flowed through her senses. She must've made it to the toilet to puke, but she had no idea how that had even happened. Emotions, memories, sights, sounds, tastes, smells, even tactile memories had suddenly flooded her mind in an explosive cacophony that had left her utterly reeling.

 

“Huh,” she gasped to herself. “Okay, maybe I am sick or something.”

 

It certainly wasn't any kind of illness she recognized, though. It was something... unusual. There was no way that was normal, no way illness was so brutally discombobulating to the senses. Finally, Rin managed to stand up, feeling almost numb, but at the same time, her entire body screaming at her to just let it rest. She looked at the toilet to flush-

 

A small gasp left her lips. Physically, she didn't have the energy to do much else, but... well, it was a simple fact that humans did, in fact, vomit. It was one of the body's natural defense mechanisms to rid itself of foreign substances. She knew that very well. Of course, she vomited as well. She just had.

 

The substance floating in her toilet was not any kind of vomit she had ever seen. Rin wasn't sure _what_ it was. It was black, pitch-black, and viscous, but at the same time it seemed almost to _deflect_ the water, staying a single mass in the toilet bowl. At the same time, though, it wasn't all floating to the top, either. But the substance wasn't a solid, either; though it remained dry, it was still in the water, and retained its shape. It seemed to... _fizzle,_ slightly, was the best word Rin had for it. It didn't change shape, but the chemical connections that kept it in its shape were constantly reforming.

 

A shiver ran down Rin's back as she stared at the substance she'd just puked up from inside herself. That wasn't anything that should be inside a human body. That... wasn't anything that should be _inside a body, period._ On instinct, she flushed the toilet to get it away from her, and it did, in fact, flush, going down the drain with no trouble whatsoever.

 

Rin stepped weakly over to her bed and flopped over (it still smelled vaguely of Shinobu.) The sweat was beginning to dry, but she was no less exhausted. Her entire body ached from the experience of... of _that,_ and she was still reeling from the psychological effects.

 

Something had just happened, clearly, and she needed to find out what it was. But where do you even begin looking for details on something you don't have the slightest clue about?

 

She heard the monitor, which hadn't made a peep since Wanda's death, flick on. A text-to-speech program emulating a young boy said, “Hello? Is anyone there?” through its speakers. Rin pushed against her fatigue to look at the screen, but all that was present were those same words. “Hello?” it repeated.

 

“Huh?” She mumbled. “Sorry, I'm not in the mood for telemarketers.”

 

“You would say something dumb at a time like this, Sis.” the computerized voice said. “So I guess that means it really is you, huh?”

 

Rin shot up, or, well, shot up as well as she could in her current state, to look at the monitor. Had it just said-? “Kojiro? Kojiro, is that you?!”

 

“In the flesh text,” Kojiro's text-to-speech program said.

 

“Oh my god, Kojiro!” Rin said. “Sorry I can't seem more excited, I, um... hey! Hey!” Her antenna rocketed up. “Are you okay? Is anyone taking care of you?”

 

“Huh? Yeah, I'm accounted for, but is that really important right now? You're the one who's been kidnapped, geez.” Kojiro said. She could feel him rolling his eyes from here... not that she remembered what his eyes looked like.

 

“Look, I just- Okay, I've got amnesia, be slow with me, okay? This is taking a lot of work!” Rin said.

 

“Well, that's convenient.” Kojiro said. “Man, amnesia? What a cliché. Well, anyway, so the staff at Hope's Peak are working to find you guys right now. The End sent us these transmission boxes to talk with you-”

 

“Er, the end of what?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark.

 

“She's the person who kidnapped you and those other guys. She calls herself 'The End,' which, uh, whatever floats your boat, lady.” Kojiro said. “Anyway, she sent everyone's families these transmission boxes so we could talk to you for a bit, but we don't have very long. Quick! Did you get a girlfriend yet?”

 

“No.” Rin said. She could think about that knowledge about the mastermind later. “Well, something might be happening, maybe?”

 

“Ugh, don't be so wishy-washy.” There was a pause. “I'm really glad you're okay, Sis.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin smiled... though she didn't know if he could see it. “Me too.” Suddenly, inspiration struck. “Oh, Kojiro, before it shuts off, I have two questions!”

 

“Shoot.” Kojiro said.

 

“First off, am I a Hope's Peak Academy student?” Rin said. “I know there was the Marufuji Tech Expo, but apparently I lost.”

 

“Hold on, let me grab my papers.” Kojiro said. He kept his personal filing system quite well-organized, so it wasn’t too long before he came back. “Says right here that Rin Hashizawa is the Ultimate Roboticist.”

 

Rin nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. Second question, and this might sound weird, but... Have I ever puked up anything really weird before?”

 

“You mean the weird black stuff?” Kojiro said. “Yeah, I was always wondering how you'd deal with that if you ever had a hangover.”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Rin grinned. “What exactly is it? Why did I vomit that weird stuff up?”

 

“I don't really know why, actually.” Kojiro said. “But... well, Mom called it 'information.' Whatever that means.”

 

Rin... blinked. Her thoughts were sluggish enough from exhaustion, but... “Infor...mation...?” Rin mumbled. “That... I... huh.” Her face began to scrunch up. “Gurf. That, what? That doesn't... huh... what?”

 

“Hey! Don't get all screwy on me now!” Kojiro said. “I guess even amnesia can't kick your bad habits, huh?”

 

“Yeah, I guess not.” Rin said. “Well, it's a relief to know I guess I haven't changed much... Kojiro, I-”

 

“Listen.” Kojiro said. “Don't doubt yourself. You're the smartest person I know. I'm doing my best where I am to get you out, too, so just... don't worry so much, and stay alive, okay?”

 

A tear came up to Rin's eye. There was one thing she knew she could never forget, and that was the fact that she loved her snot-nosed little brother. “Okay. Thanks, Kojiro. I love you.”

 

There was a pause where presumably he grumbled about the blunt display of affection, but then, “I love you too.”

 

“By the way, mahjong still sucks!” Rin said.

 

“Mahjong is a gentleman's game for classy, smart people like myself, and it's not my fault you don't have the mad skillz to keep up with me when I'm running the Rising Sun!” Kojiro said. “I, Kojiro Hashizawa, am a man of wealth and taste! You can't possibly defeat me, no way, no-”

 

The transmission cut off there. Rin giggled. He was such a dork, that kid. She slumped back over and pulled the covers over herself, not bothering to put bedclothes on. There was plenty to think about tomorrow, but right now, she needed sleep.

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Twelve.**

 

**No students died today. Thirteen students remain.**

**No abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**

 


	29. Day 13, Part 1 - The Case of the Oborozuka Vampire

**8 A.M.**

 

“...which means personally, now, more than ever, I think it's important that we stand together- Rin? Rin, can you hear me?”

 

“Huh?” Rin said, her antenna suddenly standing at attention. She looked blearily at Claus, who'd been talking about something or another. “I, uh... I spaced out.”

 

She'd walked to breakfast in sort of a daze, so Rin had zombied her way through most of the morning jubilation over people getting to talk to their families, but she had registered it at least a little bit. Jun and Hansuke hadn't had anyone show up for them, but everyone else had been beside themselves with relief and joy to see just a bit of their families. In particular, Kazuya seemed beside himself in relief and happiness, and his mood had vastly improved.

 

“Oh, I'm reminded.” Claus said, his eyes widening. “Did you get to speak to anybody, Rin?”

 

“Huh? Yeah.” Rin nodded. “Kojiro. My little brother. I think he told me most of the same stuff your families did... 'The End,' right?”

 

“Are you quite alright?” Yashiro said. “Rin, my friend, I believe I've informed you on several occasions of the importance of the proper amount of sleep on the human psyche. You haven't been pulling all-nighters, have you?”

 

“No... I slept fine last night.” Rin said. Of course, it wasn't as though what happened before she'd gone to sleep had made her fine. For one thing, Shinobu... and for another, larger thing, her 'episode' last night filled her with a sort of anxiety. “I just... felt kinda sick last night.” She said. “I wasn't sure if I'd just dreamed the whole Kojiro thing until I came in here.”

 

“You were sick?” Luan said. He frowned. “Are you alright?”

 

“I think so.” Rin said. Physically, that was actually true. She felt perfectly fine. But...

 

What in the world had _happened_ last night? The experience was so foreign she wasn't sure how she would even describe it, and there was, of course, the matter of that black mass Kojiro had called 'information.' What in god's name could that even mean? What was going on inside of her body? She should, by all rights, be thinking about this new information that she'd gained; her Ultimate talent, the existence of the mastermind known as The End, and all that, but she felt blocked. One big question mark had shoved itself directly into her face and wouldn't go away. She...

 

She shouldn't think about this alone. She _couldn't_ think about this alone, but... who should she even talk to? Who should she consult? She just wasn't sure. But what she was, she realized with a start, was probably freaking out the rest of the group with all this spacing out. She just needed to remember; whatever had happened, at least Kojiro really was safe, and okay. Okay, Rin, back online! Let's get back to business!

 

“Okay, sorry. I'm really fine now.” Rin said, willing herself to smile. “I just needed a minute to get my thoughts in order.”

 

“That was at least three minutes!” Yayoi shouted from the Kitchen.

 

Rin finally properly looked around and realized, sadly, that Shinobu hadn't come to breakfast this morning. Perhaps she'd woken up with a hangover... or perhaps she'd woken up embarrassed out of her mind. Or both, honestly. Both was probably reasonably likely. The first order of business was figuring out how to talk to Shinobu.

 

“So, were you able to find out anything new from Kojiro?” Claus said. “About yourself, I mean?”

 

“A few things, but I didn't have time to ask a lot of the things I really wanted to ask.” Rin said. She decided to not mention her little episode. “All I really learned was my talent. I guess I'm the Ultimate Roboticist.” She shrugged.

 

“Wow, you're in the sciences?” Daisuke said. “I'd have thought you were in sports, or something, with the whole billy goat thing.”

 

“I'm so thoroughly unsurprised that I can hardly even comprehend it.” Jun said.

 

“Trip, man, think you could make me a Roomba or somethin'?” Gavin said, scratching his head. “Gav's vacuum's broke right now, see. Tried to do a triple backflip and, well, it missed.”

 

Stella blinked. “How exactly does a vacuum do a triple backflip?”

 

“Pretty carefully.” Hansuke said. “Ultimate Roboticist, huh...” And he started mumbling to himself again about something. Hmmm... maybe Hansuke- no, no, Rin thought. She should come to Hansuke when she was more certain of things. Now, the first step in finding Shinobu would be...

**9:30 A.M.**

 

“...and so I think Shinobu probably didn't come to breakfast because of that, but I really need to talk to her about mystery stuff and also possibly redo that whole confession of love thing,” Rin said to the bed in one of the Crew Quarters rooms.

 

Chihaya leaned halfway out from under the bed and put her head in her hands in a very exaggeratedly teen-girl gesture. “Well, that's quite a story. I knew Shinobu was awkward, but I didn't imagine it was that bad.” She then laid her arms down on the ground. “How can I help?”

 

“Well, if Shinobu's not in her room, I need to find her around the place, but I'm not sure where I should look.” Rin said. “I figured, you're good at hiding, you'd probably know good hiding places?”

 

“In other words, you're asking me to seek.” Chihaya said. Rin nodded. “Well, alright. This is a bit tricky, though, because if the situation is like you're describing, Shinobu is probably at war with herself. There's an aspect of her that wants you to catch her, and an aspect of her that really, really doesn't. At a time like this, ordinarily, she'd probably go somewhere comfortable; but she can't avoid people entirely in this closed space without staying in her room entirely, and knowing Shinobu I don't think she'd be able to do that.”

 

Rin nodded. “She's way too... Shinobu to do that. Plus, I mean, I could just ask Jun and see if she'd never left.”

 

“On the other hand, I can't imagine anyone agreeing to allow her to hide in one of their rooms in this situation.” Chihaya said. “For privacy reasons. Also, because Shinobu's sense of embarrassment is very keenly honed and so I doubt she'd be able to stomach asking.”

 

“Could she be in one of the other four rooms?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“Hmm...” Chihaya put her head back in one hand. “It's possible that's where she'd go, but that would leave her with no avenues of escape if you were to go in there. In addition, I don't think Shinobu would go alone to a bedroom that wasn't her own because, again, her sense of embarrassment is very keenly honed, and she'd probably start blushing up a storm thinking about her drunken escapades.”

 

“That's a good point...” Rin said, tilting her head to the other side.

 

“My first guess would be the Greenhouse.” Chihaya said. “It's a place she likes quite a bit, so far as I can tell, and it's also large enough that she could make a token effort at hiding, but at the same time it's scenic and romantic enough that she'd find it a pleasant place for you to catch her were you to do so. The Aquarium would be my second guess, but it's a lot smaller, and holds some unpleasant baggage. Nowhere in Campbell Hall seems like somewhere Shinobu would hide, and she certainly wouldn't go hide in the catwalks of the Gym now that everyone knows about the Power Pole. You could make a case for either of the secret passages leading downwards, but if she were in there, she'd be in complete darkness, which would be better for you than her considering your general color scheme. And, if Shinobu were less... herself, I could see a case for hiding in the Shower Room to attempt to distract you that way, but Shinobu is herself.”

 

“Is hide and seek always this in-depth?” Rin said.

 

“Usually, when I play, it's a lot harder.” Chihaya said. “Though, I suppose you're the one playing and I'm the one supporting you.”

 

“The Greenhouse, got it.” Rin nodded. She leaned down and clasped the one of Chihaya's hands that didn't hold her head. “Thanks, Chihaya! I'll let you know how it goes!”

 

“Knowing you two, I don't think that I'd be able to miss it.” Chihaya smiled quietly. “But thank you.”

 

Leaving Chihaya behind, it wasn't that far of a walk to the Greenhouse. It was a simple affair to leave Kavka Hall and then- run into Jun and Gavin, coming up the stairs. “Oh, it's you.” Jun said, staring derisively as his wheelchair was hoisted up the stairs.

 

“Hey, Rin, what's the haps?” Gavin waved, hoisting Jun's wheelchair up the stairs.

 

“Oh, not much, you know me, just locked in a pitched psychological battle with Shinobu as I try to find where she is.” Rin said. Thankfully, Jun was just the person to answer one question she'd been very curious about. “Hey, Jun, do you have a sec? I have a question.”

 

“Of course you do.” Jun said. “Well, go ahead, I suppose.”

 

“Is it possible for me to have an Ultimate talent and not be a student of Hope's Peak still?” Rin said, her antenna curling. Gavin seemed a bit lost, as his gaze darted between Rin and Jun.

 

“Er, yes, of course it is.” Jun said. “You don't think there's just sixteen talented high schoolers at any time in all of Japan, do you?” He rolled his eyes.

 

Rin blinked. “Oh, yeah, you know, that actually makes a lot of sense. Why are the classes so small, then?”

 

“Depending on the year,” Jun said, “multiple classes can be admitted at once, but then you also have people who refuse, people who are too young at the moment, people who go, 'call me back if someone else cancels,' and other such situations. In particular, priority is given to second-year students because of the stipulation that you must already be a student.”

 

“Wait, why would she not be a student?” Gavin said, blinking rapidly, making a very silly face.

 

“Because apparently Jun beat me at the Marufuji Tech Expo and got into Hope's Peak that way.” Rin said. “So it's entirely possible that I'm not actually a student at Hope's Peak.”

 

“Ohhhhh!” Gavin said, nodding with a furious fervor. “Trip, man, I wondered why J was all up in your grill all the time.” He looked to Jun. “You should really say these things earlier, my dude.”

 

“I've heard plenty about that from her and Hansuke already, I assure you.” Jun said, groaning. “I don't need to hear any more.” He began to wheel away in the direction Rin had just come from. “If I'm allowed, Hashizawa?”

 

“You have permission, soldier.” Rin nodded. And that was that, and they were off.

**10 A.M.**

 

Prancing about like the world's stealthiest, just-the-right-amount-of-overweightest cat, Rin entered the Greenhouse, being sure to minimize sound from the door. If she was to properly defeat Shinobu in this impromptu game of cat and mouse, she needed to be a properly cat-like cat in order to fulfill her role.

 

Not seeing Shinobu on the first level, Rin crept on all fours with ninja-like tread up the stairs to the second level. And-

 

Rin blinked. So did Shinobu.

 

The two of them locked eyes for a moment as Rin walked up the stairs, since apparently Shinobu had just been about to go down the stairs. The few moments they stood there (well, crouched there, since Rin was on all fours) staring at each other gave rise to a sensation Rin was unsure how to feel about. At the very least, she was now capable of describing the sensation of 'I just ran into the girl I'm in love with who is also in love with me which I learned last night while she was drunk and rambling about her abandonment issues, while I'm crawling on all fours up the stairs in an underwater greenhouse like an idiot.' For whatever that was worth.

 

“Somehow I imagined this going differently.” Rin said. Blankly.

 

“Is that right?” Shinobu said. Blankly.

 

“Yeah, I was thinking you'd try and juke past me or something, and using my superior speed, I'd catch up to you, do it all 'hey girl what's the hurry' like a cool dude in some anime or something.” Rin said.

 

“Why are you on all fours?” Shinobu said.

 

Rin blinked. Her antenna drooped a bit. “I'm a cat?”

 

“In a metaphorical game of cat-and-mouse?” Shinobu said.

 

“Yes! Exactly!” Rin said, finally standing up and properly climbing up the stairs. “I'm glad you understand!” Standing upright and facing Shinobu directly, she was now... completely at a loss as to how to continue the conversation. “So. Um. How's it going?”

 

Shinobu was silent for a moment before clasping her hands together and bowing. “Please forgive my impertinence last night! I was extremely inebriated! It's deeply shameful to admit, but I was indeed not in my right mind. I ask you please forget everything you heard, I assure you it was just the drunken ramblings of an eccentric madwoman!” Sweat flew off of her head as she shook it frantically.

 

“Shinobu.” Rin said.

 

“Really, I don't know what came over me, I assure you that I hadn't the foggiest it would have that sort of effect on me, oh you probably think I seem ridiculous now, utterly mad, well I suppose you probably wouldn't be wrong I am rather eccentric-”

 

“Shinobu!” Rin said, more forcefully this time, putting her hands on Shinobu's shoulders and forcing her upright out of her bow. “We need to talk about what happened last night. Okay?”

 

“...I-if you insist.” Shinobu said. She was beginning to shiver.

 

“C'mon, let's go take a seat.” Rin took Shinobu's hand, and led her down into the Tea House Garden. They sat in the tea house itself, across from each other. “Would you like some tea?”

 

“No thank you.” Shinobu said. “I am not particularly thirsty.”

 

“Okay, first of all, I should probably say this again, since it came out at a bit of a bad time last night.” Rin said. She took a deep breath in, then locked eyes with Shinobu. “I'm in love with you, Shinobu.”

 

Shinobu's breath hitched. “Wh-?”

 

“In fact, I think I've been in love with you for a while,” Rin continued. “We got off to a bad start, but as I kept getting to know you I realized you were the most loving, most caring girl I've ever met. I love the way you laugh, I love the way you light up when you talk about your trade, and, well... you're _beautiful,_ Shinobu.” It was hard for her to pick a specific example of what made Shinobu gorgeous out of everything, her eyes, her hair, her skin, her voice... other things... so Rin just went with that. She smiled. “I can't help it, I just... well, I love you,” she said with a nervous laugh.

 

“O-oh,” Shinobu said. The sound of her voice wasn't at all surprised, but it was still filled with anxiety. “I... I see. I appreciate it.”

 

There was a tense silence, and it hung heavy in the air. Shinobu's face was scruched up, as though she were at war with herself. Rin knew what side she was on, though. “Shinobu, I don't know what happened to you,” she said. “But I know you're... really afraid of saying anything more, right? So, all I can say is... I want to know more about you. I don't want you to be alone any longer, either.”

 

“I love you too!” Shinobu squeaked out. It was a small, tiny thing, but then as though a dam had burst, it all came flooding out. “I didn't at first, I just appreciated having you as a mystery-solving partner, but as I continued to interact with you I realized how much I longed for someone so radiant in my life, someone so chipper and willing to put up with my eccentricities! You're one of the strangest people I've ever met, and I can't help but find myself wanting to put my trust in you more than anyone else! You're funny, you're spastic, you're unpredictable, you're smart, you're everything I haven't let myself long for in a partner and you _love me back,_ I never imagined something like that could even happen and I was so struck cold by how obvious and honest your love was even when you hadn't realized it yourself, I was afraid of it, I didn't know what to do so I did something stupid, I'm sorry, I just don't know how to handle really desiring the company of a single other person-!”

 

“Okay, calm down, Shinobu.” Rin had sidled up next to her and had put her arms around her, since Shinobu had started tearing up at some point. “Take a breath, it's okay!”

 

“...and oh my god I want to do _bawdy things to your body!_ ” Shinobu's voice had reached a fever pitch, so that came out as more of a mad shriek than anything. “You are _unfairly_ attractive to my sensibilities! It's downright cruel!”

 

Rin blinked. “Um, 'body things to my body?'”

 

“No, no, B-A-W-D-Y. Humorously indecent.” Shinobu said, suddenly going back to her normal tone. “Perhaps given the nature of my desires, 'licentious' or just 'indecent' would be more proper, but it sounded more rhythmic that way.”

 

There was a beat of silence. The two girls snickered, and couldn't prevent themselves from breaking out into peals of laughter. The spontaneity of the situation meant that Shinobu was unable to put forth her signature cackle, so the two of them had an honest laugh together.

 

“You _dork_ ,” Rin gasped out in the fragments of air she got. “Oh my _god._ ”

 

“I'm an author, I can't help it!” Shinobu said. Rin could hear her vaguely try to put forth a 'ka ka' once or twice in her laughs, but the effort was in vain.

 

“Good god, Shinobu.” Rin wiped a tear from her eye as she began to wind down. “You are something else, you know that?”

 

“I have some idea.” Shinobu said. The two of them were quite close together at this point, but neither of them showed any hint of shying away. Rin felt quite content being in Shinobu's presence this closely again. “Er... you'd probably like some explanation, wouldn't you?”

 

“Of what?” Rin said.

 

“Of... me.” Shinobu said. “My various... oddities. Why I'm so difficult.”

 

“Do you want to give me one?” Rin said.

 

Shinobu nodded. “Er... well, I... to tell you the truth, it scares me even now, being close to you like this. I...” She took a breath. “When I was a child, you see, a young child, in first grade, I...” She closed her eyes, and paused for a moment.

 

“You've got this.” Rin said.

 

“I was... obsessed with vampires.” Shinobu said. Rin quickly chomped down on the giggle coming out of her throat. “Like any other child would have a fascination with TV superheroes, or dinosaurs, for me, it was vampires. I found so much fascination, romance, and beauty in the idea of these night-clad immortals. It was a childish idea, but I found them so much more interesting than the real world. At times, it even disturbed my school work.”

 

Rin was silent. “One day, it came out that I hadn't been doing my homework for an entire week,” Shinobu said. “My parents were understandably livid, but I became... quite angry myself, lashing back at them, locking myself in my room for the night. In the morning, when they tried to speak to me, I would have none of it, and when I was leaving for the school bus, I...” She shuddered. “I shouted at them, 'I wish Dracula would crawl in our window and eat you both.'”

 

“Oh, Shinobu...” Rin had a bad feeling about where this story was going, so she leaned into Shinobu a bit more to hug her.

 

“I realized it was a horrible and immature thing to say while I was at school,” Shinobu said. “So I wanted to apologize to them when I got home. But when I arrived at home...” She began trembling.

 

“You don't need to go any farther if you don't want to.” Rin said, holding Shinobu as strongly as she could.

 

“They were dead.” Shinobu said. “Murdered in our living room. And... it wasn't simply a gunshot or a knife, either. The two of them were...” She was pale, and sweating. “There were bruises and lacerations all over their bodies, broken bones sticking out of wounds on their legs and chests, and... their necks had been punctured, and all the blood drained from their bodies.”

 

Rin's eyes were wide, and she herself was shaking a little. “Oh my god, Shinobu...” She tried to wipe some of Shinobu's sweat. “That's horrible.”

 

“Naturally...” Shinobu breathed slowly, in and out, steadying herself. “Naturally, it was an irrational thought, but... what was I to believe as a child, but that I had caused the death of my parents by calling down vampires upon them both? I shrank inward. To tell true, I... I remember little of the three years after that point. My first real memory after that is roughly three years later, after, I'm told, I spent those years almost unresponsive in a psychiatric ward, barely able to eat and biting at the necks of anyone who tried to comfort me.”

 

“What was it?” Rin said.

 

“One of the workers had apparently been careless with their light reading,” Shinobu said. “I somehow chanced upon a copy of _The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes,_ open to _The Case of the Sussex Vampire._ Even in my debilitated state, something in my brain compelled me to read this 'vampire story,' and so I did. My memory suddenly comes into focus as Holmes explains the situation, and unveils the truth behind this so-called 'vampire.' The staff found me, laughing with glee and happiness, crying of grief, all of the emotions that had been locked off for three years exploding out of me at once.”

 

Wide-eyed wonder came across Rin's face. “Sherlock Holmes... saved your life?”

 

“I doubt, of course, that Arthur Conan Doyle expected his works would have such an effect on me centuries later, but... yes.” Shinobu smiled. “Finally, it became clear to me how incredible this world was; that such a situation could lead people to believing that a vampire really existed! And it became clear to me that these puzzles, these unbelievable things that occur in our world, all have an answer. Sherlock Holmes dispelled that vampire, and he gave me the weapons to begin proving my own false, as well. I owe Holmes my life.”

 

“That's...” Rin laughed a little. “Kind of amazing.”

 

“The doctors all called it a miracle,” Shinobu said, “that I was finally responsive again after so long. Near everyone had given up hope on my ever returning to the land of the living. But, even so, I was nowhere near fully recovered. Even now, I...” She looked down. “I recognize these thoughts as irrational, but I cannot help but fear that if I ever love specific people too much, or if they care too strongly for me, that they will die just as my parents did. So, for myself I created my image of the eccentric, Victorian-obsessed author, and worked to the fullest of my abilities so that I may carve out a life for myself even at my young age.”

 

“'Created?'” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “I don't know... It seems a bit too genuine in a lot of ways to be entirely fake. Maybe it's sort of a... way of paying tribute to the genre that saved your life?”

 

“Perhaps,” Shinobu said. “Memory, you know, can be quite vague, and can be colored by our preconceptions after the fact. I... To tell true, I attempt not to dwell too much on the past. But nevertheless, I find myself quite hypocritical; after all, I allow my trauma to temper my interactions with others, such that I only allow them to admire me from afar at best. Is that not laughable?”

 

“Um, did anyone come for you last night, Shinobu?” Rin said.

 

“Oh, well, yes, Mr. Uesawa did, he's the community manager of the Oborozuka Shopping District, that's the town I'm from, he said it was on behalf of the entire town, lovely town, really, I like it quite a bit.” Shinobu said all in one breath. She was blushing.

 

“People love you, Shinobu!” Rin said, smiling brightly and placing her head on Shinobu's shoulder. “If you were really forcing people away that much, would people have such high opinions of you that the entire town you live in would send someone to go check on?”

 

“Well, I suppose that's true.” Shinobu said with a sigh. “Oh, I don't know. It is hard to know oneself, as I'm sure you're aware.” She shrugged.

 

“Did it feel good to get that stuff off your chest?” Rin said.

 

Shinobu paused for a moment. “You know, I think it did. Do you... feel enlightened?”

 

“Yeah, a pretty good amount.” Rin said. She lay down, placing her head in Shinobu's lap, her mass of hair making a pleasant, airy noise as it compressed. “But okay, so let's be real here. I look enough like a vampire that if one of them showed up to our house all I'd have to say is 'Back off, she's mine' and make some hissing noises. Plus, have you looked at these gams? I could kick a vampire's head clean off, no problem.”

 

The room was silent for a second before Shinobu burst out into laughter. “What?” She gasped. “What are you even _talking_ about?”

 

“I donno, I was trying to be funny or something.” Rin said, her antenna drooping, which wound up making it fall backwards because of gravity asserting its hold. “I mean, I guess. Th-th-the _point_ is-”

 

“The point is that I needn't be afraid of your death as a result of getting close to me?” Shinobu said.

 

“Yeah, that.” Rin nodded. She sat back up, turned around, and gazed at Shinobu, putting on her serious face. “I know we're in a dangerous situation right now, and that it doesn't seem like anything can be certain. But you know what? I don't care.” She looked up to the sky. “I'm promising you, myself, the mastermind, and any gods that might be listening! I'm gonna get _both of us_ out of here alive, without a doubt!”

 

“How can you be certain?” Shinobu said quietly.

 

Rin turned to look at her, with a goofy grin. “I'm not _certain,_ I guess. But, still, I know it'll happen. I don't know why I know, but I know. Wow, I am so glad Hansuke said that, that is such a convenient thing to say when you're trying to make an emotional point.”

 

This time, it was Shinobu who leaned into Rin. Which made more sense, honestly, considering there was more of Rin to lean into. “...Do you realize what you're doing by saying all this?” She said, looking up at Rin from at her side.

 

“I have a pretty good idea, but go ahead and say it.” Rin said.

 

“You're making quite the serious promise to me, Rin Hashizawa.” Shinobu said. “You might feel confident in it now, but in being my partner, that's a promise that you'll stay alive until our love naturally reaches its conclusion, be it by mutual agreement or by old age, a promise you're making amidst a killing game, for that matter. It's a promise that you won't simply leave once we get out of here, return to whatever life it is that you've forgotten, that you will stay by my side once this incident ends.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin nodded. “I know.” She reached her hand up to caress Shinobu's hair.

 

“Then, please, for my sake... say it.” Shinobu said.

 

Rin closed her eyes. “I promise, Shinobu. I promise that we'll both make it out of this alive, and that we'll both stay alive after this, too. I promise that I'll stay with you, and no memory in the world can change that. And I promise to love you for as long as we both live.” She wrapped her arms around Shinobu again, for a hug on more even footing.

 

“That isn't what I said.” Shinobu said, beginning to tear up again.

 

“I don't care.” Rin said, making sure her grip was tight. “It's what I'm promising you.”

 

Slowly, Shinobu's arms wrapped themselves around Rin, too. “You're brave.” Shinobu said. “I... admire that about you.”

 

“What, me? Psssh.” Rin said. “Let's be real here, I'm just kinda thick.”

 

The two of them stayed in each other's embrace for quite some time after that, with nothing but the noise of the Greenhouse in the background. Shinobu cried once, but eventually, her tears ran out and she grew quiet.

 

“Rin?” Shinobu said. “Would... you do me the honor, of becoming my partner?”

 

“I thought you'd never ask.” Rin smiled. “Of course, Shinobu. I'd love to be your girlfriend.” Then, suddenly, Rin started blushing and she let go, beginning to fistpump repeatedly. “Awwwww yissssss I got myself a ladyfriend! Score one for yours truly! A+! Five stars! Ten out of ten, except from the judge that doesn't like Japan!”

 

Shinobu laughed. “I still have no idea what you're talking about.”

 

“But you know you love it, girl.” Rin's antenna huffed proudly, and she crossed her arms, pushing her fingers up the bridge of her nose as though she were pushing up a pair of glasses.

**11:30 A.M.**

 

“...So that's what happened,” Rin said. “I thought I should come talk to you first out of anybody.”

 

Shinobu hummed, mulling over the information she'd just been given. It was, Rin knew, a lot to take in, especially the mysterious black mass, but she took it quietly for the most part, just asking the occasional question.

 

Eventually, she opened her mouth. “What were your first theories?” Shinobu said.

 

“Well, the first, most obvious explanation for the whole sudden disassociation thing would be that I have some kind of split personality.” Rin said. “Like, there's me, and then there's the actual 'Rin Hashizawa' who is actually evil or something. Do you think that's at all possible?”

 

Shinobu shook her head. “No, that sounds frankly ludicrous. You don't have a history of blackouts at other times, not to mention there's only been one case in all of recorded history of an actual split personality.”

 

“The serial killer Genocide Jack, right?” Rin said.

 

“Indeed.” Shinobu nodded. “You don't display... essentially any of the symptoms Toko Fukawa suffered from, and you also don't seem to have a similar temperament. I am not a medical doctor, but I would find it highly unlikely that you would have such a disorder.” Her eyes went off in another direction. “Also...”

 

“Also?” Rin said.

 

“Also, Toko Fukawa and Genocide Jack had very similar taste in men, and while I never had the pleasure of meeting the girl, from what I've heard of Kei Sagami, she sounds extremely dissimilar to yours truly.” Shinobu said. “Or any other woman you've expressed interest in, really.”

 

“Ohhhh.” Rin's antenna puffed. “That's a good point, you're right!”

 

“Unfortunately, the psychosciences are beyond my ken.” Shinobu said, taking off her beret and squeezing it. A lollipop fell out, and she put it in her mouth. “So as to why something like that would happen, I am unsure. You said that you suddenly felt a great deal of information overwhelm your senses, correct?”

 

“Yeah.” Rin nodded. “A lot of it came at once, in these weird patterns. I couldn't make heads or tails of most of it, honestly. A bit of it's come back to me, but it still doesn't make sense. Something about being 'Ritual Summoned' or something, and then a really loud, high-pitched feedback noise.”

 

Shinobu clapped her hands. “Monokuma, what does being 'Ritual Summoned' mean?”

 

Silence. “Monokumaaaa?” Shinobu clapped again.

 

“Ugh, I'm coming, geez.” Monokuma opened the doors to the Tea House and walked in. He had definitely seen better days; his face was scuffed up with a few tears of his fabric, and one of his arms was in a cartoonish cast. “Can't catch a break, can I.”

 

“What...” Rin blinked. “What happened to you?” Violence against Monokuma was still forbidden, as far as she knew, so...

 

“I fell down some stairs or something. Who cares? I'll probably be fine in like six hours or something.” Monokuma said. “Anyway, it's parlance from this one really old card game. Had a bunch of anime about it, too. I tried it once, but it was all too fast for me, and my opponent kept shouting, 'Let's rev it up!' for some reason. It was so annoying! But, oh baby, some of that art...” He whistled. “Nekroz of Gungnir, now that's a MILP! Oh baby, slap me with an icicle!”

 

“Certainly you could do better than a piece of cardboard.” Shinobu said, with a pitying look.

 

“What, you want me to get a fairy-tale A+ romance like you two? Please! Get your heads out of the clouds!” Monokuma said. “And a puhuhu to you, too!”

 

Rin blinked again. “So does that mean you approve of the two of us?”

 

“I mean, I won't say I don't ship it.” Monokuma said. “I thought you had some chemistry with Stella, too, but then she went and turned out to like dudes, so, you know, them's the breaks.”

 

Shinobu blinked this time as Rin's antenna curled into a question mark. “You... actually have opinions?”

 

“Oh, yeah, I'm in charge of maintaining the official shipping board.” Monokuma said. “These days, Juvin is coming in hot!” He snorted. “Heh, 'coming.'”

 

A few artificial bird noises played.

 

“So, anyway.” Shinobu said, turning back to Rin. “One other thing I find questionable is-”

 

“Hey! Don't just end conversation with me that abruptly!” Monokuma said, with a loud sproinging noise. “I'm an important guy! I'm popular! The fans want to see me, and I haven't even shown up in two days! You think people are gonna take this lying down if they don't get their studio-mandated Monokuma dosage per episode? No! It'll collapse the natural order of things and we'll all become kulaks and dissenters!”

 

“That's a good point, actually.” Rin said. “Why are you still here?”

 

“Whaddya mean, why am I still here?” Monokuma said. “Shouldn't it be obvious? Because I'm Monokuma.”

 

“Our mastermind supposedly unveiled themselves with that show last night,” Shinobu said. “If 'The End' is so confident in herself that she'd unveil that, why are you still here? What purpose do you serve?”

 

“I feel really persecuted all of a sudden.” Monokuma said. “This is horrid. Disgusting, really. I serve a purpose, geez.” He looked down, with blue, wavy lines projecting themselves over his head that Rin guessed were supposed to denote some sort of sadness. “I do so much around here and what thanks do I get?”

 

“It was a serious question.” Rin said. “What in the world is your deal?”

 

“I'm Monokuma! Deal or no deal!” He shouted, before jumping back in a hole.

 

“...So anyway,” Shinobu continued, “one other thing I find questionable is the fact that our families were allowed to speak with us at all. Would you agree?”

 

Rin nodded. “Definitely. After Monokuma goes quiet for two days, suddenly we get this? It's probably the mastermind's idea of a third motive- they, or, I guess she, thinks that it'll cause something to happen. It happened right before Daisuke's concert, too, and right after I talked with Jun and found out about the Tech Expo. That's not the only thing I think is suspicious about it, though.”

 

“Oh?” Shinobu said, raising her eyebrow. “Do tell.”

 

“Kojiro's an incredibly fast typist.” Rin said. “I remembered that during the information overload.”

 

“But you said he hesitated slightly before typing out what your talent is...” Shinobu put her hand to her chin. “You think there's reason to doubt that?”

 

“Well, of course.” Rin said. “For one thing, do I really seem like an Ultimate Roboticist? _Me?_ I'm, like, a total knucklehead. Sure, I might have some interest, but there's no way I have the... mental acumen,” she said, grasping at air for the words, “to do something that involves so much fine coding, dealing with small parts, raising AI, and stuff at an Ultimate level. I just don't think it's possible. Plus, I haven't remembered much actual information since finding that out, and the fact that it came right after Jun told me I _wasn't_ a Hope's Peak student seems really, really suspicious.”

 

“So you're thinking that it's possible that the mastermind is intentionally trying to stop you from regaining your memories by giving you false information?” Shinobu said. “If your memories really are important, that seems very likely. But why would Kojiro do something like that?”

 

“He might've been put up to it by the mastermind.” Rin said. “I don't think Kojiro would _be_ the mastermind... it doesn't seem right. I mean, for one thing, he's my little brother and I love him, but also, the kinds of jokes he pulls are too... benign, for this to be him. So I think it's most likely that the mastermind somehow forced Kojiro to lie, maybe by saying he couldn't talk to me otherwise, or by saying that they'd kill me if he didn't.”

 

“In other words, while that truly was probably Kojiro, he may have said some falsehoods at the behest of the mastermind.” Shinobu nodded. “That seems reasonable. Do you think that the story about The End was also false, then?”

 

“Mm... no.” Rin said. “I think that The End is probably real. Whether she's the real mastermind or an accomplice, I don't know, but I think she definitely exists. But still, whether she's the mastermind or not, revealing The End now and showing us our families is definitely the mastermind's way of trying to provoke someone into killing.”

 

“If you'll permit the cliched turn of phrase,” Shinobu said, “I have... a very bad feeling about tonight's concert. We need to be on our keenest vigil.”

 

“Yeah, but...” Rin tapped her chin. “Well, I don't know how we'd do anything about that. Telling someone about the possibility could wind up inciting them more.”

 

“We find ourselves in the unfortunate position of not being able to do much to affect the flow of these things.” Shinobu said, sighing. “The loss of group cohesion should it simply be called off for fear of murder would be... unfortunate, to say the least.”

 

“We just...” Rin gulped. “We just need to do our best, okay, Shinobu? We just-”

 

“I wish to inform Yayoi.” Shinobu suddenly piped up.

 

“You think she's safe?” Rin said. She nodded. “Alright. You know her a bit better than I do, so I'll trust you on that one.”

 

“I'm glad that my sterling judgment isn't in question!” Shinobu cackled. Ah, there was that lovely affectation of hers. Rin couldn't help but get a bit lost in watching Shinobu laugh. Then Shinobu noticed. She blushed, and looked away. “Er, at any rate. I- oh good lord, why are you looking at me like that.”

 

“Why do you think?” Rin winked. Her antenna curled into a heart shape.

 

“Must I have been stuck with the one woman on the planet whose _hair_ twists to accentuate her emotions?” Shinobu closed her eyes and grew ever redder. “Twofold bashfulness and embarrassment strike at my soul! Ah, god damn you!”

 

“You know you like my stupid little hair thing.” Rin said, leaning in slightly, looking for all the world like a naughty child who'd just stolen something from the old man next door.

 

“It's extremely charming!” Shinobu said, huddling her head into her arms so as to avoid Rin's gaze. “Argh, stop! We have important matters to discuss!”

 

“Oh really? Such as my burning desire to kiss y- wait, you're right, you're right.” Rin stopped, using her hands to propel herself backwards into her seat. “Sorry, you're easy to get distracted by.”

 

“I cannot help finding myself thinking that it's really more that you have a short attention span.” Shinobu said.

 

“Guilty as charged!” Rin stuck her tongue out and shrugged. “But seriously though, you're right. So, there's one more thing I really needed to talk to you about.” She let out a sharp breath. It was a thought she'd been having pretty much all day, but it was certainly a hard one to say out loud, no matter how obvious it might seem. “I...” Argh, damnit, this was hard.

 

“Is this a matter regarding you?” Shinobu said. Her face grew stern. “For you see, I myself have a... gnawing suspicion based on some conclusions I've come to regarding you. I've been somewhat... er, nervous about saying it aloud.”

 

“Huh.” Rin said. “Okay. Okay, on three, we'll both say what we're thinking at once, because I feel like we might be thinking of the same thing.”

 

Shinobu nodded. “On the count of three, then.”

 

“One...” “Two...” “Three.”

 

“I think I'm a Replicant!” “I think you're a Replicant!”

 

Rin breathed a loud sigh of relief. “Oh thank god, I thought I was going crazy.” Her antenna lurched over. “I mean, how am I supposed to say something like that, right?”

 

“I'm glad I wasn't the only one!” Shinobu laughed. “It's a bit of a maddening thought to have to keep yourself, isn't it? Well, I suppose it might be a bit more nervewracking for you,” she chuckled, “considering the subject matter.”

 

“But I mean, it's the only logical conclusion, right?” Rin said. “I mean, even ignoring the fact that I can climb walls like a billy goat and survived the Ultimate Strongman hurling a coconut at my head, I feel like all this applied robotics knowledge I have without it bringing up any actual memories must be, like, trickledown from my parents or something, right?”

 

“Not to mention your ridiculous head for numbers.” Shinobu said. “If you're actually a computer yourself, it stands to reason that numbers would be in your wheelhouse, no?”

 

“And my ability to consume ridiculously bitter tea.” Rin said. “I mean, I've tried other tea now and so I know it was ridiculously bitter, but I still drank it. Plus I'm pretty sure there was some computer stuff in my weird episode last night.”

 

“Even by Replicant standards I'm sure you're impressively durable, though.” Shinobu gave Rin an appraising glance. “I mean, I'm sure Yashiro's throwing arm is as powerful, if not moreso, as it looks, and it's not as though a coconut is a warm, soft-knit hat for a winter's day.”

 

Rin smiled. Shinobu smiled back. “Great minds think alike, I guess.” Rin said.

 

“How would we test for something like that, is the question.” Shinobu placed her chin in her hands. “Naturally, it's an important matter to confirm, but I haven't the foggiest how we would go about doing that. I certainly am _not_ an expert in the physical differences between humans and cutting-edge Replicants.”

 

There was something else on Rin's mind, though. She idly scratched one finger on her head and looked away, blushing. “But that's, like... cool, right?”

 

“Hm?” Shinobu's face was quizzical. “What's... 'cool?'”

 

“Well, I mean. Me. Being a Replicant.” Rin's antenna spiraled into a spring shape. “Is that, like... cool with you, or...”

 

“Why would it be unacceptable?” Shinobu blinked.

 

“I don't know!” Rin shrugged. “I am so utterly clueless regarding the sociopolitical environment of your hometown that I could fill seventy-five books to the brim with the amount of information I don't know! So, like... are there any issues I don't know about or...”

 

“Does it bother you that I'm a human?” Shinobu said.

 

“No, why would it?” Rin said, without hesitation. “Even if I'm a robot, it doesn't really change anything, so why would it change anything that you're human?” Then she took a second to process what she'd just said. “Ohhhh, I get your point now. Cool beans!” She smiled. “Didn't wanna cause you any issues or anything.”

 

Shinobu mumbled something under her breath that sounded vaguely like “You'd be worth any issues you'd cause anyway.” Rin decided to save her the embarrassment and be heartwarmed by the mumble itself.

 

“I feel like we should keep this quiet for the time being, though.” Rin said. “Until we can confirm it somehow. I mean, I don't think it'd cause any issues, but, well, who knows? Someone might have some really violent reaction that we couldn't predict.”

 

“I deeply wish I did not agree, but I do nonetheless.” Shinobu said. “If we are to defeat the mastermind at their own game, we must exercise caution.”

 

Rin grinned. “I mean, we wanna be undying, invincible! Like Sherlock Holmes!”

 

“Sherlock Holmes did die, actually.” Shinobu said. “For ten years. Then he rose from the grave. But I would rather not spend ten years in a watery grave.”

 

Filled with a powerful sense of duty, Rin leaned over and kissed Shinobu's cheek. Shinobu's face lit up like, oh, let's say ten Christmas trees. “Man, I love you.” Rin said. She giggled.

 

“Mmlrffflffmm.” Shinobu agreed into her hands.

**2 P.M.**

 

“...And so, we cannot help but worry that some sort of plot may occur during your concert.” Shinobu said, the two having found her in Class 3-B. “A nefarious plot to commit murder most foul, at that!”

 

Yayoi crossed her arms and hemmed and hawwed for a few moments before slumping her shoulders and sighing, “ _Oy gevalt._ ” Rin wasn't sure what that meant, but it sounded bad. “Well, shit, I can't deny that thing about the motive, can I? Just when things were looking up.” She leaned against the Monokuma Service Elevator.

 

“Oh, that reminds me!” Rin's antenna pointed upwards. “Did you get to talk to your sister? How is she?”

 

The Foreman laughed loudly. “Shit, you ain't gonna believe this. Turns out that End fuckhead actually went and told Morinaga's pop about the whole thing! They're getting the whole thing settled, and he's apparently just gonna up and do the operation, no hoops necessary!”

 

Shinobu blinked. “That's... oddly generous of The End. For that matter, doesn't guaranteeing your sister's safety _remove_ some of your motivation to leave the facility, Yayoi?”

 

“Ain't I said before that it's you guys' job to think about all that motive crap?” Yayoi snorted. “I'm a doer, not a thinker. So, you need a plan to keep people safe during the concert, yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” Rin nodded. “But nothing too loud, or it might cause undue panic. Do you have any ideas?”

 

“It'll be kinda trouble.” Yayoi said, scratching her face. “The passage out to the Basin'll be tricky to guard at the same time as the entrance to Newcomb.” She snapped her fingers. “Ah, wait. I've got this.” She puffed her chest and grinned. “Alright. Now, since you asked me, I'll be able to count on your cooperation.”

 

“Of course!” Rin nodded, as did Shinobu. “Without a doubt.”

 

“That wasn't a question, but good moxie, kids.” Her grin went poof; now she was all business. “The most important thing here's making sure nobody's out there in pairs. If we've got a pair of people outside the Venue at the same time, that's no good. That's asking for something to happen.”

 

“Why's that?” Rin said.

 

“Uh, duh. If they're in groups of three, it's way harder to murder.” Yayoi rolled her eyes. “You can't get some bozo waltzing out and preying on an innocent civilian, they've gotta get past two people. So, you two's job is gonna be making sure'a that. Got it?”

 

“If two people were to be outside at the same time, one of the two of us accompanies them.” Shinobu nodded. “That's a sensible plan.”

 

Rin looked down. “But, uh... well, what if a killer were to just try and kill both of them?” She shivered. “It's not impossible, is it?”

 

Yayoi affixed Rin with an 'are you fucking kidding me' look. “Do you really, honestly, seriously think that any of these bozos have it in them to do _two_ murders?”

 

Rin thought back. Based on her amateur psychological profiling of everyone in the cases she'd read through so far, well, let's see... the Ultimate Gambler was an amoral psychopath, the Ultimate Nurse had serious problems... the Ultimate Karuta Player was a pretty psychopath-y person too, the Ultimate Reporter was so boring that Rin had barely any idea what was going on there, the Ultimate Debater had had an inferiority streak so large it could probably ride amusement park rides by itself...

 

“No, you're right.” Rin said. “Judging by the results of past games, the only person who even might is Jun, and he's getting a lot better lately.”

 

“Judging by the-?” Yayoi frowned. “The fuck are you talking about?”

 

“One of these days you simply must let me read through that file,” Shinobu said. “It sounds fascinating.”

 

“Well, the point is, you get the wisdom of my plan.” Yayoi said. “I'll sit backstage in here to make sure nobody gets to the Basin. You two sit in the audience and make sure we don't got two people outside the Venue for any reason. And...” She grumbled. “We gotta have someone to watch the entrance. Make sure anyone who says they're leaving really is leaving, and make sure anyone who comes back really comes back.”

 

“That person would need to miss the concert, though, on account of the soundproof curtains.” Shinobu said, crossing her arms. “And, in addition, they would need to be able to watch that single point without arousing much suspicion.”

 

“Hey, Chihaya, are you down?” Rin said to the room.

 

“Sounds good to me.” One of the desks said. Shinobu shrieked and jumped backwards. Yayoi just started a bit.

 

“How did you know she would be there?!” Shinobu said, frantically looking between the desk and Rin. “How in the world?!”

 

“Well, I thought about her, and then I realized that I left her hanging when I said I'd let her know how our pitched battle of cat-and-mouse went, and I thought that if someone did that to me, I'd go see that as stealthily as she did if I had the skills.” Rin said. “Plus, not only is she one of the smart people in the group, there was a good chance she was also planning on asking Yayoi if she could not come, on account of the everyone-in-the-same-room-making-loud-noises aspect of a 'concert.' Even if she hid, she'd probably be pretty uncomfortable. The fact that Yayoi hadn't mentioned her so far, though, meant that she hadn't done so yet, but Chihaya moves really fast, so it was unlikely that she simply hadn't gotten here fast enough to do it if she had the notion. This all combined with my natural spontaneity and willingness to look like a goofball meant that talking to her without looking was a good first step to take, even if it didn't succeed.”

 

“I... That's very impressive.” Shinobu said, her eyes wide in astonishment. “Very impressive indeed.”

 

“I learned from only the strongest hide-and-seek experts.” Rin grinned. “Specifically the one in that desk earlier. That's way lower-level than the stuff she said about you earlier!”

 

“Stop it, you're making me blush.” Chihaya said. “You learn quickly.”

 

“Well.” Yayoi said, staying remarkably calm in this situation, Rin thought. “I guess we got Inoue as our bouncer. Somehow. Good work, team!” She stood at attention. “I promise you, Boss Murasaki won't let anyone die at this concert if it kills her! Between the four of us, we got this shit!”

 

She threw her hand out flat. Rin just stared until Shinobu, with a chuckle, put her hand atop Yayoi's. Chihaya's hand snaked out from beneath her desk and turned two into three. Having gotten the idea, Rin placed her hand to complete the group.

 

“My, teamwork is invigorating, isn't it?” Shinobu said.

 

“It's pretty great! We should do it more often.” Rin said.

 


	30. Day 13, Part 2 - The Eccentric Billionaire's Proposal

**7 P.M.**

 

Time was ever-fleeting, of course. When one wants it to pass slowly, it passes quickly, and the opposite was true, as well. This was something Rin Hashizawa had already intrinsically known, as one thing she'd learned about herself was that she had the bad habit of getting bored easily. Boredom did odd things to the flow of time, stretching and warping it into some odd curve that didn't obey the laws of geometry.

 

The point of this was that the concert had arrived quicker than Rin had really wanted it to, and she now found herself amidst conversation in the Venue, seated in a clump with the other people present. There were far more seats than were necessary, but the group had just naturally gravitated towards being seated together.

 

Rin had been first to the Venue, in the interest of punctuality. Probably not being a student, she had no attendance record to speak of, but that didn't change the fact that timeliness was a virtue.

 

Next, the two most model students had arrived; Claus, and Shinobu. Claus, of course, was an upright person in all things, or so it seemed, and surely wasn't enough of a wild child to skip studying or anything like that.

 

“Or is he?” Rin said, replying to something someone had said that thankfully matched up with what she was thinking. “Maybe Claus has a hidden wild side.”

 

“Mayhap we will see him in the mosh pit in a few years,” Shinobu laughed, “exploring his 'sexy side?'”

 

“Erm.” Claus adjusted his necktie. “Excuse me? Why—?!” He sputtered, apparently quite flustered at the idea of his own 'sexy side.'

 

After that, Rin had been struck by a small red bead in the back of the head. As agreed upon by the two of them, this was Chihaya's signal to her that she was present, and watching the door stealthily.

 

“I don't think anyone would ever see Claus at a mosh pit.” Stella said, leaning back into her seat. “He's too... Claus-y.”

 

“Mm.” Luan agreed, nodding his head.

 

Next, Luan and Hansuke had arrived together, chatting about the efficacy of a certain brand of sewing machine. That was probably Luan's timeliness speaking, as to Rin, Hansuke didn't seem like the kind of guy who'd usually arrive early. Rather, he seemed like the kind of guy who'd arrive exactly on time.

 

“A concert.” Hansuke mumbled. “Seems a bit weird to have a concert for thirteen people, doesn't it?”

 

“Isn't it kind of odd that there's a concert venue in here at all?” Kazuya said. He crossed his arms, nudging against Stella, who turned away, blushing. “I mean...underwater?”

 

“What, you're only now noticing?” Jun scoffed. “Presumably, it serves the same idiotic purpose as the rest of the things in this nonsensical hodgepodge of interior decoration serve; making the architect feel smart and avant-garde.”

 

“But is feelin' hoity-toity really a bad thing?” Gavin laughed, rustling Jun's hair. Jun grumbled. “Trip, man, some days I figure, maybe Gav should feel a bit hoity-toity today. Then I put on my flower lei and this gold chain my buddy Saburo gave me once, and I go out and I'm all like, yooooo dawwwwg, I'm nouveau-riche, check me the heck out!”

 

“How many friends does a guy like you even have?” Hansuke raised his eyebrow. Gavin just laughed. To accentuate the mysteriousness, Rin turned around and made a weird, wide-eyed face at Hansuke, who looked away, snorting.

 

Kazuya, Stella, Yayoi, and Yashiro had all come in as a group, but Yayoi was currently backstage with Yashiro, preparing for his beginning act.

 

“In any case,” Jun said, “I'm interested to see if Harada really can play, or if he's full of even more hot air than I thought.”

 

“He's okay.” Stella said. “But trust me, it's a good thing we have Luan singing.”

 

Rin's antenna curled into a sort of apostrophe shape. “I didn't know Luan sang. I knew I had a good feeling about him.”

 

“Ain't that Claus's line?” Hansuke raised his eyebrow. Claus became even more interested in his necktie.

 

“Good feelings are universal, my friend.” Shinobu cackled. “I believe we all have a good feeling about Luan, no? He is a reliable man, of good character!”

 

“Yes, definitely.” Kazuya nodded. Stella, Gavin, Claus, and Rin all gave their assent as well. Luan mumbled an 'oh.' and also looked away, blushing.

 

Lastly, Jun and Gavin, unsurprisingly, had come in together. Jun was even smiling! A little bit. Baby steps, of course. But he was smiling! He seemed to be enjoying himself! Good job, Jun, Rin thought to herself.

 

“Cripes,” said Yayoi, hopping down from the stage after briskly stepping out from backstage. “That guy's a real handful.” She groaned and rubbed the back of her head. “The hell does he even eat to get that huge?”

 

Rin raised her hand. “He sleeps upside-down like a bat!”

 

“Ain't no way that's healthy.” Yayoi said, glaring at Rin. “Or true.” Rin stuck her tongue out and winked in response.

 

“Sleeping upside-down?” Shinobu said. She hummed, tapping her pointer finger on her chin. “Perhaps there's merit in that. Do you think it would help me build my endurance?”

 

“Don't do that to yourself.” Rin said, leaning her head over onto Shinobu's shoulder and impishly nuzzling it. Shinobu, of course, squeaked, and looked away, but didn't move an inch. Being that she could now be more open about her deep well of affection, the inclination to be a bit bolder in her movements had come naturally to Rin. She actually found herself hoping someone would take note so that she could explain that she and Shinobu were together now, because of course it was an occasion filled with many positive emotions.

 

Hansuke ate a potato chip. “Kind of rude for the guy who suggested this thing to be the last one to show up, isn't it?” The degree of stonewalling she'd received left Rin making whining noises into her girlfriend's shoulder (man, 'her girlfriend' was a really nice phrase. Her girlfriend!) Was this the natural fate of the _second_ relationship to come out of their incarceration? Or perhaps Rin's natural personality was such that it didn't seem at all abnormal in any way that she'd performed this public display of affection. Or perhaps—ooh, yeah, this is a gooooood shoulder. Very comfy.

 

“Stand aside, folks!” called one Daisuke Harada, coming in with a cart from the Bar, carrying nine identical wine bottles. “Tonight, we stay on point like _gods!_ ” He began to roll in. Rin stared at the bottles, slowly taking all of them in, their dark green, opaque glass telling her that, yes, in fact, there was no difference between these bottles.

 

“...Uh.” Stella blinked at him. “There are a ton of problems with this.”

 

“Haha, but you see, my celebrity friend.” Daisuke wagged his finger. “This is the Harada Method. Simply grab a bottle and pour; let your soul stay on point with the rest of your body! Your mind will guide you to the correct bottle for your palate.”

 

“Is this some kind of joke?” Yayoi frowned, as Jun burst out laughing.

 

“It's always worked for me!” Daisuke shrugged. Then, he took one bottle for himself. “See? Behold!” He grinned. “This one's mine.”

 

“Oh no, I ain't standing for this.” Yayoi said, walking up to him, grabbing a second bottle, and then pointing it at him. “You want my soul to keep me on point, well I want that one!”

 

“Uh, excuse me?” Daisuke shrank back a bit behind his sunglasses.

 

“Please.” Yayoi scoffed. “It's basic logic, Harada. Obviously you'd take the best one for yourself, so gimme that!” Quick as a wink, the burly woman yanked Daisuke's bottle out of his hand and placed her bottle in his hands instead, grinning at the bottle she now held. “No fooling Boss Murasaki, kid.”

 

“Wha— Hey!” Daisuke, though, began grabbing at the bottle Yayoi had taken. “That's mine! Don't diss the Harada Method!” He took it back, and the bottles swapped hands again.

 

“Sorry, but the Diss Bomb's already been deployed, you putz.” Swap.

 

“This is not on point! You are...you're...harshing my vibe!” Swap.

 

“'Vibe?' Ain't that something Sakaki should be saying?” Swap.

 

“I can say it if I want! I'm a unique person with my own feelings!” Swap.

 

Swap. Swap. Swap. By this point, the two of them were an almost comical blur of one-upmanship, arguing over a pair of identical bottles like little children. Rin thought it was pretty ridiculous, but Shinobu rubbed her chin, quietly whispering, “That's certainly one way to handle that.” She then awkwardly raised her right hand to ruffle Rin's hair.

 

Swap. Swap. Swap. Swap. Swap. Swap. “Cut it out, the two of you.” Claus stood up, stamped his foot, and gave the two of them his most authoritative stinkeye. “Whichever bottle you have right now, it's yours now. Are we clear?” He looked the two of them over with a gaze befitting the Ultimate Principal.

 

“Um yes sir haha don't worry no issue at all!” Daisuke said, hurriedly entering into a seat a bit away from Yayoi with his wine bottle (or was it Yayoi's?) “By the way the third from the left is the only alcoholic one haha just so you know.” Yayoi just sat back down, sitting down and shrugging.

 

“Eyyy, that was pretty cool, my man.” Gavin patted Claus on the back. “Nice done, dude!”

 

Claus chuckled bashfully. “Oh, er, no. It was nothing.” He did look pretty proud, though.

 

So, on the whole, it seemed like everyone was in pretty good spirits. Rin was on edge, of course, but at the same time, she couldn't help herself from letting herself be swept away by the good feelings in the air. The lighting was warm, and she was with friends. It was all she could really ask for.

**7:30 P.M.**

 

“ **Wahahahahahahahaha!** ”

 

Heralding the arrival of the man himself, Yashiro's laugh boomed from backstage as he strode out, his arms wide, waving to the audience. “How are we all tonight?” He asked. “Is justice in our hearts?”

 

The audience reception was lukewarm on average. That was to say, a few people were silent, a few people mumbled, a few people agreed, and Rin hooted and hollered about how full of justice she was. Yayoi, of course, had already gone backstage again.

 

“Good to hear from you all!” Yashiro said. “As I am not the main event tonight, I will do my best to whet your appetites in a reasonable fashion! Allow me to tell you all something. Last night, I conversed with my Nana, and she told me that I should continue striving for ever-greater Strongman heights even while trapped in The End's vile cage. I have taken her words to heart, and as such, tonight, for my first act, I will be raw deadlifting 832 kilograms!”

 

“Oh my god!” Claus, Gavin, and Rin simultaneously exclaimed.

 

“Is there a significance to that number?” Jun said. “I don't keep up with meatheads.”

 

“As I understand it, that's higher than the world record deadlift!” Claus said.

 

“Dude, the record's 816!” Gavin said, pushing up his hair. “Yo, Mufasa, my dude, you sure you can make this? I mean, trip, man, what kinda wheaties you gotta eat to deadlift 816 kilos anyway?”

 

“Who even sets a record like that?!” Daisuke said, sweating.

 

“I did!” Yashiro said, and boomed in laughter. He snapped his fingers, and a barbell began to rise up from below the stage. Rin wasn't sure how that was possible, but she was much more astounded by the sheer aura of _weight_ the barbell carried. She almost felt herself being sucked out of her seat by its gravitational field, the pull of the room slowly being distorted to focus entirely on this behemoth of a barbell.

 

“How did he get it up from under there?” Stella mumbled. “There's gotta be some sort of mechanism, right?”

 

Throwing his arms wide, Yashiro squatted down and grasped the barbell tightly. Yashiro's muscles took on rigorous forms Rin had never witnessed before as he began to exert his force against the ever-expanding field of weight the barbell possessed. The great lion's form in this deadly battle was stoic, not giving an inch, not letting the barbell rest on its weighty laurels for an instant, as it began to rise up off the floor ever so slightly.

 

“Holy crap he's actually doing it?” Daisuke said. “Is this guy even human?”

 

Yashiro's knees began to extend, lifting the barbell steadily up towards his stomach. His entire body seemed to redden slightly, but the Strongman's discipline was unyielding, continuing his steady advance up the way to his destination. It was actually rather fascinating to watch, Rin thought, the way his muscles moved in tandem to create the incredible amount of force he exerted against the weight he fought against. Though it was no doubt an incredible ordeal, his smile did not flinch for an instant. And, soon enough—

 

He did not even make a noise as the barbell reached his stomach, instead beginning his descent downwards. Were Rin more aesthetically-minded, she could no doubt write pages and pages regarding the subtle movements of the muscles all about his body as they worked, all moving in different ways but none of them buckling for even an instant.

 

With barely even a noise, it reached the ground again, and Yashiro let out a large breath, wiping away sweat that had formed on his brow. “My goodness!” he said. “That was somewhat difficult!”

 

“My soul is going to leave my body and ascend to Nirvana,” Daisuke said, going pale.

 

By the time Yashiro left the stage, everyone had been so mesmerized by the existence of a man this strong that he'd had time to break, by Rin's count, three more world records in the field of Strongmannery. Yashiro had laughed after his atlas stone trial, saying, “Oh, but I have forgotten myself! Forgive me, Daisuke, I have done entirely too much!”

 

“Huh, uh, no, it's fine, I guess.” Daisuke still looked vaguely like a cornered rat.

**7:50 P.M.**

 

Daisuke seemed to recover reasonably quickly from his astonishment after a few pats on the back and reassurance from Rin, Gavin, and Yashiro, so he was next up to the stage. Yashiro sat down in the seat he left, which Rin thought was kind of astonishing given what a large man he was.

 

Kazuya, though, stood up and began to walk out. Stella didn't seem surprised, but Rin was. “Hey, where ya going?” She said.

 

“Ah, I need to get dressed in the Tailor.” Kazuya said, turning his head back around to look at her. “I should be back before long. No worries.”

 

He was out the door pretty quickly after that. Rin looked at Stella and Shinobu for reassurance, and as Daisuke began to play after calling out the name of some band Rin had never heard of (not that she had heard of many to begin with), the two of them seemed to understand perfectly well what was going on.

 

Rin's mind began to wander. Sitting there, she began to feel some niggling familiarity. Waiting through things like this, for a long time, had been downright impossible for her. The first time she'd sat through a live musical performance, she hadn't registered any of it, and when her mother told her that it had happened afterwards, she had no recollection of it whatsoever.

 

It wasn't necessarily that there was a fault in her memory. Several facets of her recall worked perfectly during that period. She knew intrinsic pieces of information; her name, her mother's name, her situation in life, et cetera. All that it was was that her mind wasn't certain of how to impress such large quantities of information to her memory, so she spent a great deal of time during that period living in a blur from one moment to the next.

 

How long ago had that been, at this point? She wasn't sure, but she knew she had been quite young at that point. A wave of nostalgia struck her all of a sudden. A wave of...

 

Her _mother._

 

Her mother had been there for that, hadn't she? She'd always been there. She remembered looking up at her; her mother was young, certainly, but at that point she was still taller. And her mother, who wore glasses, smiled back at her.

 

They had the same hair color, and the same red eyes, but those who had seen the two of them together described the daughter as a bit more 'picturesque.' The resemblance was strong, but even when she was small, the people who saw her predicted she'd grow up to be quite beautiful. Not, she thought, that her mother was not. She thought her mother was quite good-looking, personally. But...

 

It was a question of precision. They shared similar features, but the daughter's had been placed with a bit more precision, was how her mother had put it. The daughter didn't really agree. To her, it seemed as though her mother had placed something else into her creation, something beyond normal reckoning. A _sentiment._

 

There was one facet in particular, of course, that evoked this.

 

“Mom,” she'd asked once, looking in a mirror. “Why do I have this?”

 

Her mother had come up behind her. By that point, they were the same height, but she still felt comforted by her mother's arms around her. “Why do you have what?”

 

“My antenna.” She'd said, pointing to it. Naturally, her hair had always been messy, but there was that one unmistakable hair at the top that bent along with her emotions. No matter how much her hair as a whole came in line, it was always there, like a second face. “People don't usually have these, right? You don't.”

 

“Well, it's not _unheard of._ ” Her mother had said. “Several important historical figures had them, with different names for it through the passage of time.”

 

“Like, who?” She'd said. “Anyone I'd recognize?”

 

“Hmmm...” Her mother's face scrunched up. “Well, one person in particular comes to mind for me, but... In Japanese history, the most notable would be Makoto Naegi.” Her mother began idly playing with her hair as she spoke, a habit that both of them enjoyed pretty well. “Have I ever told you about Hope's Peak Academy?”

 

“Briefly, I think.” She'd said. “The school that takes really talented people, right? The 'Ultimates?'”

 

Mom had nodded. “That's right.” She'd pulled out a brush, and was brushing through the hair. It was shorter than it was in present times, but it was still rather thick. “Well, Makoto Naegi was a student there, but he didn't have a talent. He was just an ordinary high schooler chosen through luck.”

 

“And why is he important?” She'd said.

 

“He saved the world.” Mom said. She smiled. “With nothing but bullheaded optimism. Because he believed in his friends, and had the optimism to keep going. Of course, his wasn't nearly as expressive as yours.”

 

“That doesn't really answer my question, though.” She'd said. “Why do _I_ have one? What's the meaning behind _mine?_ ”

 

As soon as she said that, she regretted saying it, because a misty look had come over Mom's eyes. It was a look of reminiscence, but she knew that when it happened, Mom was recalling painful memories, memories she might rather not recall.

 

“Well.” Mom said. She'd stopped brushing.

 

“You don't have to answer if you don't want to!” She'd said, waving her arms frantically. “Really, it's fine, if it's a touchy subject—!”

 

“Yours is a memorial.” Mom said, turning her around to face her, directly. “I gave you yours as a tribute to someone very dear to me. Someone who...” She had begun to tear up. “Someone who had that same optimism, and belief in her friends. I'm sorry, I—” Mom looked away. “I don't know why I'm crying. I shouldn't be.”

 

There was only one thing for a daughter to do at that point, and that was to reach out and hug her mother. They had very similar builds, so it was a hug on even footing, but she made certain to grip as warmly as she could.

 

“It's okay to cry, Mom.” She'd said.

 

“I shouldn't be.” Mom said. “It's... it's not right for a mother to cry in front of her daughter. I should be strong for you, here for you through your troubles. I'm...” She choked on a sob. “I'm the parent here, aren't I?”

 

“It's okay,” She'd said again. “It's okay to cry, Mom.”

 

And Mom did. She cried. She cried and cried and cried. It wasn't the happiest memory for either of the two girls, but that was okay, too, wasn't it? Because, at the end of the day, she loved her mother.

 

If Mom needed support, she would be there.

 

If Mom needed a friend, she would be there.

 

Because she loved her mother dearly.

 

Her shoulder was being shaken. “Are you quite alright?” Shinobu said. “It... Was it really _that good?_ ”

 

Rin blinked. Back in the present, it seemed Daisuke had finished playing. His chest was puffing in pride at the reaction he'd caused in her. Rin, it seemed, had begun tearing up at some point.

 

“Yeah,” Rin said, and she nodded. She remembered it perfectly. She didn't recognize the notes, but she remembered them clearly; the notes that had inspired the memory of her mother. “I'll remember it for as long as I live.” She smiled.

 

“Wow.” Hansuke blinked. “That's a pretty good reaction. You get that often, Daisuke?”

 

“'Remember it for as long as I live?'” Daisuke said, blushing and looking away. “Nah, that's, uh, that's pretty new.” He hoisted his sitar back onto his back, and slugged the wine bottle he carried over his shoulder in a gesture somewhere between cavalier and awkward. “Geez, getting this kind of praise from celebrities is, uh, pretty new.”

 

Rin laughed. “But I'm not even a celebrity, you dork!”

 

“Aw, shaddup!” Daisuke said, making some sort of frown.

 

“It was real good, Dice!” Gavin said. He hollered.

 

“Fantastic playing, my friend!” Yashiro said. He didn't need to holler.

 

“Well done!” Shinobu golf-clapped.

 

“I'm not quite sure about the choice for the last song, but it was very good!” Claus said.

 

“AH GEEZ I CAN'T HANDLE THIS,” Daisuke said extremely coolly and charismatically, dashing backstage, blushing up a storm. The applause died down a bit after he disappeared, though a few people, especially Gavin, kept it up for quite a while. It was only at that point that Rin noticed Stella, behind her, holding in her laughter very thoroughly, covering her mouth.

 

“Oh my god,” Stella said through her hands. “Oh my god. I can't believe you were crying for _that_ song.” She was crying herself, her face lit up red from her sheer mirth.

 

Luan nodded. “He was considering having me sing that song. I'm...rather glad he didn't.”

 

The thoroughly confused Rin fixed her baffled gaze at Shinobu. “Did, uh, did you recognize it?” Shinobu shrugged.

 

“Trip, man, I think it's a pretty good groove myself.” Gavin said, nodding. “ _Not gonna get you a diamond ring~ A gift like that don't mean anything~_ ”

 

“I'm begging you please god stop it!” Stella said, cackling wildly, unable to contain herself. Rin was slightly concerned for her health.

 

**8:10 P.M.**

 

Daisuke had come back around from the front, but shortly before Gavin sat down on his chair on stage, Stella stood up, carrying her bottle with her. “I'm gonna go check on Kazuya,” she said. Rin agreed; it had been quite some time since the boy had left. She began to stand herself, but was held down by Shinobu.

 

“No, I should go.” Shinobu said. “I'll come with you, Stella. Let us alight to Kazuya's current position!”

 

Stella shrugged, and thus did one absentee become three. With only seven people in the visible audience, Gavin seemed a bit deflated. “Uh... You guys sure I should do anything 'fore those three come back?”

 

“It would seem in poor taste, I agree.” Claus said. “We should wait.” Everyone voiced their assent, so wait they did.

 

**8:20 P.M.**

 

And they waited.

 

**8:30 P.M.**

 

And waited...

 

**8:33 P.M.**

 

“Hey, what the hell's goin' on out here?” Yayoi said, coming out from her vigil in Class 3-B. “Been over twenty minutes and I ain't heard shit! You think I'm in the mood for...” She stopped. “...Small crowd, ain't it?”

 

Hansuke looked down at his watch. “Twenty-three minutes...”

 

All of a sudden, a chill ran down Rin's spine, and it did everyone else's too, if the noise Yashiro made was any indication. It had been almost forty-five minutes since Kazuya left, and there was no sign of him.

 

“That seems a bit long, doesn't it.” Jun said. “Almost too—”

 

Rin was up. “I'm going to go check on them!” And, before she could process her own movements, she was out of her seat and running to the exit. She couldn't let this happen. This _wasn't_ happening. She heaved the curtain out of the way, and slammed the doors to Newcomb Hall open, batting away her own fears. Surely, she would just find all three of them lagging behind for some reason. There was no way, there was no way, she chanted to herself, her antenna waving wildly, sweat pouring down her head—

 

“Rin, wait, please!” Someone called from behind as she was opening Kavka Hall. She looked behind to see Claus, frantically trying to keep up. “Good word, you're fast!” He sputtered behind. The question was, was he surprisingly slow, or she surprisingly fast? ...Probably, she was surprisingly fast.

 

“You're coming too?” Rin said. Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief. She felt like companionship was a good idea at this point.

 

“I can't just not check on them,” Claus said. “I'm the Ultimate Principal. It's my duty.”

 

The two of them nodded to each other, and continued running into Kavka Hall. The Tailor wasn't far, so the run was short, but it felt like an agonizingly long time before they reached the nearest of its four entrances. Rin took a short breath, and then threw open the door-

 

“ _What in the world?!_ ” Claus shouted, echoing Rin's sentiments exactly.

 

The Tailor was devoid of people, but it was most certainly not devoid of changes. All around the room, and still dripping from the fan, was a red liquid that had stained the floor, walls, and especially the curtains. Looms, clothes, suits—in particular, one left hanging on the curtain in the center—nothing in the room but the ceiling had escaped the spattering deluge.

 

“T-this is...” Fear began to grip Rin's heart in its cold vice. Though there were no bodies, it seemed almost certain something unimaginable had occurred in this room. The dripping red liquid, it...didn't smell like blood at all, actually. The scent emanating from the room was instead...

 

“Wine.” Hansuke's voice said from behind them as he ran up, carrying his bottle. He must've followed them as well. “These are wine stains.”

 

“But what in the world could've caused wine stains like this?!” Claus said, clearly perturbed. It wasn't like Rin could blame him, either. This was, to say the least, highly unnatural. “And where are Kazuya, Stella, and Shinobu?”

 

“Search me, I'm clueless.” Hansuke said. “Still, it's probably a good thing it isn't blood.”

 

“We can ask them about it when we find them,” Rin said. She turned to leave. “C'mon, we need to look around!” And she began heading off in the direction of the Stairwell, consciously attempting to slow down a bit for the two of them.

 

Their footsteps resounded into the Stairwell as the three of them entered, only to be met with the sounds of more footsteps coming up the stairs. “Ah, shit, Hashizawa! What'd you find?” Yayoi said. Behind her were the four members of the concert staff; Daisuke, Gavin, Luan, and Yashiro.

 

“You guys come through the Basin or something?” Hansuke scratched his much thinner scruff.

 

“Well, we thought, hey, maybe they'd show up there or somethin', y'know?” Gavin said, huffing and puffing a bit. “But no dice. Other than this Dice.” He gestured at Daisuke. “This Dice is here.”

 

“Oh come on, is this really the time for stupid jokes?” Daisuke said.

 

“Well, the Tailor is empty, but there's, like...” Rin stammered. “Wine stains all around the room, and it's dripping from the ceiling fan, too.”

 

“What?” Yayoi's eyes scrunched up in confusion. “Wine stains? Wine stains, what in the...?” She then righted herself, putting on a resolute tone of voice and adjusting her hard hat. “No time for that. Eight of us here, we need to fan out. It's possible they ain't all in the same place, after all.” She spun around, probably doing a quick mental inventory check. “Hashizawa! Claus! You two take the Housing Suite, got it?”

 

Rin saluted, “Yes, ma'am!” Claus nodded, “Alright, I'll do my best.”

 

“Harada, Sakaki!” Yayoi said. “You two, you check Campbell. Got it?”

 

“Oh, geez.” Daisuke sweated, but Gavin patted him on the back, and gave him a big, goofy thumbs up.

 

“Yasuda, Yun-Fat, you two take Abilene!” Yayoi said, pointing at the two of them. The two stoic boys nodded in approval. “And Narumi, you're with me, we're gonna go and check Goodhart again.”

 

“Indeed!” Yashiro said, crossing his arms and nodding.

**8:40 P.M.**

 

Rin and Claus headed to the Housing Suite to search. “Alright,” Rin said, sweeping her eyes across the three Halls. “Where do you think we should check first?”

 

“Would Kazuya's room not be the logical first step?” Claus said, walking towards Target Hall. Rin nodded, and the two of them walked up to Room Fourteen.

 

“Now, we need to be cool. If there's nothing wrong and we're all freaking out, we'll look silly.” Rin said. She turned to Claus. “You know what I mean?”

 

“I think I do.” Claus said. He put on his best I'm-fine face. “Go ahead.” In response, Rin nodded, and took a deep breath, before extending her arms towards the door.

 

“ _Kazuya oh my god are you alive in there I'm so worried oh my GOD I am having a HEART ATTACK right now in the METAPHORICAL SENSE and I think we're all worried sick even maybe even Jun I mean I donno I haven't seen him since I left the Venue to look for you but being in a wheelchair might make it hard to look and the point is oh my god are you okay aaaaaaaaaa-!!_ ”

 

The door opened, and Shinobu was standing there. Behind her, Stella stared in some odd mixture of terror and confusion, and Kazuya appeared to have just finished getting dressed in the room proper.

 

“Hello, Rin.” Shinobu said, curtsying. “My apologies that we've kept you waiting so long. There was an odd incident in the Tailor, you see—”

 

“You're _aliiiiiiiiiiiiive!_ ” Rin said, reaching over and squeezing Shinobu quite hard, her eyes full of tears. “Oh my god I was so worried about all of you I'm so glad you're okay I saw what happened in the Tailor and I thought, I thought!”

 

“Calm down, Rin!” Kazuya called from in back of the room. “Take a breath. We're all fine. And I think you're crushing Shinobu.”

 

“Hgggghhhkkkk,” Shinobu agreed.

 

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Rin blushed, and let go of Shinobu, who took several gasping breaths. “I just, um.”

 

“You were relieved.” Stella said. Rin nodded furiously.

 

After a few minutes of calming down, the five of them stood outside Kazuya's room, the relief in both Rin and Claus's faces almost palpable in the air.

 

“I'm not sure what happened.” Kazuya said, frowning quizzically. “Right before these two showed up, a bunch of wine came out of the vent above the fan, and it sprayed everywhere. The suit I was putting on was ruined.”

 

“It wasn't _that_ ruined.” Stella said. Shinobu didn't seem to agree, based on the pained look on her face, almost as though she were mourning the suit's loss.

 

“The point is, we spent a while looking around to see if any similar suits weren't dirtied by the wine, and then we all came back here together so I could, uh.” Kazuya blushed, twiddling his feet. “Get last-minute fashion advice.”

 

“Shinobu is quite fashionable.” Claus said, nodding. “I can think of very few other people I would want picking out my suits.”

 

“Oh, Claus, you flatter me!” Shinobu cackled. The sight of her cackling brought Rin a tremendous amount of inner peace, frankly.

 

“That is really weird, though.” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “Why would wine come out of the vent? Aren't those usually for air?” She crossed her arms and frowned.

 

“Maybe The End was getting drunk and wanted to be rude.” Stella shrugged. “She seems like the type.”

 

“The type?” Claus said.

 

“A total bitch.” Stella said. Claus made an 'ah' noise, pointed his finger up, and nodded in understanding.

 

“That said, Kazuya...” Rin leaned in to look at the smaller boy. “What's the deal with the whole suit thing? You look fine right now, if you ask me.”

 

“I...” Kazuya twiddled his fingers and mumbled something Rin couldn't quite hear.

 

“You what?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“I _wanted to look a bit manlier._ ” Kazuya said, blushing and averting his eyes, turning away from Rin entirely, even. “I thought I would look cool in a suit.”

 

“Er, hm...” Claus thought for a moment. “Mm, yes, I think you'd look quite dashing in one.” Rin made little noises of agreement and nodded.

 

“Not as dashing as you, though, Claus.” Kazuya said, turning back a little. “You were _born_ for suits.” He sounded a little jealous.

 

“Er, aheh, um!” Claus adjusted his necktie. “I don't think there's any...er, well... Perhaps? Maybe?”

 

“Man, you're awkward.” Stella snickered. “And _you,_ ” she said, turning to Kazuya, “would look just as dashing in a suit and you know it.”

 

“Would I?” Kazuya said.

 

Stella pondered for a moment, then turned to Rin. “What do you think, Rin? How would Kazuya look in a suit?”

 

“Uhhh...” Rin pondered the image of Kazuya in a suit. That, uh... That sure was an example of dudeness. Probably good dudeness, right? “I think, like... Objectively, right?”

 

“What does _that_ mean?” Kazuya turned around, his face very slanted and his eyes narrowed. “That's an adverb.”

 

“I mean you'd look objectively good,” Rin said. “Like, I guess it would suit you. I donno. If you want a comment on how hot he'd look, you'd have to ask someone else.” She shrugged. “I'm not much to gauge boys.”

 

“See?” Stella said, putting her hands on her hips and leaning in to leer at Kazuya. “What did I tell you?”

 

“I believe I predicted this outcome as well,” Shinobu said, nodding in agreement.

 

Kazuya's blush had grown ever deeper. “Oh come on, do I need this right now? I'm embarrassed enough as it is!”

 

“Life is sort of like a constant stream of embarrassments,” Claus said, looking oddly serious as he did. “But that, in and of itself, is proof that we're alive.” When the room went silent in response to this, he laughed nervously, and said, “Er, I was waxing poetic because I'm not entirely certain I understand the context.”

 

“I'm uncertain that we should go into it.” Shinobu said, a placid look on her face. “It is, after all, Kazuya's-”

 

“Stella and Shinobu both bet me that Rin wouldn't even have a clue on how to gauge my attractiveness because she's exclusively into women and I didn't have enough faith in my own masculinity to believe them about it and now I'm standing here looking like a dork, okay?” Kazuya said, all in one breath, face even redder, a bit louder than Rin expected.

 

“Er,” Claus said. “I understand the feeling of looking like a dork, if it makes you feel better.”

 

Rin, meanwhile, was utterly befuddled. “Why would I think you were attractive in the first place?” She said, her antenna slanted into a zigzag. “I mean...” It slowly began to straighten as realization began to dawn. “Wait... Wait.” She took a moment, waving her fingers around in circles. “Wait.” And then her antenna stuck straight up as the epiphany hit her. “Ohhhhh! You were worried I'd—ohhhhhh!” Suddenly, several puzzle pieces regarding Kazuya's odd behavior at times came together at once for her. “Oh, okay, now I get it. Ohhh.” She nodded furiously. “No worries, friendo!” She clapped her hand on Kazuya's shoulder. Stella was laughing.

 

“I was going to go up on stage to do this, y'know.” Kazuya mumbled. “I was going to make it a big, cool moment for myself, and now here I am being all embarrassed about it here.” He put his face in his hands and groaned. “Oh, god, can I please just go hide myself in my room.”

 

“No hiding yourself away now.” Shinobu tut-tutted, placing her index finger on his other shoulder. “One early start won't stop you now, will it, now?!”

 

“No,” Kazuya said. “It won't.” The mortified voice coming from between his fingers sounded like he definitely wished it would, though.

 

“I'm glad everyone is alright, though.” Claus said. “And, er... Good work, Kazuya!” He swung his arm around his front with a big grin, then stopped, and looked down at his feet. “Er, I'm sorry, I'm not certain what I should say in a situation like this. Argh, why couldn't Gavin be here?” He clenched his teeth. “I'm sure he'd be better at... this.”

 

“It's fine,” Kazuya said, finally letting his hands off his face. “I know it's probably...er...”

 

After a moment of awkward staring, the two boys engaged in the time-honored Awkward Male Agreement Gesture of a handshake, nodding, locking eyes, and exchanging 'Alright, mate's. In honor of its completion, all five people present shared a firm nod of understanding.

 

“We should be getting back, though.” Shinobu said. “I'm certain that our standing around in pleasant conversation is only going to lead to further worry for the others.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin nodded in agreement. It was fine, though. Nothing had happened—

**9 P.M.**

 

“A body has been discovered! All students, report to the Tailor immediately! After the investigation period, a class trial will be beginning!”

 

What? _What?_

 

The same heavy chill she'd pushed away before began running down Rin's spine. No. No, no, no, this couldn't be happening. They'd prepared so much, the plan was good, it was-

 

“No!” Shinobu's face was ashen. “How could this happen?”

 

“Did— Oh god.” Stella began shivering. “No, no... What?”

 

“I'm going to go check it out!” Rin said, launching off again out of Target Hall. She heard the other four follow closely behind her, but she didn't have time to wait. Up, and up, and up she went, up the stairs on the second floor, vaguely catching a glimpse of Luan out of Abilene and Yashiro coming out of Goodhart but staying no longer than that, eventually swinging into Kavka.

 

“What's going on?!” She shouted to the three people there. Gavin, Jun, and Chihaya were all stood stock still in front of the open door to the Tailor. Tears were rolling down Gavin's face.

 

“Trip, man, not again...” Gavin said, clenching his fist. “Why's this gotta happen again?”

 

“...This is ridiculous.” Jun hissed. “Why in the world, out of all the people?”

 

“ _What's going on?!_ ” Rin said again, more loudly this time. She came up to Chihaya, who was in front of the door.

 

“Well, take a look.” Chihaya said, turning away. She seemed impassive, but Rin saw the glint of tears in her eyes, as well. So, heeding her advice, despite every bone in her body protesting it, Rin looked. She stared her own failure in the face.

 

The wine stains were still present, of course, but now there was another smell; the smell of blood, and the smell of death. Lying on his side at a sixty-degree angle, on the stairs up to the curtain, blood trickled out of a wound on the back of his head. The broken head of a wine bottle was stabbed into his stomach, piercing his angel-print robe, and a few glass fragments had landed in his arms, as well. A few flecks of water lay still on his face, where his sunglasses had been shattered by the body's tumble to the ground.

 

His sitar lay, uninjured, by his side on the stairs. Rin could almost hear it play a few mourning notes, but it was just a fantasy. Never again would Daisuke Harada, the Ultimate Brewmaster, play his music; for he lay, unquestionably dead, for everyone to see.

 

**Twelve students remain.**

 


	31. Monokuma Theater 5

**Overture of Breakdown**

 

There was a young man once upon a time. Let's call him Boy D, because that was probably his average in school, as he'd never been particularly smart. Boy D's household was a little odd. He had three sisters, two older, one younger, and his father. His mother lived, but a bit after the youngest child was born, she decided, "You know what? I've had enough of this disgusting world." and locked herself up in her house, never to go outdoors again. She was often prone to melancholy already, but it was a stark contrast to the rowdy nature of his home otherwise.

 

Boy D was a bit of a chewtoy. He was a plaything for his sisters, especially his eldest sister, who took control as the woman of the house from a relatively young age, being about sixteen years older than him. They dressed him up, ordered him to play with dolls, dragged him to any number of girly hangouts. They made fun of him for his kinda mushy brains and pushed him around a lot. I guess you could call it childhood rebellion that he started acting like a total fop, but for him, he thought acting like kind of a fool would make his mother's mood better. Somewhere along the line, though, it got a bit too genuine. I guess he just became a fop.

 

Anyway, that's not the point of this story. There was a girl who went to a school near Boy D's. We'll call her Girl H. Girl H seemed pretty unassuming, really, and kind of dumpy, but Boy D took notice of her both because of some odd interests she held, always tinkering with little machines, and because of another boy she was friends with, who always dressed in the oddest ways. It was quite a sight to see those two odd characters together!

 

Boy D's eldest sister hated one thing above all else. Or rather, one kind of person; the nebulous idea of 'celebrities.' As a celebrity myself, I find this rather confusing. I mean, aren't people all equal under the knife? What should the tabloids' statements on nefarious super-babies with the Ultimate Hope have to do with your quality as a person? I know they're fascinating, but I mean, if I've learned anything, it's that Izuru Chupacabra is a very attractive goat-eater, so why should anyone be ashamed of nefarious super-babies with him? Long-time viewers to the killing games may know that I, myself, am married. My wife once claimed that Iskander Cocka-Cocka fertilized her eggs, and that I was going to be the father of nefarious super-salmon.

 

I was shocked, of course. To think that the river my wife had laid her eggs in had cheated on me with that guy! Since I'd already eaten her once before, my wife was pretty bony at that point, so I worried about the effect such a shocking event could have on her health. Naturally, I had to go find Itchy-Itches Scratchy Two-Handsy, so I went on a journey into the mountains of Mexico to find him in his natural habitat of eating goats. I climbed and climbed, but man, I didn't find anything except this dojo full of pro luchadors. I trained for forty nights and days there and became El Monodor, but it didn't help me solve my wife's dilemma at all.

 

Then, I remembered the crucial mistake I'd made. I'm the Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, which produces only the most talented youths in the world. Naturally, I thought that since Zeppeli-Style Clacker Volley fed on goats, I'd find him in the mountains of Mexico, where the secret goat mafia meets, but I was wrong. They were too old for him. He only wanted kids! So I hurried home, to find a horrifying monster attempting to feed on my dearest students. Thankfully, I had become El Monodor by coincidence, which led us to an extremely cool battle that was sort of like, whoosh! bang! pow! whazam! wow! thud! nyapakapow! Unfortunately, I underestimated him; it turned out the Ultimate Hope had been imbued with the power of the Undying Dragon, so when I killed him with my powerful Bear Claw Screw Driver technique, he rose from the dead again, and this time, he had guns! He also had firearms! Thankfully, since he was covered in fur, firing a bullet caused the explosion to light his fur on fire and he turned to ash shortly after, but the bullet killed Clive the Temp, my longtime companion through all of this journey, a character we should all remember and cry for.

 

Huh? I was supposed to be answering lingering questions about Boy D's backstory?

 

...Can I get a rain check on answering that question?


	32. Day 13, Part 3 - Despair Searching

Hot, wet tears had begun to fall down Rin's face before she'd realized it, as, inevitably, eleven other people surrounded her, each of them struck cold by the reality of Daisuke's murder.

 

“No!” Claus shouted, going pale. “Why, why would this be happening now?!”

 

Yayoi swore under her breath. “Dammit. This shouldn't have happened...”

 

Twenty minutes ago, Daisuke had been alive. He was a bit of a dandy, and wasn't the smartest tool in the shed, but he had a lot of passion, and wanted nothing more in life than to bring smiles to people's faces. What had he done to deserve death? Rin fell to her knees, and pounded her fists into the floor, letting out an anguished wail.

 

“Why?!” she screamed. It was no use trying to hold herself back. A torrent of emotions came flooding through her, grief, pain, sadness, longing... and chief of all, anger. “Why did you do this?! _Why did you kill him!?_ ”

 

With his usual insulting noises, Monokuma bounced in from the top of the Tailor. “Wowie zowie, Rin, did you seriously think they'd just answer that easily?” he said, tut-tutting with a little finger wag at her...somehow. “Save it for the trial.”

 

“I don't mean the culprit,” Rin said, standing up and stomping over to him, glaring. Her hand curled into a fist. “I mean you. Why?”

 

“Whoa, uh...” Monokuma recoiled slightly. “You remember violence against me is prohibited, right—”

 

“You knew this would happen,” Rin said, her hair feeling as though it was beginning to slither around of its own accord. “You knew that someone would turn to murder because of seeing their family, right? This was your genius plan?”

 

“Um—”

 

“Wow! You did it!” Rin said, every word dripping with derision. “You did it. You killed Daisuke. Are you proud of yourself? Do you think this is fun? Do you think that it's just _hilarious_ to drive people to the brink of insanity and then blame them for it? To act like they're horrible people who deserve to be punished?”

 

Monokuma had broken out into a sweat. “Uh, calm down. I can't do anything—”

 

“Calm down? Calm down?!” Rin said, certain her hair was definitely beginning to move of its own accord now. “Calm down as you murder my friends one after another? _Calm down,_ as you and whatever master it is you serve just stomp all over people's lives like they're little dolls?!”

 

“You'll die too if you don't calm down!” Monokuma recoiled back, crying at Rin with matching fervor. She flinched. “You'll be executed if you don't shut up and let me give you this Monokuma File! Do you think I want that?!” Was he...tearing up? “ _I don't want you to die, either!_ ”

 

A twinge of sympathy broke Rin's fervor, and she remembered herself, standing in front of Daisuke's corpse. She felt Shinobu and Gavin's hands on her shoulders, holding her back. She felt her heart racing, her body beginning to sweat, her face stinging from the tears that had stopped falling. Monokuma presumably remembered the same thing, and within a second, his face filtered through various emotions before settling back on its normal, insufferable one.

 

“...Because it would be way less interesting that way!” Monokuma cackled, his bat-wing eye glowing an ominous red. “Puhuhuhu!” He wiped the tears from his face. “Gotcha again!”

 

“Huh?” Rin wasn't sure how to process what she'd just seen. He was playing it off as a joke, but she felt absolutely certain that his tears had been genuine.

 

“Confounded ursine agent of chaos!” Yashiro shook his fist, gritting his teeth. “How dare you take advantage of a maiden's emotions for such a base joke?!”

 

Monokuma stood silent for a moment, then slumped over. “You're killing me, Yayoi.”

 

“Huh?” Yayoi said. “The fuck did I do?”

 

“You made Yashiro have to say your thing!” Monokuma said, groaning. “It's just not the same without you going, 'Is this a fucking joke?!' every time I show up! It makes me feel lonely not having you as the comedic straight man to my incredible sense of humor.”

 

“Does that really matter?” Luan said, frowning.

 

“You're right, of course,” Monokuma said. “Thankfully, there's no absentees this time, so I can pass out the Monokuma File quite easily!” He zipped around to the whole group and passed out the by-now familiar little tablet. “With this, illuminate the way to the truth as powerfully as you can. Hoist your Truth Blades with pride in your heart and slay the beast laying in wait at the bottom of this dungeon!” And he was gone, yet again.

 

“So,” Hansuke said. “I guess we're going for a third round.”

 

“God, please let us have a TKO,” Stella said. She was shivering. Kazuya was doing his best to comfort her, but he, too, was visibly shaken.

 

“This just ain't fair,” Gavin said. “Dice was just an ordinary guy, dude. Trip, man, why him?” He clenched his fist, shedding more tears.

 

“We'll have to find out,” Chihaya said. She, on the other hand, had stopped crying, and was now solidly in business mode. “From the killer themselves.”

 

“I'm sick of this,” Stella said. Her face was as white as a sheet, with a sickly veneer that looked like she was holding back her own bile. “I'm sick of this, I want it to stop. No more, please, just no more.”

 

“Hey,” Yayoi said, looking at Claus. “Ain't this the kinda time our leader should say something?”

 

“I...” Claus sighed, looking small despite his size. “What words could I even have for this? What could I do that would better this situation?”

 

“Stand up there and _lead,_ ” Yayoi said, smacking him on the back. “Do something inspiring. Say something cool. You were all tough this morning, weren't you?”

 

“I'm no leader,” Claus said. “You...” He turned away, an aura of shame emanating from him. “You would be far better suited to that role, Yayoi.”

 

“What?” Yayoi scoffed. “Are you fucking joking, man?” She put her hands on her hips and went around him to face him again. “Come on, don't you give me that! Buck up!” She clamped her hands on his shoulders.

 

“What's the point?” Claus said. He shrugged her off, and began to walk out of Kavka Hall. “I can't help anyone. I don't deserve to be called your leader.”

 

“Claus, wait!” Chihaya called after him. She began to run, too, after him. The group was beginning to fracture.

 

“ _ **Everyone just hold on a second!**_ ”

 

That was, until a loud call cut through the din of noise. A loud, clear voice, like the chime of a bell. It was, without a doubt, the voice of Kazuya Okudaira, the Ultimate Orator.

 

“Listen, everyone,” he said, his arms going wide, turning to face all eleven others whose attention he'd gathered. “I understand. I'm scared, too. I'm more scared than I've ever been before, because for the first time in my life, I feel like I have something to lose if I die. This is the first time I've ever truly wanted to live, and now five people are dead. I'm scared down to the pit of my stomach.”

 

He gulped. “But we can't lose to this! That's just what The End wants, isn't it? She wants us to think that the situation is so dire that all our efforts are pointless! And I... I don't want that! I want to live! I want to fight back! Losing to our own fear like this is pointless! Whoever The End is, she's not invincible. We aren't playing a losing game! The people on the outside are working to find us, and she's scared! She's scared of us, because she knows we can beat her! So, we can't give up now. Even if it's painful, we _need_ to solve Daisuke's murder. We owe it to him, and to the culprit, and everyone who's died.”

 

The din of the group died down, leaving it in silence for the briefest of moments.

 

“So, Stel, that's what you like in guys, huh?” Gavin said. “Heh, copacetic. I knew you were a lady of taste.”

 

“Wha— What the hell?!” Stella said, starting back. “Weren't you just crying a second ago?!”

 

“There are several attractive qualities our young Orator possesses,” Shinobu said. “Ka ka!” She leaned against a wall, crossing her legs and closing her eyes to accentuate the pose. “Truly, a man for the incoming new century. How does it feel to be on the cutting edge of the 23rd century, my dear boy?”

 

“T-the cutting edge of the 23rd century?” Kazuya said, raising his eyebrow. “I'd rather not be on the front page of any magazines.”

 

“At some point, it might be inevitable,” Yashiro said. His booming laugh resounded through the hall. “After all, you are a Hope's Peak student! Remember that we are, indeed, celebrities, as they say!”

 

“Do you think I could be on a magazine cover?” Luan said. There was an uncharacteristic amount of fascination in his voice.

 

“Probably,” Hansuke said. “There's been a whole lot worse on magazine covers.”

 

Yayoi laughed, and clapped Luan on the back. “Well hell, if the guy who sells 'em says so, I think you're good, eh, Yun-Fat?”

 

“I suppose it never occurred to me before that I might be famous,” Luan said. “Wow.”

 

“You're all a bunch of morons.” Jun scoffed. “Why are you joking around when there's a dead body right over there? Honestly. Have you no situational awareness?”

 

“Geez louise, my dude, ain't that the best time to joke around?” Gavin said. “Yo, a wiser Spiderdude than me once said, the worst of times are when you pull out your best banter! Come on, gimme a one-liner, J!”

 

“What?” Jun said. “That's absolutely ridiculous! A one-liner? I write hundreds, no, thousands of lines every day and you expect me to pick one?”

 

“Eyyyy!” Gavin said, clapping.

 

As all the noise washed over Rin, something occurred to her. It was true that she was in a killing game, and that that meant distrusting people, finding the killer, and forsaking them. But she began to realize, listening to everyone beginning to banter again, that since yesterday, she'd been going about it the wrong way.

 

Wasn't it her, after all, who'd been carving those statues to not forget the victims of this incident? Why was she acting like this, trying to game the system using the results of past games? That just didn't make sense. Because more than anything...

 

“Agh, god!” She shouted, drawing a few strange looks. “I feel so ashamed of myself! Aaaaaaagh!”

 

“Um, what now?” Kazuya said. “Why would you-?”

 

“You're right, Kazuya.” Rin said. “Sorry, I was getting kinda depressed there for a bit, but I'm good now. Well, as good as I can be, you know?” Her antenna bobbed back and forth. “I mean, considering the situation. What I'm saying is that I'm back in fighting force, you dig? I've been acting like a total weirdo and all?”

 

“Well, I can't deny that.” Claus said. Oh, good, he'd come back. He still looked kinda down but at the very least he wasn't gone.

 

She'd been letting those case files get to her head, _into_ her head. She didn't need them. She didn't need Ultimate Despair for this story. These guys, all of them; they were her friends, not frightening, unknown variables to plan around. They weren't fighting some hopeless battle against each other; they were friends, all fighting for the same cause. She shouldn't be fighting them. What had she even been doing? She knew full well that there were no cold-blooded killers among this class. Rather than come up with complicated plans to prevent people, what she should've been doing was talking to them, being with her friends. What good did all this thinking do if she didn't say anything?

 

“Is it really okay for us to be this chipper?” Chihaya said. “Even with all of this, one of us twelve is the killer.”

 

“Even so.” Shinobu said. “We must press onwards, for Daisuke's sake.”

 

Daisuke still lay dead, of course. He would never move again. But Rin would uncover the truth behind his death. It was her duty, as his friend, to do so. It was her duty, as their friend, to understand why the culprit killed him. And it was her duty, as everyone's friend, to survive, along with the people she loved.

 

**Investigate.**

 

“First things first,” Hansuke said. “We've got an autopsy to look at.”

 

Rin nodded, and flicked open the Monokuma File. As usual, it depicted Daisuke's body, lit up pink to showcase his various wounds. Miniscule lacerations were peppered around his body, along with the stab wound to his chest, and a head wound.

 

_The victim is Daisuke Harada. He perished between 8:40 and 9:00 P.M. Of Day Thirteen. A broken wine bottle was found stabbed into his midsection, and pieces of that same wine bottle cut his skin in several places. In addition, his head has been damaged from an impact against the stairs._

 

_No Monokuma Note was sent in regarding this killing._

 

“No note, huh?” Yayoi said. She shrugged. “I forgot that thing existed, honestly.”

 

“Well, it doesn't seem like it'll be relevant to this investigation.” Claus said.

 

Chihaya shook her head. “No, this is important. If no Monokuma Note was used, then there's no need to suspect the use of an accomplice. It's convenient, if nothing else.”

 

“We need to guard the crime scene.” Luan said. “Does anyone have an alibi before we all split off?”

 

“Given the time, yeah.” Kazuya said. “Me, Stella, and Shinobu were all together that whole time. We never left each other's sight.” Stella and Shinobu both nodded in assent.

 

“Claus and I have an alibi, too!” Rin said. “We both saw Daisuke alive, and then we were both together until the body discovery announcement.”

 

“Oh, that's right!” Claus said, his eyes widening. “Should I guard the crime scene, then?”

 

“I'll help.” Stella said. Her face was stern, and resolute. The two of them shook on it, and headed into the Tailor proper to stand guard.

 

“We have spent an unfortunate amount of time talking, so it would be best if we were to make haste.” Yashiro said. He clenched his fist in the air, a vein (of justice) throbbing in it. “Let us investigate with maximum speed, everyone!” He bolted out of Kavka Hall. Soon enough, the seven remaining suspects had all gone off in their own directions to investigate, and Shinobu had already gone inside the Tailor to investigate.

 

“I guess this makes you my investigation buddy this time by default, huh, Kazuya?” Rin said. “I mean, I'd ask Shinobu, but-”

 

“ _ **Fascinating!**_ ” Shinobu said from inside the Tailor about something or another. She cackled.

 

“-I think she's enjoying her alone time right now.” Rin said.

 

“Of course.” Kazuya nodded. “I'll do my best to help. You do seem pretty keen about all this, though, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to add.”

 

“Externalization of internal monologue is an important thing to have, friendo.” Rin said, her antenna twisting and turning into a little five-point star on top of her head. She pumped her fist in the air. “Ready to engage in some reasoning, pal? Oh, and, uh...” She then shrank a bit, and twiddled her fingers. “Thanks. For earlier, I mean. I've been kind of a mess for a bit, and I think that really cleared my head.”

 

“Being sick will do that to you.” Kazuya said, nodding. “But I'm glad I was able to help. It's a bit liberating to hear you say that, honestly!” He laughed.

 

This struck a chord in Rin, and she suddenly had a strange feeling of guilt that she needed to get out. “Oh, uh, just- just so we're clear, it's not, like-”

 

“Huh?” Kazuya said, staring quizzically.

 

“Like, it's not because you're not-” Rin stammered, flailing her hands a bit. “You know, like, as far as men go, like, if I had to pick a guy?”

 

“...” Kazuya blinked a few times. “Oh, you're trying to say that your not finding me attractive isn't because you don't like me and consider me your friend, right?”

 

“Yeah, that thing that you just said!” Rin said.

**Tailor**

 

As per standard procedure, the first stop was the crime scene itself. Wine stains still littered the room, but now the scent was mixed with the odor of actual blood, though only lightly. Shinobu flitted about, making little humming noises as she did, occasionally loudly cocking her eyebrow at something or another, as Claus and Stella stood watch over the crime scene.

 

“Alrighty-roo, let's take a look-see.” Rin said. She stepped up to Daisuke's corpse and knelt down. The Monokuma File had not lied; several small, green fragments littered his clothes and body, looking identical to the wine bottle that had been stabbed into his midsection. They were centralized on his hands. In touching them, though, Rin noticed something: Daisuke wasn't just wet with a little blood.

 

“...Water?” She mumbled. The front side of Daisuke's upper half appeared to have been spilled with water. It was uneven, and not very strong, but he was nonetheless wet.

 

“Oh, yeah, the floor is wet here.” Kazuya said. Rin craned her head around; a bit closer to the entrance she'd come in from, Kazuya was knelt down. “Only a little bit, though.”

 

“That's weird.” Rin said. “What is it today with liquids showing up where they're not supposed to?” She looked around the body one more time, noting the stab wound in the midsection and the wound on the head. Then, she looked below the body. “...And not showing up where they should?”

 

“Ah, I see you noticed as well.” Shinobu said. “Pray tell, what are your thoughts?”

 

“Well, for one thing, there's not very much blood.” Rin said. She scanned the body again; indeed, there was hardly any for a murder scene. “Which is weird. Daisuke died in the last twenty minutes, so if any of these wounds killed him, the killer wouldn't really have had time to clean up the blood. Could he have been stabbed after he died?”

 

“It's certainly a possibility.” Shinobu said. “If that is the case, though, we have an outstanding question. What _did_ kill Daisuke?”

 

“The Monokuma File doesn't say anything about the cause of death, does it?” Stella said, opening hers up. “Typical. I hate that guy.” She groaned.

 

“Wait, what's this?” Kazuya said. Rin turned to look, and saw him bent under what was probably some kind of loom or another. She left the body to kneel down beside him, and followed his gaze to find what appeared to be a pile of dirt, some wet, broken clay fragments, and... a plant?

 

“Why is there a plant here?” Rin said. Taking a closer look, it was easy to figure out that the fragments and dirt were originally from a flowerpot, presumably to hold this plant. “Were there any plants in here before, Kazuya?”

 

“No, not that I remember.” Kazuya shook his head. “This is new.” He reached out his hand to grab it, but Rin stopped him with a wave of her hand. “What?”

 

“I should do it.” Rin said, reaching out. “It could be harmful to the touch or something.” Kazuya scooted over to let her do it, and Rin reached out, grasping the plant in her hand and pulling it out into the light. It was a bit smushed, but the plant, while not too large, was firm and stocky. It was a pale green, vaguely melon-shaped other than the leaves on the bottom. Past that, Rin was not much of a botanist, so she was clueless. “Huh.”

 

Shinobu hopped gingerly over, to take a closer look at the plant, but it was not long before her eyes widened. With a shout of, “A- _ha!_ ” she darted out of the room to locations unknown.

 

“I think that means she knows what this is.” Kazuya said. The two of them nodded to each other, and Rin put the plant back down.

 

Looking around the room, Rin again took in the wine stains, splattered around the room. “Remind me again what actually happened here, Kazuya?”

 

“I was in here, ensuring my suit fit.” Kazuya said. “Right before Stella and Shinobu arrived, a bunch of wine came out of the vent above the ceiling fan, and the fan splashed it all around the room.”

 

“That's honestly weird enough that I feel like it has to have something to do with the case.” Rin said. She hopped back over to the stairs, and climbed them up to behind the curtain, craning her head up to look at it. “It's still pretty high up.”

 

“Oh, that's no problem.” Claus said. He came over and handed Rin a stepladder; the same one that had been used in the first case. “I found the stepladder in one of the corners.” It, too, was a bit splashed with wine.

 

“That's right!” Kazuya exclaimed, focusing in on the stepladder. “It was in here when I came in, too. I didn't really think it was important at the time.”

 

“Ho ho ho, the plot thickens.” Rin nodded, her antenna thickening, too. (Stella groaned and shook her head.) “Thanks, Claus.” She took the stepladder and set it down, beginning to climb up to give herself a better view. The fan, luckily, was stopped-

 

“Wait, hold on.” Rin said, her antenna curling. “Hey, Claus, was the fan going when we were in here earlier?”

 

“Yes, I'm fairly sure it was.” Claus nodded. “Why?”

 

“Well, that would mean that somebody turned off the fan in between then and when the body was discovered.” Rin said. “Wouldn't it?” She poked her head up in between the stopped blades. There were two notable things above the ceiling fan: a small grate, which extended from off the fan's stem, and the vent shaft, above. The vent's cover hung open, appearing to have been unscrewed on one end. The grate was directly below the vent shaft, and it, too, showed signs of having been splashed with wine, but, for some reason, those signs only existed on the sides of the grate; the center of the grate was largely spotless.

 

“What's the reading?” Stella called from below.

 

“I'm not quite sure, yet.” Rin said. “This is pretty weird.” She climbed back down. “There's evidence here, but I'm kind of clueless about how Daisuke actually died. But the weird thing is, the wine stains on the grate above the fan don't seem quite right.”

 

“Quite right how?” Kazuya said.

 

“If a solid glob of wine came down, it would need to have passed through the grate, right?” Rin said. “But there are only wine stains on the edges of the grate.” She kneeled down for one last look at Daisuke. “So, maybe- wait, huh?” She hadn't been looking for it before, but now that she looked more closely, she saw them: small, black flecks in Daisuke's hair. It was undoubtedly dirt. “That's... huh.”

 

“Dirt in his hair?” Kazuya said, leaning in beside Rin. “How'd that get there?”

 

“Somehow, I feel like this flowerpot is going to be really important.” Rin said, casting a glance its way. “But for now, I think that's about it around here.” She waved goodbye to Claus and Stella, and walked out, Kazuya following close behind.

 

“What's next?” Kazuya said. “I can't really think of where else would be relevant to the case, honestly.”

 

“I think next, we should find everyone else, and get their statements.” Rin said. “We also need to find Shinobu and figure out what exactly it is she knows about this plant, and figure out a way to determine Daisuke's cause of death.”

 

“So, we need to find Jun, Chihaya, Gavin, Yayoi, Yashiro, Luan, Hansuke, and Shinobu?” Kazuya said. “Okay, got it. I think we're the only people in Kavka Hall right now, though.”

**Bar**

 

Rin went with her gut, heading towards Campbell Hall, Daisuke's last known position before his death, first. She saluted the forklifts as she went, performing elaborate finger-gun gestures to make her sympathy for their tireless, thankless jobs known.

 

She and Kazuya entered the Bar, and Rin felt a twinge of sadness as the bell rang. The room's homey, comfortable atmosphere was the same as ever, but now that its resident was gone, it felt much emptier. Hansuke sat at the counter, drinking a glass of something or another.

 

“Hey.” Hansuke said, nodding to the two of them as they entered. He swished around the ice in his glass, making a clinking noise as he did. “How're things?”

 

“They're alright, but... why are you drinking?” Kazuya said. “Aren't there more important things to be doing right now?”

 

Hansuke shrugged. “I investigated the back of the bar. Didn't find too much special, but I found some of that shochu he was so damn proud of. Figured it might ease his spirits a bit if I kept enjoying it.”

 

“Oh.” Kazuya looked down. “That's... mm.”

 

“A bit depressing, but also kind of heartwarming!” Rin said. “So, Hansuke. Remind me. You and Luan went to investigate Abilene together, right?”

 

“That's about the size of it.” Hansuke nodded.

 

“So, can you two vouch for each other's alibis the entire time?” Rin said. “I'm trying to get a clear picture of where everyone was in my head.”

 

Hansuke shook his head. “Nah. We were together most of the time, but there was a period there where neither of us saw each other. We were checking different rooms, and I got the Laundromat and Archive, he got the Darkroom and Infirmary. It wasn't too long, but I didn't see him in the Lounge while I was moving rooms.”

 

“So he didn't see you, either, right?” Rin said. “Do you have any idea about how long that was?”

 

“We checked the North Wing first of all,” Hansuke said, scratching his chin. “So it was at least after that. The two of us had just met up in the Lounge again when they found the body.”

 

“Mm, couldn't have been very long, then.” Rin said. “Still, though, that might be important. Thanks, Hansuke.”

 

“If you two are done.” Hansuke said, standing up, taking his glass with him. “I'm gonna go ahead and investigate the body myself. You have fun. Might wanna look back there yourself.” And just like that, he was off.

 

Rin took a look at the wall of bottles. Unsurprisingly, nine of the bottles, and no more, were missing. “So, the bottle we found stuck in Daisuke was definitely one of the nine bottles he brought to the concert.”

 

“Do you think they stuck the wine bottle in Daisuke to try and disguise the cause of death?” Kazuya said. “Or was it for some other reason?”

 

“The wine bottle might have something to do with what happened.” Rin said. “I'm not quite sure yet. It's weird.”

 

She craned her head around back of the Bar, seeing a grey storage space with a door in the back. Various tools, presumably for Brewmastering, were spread around, as well as a few cabinets and a sink. Rin's first instinct was to check the door, but it was locked. Something in her gut guessed that this was probably to be Daisuke's execution grounds had he killed someone.

 

After a few minutes of searching, Rin didn't exactly find much (other than a scandalous pile of sheet music Daisuke had stashed in one of the cabinets,) but a trash bin inside a cabinet did, at least, possess something slightly interesting. She pushed away an empty wine bottle and picked up a small, clear, plastic container, with a bit of green, powdery residue inside. “What's this?”

 

“It's not marked, and it doesn't look familiar.” Kazuya said. “What do you think it is?”

 

Rin shrugged. “Heck if I know. Possible evidence is possible evidence, though. Might as well keep it in mind.”

**Stairwell, 2F**

 

Leaving Campbell Hall, Rin and Kazuya were quickly greeted by a startling sight; namely, the sight of one Chihaya Inoue flipping herself over the railing of the stairs back to the first floor and landing in front of them with nary a sound. “Hello.” She said, her curls bouncing into place.

 

“Hey, Chihaya.” Rin said, not missing a beat. Kazuya, meanwhile, made a very unflattering noise and jumped back a bit. “How long have you been there?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

“Mm, five minutes?” Chihaya made a waving motion with her hand. “Nobody's gone further downstairs, so I decided this would be my best course of action.”

 

“You've just been hanging off the railing of the stairs for five minutes?” Kazuya's eyes widened. “That's dedication.”

 

“She's a dedicated little Ghost, she is.” Rin nodded. “Dedicated to hauntings. Man, why couldn't the ghost stories I were told as a kid be about ghosts as cool as you, Chihaya?”

 

“I don't know.” Chihaya said. “Anyway, I decided I should give you my testimony before things go on much longer, since of the suspects I think I'll probably be the most suspicious on account of my lack of presence.”

 

“You think?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “I don't think you're that suspicious.”

 

“Well, that's because you knew where I was.” Chihaya said. “Though, at the moment you only have my word that I was there the entire time. I could've left behind you, murdered Daisuke, and then come back without any word.”

 

“Are you seriously arguing to me why I should suspect you?” Rin said, giving Chihaya an odd look. Chihaya grinned for some reason, chuckling a little, but said nothing more on the subject. “So, anyway, but you _were_ there in the Newcomb Hall entrance the entire time, right?”

 

“Without a doubt.” Chihaya said. “And as a result, I can tell you that other than Kazuya, then Stella and Shinobu, and then you, Claus, and Hansuke, nobody else exited Newcomb through that door.”

 

“So the other five must've gone through the secret passage, then.” Rin said. She nodded. “Okay, well... how about re-entering?”

 

“That's the most important point I had to talk to you about.” Chihaya said. “Nobody re-entered Newcomb through the _door._ But, somehow, Gavin showed back up in there without going through the door.”

 

“Wait, what?” Rin blinked. Her antenna puffed. “How'd he do that?”

 

“I'm not sure.” Chihaya said. She crossed her arms. “It's possible there's some kind of secret passage in Kavka Hall. On account of spending two days in my room in mourning, I haven't had the time to entirely map it out. I was in the middle of doing it when you came in, but all of those identical rooms in the Crew Quarters are a large timesink.”

 

“You didn't see him come in, right?” Rin said. “Because of the heavy curtain?”

 

“The last time before that that I took a look in Newcomb was right after you left,” Chihaya said. “I looked into the Venue to get a sense of what was going on, and heard and saw the other five leaving. Jun seemed a bit displeased about it, but Yayoi told him to stay there.”

 

“But Gavin somehow got back to the Venue... Strange.” Kazuya said. “So, what happened after that?”

 

“After that, Gavin and Jun left Newcomb again, and headed for Kavka.” Chihaya said. “I heard Jun grumbling about being left behind, so it's possible he ordered Gavin to take him. I followed the two of them, and that's when we discovered the body.”

 

“Hey, Monokuma?” Rin said. “Does-”

 

A wild Monokuma appeared with his trademark encounter noise in the center of the three of them. “If you finish that statement, young lady, I am going to put you directly into the gaping maw of Hell! Wham! Bam! Pow! I'll let the Four Elemental Fiends have their way with you!” His eye glowed ominously.

 

“Wha-” Kazuya said.

 

“I know what you're thinking,” Monokuma said. “I know, oh yeah, I know. You're thinking, 'oh, three of the suspects discovered the body. That totally means that I can take advantage of the body discovery announcement to narrow down the suspects!' Because you _people_ all just _love_ to do that, don't you? Just love to try and take advantage of my hospitality in such a brutal, unkind way? God, _Ultimates!_ You're the worst! The biggest, most awful, most tragic people in human history!”

 

“Well, maybe if Junko Enoshima defined the rules more strongly, you wouldn't be in this situation.” Chihaya said.

 

“I'd dig up her corpse and flambe it if Ultimate Despair hadn't already gotten to it!” Monokuma said. “Those bastards. Stopping me from getting revenge almost two centuries later for their weird sex kinks or something! For seriously reals, Rin, I can't believe you thought I was one of those weirdos.”

 

Rin tilted her head to one side. “Would you be flambeing her corpse for the body discovery announcement being vague, or the untold amounts of death and destruction she caused?”

 

“Eh, little of Column A, little of Column B.” Monokuma shrugged. And just like that, he was gone again.

 

“So... er, did we learn anything from that?” Kazuya said. “He confuses me.”

 

“We shouldn't think about the body discovery announcement as evidence this time,” Rin said, “is what I got from that.”

 

“It makes sense.” Chihaya said. “That would cut the number of suspects in half. It'd cheapen whatever thrills The End gets from watching us.”

 

“Oh, that reminds me.” Rin said. “Hey, Chihaya- er.” She'd had a thought, but she realized in the midst of saying it that it could be rather painful depending on the context. “Um.” Rin stammered, a bit befuddled by her own choices in conversation.

 

“If you're worrying about offending me somehow, don't.” Chihaya said. “This is a murder investigation. I'm just as much of a suspect as anyone else.”

 

“Um, what did you see last night?” Rin said. “Did... anyone come for you?”

 

There was a cold silence for a moment. Chihaya looked away. “It... wasn't very pleasant.” Her teeth were gritted, as though just the mention had stabbed her in the heart. “I'll talk about it if need be, though.”

 

“No, no, that's alright, that's fine, honestly that reaction tells me everything I wanted to know, ha ha, sorry that I just did that.” Rin said. “I'm just gonna go ahead and continue investigating with my good pal Kazuya instead of talking any more on this subject because it seems very painful and I feel like a total jerk for bringing it up ha ha ha come on Kazuya we're going now.” She picked Kazuya up and began bridal carrying him up the stairs to Newcomb.

 

“Ah, wait! Rin, what-?!” Kazuya seemed a liiiiiittle perturbed by the situation. “Um, goodbye, Chihaya!” Chihaya waved from the bottom of the stairs.

**Ventilation**

 

The pair next headed to Ventilation in Newcomb, on account of the strangeness with the vents and the wine and all. Rin, of course, put Kazuya down once they got in, because that was really a weird thing to do based on the look Kazuya gave her. Luan was in there as well, giving the still-imposing mess of switches to control the vents a scrutinizing look.

 

“Hey, it's my boy Luan Yun-Fat!” Rin said. “What's the deal, my man? How're things?” She came up and put her arm around his shoulders.

 

“Confusing,” Luan replied.

 

“Don't I know it!” Rin said. “Can you make heads or tails of this thing?” She said, gesturing to the switchboard. “I sure can't!”

 

“As of right now, it's set that this vent connects to the vent in the Tailor.” Luan said. He pulled out the thick manual once again, and turned to some page or another. “You see, if there's more than three red switches on at a given time and the serial number of the nearest blue switch ends in an odd number, you check to see if one of the yellow switches in Abilene has a parallel port-”

 

“What?” Kazuya said.

 

“No, the 'What' module is for the ventilation shafts on the right half of the next floor up.” Luan said.

 

“No, no, not that.” Kazuya said, waving his hand. “You said that this vent is connected to the vent in the Tailor? So if you put something in this vent, it would go to the Tailor vent?”

 

“Yes.” Luan said.

 

“But wasn't there some kind of filter?” Rin said. “I remember hearing about there being a filter or something. I mean, if you could just drop anything, wouldn't it be bad?” She went over and lifted up the cover to said vent.

 

“HI MAILMAN!” And then a Monokuma popped out!

 

Rin, Kazuya, and Luan collectively responded with complete and utter silence. “Geez, tough crowd.” Monokuma climbed out of the vent. “Now, I believe I was just asked about this vent's MK-Brand Unilayer Laser Filter.”

 

“Do you name these appliances yourself?” Kazuya said.

 

“Yes, and I put a great deal of thought into each and every one of them.” Monokuma said. “Now, the MK-Brand Unilayer Laser Filter is just that: within these vents lies a powerful laser filter that utterly annihilates matter that tries to worm its way through the vents. Solid, liquid, plasma, you name it!” His fur rose up and began imitating fire. “Here goes, Pyroblasters! KABLOOIE! KABLAMMIE!”

 

“Then how did the wine get into the Tailor?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “If it destroys everything that passes through it?”

 

“Well...” Monokuma bent over. “To tell you the truth, the MK-Brand Unilayer Laser Filter has a bit of a weakpoint. And by that, I mean it's a huge weakpoint! Enormous!” He blew on an airhorn. “Watch out! Watch out for the weakpoint! Frankly, as far as MK-Brand Monoproducts go, it's pretty crappy. Now, you may have noticed it's the 'Unilayer' Laser Filter. That's because, if you completely encase something in a container of some sort, it'll just destroy the container.”

 

“...Like... a wine bottle, for instance?” Kazuya said.

 

“Yes, exactly!” Monokuma said. “I'm glad you understand. You're a bright young man, Kazuya, and I think you'll go far in life.” He climbed back into the vent. “!NAMLIAM IH”

 

“Well, that was educational.” Rin said. “So, someone must've thrown... I guess, one of the wine bottles into the vent and sent it to the Tailor.” Her antenna puffed, and she rubbed her chin. “But why? Did they just really have it out for your suit?”

 

Kazuya hummed. “I think we'll need to answer that question to solve this case, too.”

 

“So, Luan.” Rin said, leaning over to the Masseuse. “Hansuke tells me you and he saw each other most of the time in Abilene, but there was a period where you didn't. Right?”

 

Luan nodded. “Yes, the minutes before the body discovery announcement, as we were investigating the South Wing. Unfortunately, neither of us have alibis for that time.”

 

“And what did you see last night?” Rin said. “Was it your parents?”

 

“Yes, actually.” Luan lit up slightly. “They seemed to be in reasonably good health. We chatted for quite some time about unimportant matters. I was quite happy to see them.”

 

Rin nodded. “Thanks, Luan. Hey, Kazuya, I think we should go check the wine cart.” Kazuya nodded in response, and the two of them began to walk out.

 

“If it destroys any solid matter, how is Monokuma going to survive?” Luan said.

 

There was a few moments' silence before Kazuya said, “I'm sure he has his ways.”

**Venue**

 

Lifting up the heavy curtain, Rin headed through to the Venue. The wine cart stood in front of the stage, and Jun sat there, angrily drinking something from one of the bottles or another.

 

“Hey, Rin, Kaz!” Gavin waved from beside him. “What's the haps? Any progress? J and me've been trying to solve this puzzle here.” He gestured towards the bottles. Of the nine that had been there at the beginning, only two, the third and ninth from the left, remained.

 

Jun gasped and let go of his bottle. “Argh! Fuck! Shit!”

 

“Is something wrong, Jun?” Kazuya said. “You seem... angrier than usual.”

 

“My one claim to fame is my ability to monitor the entrances to and from rooms, and here we are in a case where that's utterly pointless!” Jun spat. “ _I'm not alright, no._ ”

 

“Aww, Jun, it's okay.” Rin said, putting her arms behind her back and leaning forward a bit. “You're not useless. Actually, I've been looking for you.”

 

“ _The buzz can't kick in fast enough for this._ ” Jun groaned. He put his bottle down.

 

“So then that means that's the alcoholic wine bottle, right?” Kazuya said.

 

“Oh yeah, deffo.” Gavin nodded. “Lucky Bottle #7, bringing the alcoholic buzz to all teens who partake of it!” He got quieter, and made a very think-y face. “Which is just J. But I'm sure he appreciates it, right, J?”

 

“Does what's in the wine bottles matter?” Jun said, staring dubiously at Rin and Kazuya. “Because I could easily tell you.”

 

“Please!” Rin said, her antenna spiking. “It could wind up really important.”

 

“The three bottles present here have been here since you left,” Jun said, looking at Rin. “These contain orange juice, alcoholic wine, and some sort of tea.”

 

“One, two, three.” Rin nodded. “Three bottles accounted for. Do you know about any of the others?”

 

Jun nodded. “Obviously, there's the two that Harada and Yayoi fought over. I don't know what was in either of those two. I personally finished off another bottle, that contained a root beer that I meant to commend Harada on before he went and died. When everyone _ran off and left me here,_ ” Jun said, gritting his teeth, “I gave it to Gavin to toss in the trash somewhere.”

 

“Tossed it in the Bar, my dude.” Gavin nodded. Rin nodded, too. That was a fourth bottle accounted for, since she'd brushed past it when investigating there herself.

 

“Stella brought a fifth bottle with her when she came to check on me,” Kazuya said. “I threw it away in my room's trash can. It had... I think it was sparkling grape juice.”

 

“Ah, useful.” Jun nodded. “The last two bottles were held by Yashiro and Hansuke. Both bottles contained boring old dihydrogen monoxide, which seems a bit plain for a concert of this sort. I saw both bottles being poured into glasses, incidentally.”

 

Rin ignored his strange wording to focus on what that meant. “So, in order words, you're saying that other than those two bottles we don't have accounted for, the only bottle that's had wine in it is that one you've been drowning your sorrows in?”

 

“That is what that would mean, yes.” Jun said. “I suppose you're trying to figure out the mystery of how that wine in the Tailor got there?”

 

“Yeah, that's right.” Rin nodded. “Oh, speaking of places in Kavka. Hey, Gavin!” She turned on her heel to speak to the man himself. “I have several questions for you.”

 

“Trip, man, Gav's full of answers! All of 'em except the ones he actually wants!” He launched a thumbs up bomb into the air, and then opened his fist in midair and made little sparkling noises as though his fist were a firework.

 

“So you were inspecting Campbell Hall, right?” Rin said. “How did you wind up discovering the body?”

 

“Well, it's kind of a weird thing, dude.” Gavin scratched the back of his head. “So, me and Dice, we's inspecting the inheckting out of Campbell, when Dice says, yo man, this place is wack, and also really tiny, let's go check out Kavka while we're working.”

 

“So you two went to Kavka Hall together?” Kazuya said. “That's interesting.”

 

“Dice says he'll check the upper bit, and gives me Crew Quarters duty.” Gavin said. He sighed deeply. “That's the last time I see Dice alive. I check out the Crew Quarters for a while but man, I don't find nothing, so next on the list is Physical Training.”

 

“And that's when you pop up in Newcomb somehow, right?” Rin said.

 

“Wait, how in the world did you-?” Jun said. “Have you been eavesdropping, Hashizawa? That's quite rude.”

 

“Trip, J, she's right, though.” Gavin laughed. “So, here's the crazy bit of this story. I'm lookin' around, right, and I go up to that big climbing wall. I look down, waaay down to the bottom, and then I notice that on the close wall, a bit below, there's a little door! I'm all, whoa, what if Kaz and Stel and Nobe are all in there for secret Twister games or something! So I go in.”

 

“I've... never played Twister.” Kazuya said. He raised his eyebrow. “Gavin, who do you think I am?”

 

“You're Kaz, Kaz.” Gavin said, with a completely straight face. “Anybingo, Gav walks through this passage for a few minutes, and then he finds a button on the wall. Now, mysterious button says mysterious press, yeah? So I press it, and, boom!” He made a very wide gesture. “Hole opens up in the ceiling and the floor shoots me up right onto the stage in Newcomb! J got super freaked out!”

 

“I did not.” Jun grumbled.

 

“You totally did, J.” Gavin laughed. “You screamed like a chicken, dude!” He slapped his knee.

 

“I did nothing of the sort.” A vein began to throb in Jun's temple. “You must have me mistaken for somebody else, perhaps Monokuma.”

 

“Speaking of other people,” Rin said, “what did you two see last night? Anything good?”

 

“Saw my folks,” Gavin said. “And Ruff Ruffhouseman! Aww, man, I just wanted to reach through the screen and pet that doggo, ya diggo? Aww, his little pupdog mustache.” He made a surprisingly cutesy face, by Gavin standards.

 

Jun, meanwhile, scoffed. “Nothing at all. Is that a problem?”

 

Rin shook her head, but inwardly felt a twinge of sympathy for the poor guy. “Alright, I should go check out this nefarious secret passage in Physical Training.” She said. She began jogging back up to the entrance of Newcomb. “Thanks, guys! Big help!”

**Physical Training**

 

Passing by the crime scene and waving to Claus and Stella, who were currently assisting Hansuke in a bit of his own investigation, Rin and Kazuya entered Physical Training. The room was wide, but Rin was able to quickly traverse its length over to the rim of the climbing wall, where Yashiro stood, cutting a striking figure against the pit.

 

“Hey, Yashiro.” Rin said. “What's up?”

 

“Hello, my friend!” Yashiro boomed. “I was just considering the possible uses of the service hatch in the wall here in this case.”

 

Kazuya finally puttered up, panting. “Oh god, Rin, you run really fast.” He coughed a bit. Rin and Yashiro both began to move in, concerned, but he held up his hand. “No, no, I'll be fine, just gimme a second.”

 

“So, Yashiro.” Rin said. “Got a few questions. So you and Yayoi both went to Goodhart, right? What did you do there?”

 

“I'm glad you asked!” Yashiro said, pounding his chest. “I inspected the Gymnasium and the men's changing room for the entire time. It is, as you may know, a very large room with many tricks and traps. I needed to ensure that I did not miss anything!”

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah, makes sense. Did you check up in the catwalks, too?”

 

“Without a doubt!” Yashiro nodded. “Yayoi, meanwhile, stayed outside in the Historical Exhibit to inspect it and the rooms adjacent.”

 

“What about your wine bottles?” Rin said. “You two both had one, right?”

 

“Ah, yes, indeed.” Yashiro said. “We even took a moment to drink of each others' bottles! Yayoi found it odd that multiple bottles would contain water, so we drank, and indeed, the taste in both was identical!”

 

“Huh.” Rin said. “So, Yayoi's had water in it, too. Okay. Thanks.” She nodded slowly, trying to process this information. “And where are your bottles now?”

 

“Yayoi still has hers, so far as I know.” Yashiro said, rubbing his chin. “She is still carrying it. As for myself, I confess I, er...” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I seem to have misplaced it in all the hubbub! Hahaha! Shameful of any warrior of justice, I know, but it is the case nonetheless!”

 

Rin blinked. “So you have no idea where your bottle is?”

 

“That would be what that means, yes!” Yashiro said. “I recognize it is somewhat suspicious of a thing to say, but it is the truth for which these muscles stand for.”

 

“That's a lot of truth!” Rin said. “Did you hear that, Kazuya? All his muscles stand for this truth!”

 

“That's incredible.” Kazuya said, still catching his breath slightly.

 

“Anyway, Yashiro, we actually need to get to that service hatch, methinks.” Rin's antenna spiraled. “For investigatory purposes. Would you be able to show us the way?”

 

“Certainly!” Yashiro laughed. “Your jumping legs still in working order, friend?”

 

“No doubt!” Rin flexed her right arm and patted her bicep. “I'm tough as beans, old bean!”

 

“Good to hear!” Yashiro said. Then he picked up Kazuya, hefting the smaller boy in his arms.

 

“Um, oh lord, what is it with you two and carrying me?!” Kazuya said. “I don't really understaaaAAAAAAAAAA-” His word shifted to a scream as Yashiro leapt off the edge onto the climbing wall, grabbing a piece of the wall several feet down and shifting himself back into the wall, out of sight.

 

“Oh-ho, I see.” Rin followed suit, leaping down and swinging over into a recess in the wall, where the promised little door awaited.

 

“Oh my god! Oh my god!” Kazuya, eyes wide, sweating, stumbled out of Yashiro's grasp, gasping. “Please never do that again! I am personally begging both of you to never do that thing you just did again! Or, you know, if you do, please don't involve me!”

 

“Understood!” Yashiro nodded. “The g-forces were no doubt quite powerful. In any case, herein lies the service hatch!” He waved a thick, powerful arm towards the little door. “It leads to the underside of the stage in the Venue in Newcomb.”

 

“Thanks, Yashiro.” Rin gave him a thumbs up. “You've been a big help!”

 

“Any time, friends! Be sure to inform us of the hatch's relevance later during the trial!” Yashiro laughed again, crossing his arms and throwing his head back. “Now then, I am off to investigate further. Yashiro, awaaaayyyyy!” Seemingly in the blink of an eye, Yashiro had jumped back onto the climbing wall and thrown himself out of sight again.

 

“Ain't he something, Kazuya?” Rin shook her head a little, looking fondly at where the Strongman had just stood. “He's something really special.” Kazuya sputtered for air like a dying fish.

 

There was little time for pleasantries, though, so before long, the two of them had opened the door and entered into the service hatch. The small hallway was quite dark, but thankfully, Rin's excellent vision kept her able to discern the path. Roughly five minutes later, they found a luminescent control panel on the wall at the end of the hall. It seemed rather rudimentary: one switch to activate the platform up to the stage, and a timer below for a timed rise.

 

“You know, I think this must be how Yashiro got that barbell up to the stage.” Rin said. “I mean, it did rise up from the middle of the stage, yeah?”

 

“But how would he have gotten it here to begin with?” Kazuya said. “Could he have lowered it with a rope, or... or what? I mean, it was how many kilograms?”

 

“He's Yashiro.” Rin said, nodding. In the darkness, Kazuya seemed to nod as well.

**Greenhouse**

 

Rising up out of the stage, Rin and Kazuya's sudden appearance did not incite a screech from Jun, but there was certainly a high-pitched yelp. Gavin waved. There was still little time for pleasantries, though, so Rin did not stay long. She ran out of the Venue once more, Kazuya following behind.

 

“Now, if I were Shinobu,” Rin said, turning her head to the left, “I'd be at the Greenhouse right now. Let us be off, my companion!”

 

“Please don't turn into Yashiro.” Kazuya said. “I love him, but one Yashiro is enough.”

 

The Greenhouse, at this point, was dark, but the light of the artificial moon and stars kept it illuminated to a pleasant degree. It was actually quite scenic, and Rin wished she had the time to stick around a bit longer. Finding Shinobu turned out to be much easier than expected, as she was currently madly flipping through a thick book in the Colonial Collection.

 

“Hm, aha, yes, yes, I see.” Shinobu said. “Oh, but no, that's not the right plant at all, do not be distracted, young lady.”

 

“Suddenly, a distraction!” Rin said. Shinobu looked up from her book.

 

“Oh, Rin! Kazuya! Good to see you.” Shinobu smiled. “If I may direct your attention to the plant display here in the Colonial Collection, you'll notice the fruits of my investigation.” She bowed and gestured towards it with a flourish, stepping back to allow the two of them to look.

 

The shelf looked the same as it had the other day, when Rin had first looked at it... wait, no. That wasn't right. There was a plant missing now. One singular plant, missing from the shelf.

 

“You recognized where the plant was from straight away?” Kazuya said. “That's pretty impressive.”

 

“Ka ka!” Shinobu smiled. “Without a doubt. After all, as the foremost Victorian expert of us all, naturally I would recognize a plant from the Colonial Collection first off. I am currently-” She flipped a page. “-attempting to re-find it in the Greenhouse's Field Guide, but you must understand it is quite a vast tome with much information that is not particularly well-categorized.”

 

“Would it make Dewey Decimal sad?” Rin said.

 

“Er, the Dewey Decimal System is a system of rules.” Kazuya said. “It can't get sad, Rin.”

 

“Wait, you mean the guy who made it wasn't named Dewey Decimal?!” Rin stomped her foot. “I've been lied to! Darn!”

 

“Hm-hm-hm, indeed...” Shinobu nodded into the Field Guide. “Aha! Here it is!” There was a slight 'click' as she pressed a button in the book's spine, then placed it down on the floor. From the center of the book, a holographic image arose, displaying the very same plant they'd found at the crime scene.

 

“It's a magical pop-up book!” Rin said, her antenna blowing backwards. “Oh my god!”

 

“Mmm...” Kazuya knelt down to read the words beneath the holographic image. “ _Florem diabolica?_ Well, that's a bit on the nose, isn't it.” He rolled his eyes. “Let's see...” He cleared his throat. “'First cultivated in 2054 by Bangladeshi botanists, _Florem diabolica_ is, in most cases, a benign, ordinary plant. However, its spores, released when it obtains too many nutrients at once, are highly toxic. Limited exposure is treatable, but long-term contact or presence within the plant's direct, half-meter radius upon the release of its spores almost invariably results in death by rapid asphyxiation. Thankfully, the spores are quite heavy, so they do not remain in the air long unless manipulated, and generally remain on the ground before dissipating within minutes.'”

 

“Indeed.” Shinobu nodded. “Just as I remembered.”

 

“So, the plant we found at the murder scene has poisonous spores?” Rin blinked. “Then the reason you ran off is because you think this is the murder weapon, right, Shinobu?”

 

“That is indeed my first hypothesis.” Shinobu said. “Neither of the two larger wounds were inflicted before death, so naturally, they could not be the cause of death.” She called up to the second floor. “Oh, Yayoi? Have you found anything?”

 

“One sec!” Yayoi called from upstairs, quickly racing down the stairs to join the other three. “Oh. Hashizawa, Okudaira. Good timing.”

 

“We've been looking for you!” Rin said. “So you also have good timing!”

 

Yayoi produced a clear, plastic container containing a green powder. “Found this in the Edibles. This what you were looking for, Shinobu?”

 

“The very same, my dear!” Shinobu cackled. “This, may I inform you, is MK-Brand World Tree Plant Nutrient. As decreed by Monokuma during my own earlier investigation of this room, it is a wondrous invention that gives plants, and I quote, 'way too much bang for their buck, if you ask me!' Me in this case, of course, being Monokuma.”

 

A few of the lingering pieces of deduction in Rin's thoughts began slowly coming together as she looked at the container. “So... how does it work?”

 

“Quite simple!” Shinobu said. “Simply place the Nutrient into a container of water, and it will disperse into the water, providing it with any manner of health benefits for botanical purposes. Plant Nutrient-affected water looks and tastes identical to ordinary water, meaning it is fully indistinguishable.”

 

“Well, ain't that convenient.” Yayoi grumbled. “What a pain in the ass.”

 

“Speaking of water, you and Yashiro both had some, right?” Rin said to Yayoi. “In your bottles.” She glanced to Yayoi's side at her bottle.

 

“Ah, yeah.” Yayoi nodded, raising up the bottle. “Harada fuckin' tricked me! Being all, yeah, I need this bottle, then it turns out it's just water. What a punk.” She spat. “I'da much rather he lived.”

 

“You and me both, sister.” Rin slumped. “So, you and Yashiro went to check out Goodhart Hall. Yashiro checked out the Gym, and you checked out the Exhibit, right? Was there any time at all in which Yashiro could've gotten past you?”

 

“No way!” Yayoi said, crossing her arms and adjusting her hard hat. “You ain't gotta suspect Narumi. The guy never left the Gym 'til the body discovery announcement. You've got my word.”

 

“You're sure about this?” Rin said, leaning in a little closer. “Absolutely certain?”

 

“You've got my word, Hashizawa.” Yayoi said. “And Boss Murasaki's word here is as good as fuckin' gold, if you ask me.”

 

“Okay!” Rin breathed out a sigh of relief. “That's everybody, I think. But...” She looked towards the holographic image of the _Florem diabolica_ still coming from the book. “Could he have really died of poison?”

 

“Unfortunately, it will be quite difficult to verify.” Shinobu sighed, closing her eyes. “Our limited time frame and lack of general medical expertise means an autopsy is not possible.”

 

“Yeah, it'll be pretty hard to prove definitively that he died of poison.” Kazuya said. “But it had to be that, right?”

 

“Why don't we just use the ADAM?” Yayoi said.

 

Artificial cricket noises accentuated the brief pause in the conversation.

 

“The what now?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“The... the ADAM.” Yayoi said, looking at Rin like she was crazy. “The- the fuckin', the x-ray body diagnostic machine in the Infirmary in Abilene. We can just look in his body with that thing.”

 

“X-ray...?” Rin trailed off. She could see the gears slowly beginning to turn in Shinobu and Kazuya's heads as well. She flung herself back in her mind to the first day she'd arrived here, back to Daisuke and Luan's arm-wrestling match. And there was... “Oh my _god!_ ” Rin shouted.

 

“My word, how in the world did we so completely forget about this?!” Shinobu shouted as well, the two of them staring at each other in bewilderment. “An X-ray machine! There's an X-ray machine in the Infirmary, Rin!”

 

“An X-ray machine!” Rin said. “For looking inside people's bodies!”

 

“It's been right there the entire time!” Shinobu said, flinging her hands toward Rin. “An X-ray machine!”

 

“Shinobu, are we stupid?!” Rin said, her antenna puffing up into a spiky ball. “Shinobu, I think we might be stupid, Shinobu!”

 

“This lapse in judgment is almost comical!” Shinobu said, holding her head and groaning. “You're right, I think we may very well be stupid!”

 

The two of them grasped each others' shoulders and began wordlessly shouting at each other. A few moments later, they were halted by Yayoi grabbing the tops of both of their heads. “What the hell are you two bozos doing?” She said.

 

“Right, quite right, quite right.” Shinobu said. “To the ADAM, then? We must make haste if it is to give us any useful information before the trial.”

 

“Yeah, let's do it.” Rin said.

**Infirmary**

 

“...and so we need to take the body to the Infirmary.” Rin concluded. “If that's alright with you.”

 

“That seems perfectly reasonable to me.” Claus said. He then turned to Yashiro, busy grunting at the body. “Yashiro, do you need any more time with the body or can they take it to the Infirmary?”

 

“Hahahaha, Claus, my friend, I could not be more done with the body!” Yashiro boomed. “You have my utmost permission!”

 

Rin stepped past him and hefted Daisuke's corpse onto her back. Having never been too personal with a dead body before, she shivered at the lifeless weight and cold of it.

 

“You sure you don't want me or Narumi to carry him?” Yayoi said. “You were kinda fucked up earlier, Hashizawa.”

 

“No,” Rin said. She shook her head. “I want to do this. For Daisuke. Alright, c'mon buddy, let's go. Oh, could somebody bring his sitar?”

 

“Sure.” Kazuya said, and he picked it up. “We can't separate them, right?”

 

“Right.” Rin smiled. She, Kazuya, Shinobu, and Yayoi walked as quickly as reasonably possible out of Kavka Hall, then down two flights of stairs. Some blood got onto Rin's sweater, but it was only a minor annoyance.

 

“There it is,” Yayoi said once they'd reached the Infirmary. In one corner of the room lay a bed and biological scanner hooked up to a machine that proclaimed itself an 'ADAM,' not that Rin or anyone else, probably, knew what it stood for. Rin lifted Daisuke's body off of her back and onto the bed, as Shinobu began tapping at the interface.

 

“Hm, hm, I see, I see...” Shinobu mumbled. “Ah, step back a moment. I've determined how to operate this machine, but give it a wide berth.” She pressed one final time, and the four stepped back off as the scanner began to sweep Daisuke's body with a quiet hum. And they began to wait.

 

By thirty seconds, it was not yet done.

 

Rin's foot began to tap impatiently around the sixty-second mark. “Come on, come on. We don't have time to wait like this.”

 

“All we can do is wait,” Kazuya said. “Worrying isn't going to make it go any faster.”

 

One minute turned to two as it swept his body again and again, occasionally making noises but mostly remaining quiet. “I was not hoping for this much tension,” Shinobu said. She had begun to sweat.

 

Two minutes, to three. Rin's antenna grew ever more rigid upon the sound of a school bell resounding from the intercoms.

 

“Eh-hem, hello, everyone, this is Monokuma speaking. Please begin to gather in the Lounge, since we've got a class trial to get to and all. Is your heart racing? Mine sure is! My heart, my plush, cotton heart, is doing a freaking Indy 500 over here! It's crazy! And my heart is pitch-black, because I'm a bear, so naturally it absorbs more heat than yours. The point is, hustle!”

 

_Ding._

 

At three minutes and thirty-seven seconds, the ADAM finished its scan. Everyone crowded around its interface screen to read the results, but the most striking thing was the foreign mass found in the readings for Daisuke's lungs.

 

“Plant matter,” Shinobu said. “He was, indeed, poisoned. It says that judging from the concentration, he was directly in front of the spores as they were released, meaning his death was nearly instantaneous. He was likely dead before he hit the ground.”

 

“So that settles it,” Kazuya said. “Daisuke was poisoned with the _Florem diabolica_ we found.”

 

Rin's eyes flickered to a section detailing the bodily wounds. It listed, naturally, the post-mortem wounds to his midsection and head, as well as the small wounds from the bottle fragments, centralized on his hands, that he'd received before he died. There was nothing out of the ordinary there-

 

“Wait,” Rin said. “He got the wounds from the bottle fragments before he died?” Her antenna curled into a question mark. “So the bottle must've broken before he died. But then, wait-”

 

“Hey!” The door to the Infirmary opened up, and Monokuma stood in the doorway, glaring at the four of them. “Will you hurry up? We are waiting for you, ladies and gentleman! It's game day, kids!”

 

“Geez, can you give me a second to think?” Rin griped, her antenna pointing at him.

 

“Dang, my bowels move faster than you do, pokey!” Monokuma screeched, before disappearing into a hole.

**It's over.**

 

The massive Monokuma mouth was already open as four joined eight, a crowd of twelve standing in front of the open maw.

 

“This sucks.” Stella said. “I don't wanna do this.” She was shivering.

 

“It's a pretty raw deal,” Hansuke said, “but we don't have a choice.” He rolled his shoulders, and was the first to step on. Luan quietly boarded behind him.

 

“Hey, gang. Uh...” Gavin sheepishly twiddled his fingers. “No hard feelings, a'ight?” And he stopped on, too.

 

“No hard feelings.” Chihaya said. She was on next.

 

“We have to do this.” Kazuya clenched his fist and let out a strained breath. “We have to. Let's go.” Fifth. Stella gulped down her fear and boarded behind him.

 

“Regardless of what resolution is reached today...” Yashiro clenched his fist. “I shall never let The End achieve the victory she desires! Onwards!” Seventh.

 

“Yeah. What he said.” Yayoi chuckled, before placing her hard hat more firmly on her head. “I'm ready, no matter what happens.” Eighth.

 

“A bunch of idiots, all of you.” Jun said. He closed his eyes and sighed. “I guess... maybe that's not such a bad thing, though.” He wheeled on, ninth.

 

“Let's be off.” Shinobu said. “Time waits for no man.” Tenth.

 

Claus hesitated. “I...” He stood, stock still.

 

“C'mon, Claus.” Rin said. “We need to go.”

 

“Will I even be of any use?” Claus said, his face pale and forlorn. “I... I don't want to fail anyone again.”

 

Rin grasped his hand with both of hers, on account of his being larger. “Claus, c'mon. It's okay. You don't...” She looked down, to try and form her words. “You're our friend first before you're our leader, so don't force yourself to feel so down about it. We can't do this without you.”

 

“...Are you certain?” Claus said. He looked Rin in the eyes. She nodded. “Then... alright.” And the two of them boarded the elevator together.

 

The elevator began to sink deeper and deeper into the recesses of Compound VK, deeper still than the last time. The thrum of the walls as the box descended could almost be described as soothing, yet Rin doubted that anyone could truly be soothed at a time like this.

 

It was only forty-three seconds that the elevator spent in motion, but it felt like an eternity before the doors opened to the next courtroom. The stands and the hanging mass of screens remained a constant, but the décor had changed once more. Where the previous trial had been a high, ethereal mountaintop, this trial's walls and floor had an almost completely opposite vibe, its stark, striking colors coming together in a sketchy, graffiti-like symphony. Grey silhouettes of people's shapes seemed to waver and intertwine, crossing in front of high skyscrapers on city streets. Glowing signs, almost but not quite legible, dotted the walls, proclaiming, no doubt, trendy shops with the latest fashions, as the hustle and bustle of the crowd passed over the intertwining streets and crossways.

 

“Good evening, everyone!” Monokuma said from atop his throne. “Welcome to the, welcome to the courtroom! I'm glad we've got the proper attendance, I was worried about you for a bit, Claus. Everyone take your seats! It's go time!”

 

The time for dreaming was over. All twelve of the remaining students took their seats, regarding the two new placards: Wanda's, adorned with a stake piercing into the heart of a blood-red X as though in some kind of dark ritual, and Daisuke's, the strings on a sitar twisting into the expected cross to signify his death, a few musical notes beside it as one last mocking touch.

 

This was a trial, but it wasn't a trial about doubting your friends. The trial would proceed because they could trust their friends.

 

More than anything, Rin believed that.

 


	33. The Third Trial, Variant Edition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important note! Unfortunately, I'm not perfect. If you read this chapter before 9:15 EST on Christmas Eve, 2017, there was a small, but pretty major continuity error. It's since been fixed. (I accidentally said Luan had a bottle. That would've thrown a massive wrench in the proceedings!) My bad!
> 
> Thank you for reading. I hope you'll forgive this little screwup.

 

**Commencing the Class Trial for the Murder of Daisuke Harada.**

**Begin.**

 

“The symbolism of black and white is a storied tale with many years upon years' worth of history,” Monokuma said. “Black as pitch, white as the driven snow, ever fated to do battle upon the fields of logic. But what does it mean to be 'blackened,' really?”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jun said.

 

“I'm talking about trials, Jun, my boy.” Monokuma nodded sagely, closing his beady eye and darkening his bat wing to match. “Trials and tribulations faced by all those in the justice system, defense attorneys and prosecutors going head to head in an all-out battle to determine the truth. When all goes well, anyway, and there aren't any shady backroom dealings. But when there are, hoo boy! You get into Werewolf territory! That's right, folks! Here, we have the Ultimate Liar Game! Okay, now it's time for the vote.”

 

“Are you fucking joking?!” Yayoi said, starting back.

 

“Aha!” Monokuma pointed. “I got you to say it! You said it! Hahahaha, yessss! Catchphrase instanced! I feel the power in my body! Uuuuoooooohhhhh!” He laughed to himself for probably longer than was necessary.

 

“Is it me, or is he weirder than usual?” Stella said.

 

“You can start now.” Monokuma said. “I honestly just really wanted her to say that.”

 

“Well.” Shinobu said. “That was certainly an enlightening beginning.”

 

“We should probably start by outlining the events of the case,” Chihaya said. “For the sake of those who didn't get to investigate much.”

 

Rin nodded. “Right. Well, the last time we saw Daisuke alive was when eight of us, me, him, Claus, Hansuke, Yayoi, Yashiro, Gavin, and Luan met up in the Stairwell while we were looking for Kazuya, Stella, and Shinobu.”

 

“As a result of this endeavor, the five of us—myself, Rin, Stella, Kazuya, and Claus—have perfect alibis, no?” Shinobu said.

 

“I don't think there's any room for doubt there.” Kazuya said. “So, for the rest of the group, does anyone have any suspicions they'd like to voice?”

 

“I find Gavin highly suspicious.” Chihaya said.

 

“Aha, yeah, I see.” Gavin nodded. Then what had just been said hit him, and he started back. “Whoa, wait, why is Gav suspicious?”

 

“Not only were you the one assigned to investigate with Daisuke,” Chihaya said, “but you also moved in a way that should've been impossible.”

 

“And what way would that be?” Hansuke said.

 

“Before I say that, let me explain something.” Chihaya said. “I was on guard duty for the concert, standing at the door to keep track of everyone who came and left.”

 

“Wait, seriously?” Stella said, her eyes widening. “How invisible _are_ you?”

 

“Gavin provably left Newcomb and met up with the other seven in the Stairwell, right?” Chihaya said. She closed her eyes. “But then, without re-entering Newcomb, he exited again, with Jun.”

 

“Aha!” Yashiro said. “You must not know about the service hatch in Physical Training, friend!”

 

“I haven't gotten a chance to look there, no.” Chihaya said.

 

“There's a door from the climbing wall in Physical Training that leads to beneath the stage in Newcomb,” Rin said. “That's what Gavin used to get back to Newcomb Hall.”

 

“Lemme tell you, that was a real shocker, my dudes.” Gavin chuckled. “I'm telling you, this place is like, some kinda crazy samurai mansion! Secret passages out the wazoo!”

 

“W-'wazoo?'” Kazuya said, looking around at everyone. “What's a 'wazoo?'”

 

“I'd expect you to know that, wordboy!” Yayoi said, facepalming. “How the hell are we supposed to know if you don't?”

 

“Alright, so there's a service hatch.” Chihaya nodded. “That explains that.”

 

“So is Gavin not suspicious anymore?” Luan said.

 

Chihaya shook her head. “No, I'd say he's even more suspicious now.”

 

“Aw, dang!” Gavin cried.

 

“Gavin took possession of a wine bottle.” Chihaya said. “He could've killed Daisuke, then escaped through the service hatch with the excuse that he got lost while looking for Kazuya.”

 

“Why are you hounding him? Do you seriously think Gavin would murder someone?” Jun gritted his teeth and glared. “That's the most ridiculous—”

 

“No, which is why I said it so that someone could point out a contradiction that I haven't noticed.” Chihaya said. “That is how these debates work, after all.”

 

Jun blinked. “Oh. Um, sorry. That makes sense.”

 

Rin tapped her chin for a moment, then came to a realization, her antenna sparking. “Hey, I actually have something. Hansuke, what did you do with your wine bottle?”

 

“Went back to my room and threw it in the trash.” Hansuke said, crossing his arms. “Figured it was only right. Why?”

 

“Contradiction obtained!” Rin pounded her fist into her open hand. “That can't be Gavin's wine bottle that broke at the scene. It's sitting, perfectly intact, in the trash in the Bar!”

 

“Oho?” Chihaya murmured. “That's a fair point. I don't think there's a way Gavin could've gotten another wine bottle in that time frame, so if his isn't broken, then you're right.” She nodded. “It couldn't have been him, then.”

 

“Phew!” Gavin wiped the sweat from his brow and whistled. “Being suspected is hard work, my dudes. Glad it had a happy ending!”

 

“No kidding.” Stella said. The room went silent for a moment until everyone collectively noticed that Luan was raising his hand.

 

“Er, you are given permission to speak, my friend?” Shinobu said. “Is something the matter?”

 

“Is it possible Chihaya is lying?” Luan said. Chihaya's eyes widened slightly, but she remained silent. “We don't have any other testimony to prove she was there the entire time.”

 

“I suppose that is true,” Shinobu said, placing her hand on her chin in a check-mark shape. “I cannot imagine Chihaya committing the crime, but that is a true statement.”

 

“You're saying that, while hidden, Chihaya could've obtained a wine bottle and attacked Daisuke with it?” Yashiro said. He hummed. “I'm uncertain that I agree. This rings false.”

 

“Oh, I don't think that's possible.” Kazuya said. “Chihaya couldn't have gotten a wine bottle, either.” He paused. “Or, well, I guess she could've, but she didn't.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin nodded. “Jun's testimony about the wine bottles proves it!”

 

“It does?” Jun blinked. “Ah, wait. You're right, it does, doesn't it.” He grinned smugly. “Haha, you won't get one over on me this time, End! Jun Fukuyama strikes again!”

 

“Someone's feeling inadequate today.” Stella rolled her eyes.

 

“Shut.” Jun glared at Stella before returning his gaze to the class. “All nine of the wine bottles have known positions, thanks to yours truly. There's no way for Chihaya to have gotten one, because they're all already spoken for.”

 

“But what if she took a wine bottle from the Bar?” Luan said.

 

Rin shook her head. “No, that's wrong. Kazuya and I checked the Bar pretty thoroughly, and there were only the nine bottles that Daisuke brought missing from the shelf. Nobody took anything from there, and that includes Chihaya.”

 

“So the bottle we found in Daisuke has to be one of those nine, right?” Stella said. “Well, I took one, so it can't be that one.”

 

“Hmm...” Rin hummed. “There's three bottles that aren't entirely accounted for. Hansuke's, Yashiro's, and Yayoi's. Though...” She tapped her chin. “Mm, it's possible that Chihaya _did_ steal Yashiro's. You said you lost track of yours, right?”

 

“That is indeed the case!” Yashiro said. “Which is, I admit, a rather weak excuse. Hahaha!”

 

"My bad." Hansuke raised his hand, shrugging. "I tossed mine in the trash in my room. Wasn't really thinking. I'm used to tossing bottles and all." He grumbled. "Damn it."

 

“Yeah, same here, dude!” Gavin said. “Well, not the trash place, but you know what Gav means, eh, Han?” He laughed.

 

Yayoi raised up the bottle she was still holding and glared at the three boys. “You're all a bunch of goddamned morons, you know that?”

 

“Guilty as charged, Boss!” Gavin laughed. “Guilty as charged.”

 

“In other words, our situation is unchanged.” Shinobu said, humming and tapping her chin. “We still have five suspects, who all could have, in some way, possibly taken the wine bottle to the Tailor to attack Daisuke.”

 

“Why was Daisuke in the Tailor, anyway?” Stella said. “Wasn't he supposed to investigate Campbell Hall with Gavin?”

 

“Well, Campbell Hall's pretty small, ya dig?” Gavin said, leaning into his podium. “So, Dice and me, well, Dice is the one who thinks we should head over to Kavka to look there a bit better. And I'm like, hey man, I've got nothin' better to do, yeah?”

 

“Daisuke suggested it, huh?” Hansuke scratched his chin. “Interesting.”

 

“Wait, hold a moment!” Yashiro made his booming noise of realization. “I'm sorry, Gavin, but you're not out of the clear yet, friend.”

 

“Oho?” Jun cocked one eyebrow. “And how's that?”

 

“The victim also possessed a wine bottle!” Yashiro said. “It's possible Daisuke's bottle is the one that's in the trash can!”

 

Chihaya murmured a, “Wait, what?”

 

“Aw, trip, you're right, ain't you, Simba?” Gavin looked briefly distressed, then smiled and shrugged. “Ah well. I'm sure it'll be fine!”

 

“That's a pretty cavalier reaction to being suspected of murder.” Kazuya said.

 

“Well, I didn't do it, so I ain't worried, ya dig?” Gavin said.

 

“Either way, though, it seems like talking about the wine bottles is kind of a bust for now.” Rin said, her antenna drooping a bit. “There's nothing there that really makes anyone more suspicious than anyone else. Maybe we should talk about the murder weapon?”

 

“I thought the wine bottle was the murder weapon!” Yashiro gasped. “What treachery is this?”

 

“Nah, the perp stabbed him with it after he died.” Yayoi said. “We gave him a scan with the ADAM to see. The real murder weapon was the, uh...” She snapped her fingers. “The fuck was it called again?”

 

“The _Florem diabolica,_ a plant from the Colonial Collection in the Greenhouse,” Kazuya said. “We found it swept under a loom, along with its flowerpot and the dirt from inside it. It must've been dropped or broken somehow.”

 

“How exactly would a plant kill Harada?” Jun scoffed. “What did it do, poke him to death?”

 

“It poisoned him.” Rin said. “When it's overfed with nutrients, it releases toxic spores around it. Daisuke died from the poison before he finished falling—the head wound and the wine bottle were both done after he died.”

 

“What?!” Yashiro boomed. “Poisoning? How vile!” He clenched his fist.

 

“Bummer, man. Here Gav thought poisons wouldn't happen.” Gavin sighed. “Bummer. Major bummer.”

 

“So, Daisuke was poisoned.” Luan hummed, closing his eyes and placing his forehead in his hand. “But that just makes this case even more confusing.”

 

“It's undeniable that it is a very strange case,” Shinobu said. “The killing would appear to have been as simple as simple could be, and yet there are small details in several places that make it appear like a much more elaborate scheme.”

 

“The question on my mind,” Hansuke said, “is whether this was premeditated or not. Did the perp go into the night intending to kill someone?”

 

“If they prepared that plant, it would seem like they did.” Stella said. “And framed up the murder scene. Right?”

 

“But they did a poor job of hiding the evidence,” Shinobu said. “Hiding the plant under that loom did very little to actually prevent us from finding it, and does not seem like something a rational actor would do.”

 

“So, that would suggest it wasn't premeditated?” Kazuya said.

 

Suddenly, a shout tore through the room. “Ah, wait, what if—?!” It was Claus, who'd remained quiet up to this point. He seemed quite enthused about whatever conclusion he'd come to, but then deflated back down. “Er, no. No, that's probably not it...”

 

“Er, Claus, did you have something you wanted to say?” Rin said. “Um, anything might help.”

 

“No, no, I'm— I'm sure I'm wrong.” Claus waved his hand dismissively. “Carry on, please.”

 

“Just fucking say whatever it is you came up with!” Yayoi shouted. “God, don't be a pain.”

 

“Er, very well.” Claus awkwardly cleared his throat. “It occurred to me that, well, what if Daisuke's murder, or rather, how exactly the murder went, was an accident, but the killer still intended to murder tonight?”

 

“Like, the killer came up with some groovy trick,” Gavin said, throwing his arms wide, “but beefed it the first time and still wanted to use it?”

 

“Ah, er, no.” Claus said. “Well, maybe... Er, I just think that Daisuke's death probably wasn't according to the culprit's plan. It feels... strange. Something feels off about everything we've discussed. Or, rather...” He trailed off into a mumble.

 

“So, if that's the case, the culprit would've meant to do something else, right?” Rin said. “Some other plan that didn't involve Daisuke's death.”

 

“The question is who.” Hansuke said. “Who'd they actually mean to kill, and how?”

 

“Not just those factors, but when, as well, is an important question.” Shinobu said, adjusting her beret. “If we're to advance under the assumption that Daisuke's death was accidental, did it occur before, during, or after the period when the culprit intended to murder someone?”

 

“Perhaps Daisuke came across the culprit in the midst of their deadly plan,” Yashiro said, pointing a meaty finger into the air, “and they were left with no choice but to silence him before executing it!”

 

“Maybe Daisuke somehow screwed up the culprit's plan while it was happening,” Kazuya said, “and he wound up dying as part of the plan screwing up?”

 

“Er, well, no, but...” Claus mumbled. “Could it be that...mm...er... Well, perhaps it happened while the culprit was cleaning up the remnants of their failed plan?”

 

“Wouldn't that mean that the culprit, well, screwed up their entire plan?” Stella said. “Is that really likely?”

 

“Oh, you're right. Er, I'm sorry.” Claus twiddled his fingers. “Perhaps—”

 

“I agree with that!” Rin shouted, her antenna and pointer finger lining up in unison to point towards Claus.

 

Claus blinked. “You do?”

 

“Yeah, I think you're right, Claus.” Rin nodded. “I think it's more likely that the culprit's plan failed before Daisuke died. I mean, think about it this way.” Her antenna became rigid, spinning along like a satellite dish. “Daisuke died after the concert was temporarily halted to go look for Kazuya, Stella, and Shinobu, right? The culprit couldn't have predicted that would happen beforehand.”

 

“Maybe it needed to happen at a specific time or something?” Gavin said.

 

“I'm not sure yet,” Rin said. “But my guess is that the killer probably planned to kill someone during the concert. If they had a plan, then the structure of the concert would probably be pretty enticing to try and give yourself a 'perfect alibi' with.”

 

Jun scoffed. “That's all well and good, Hashizawa, but what, exactly, was this plan of our culprit's? The vast majority of the group were constantly under surveillance. What could they have gotten done in that environment?”

 

“Whatever their plan was, it no doubt involved the _Florem diabolica,_ no?” Shinobu said. “Perhaps it would be easier if we disseminated the information regarding its M.O.”

 

Kazuya nodded. “There's a specific substance you can get from the Greenhouse, that mixes into water and is indistinguishable from it, that activates the spores when it touches the plant.”

 

Stella's eyes widened. “Wait, so the reason Daisuke was wet at the crime scene, could've been that he got wet from the plant food water, right?”

 

“That's certainly possible.” Chihaya nodded.

 

This issue was a bit confusing, but Rin gnawed on it in her mind a bit. The culprit probably had some sort of plan to kill someone during the concert, but that plan failed. It probably involved the plant, but the plant wasn't even in the Venue at the time, and in order to feed it, you'd need—

 

Rin began pushing back against the air with her hands. “Whoa whoa whoa okay hold on hold on I think I might have something—wait, whoa, whoa, okay... No, yeah, that totally has to be it!”

 

“What's it?” Luan said.

 

“There was one other really weird thing that happened during the concert, remember?” Rin said. “At the crime scene, even. The wine that came out of the vents!”

 

“Oh, you mean that ridiculous cloud of stains everywhere?” Jun cocked his eyebrow. “And how exactly does that fit together?”

 

“Well, that whole incident is kind of weird, thinking about it, but I have an idea, and I feel like it's the right idea.” Rin said. “What if the culprit actually intended to remotely poison someone?”

 

“Isn't 'remotely' kind of the reason for poisons anyway?” Hansuke said. “Killing someone at short range with one seems pretty pointless.”

 

“Unless you're saying Harada spiked the wine with cyanide, how exactly could wine be the cause of a remote poisoning?” Jun said. “You and your little group were the ones who brought the information about this plant-activating substance that is indistinguishable from _water_ , not wine.”

 

“There was another piece of evidence at the crime scene related to the wine, though, that was pretty strange,” Rin said. “The wine stains on the grate above the fan were weird.”

 

“You're talking about the grate above the fan, right?” Chihaya said. “What was weird about the stains?”

 

“They weren't in the area you'd expect them to be.” Rin said. “It's like, if a glob of wine suddenly came out of the vent-”

 

“Wai-wait, whoa-whoa, hold on a sec.” Gavin sputtered. “Gav feels like you're skipping a step here, dawg! How's a big ol' ball of wine even get in the vents to begin with?”

 

“It came through the vent.” Luan said.

 

“But, uh...” Gavin's open mouth and strange expression looked almost pitifully confused. “Ain't there, like... some kinda filter?”

 

“Ah yes, you must be referring to the MK-Brand Unilaser Layer Filter,” Monokuma puffed. “What a marvel of engineering! I absolutely didn't disparage it earlier! Mr. Sakaki is correct, after all. It filters out matter that enters into the vents!”

 

“One layer of matter.” Luan said.

 

Jun blinked. “One layer of matter? What in the world does that mean?”

 

“Well, think of it this way.” Rin said. “Sure, if you just dumped wine into the vent, it'd get destroyed. But if you dumped a bottle full of wine into the vent, only the bottle would be incinerated, and all that wine would go through just fine.”

 

The pain was evident in the strained, anguished groan Yayoi made. “That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Oh god, just fuckin' strike me down right now.” She leaned over onto her stand, clutching her head in agony. “The fuck kind of purpose does that kinda filter even serve. Aw, god.”

 

“Boss, are you okay?” Kazuya said, reaching out his hand in her direction. “Do you need medical attention?”

 

“Aaaaaaaaaugh,” Yayoi proclaimed.

“Anyway,” Rin said, “so, if that happened, you'd think the stains from the wine would be, y'know, under the grate, right?” She waved her hand a little. “But they weren't. The space right under the grate was clean, and there was only a stain on the edges of that area, like something blocked some of the wine. There might've been something on the grate that the culprit had put there, like some other part of the plan. Kazuya, you said that you saw the stepladder in the Tailor when you went in, right?”

 

“Oh, uh...” Kazuya was sweating a bit. “Yes. I did.”

 

“So, wouldn't it make sense if the culprit used it to put something up above the fan before turning the fan on?” Rin said. “Like, say, the plant?”

 

Shinobu nodded. “I agree. If the plant were to be activated above the fan, its spores would be spread about the room by its rotation.”

 

There was a moment of silence as the implications sank in. Stella blanched before saying, “Wait... Doesn't that mean that the culprit's intended victim would've been—”

 

“Me?” Kazuya said. He, too, was pale. “The culprit intended to kill me?”

 

“Yeah, I think that's what happened.” Rin said. “The culprit's plan was actually to kill Kazuya, in the middle of the concert, by activating the plant they had set up in the Tailor while he was in there putting on his suit.”

 

“With wine?” Chihaya said.

 

“No, it's like Claus said. The culprit's plan failed.” Rin said. “Remember that the nine bottles were completely identical. I think the culprit sent the wrong bottle into the vent, and instead of killing Kazuya, they just got the room wet!”

 

“But that's completely stupid!” Stella said. She slammed her hands on her stand. “If someone disappeared to the vents in the middle of the concert, even if they didn't know that Chihaya would be there, there'd be a clear point where they didn't have an alibi, right? Why—” She sputtered. “Why would someone try and kill Kazuya for a stupid plan like that?!”

 

Rin blinked. Her antenna rolled up and became more ball-like. “Well, er... Yeah, I know it's not the most reasonable plan in the world...”

 

“Even if the plan had gone off successfully, despite its remoteness, it would not be very stealthy at all.” Shinobu hummed. “Interesting.” She looked away, off into the distance at some point on the wall.

 

“There's no way that's true, then!” Stella said. “Right?”

 

“I don't think that we should dismiss it out of hand even though it's stupid, though.” Rin said. “Well, er... What do you think, Claus?”

 

“Eh?” Claus started. “What? Me?”

 

“You were the first person who suggested that the crime happened after the culprit's plan, right?” Rin said. “So... you must've had some idea, right?”

 

“Ah, well, mm.” Claus said. “I certainly think it's very possible that things happened as you describe, er... I wouldn't say I don't think that's what happened... no, actually, that's exactly what I think happened?”

 

“Er, is that supposed to be a question, dude?” Gavin said.

 

Claus took a deep breath, and stood back upright, regaining some of his presence. “Even if the plan was faulty, I think it's incorrect to dismiss it based on that.” He said. “To me, it seems like the culprit of this case felt backed into a corner, and was acting rashly to begin with. The last two cases we dealt with were highly planned, premeditated affairs, so it may have primed us to think of very intentional murders as the norm, but I think that there's no doubt that the culprit's original plan was to kill Kazuya with the _Florem diabolica._ ”

 

“That's...a frightening thing to think about.” Kazuya said. “You're saying that if things had gone just a little bit differently, I'd be dead instead of Daisuke?” He shivered.

 

“That's...” Yayoi gritted her teeth, looking downcast. “This ain't funny.”

 

“Definitely seems reasonable to me, though.” Hansuke said. “I'm thinking Claus has the right idea here.”

 

“Hold a moment!” Yashiro raised his hand up to silence the conversation. “I feel as though there is a contradiction in this idea.” He looked towards Jun, who was making awkward grunting noises about something or another. “Jun, the wine bottle was present at the Venue, yes?”

 

“Yeah, it totally was, dude.” Gavin said, covering for Jun, who continued grunting. “J drank a bunch of it.”

 

“Being that the case is such, how could the wine have gotten to the crime scene?” Yashiro said. “The only wine bottle we don't know the contents of is the bottle that Daisuke held, and—”

 

“Wait a second.” Chihaya said. “Daisuke didn't have a bottle.”

 

“Uh, yeah he did, Chi.” Gavin said, scrunching up his face. “He and Boss got into this big tizzy over it, yeah?”

 

“When he came through the hall on the way back from his act, Daisuke didn't have a bottle.” Chihaya said. “I remember it very clearly.”

 

“Well, that's weird.” Yayoi said. “Harada had a bottle when he came through the Classroom I was in, no doubt about it.” She crossed her arms.

  
All of a sudden, Jun shouted, “ _Aha!_ I've got it!” The manic grin on his face told Rin that he was very proud of whatever theory he'd just concocted.

 

“Here we go again,” Stella groaned. “What is it this time, Jun?”

 

“It's quite simple.” Jun smirked. “Watch and amaze as I blow the lid off of this mystery!” He threw his arms wide. (“D-d-d-d-Danganronpa!” Monokuma dropped the beat.) “You see, the truth is, the culprit behind that incident was actually Daisuke Harada himself, the victim! Using the concert he'd planned, he decided to try to kill Kazuya with that idiotic plant trick by sending his wine bottle through Ventilation and poisoning him from the other hall, which is why he attempted to immediately take one of the nine identical bottles for himself: it contained the substance that would activate the plant. Unfortunately for him, Yayoi took offense to this, and in the ensuing scuffle, Daisuke lost track of which bottle was which. As a result, the bottle he obtained was actually the ninth, unknown bottle, full of wine, that he sent through Ventilation and covered Kazuya in. He'd dropped it down the shaft without knowing that Chihaya was watching the door, so she knew that at that point, he didn't have his bottle.”

 

“So where's the contradiction this time, Rin?” Stella looked over at Rin, with eyes that screamed 'I'm bored out of my skull.'

 

“Wha— Excuse me?!” Jun clenched his fist and grimaced. “Come on! I'm not always wrong about everything!”

 

“You...do have kind of a high failure rate, though.” Kazuya looked away, nervously chuckling. “Sorry.”

 

Rin mulled this idea over. The culprit behind that incident was Daisuke, who intended to kill Kazuya by poisoning—but because of Yayoi's intervention, he failed, and instead splashed Kazuya with wine. Later, when he returned to the crime scene to clean up evidence, he was somehow killed with his own plant. She chewed on it for a bit.

 

“I...” Rin couldn't believe she was about to say this, but here it was. “I actually agree with Jun?”

 

There was an awkwardly long pause.

 

“You what?” Stella said.

 

“I agree with Jun,” Rin said again, less hesitantly this time. “Actually, that theory clears up a lot of the questions I've been having about this case.”

 

“You're right, aren't you.” Chihaya sighed. “This is insane. We prepared against plenty of different murder plots, but not against something this stupid. Prepares the bottles, so it leads directly to him. Does so at a time when I'm the only other person he could really frame for it. He switches bottles, and he doesn't even check to see if he has the right one... It's almost depressing how flawed this plan was.”

 

“Wait wait wait, yo, yo, hold on!” Gavin said, sputtering. “Hold on for a sec here! You're accusing _Dice?_ But he's...” Gavin threw out his arms. “He's dead, ain't he?”

 

“Gavin, don't take this from me.” Jun said. “For once, Hashizawa recognizes the truth of one of my assertions.”

 

“But... Daisuke?” Claus said, looking towards the portrait of the deceased. “Could Daisuke really have done something like that?” He rubbed his chin. “...Or, er... Well, I suppose nobody else really could have, could they?”

 

“He was...trying to kill me?” Kazuya gulped. “If that's the case... Then you saved my life by stopping them when you did, Claus.” He smiled brightly, hand on his heart, towards Claus. “Thank you so much!”

 

“Oh, what? Er.” Claus blushed. “Well, I... I didn't do much, I... heh.” His overall sadness couldn't keep the proud grin on his face.

 

“Why would he try to kill Kazuya so suddenly?” Luan said. “He wasn't a killer.”

 

“Almost certainly on account of the motive we were presented with last night,” Shinobu said. “Contact with our families.”

 

Gavin gave a loud 'huuuuuh?' “But why would—”

 

“Alright, rain check is over!” Monokuma said. “I'm ready to continue now!” He hopped off of his throne to a small stage that rose up from the middle of the stands, a spotlight bearing down on him as he pulled out a microphone.

 

Rin blinked. “Er, rain check?”

 

“Previously, so as not to spoil this deadly twist in the events of the trial, I politely declined to elaborate on Mr. Harada's backstory further than I already had.” Monokuma said. “However, now that it's become clear that he was in fact the nefarious culprit behind the attempted murder of Judgment Kazzy, that boat has sailed, and I must now explain the truth in order for this case to make any sense at all!”

 

“J-'Judgment Kazzy?'” Kazuya said, his face slanting confusedly.

 

“You heard me.” Monokuma said. “Now, this might be a long and somewhat uninteresting story, so if you're watching this back after the fact or something, feel free to skip past it. Everyone in this room, though, needs to listen up very carefully! It's an important piece of the case!”

 

“Are you kidding me?” Stella said, rolling her eyes. “Are you actually serious right now?”

 

“And no interruptions!” Monokuma said, his eye glowing menacingly, pointing at Stella. “That goes for the rest of you, too.” His pointing revolved around the room, being sure to give equal menace to all twelve students. “Eh-hem. Monokuma Theater 5, this time, with feeling!”

 

“Once, there was a boy named Daisuke Harada,” Monokuma said. “You all may have heard of him once or twice! Some of you may even remember him talking about his family, and in particular, his sisters. Well, spineless, sorta-dim Daisuke had one particular older sister. We'll call her Haruhi, Haruhi Harada, because that was her name, you understand. Now, Haruhi Harada was, if you ask me, a pretty shitty person. When she was a teenager, she had dreams of becoming a famous actress, but was constantly passed over for other, better starlets, because she wasn't actually very good at it. Seriously, I've seen her audition tapes. What a ham! And salty ham, too!”

 

Gavin opened his mouth for some reason, but with an “Ahp!” Monokuma raised his finger. “I believe I just said no interruptions, Mr. Sakaki! So shut up. It's rude to interrupt me while I'm talking.” Gavin shrank back.

 

“Now, because of their mother's hikikomori tendencies, Haruhi Harada became the woman of the Harada household.” Monokuma said. “And lemme tell you something about Haruhi. She _hated_ celebrities. Still does, in fact. Now, you might think, oh, Haruhi, it's because of your subpar ability or bad attitude that you never got anywhere in life, and you shouldn't take it out on people who have different talents from you, but she wasn't the kind of person to think logically like that, if you ask me. But the point was, she was a domineering force who young Daisuke obeyed. Not necessarily out of love, but out of fear; fear of his imperious older sister who controlled him. He was already in a position of weakness as the one boy in the family, so he went along with whatever demands she made, even humiliating ones like having to go along with his younger sister's idea of him going to school in girl's clothes and makeup.”

 

“One day,” Monokuma continued, “when Daisuke was eight years old, he learned there was a girl in a nearby school. She was a bit of an odd duck, always tinkering with small machines, and she had very few friends, mostly only a similarly eccentric boy who went to the same school. But that wasn't what was important about this girl. This girl—we'll call her Girl H, for her last initial—well, her last name was Hashizawa. I don't really need to drag out that one any longer. Her mother was a bit famous in the media, wouldn't you know? Living as a single mother was hard, especially with her career, but she tried her hardest to make do for herself and her child. Thankfully, the Hashizawas were reasonably rich, but that's not really important. What was important that Haruhi Harada _hated_ Girl H's mother. For a bevy of personal reasons I won't get into, she had a particular grudge against her in particular.”

 

“Naturally, when Haruhi caught wind of the fact that she and her daughter were that nearby, all the anger she usually kept bubbling inside of her all came up to the top. Rage! Hatred! It was the sort of rage that might drive one to murder, but no; she wanted more than that. She wanted to ruin their lives. To utterly destroy them. To rip them apart, and make it so that they could never live in this town, or in any town, ever again. But, as a result of the family's nature, it was difficult to find where they lived, or details about their situation past what you might hear in the media.” Monokuma paused for effect. “Unfortunately, Daisuke Harada, a boy who knew of Girl H, existed. Otherwise, the story may have ended there.”

 

“Daisuke was ordered by his sister to befriend Girl H. To learn about her lifestyle, her interests, her family, and oh so most important of all, where, exactly, it was that they lived. He wasn't stupid enough to think there was no malicious intent behind this, but naturally, since he couldn't say no to his sister, he went along with it. Girl H was distrustful at first, as she was not particularly good with people; but her inner yearning for friendship meant that soon enough, the two of them did, in fact, become friends. They bonded over their own odd interests: Girl H's tinkering thing, and Daisuke's building fascination with the brewing that his family's bar performed. For as dour and dark of a girl as she was, she quickly grew to become one of Daisuke's best friends. It especially helped, I'm told, that she was rather smart.”

 

“Shortly after that, Girl H's mother was stricken with a media scandal. It was all over the news, but I'm sure just another celebrity falling into debauchery wasn't a big deal to any of us, right? But it wasn't just one. Rapid-fire, she was accused of everything under the sun, theft, murder, sexual harassment, you name it! Her home was attacked, at first lightly, but soon Girl H and her mother began to notice stalkers, people following them whatever they went, creeping around the outside of their home, and once, they came home to find all the windows to their house broken, and a bathroom sink cruelly shattered to bits, seeping water. Even at school, Girl H was not safe, as the people who had ignored her up to that point began to actively scorn her; on word from their parents, perhaps, or just having some idea that she was a safe target, for the more awful among them.”

 

“When threats of physical violence threatened to become far more than just threats, it was impossible for the two of them to stay there any longer, and Girl H and her mother fled the town. Girl H was only able to briefly say goodbye to her two closest friends, the eccentric boy I mentioned earlier and one Daisuke Harada, the only people who still believed in her. But little did she know, that Daisuke had actually been a cause of all the suffering she and her mother had gone through! Haruhi had forced Daisuke to give up those details, and had used her connections at the bar thus to stage a concerted assault on the character of the two Hashizawas, to utterly ruin them. Even if Daisuke was not entirely at fault, he did not stand up, and refuse his sister's demands—so he knew very well that he was at fault, that he had ruined the Hashizawas' lives.”

 

“The guilt tore at Daisuke for quite some time, especially a few years later when he learned that Girl H's mother went and committed _suicide,_ but since it was poor, cowardly Daisuke, he did not contact Girl H. Instead, he grasped ever more firmly to his foppish musical boy character, attempting to become a 'ladies man' in order to run away from the guilt he felt. Who knows how legitimate it was, though? Maybe he really was a ladies' man. Who knows!”

 

“Let's fast forward to a few months ago,” Monokuma said, waving his hands to mime the passage of time. “For his talents in brewing, fabulous personality, and musical talent (or so he liked to believe, anyway,) Daisuke received an invitation to the one, the only, Hope's Peak Academy! The school of the ultra-talented Ultimates, one of Japan's proudest cultural exports, so to speak! Becoming the Ultimate Brewmaster was a big boost to his frail confidence, and most of his family was quite proud of him...with one exception. You've probably already guessed, but Haruhi didn't take kindly to the idea of him becoming an, ahem. _Celebrity._ Her loathing still burned just as brightly eight years later, and the idea of him becoming such a thing felt, to her, no doubt, like a sickening, burning betrayal! 'How dare he! Doesn't he know how much I've done for him, for this family? How could he do this to me?!' And other such nonsense.”

 

“Of course, he did wind up going nonetheless, but Daisuke's relationship with Haruhi was quite frayed as a result. But, unfortunately for young Mr. Harada, he didn't get the chance to go to school, and was instead, as you know, kidnapped and placed into this deadly game. Even so, though, despite his totally weenie personality and averagely mushy brains, eventually, he started getting along pretty well! The people of Hope's Peak had accepted him as one of their own; a duncey Ultimate if ever there was one, but people seemed to like him pretty well, and he survived two murders, and was beginning to become an important cornerstone of the group. That was, until last night...”

 

The speakers above Monokuma, on the mass of screens, crackled to life.

 

“...And oh man, Haruhi, you don't know how glad I am to hear you guys are alright!” The voice of Daisuke Harada echoed through them for just a brief instant. Rin felt a twinge of pain in her heart. “...Er, Haruhi?”

 

“I've heard about the setup.” An older woman, probably early 30s, spoke back to him. Judging by context, this was 'Haruhi Harada,' his older sister. “You sacrifice the rest of them and you escape.”

 

“Haha, yeah, crazy, right?” Daisuke sounded nervous. “I mean, man. Wow. Staying on point did not prepare me for—”

 

“Why aren't you back yet?” Haruhi said. Even though Rin couldn't see this conversation, she didn't need to to sense the chill that statement brought to the room.

 

“...Uhhh, ahah.” Daisuke chuckled nervously. “Um, that would...involve, uh... See, okay, um, you know they die, right? You know, they, uh... T-twelve people. Would die. If I did that?”

 

“Not twelve _people,_ you idiot. Twelve _celebrities._ Children of Big Media, Daisuke. Have I not taught you enough that they are the _e-ne-my?_ ” Haruhi said, disdain barely hidden in her voice. “Oh, wait, no, I suppose I wouldn't, considering you think you should go and become one.”

 

“Um, Haruhi, please, I—” Daisuke was audibly trembling. “I mean, they're— They're not bad people! Uh, really, I mean, I kinda like them, even! There's this one guy I think you'd really like, Yasuda, Hansuke Yasuda, he was homeless for a while so I don't think he counts—”

 

“Why are you doing this to me?” Haruhi said. She sounded... something vaguely similar to sad, but more...sinister. “Why are you betraying me like this, Daisuke? Betraying your family? Is fame and fortune so important to you that you'd choose them over _us?_ ”

 

“What, no, Haruhi, it's not like that!” Daisuke cried.

 

“No, you know very well it is like that.” The biting disdain was back into Haruhi's voice. If she couldn't keep up a single emotion for this long, no wonder she'd failed in the acting business. “But don't worry. I've got a deal for you.”

 

“Um...” Daisuke gulped. “A deal?”

 

“If you haven't killed someone by midnight tomorrow, here's what I'm gonna do, Daisuke.” Haruhi leaned into the microphone, as evidenced by her voice becoming slightly louder. “I'm going to ruin you.”

 

“Ruin...?” The fear stricken into Daisuke was so palpable just from one word that Rin wanted dearly to reach into the past and assure him that everything was alright- but, of course, no such thing was possible.

 

“I've done it before, and I can do it again.” Haruhi said. “I'll excommunicate you from this family. You won't be a Harada any more—you'll just be regular, pathetic Daisuke. I'll snap your precious sitar in half, and then I'll burn it. I'll burn all your songs, too, all that sheet music you've collected, all those books you've got on music theory, all of it will be _ash._ I'll destroy your photos. I'll destroy your mixtures, all the equipment you bought for yourself, I will destroy it. And people will chase you down, no matter where you go, to mock you, throw you in the dirt, give you exactly what you deserve for thinking you were better than me.”

 

“Haruhi, no, please!” From the sound of his voice, Daisuke was in tears from fright. “It isn't like that!”

 

“And you know what else?” Haruhi said. “I'll ruin your reputation, too. You know I can do that, don't you? After all, last time, you _helped._ You haven't forgotten, have you? About the Hashizawas? That poor girl whose life you helped me destroy? That _bitch_ you helped me get to off herself? Of course you haven't. I'll destroy you the same way I did them. You'll be in a gutter for the rest of your life. People won't even let you perform on stage in dive bars, because they'll all know that they should be throwing stones at you instead. Nobody will ever listen to you play music again, you hear me?”

 

“A-ah...” Daisuke wasn't able to form words. The verbal onslaught from his older sister had driven him to sobbing.

 

“Are you _crying?_ Ugh, god.” Haruhi spat. “You don't get to feel righteous for being a pussy, Daisuke. You should be glad I'm even giving you this chance at all after you thought that taking an invitation to Hope's Peak was the right thing to do. But don't worry. I'm pretty forgiving, after all. If you _do_ get out of there before midnight tomorrow, I'll forgive everything you've done. It'll be fine. You can come back like nothing happened and keep helping out, or, hell, you can even go to the big genius school if it really matters that much to you. Do I make myself clear?”

 

There were only whimpering, sobbing noises from Daisuke, to which Haruhi responded, “ _Do I make myself clear?!_ ” The sounds he made sounded almost like an 'uh-huh,' so she finished, “Good. I'll see you in a few days, then.”

 

The feed from the speakers shut off, and Monokuma fell through a hole beneath his little stage to get back onto his throne. “Alright, story's over. You can talk now.”

 

Hansuke sighed. “Well, Jesus H. Christ.”

 

“Holy _shit,_ ” Yayoi said, her voice barely above a whisper.

 

“You're serious?” Gavin said. His face was pale, and blank, his voice blown out with disbelief. “Dice... Dice had all that going on and— And I didn't even notice?”

 

Rin felt tears welling up in her eyes. “I...” She gritted her teeth, and slammed her fist into her stand. This... She couldn't help but feel some of the blame. If she'd paid closer attention this morning, closer attention to her friends instead of being so focused on herself and trying to game things, if she'd been a better _friend,_ could she have done something?

 

“This is...truly unjust.” Yashiro clenched his fist, but not in his usual fervor. Instead, it was a low, sad clench. “I'm sorry, Daisuke...”

 

“You _idiot._ ” Stella said. She was crying, too. “Why did this have to happen? You could've lived, you stupid, stupid, _stupid idiot!_ ”

 

“...I'm sorry, Daisuke.” Shinobu looked downcast, deeply saddened. “I'm so sorry. I insult your memory by doing so little for you, but it is all I can do.”

 

“The End...made this motive for him, didn't she?” Luan said. “This was to push Daisuke alone into a corner. She knew that his sister would do the work for her.” He frowned deeply. “...This is...” He seemed to be grasping around for the words. “...so wrong.”

 

“That _monster!_ ” Kazuya shouted. His face was red. “How could she do that to him? How could she do something so insanely cruel?”

 

“Imagine that. Even the guy who Daisuke tried to kill is saying that.” Jun gave a low chuckle, but even for him, there was no humor in it. “...Which she? His sister, or The End?”

 

“Both.” Kazuya said through his teeth.

 

“...Yeah.” Jun nodded.

 

The courtroom was mostly quiet for a while, aside from the sounds of a few people's tears. Silently, everyone processed. The last note on the life of Daisuke Harada, the answers to the questions, were, to a one, cruel, and painful, and delivered by The End in the most painful way possible. Even the information about her own situation, to Rin, paled in comparison to the grief she felt at the way his life had been snuffed out.

 

“...No.” A voice said. “No, I won't let it end this way.” Claus said, beginning to stand up again. “I won't let his story end this way!” He cried, having regained his full posture.

 

“Eh? Weren't you depressed a minute ago?” Monokuma said.

 

“Everyone, listen to me, please!” Claus said. “A moment ago, we learned some cruel truths about our friend, Daisuke. I know it's painful, but for his sake, I don't want to let this be where his story ends.”

 

“Huh?” Stella sniffled. “What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“Right...” Gavin said, wiping the beginnings of tears from his own eyes. “Right. Claus is right! We need to get back on track and start talking about this, or Dice'll have died for nothing, man! We gotta get out of here, and tell the folks on the outside that he ain't the bad guy here, right, Claus?”

 

“Yes, exactly.” Claus nodded. “The ones truly at fault for this crime, the ones who hurt him so badly they pushed him to murder- I want to see justice meted out for their crimes.”

 

...He was right, wasn't he? Claus was right. It didn't do any good to wonder about what had past, about the way Daisuke died and if any of them could have prevented it. They needed to stand up straight, and-

 

“Yeah.” Rin stood back up again, a fire back in her chest. “We need to figure out how Daisuke died, and live through this! C'mon, guys, buck up!” She pumped her fist in the air a few times. “Let's get pumped!”

 

Yayoi patted Claus on the back. “Hey, look at you. That's the Claus I know, right? You're a leader at heart, kid. You've got this.”

 

“Oh, ahah, no, I think anyone could've done that.” Claus chuckled bashfully. “But, er, thank you.”

 

“Aw, quit giving me that shit.” The pat on the back turned into a slap on the back, and Claus was a bit bowled over by it. “Just admit you're good at this thing already.”

 

The feel-good mood wasn't shared by everyone, though. Chihaya spoke up. “That's all well and good, but where does this leave us?”

 

“What do you mean?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

“We've spent a while talking about a murder plot, but it turned out to be the victim's.” Chihaya said. “The motive targeted the victim. The victim prepared the plant, the bottles, everything… So why is Daisuke dead? How did he die? What does this change?”

 

“Oh, god, Chi's right.” Gavin said, going cross-eyed. “Gav feels like he's got more questions than he started with now!”

 

“It's a fair point.” Kazuya said. “This fits a lot into place, but it makes the fact that Daisuke is dead even more confusing.” He crossed his arms, and scrunched his eyes a bit. “What the heck is going on here?”

 

Daisuke had been the culprit of an attempt on Kazuya's life. The plant, the bottles, it had all fit into Daisuke's plan; but his plan had failed, and now he was dead. Why? Why was Daisuke dead now? What had they all missed?

 

And who in the world killed him?

 

**Court is now in recess.**

 


	34. Day 13, End - Champion's Ballad

**The Class Trial will now resume.**

 

“Alright, so let's go over what we know now.” Rin said. “Daisuke was planning to kill someone tonight—namely, Kazuya. During the concert, he sent his wine bottle through the vents to try to activate the _Florem diabolica._ Fortunately, he had the wrong bottle, and Kazuya just got splashed with wine instead.”

 

“It's still a bit frightening to think about,” Kazuya said, “but—”

 

“Hold on!” Monokuma shouted, making a growling sound. “You guys! You need to wait for me to do my customary trial recess gag skit! It's natural for whenever there's an interruption in the trial!”

 

“Uh, but there wasn't.” Stella said, staring blankly at Monokuma. “What the hell are you even talking about?”

 

“Maybe from your perspective,” Monokuma said. “But from the perspective of those watching, I assure you there was a commercial break. Yeahhh, I think they tuned out right after I finished my little story... Right about when Claus shouted, 'I won't let his story end this way!'” He shrugged. “Or something like that. Anyway, it's customary for all Monokumas worthy of note to put on a wacky skit, similar in style to the Monokuma Theaters the viewers have come to know and love, every time there's a commercial break. So, without further ado-”

 

“Please stop talking.” Luan said. Monokuma stopped mid-sentence and pouted quite severely, but nonetheless did exactly that.

 

Gavin whistled. “Wow, Lou, who knew you had it in you?” He golf clapped. “Nice done, my dude!”

 

“Yes, thank you very much.” Claus nodded. “Now,” he said, clasping his hand against his heart, “we need to clear up what happened after we all left the Venue. Yashiro, a question?”

 

“Ask away, Claus!” Yashiro boomed. “Let us clear the path to the truth together!”

 

“If I'm thinking about this correctly, you used the service hatch we mentioned earlier to transport the barbell for your deadlift, right?” Claus said. “That would mean you'd know this. Is it possible to go through the other end?”

 

“As far as I am aware, it is most decidedly not.” Yashiro shook his head. “Curse The End and her vile machinations, creating so many one-way passages designed only to complicate matters! Trapdoors, one-way passages, tricks such as that are not in line with justice whatsoever!”

 

“Should a guy who works in the circus say that?” Hansuke raised his eyebrow.

 

“Why, excuse me, sir!” Yashiro said, his eyes bulging. “I think you have made a mistake in your judgement! You are thinking of stage magic, a field of which I do not partake. I would do no such thing, for I am in no way a wizard, and I feel as though I'm almost offended by the implication that I could be even wizard-adjacent!”

 

“Uh, Yashiro, are you okay?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark.

 

“I am a Strongman! I am a linear warrior, not a quadratic wizard!” Yashiro said, a vein bulging in his forehead. “Wizards have no sense of right and wrong! They're amoral criminals who would sooner drive this world into chaos to test their Magic Missiles than use their incredible abilities for good!”

 

“Is this because of your thirteenth birthday party?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

An uncharacteristic coldness came over Yashiro's face. His voice was still loud, because he was Yashiro, but it was dark and monotone in a way that brought an atmosphere of certain doom to the room. “ **We don't talk about my thirteenth birthday party.** ”

 

“Eyyy, I know that feel, my man.” Gavin nodded. “Your feeling, I know deeply. Hey, Lou, give us an orchestra hit.”

 

Luan seemed a bit confused, but complied. “ _Should've been a gloooorious day for me~ I was as happy as could be~_ ”

 

“What the hell are you bozos on about?” Yayoi rolled her eyes. “Who gives a shit about wizards?”

 

“In other words, passage from the Venue to Physical Training is impossible; only the other way can be managed.” Shinobu said. “I see.”

 

“One question I have is, whose wine bottle is that in Daisuke's body?” Kazuya said. “It would have to be the same wine bottle that broke in there, I think.”

 

“Right.” Rin nodded. “I think so too, and I also think I know whose bottle it was.”

 

“Wait, yo, hold up, that mean you know who the culprit is, my dude?” Gavin said. “Cause it's gotta be them, right?”

 

Rin shook her head. “Not necessarily. Well, first, I think that bottle is Yayoi's.”

 

“Mine, huh?” Yayoi said, crossing her arms. “And why'zat?”

 

“Well, it's pretty simple.” Rin said. “If Daisuke was planning on poisoning Kazuya, then it makes sense that he'd take the bottle with the plant food, right? So, the bottle you took from him would have to have been that one. It had water in it, right?”

 

“Yeah, it did.” Yayoi nodded. She then lifted up her bottle. “And this one?”

 

“That, my friend, is Yashiro's bottle!” Rin said, her antenna puffing.

 

“Egads!” Yashiro shouted. “To think, it was right there the entire time! And yet, I cannot help but see the logic...” He rubbed his chin. “Our two bottles did have identical contents, so far as we could tell. It makes sense!”

 

“Is this possible, Yayoi?” Chihaya said. “Did you ever put your bottle down, to give someone the opportunity to steal it?”

 

“What? No!” Yayoi rolled her eyes. “I never put my bottle...” Then realization struck her, and she slapped her forehead. “Aw, god damnit, I did, didn't I.” She started swearing under her breath.

 

“So, you're sayin' someone made off with Boss's bottle, and Boss grabbed Simba's bottle and carried it around, yeah?” Gavin said.

 

“Hey, Yayoi, you're still sure that Yashiro never left the Gym, right?” Rin said. “Not even a single time?”

 

“Damn certain.” Yayoi nodded. “He never left that room. I know it for a fact.”

 

“Well, that's good, I guess.” Stella said. “But that means we've still got... how many suspects?”

 

“Just in terms of possibility, we have six.” Jun said. “Yayoi possessed the bottle originally, so she is a suspect. Hansuke and Luan both had periods where they could theoretically have taken the bottle.” He groaned, and in one breath, said, “I suppose Gavin and Chihaya might also be suspects just a slight bit.”

 

“Wait, who's the sixth suspect?” Kazuya said.

 

“Isn't it obvious?” Jun smirked. “Harada himself!” He raised his finger to continue talking, but then sputtered out. “Wait.”

 

“The crime scene-” Rin began.

 

“-was altered after his death, which obviously he himself could not have done without some sort of Rube Goldberg trick that Harada obviously wasn't technically skilled enough to perform. Additionally, there's nothing under the sun that I would imagine a theoretical accomplice gaining out of keeping quiet at this point, and it's highly doubtful that Harada would even think to do that considering his sister's missive was a vendetta against all twelve of us.” Jun said. “Should I go sit in the corner or something?”

 

“No, that's actually pretty useful to establish.” Rin said. “Thanks for doing your Jun thing!”

 

“Don't patronize me, Hashizawa.” Jun groaned.

 

“So, it's an undeniable fact that the culprit, whoever they may be...” Claus said. “...physically went to the Tailor, with Yayoi's bottle, and killed Daisuke there. Correct?”

 

“Yes, I believe so.” Shinobu said. “We have abundant evidence that the culprit was physically present, and very little reason to suspect the use of some sort of remote trick, even re-using Daisuke's own.” She fixed her gaze at some point of the wall. “In addition, we have very little reason to suspect that Daisuke was forced to come to the Tailor. Presumably, he came of his own free will, to attempt to salvage the _Florem diabolica_ and clean up evidence of his failed plan.”

 

“Could the culprit have ambushed him or something?” Stella said. “Like, they were already in there when he showed up, and somehow activated the plant when he came in?”

 

“No, that's wrong.” Rin said. “Daisuke had a lot of small cuts from fragments of the broken wine bottle. Most of them were on his hands, but _all_ of them were on his front. The wine bottle must've been broken in front of him somehow, and I don't think anyone here can cling to ceilings like Spider-Man to drop it from above or anything.”

 

“Hey, Chi, can you cling to ceilings like Spider-Dude?” Gavin said.

 

“No.” Chihaya said. “I've tried. It didn't work out well.”

 

“But why was the culprit in the Tailor?” Luan said. “If Daisuke went to the room to clean up evidence of his crime, then why did the culprit go?”

 

“They probably followed him.” Hansuke said. “Peeked their head out and saw him heading in, and then followed behind him with the bottle.”

 

“Then they must've known about his plan somehow, right?” Stella said. “Like, they found out beforehand, and decided to use it to kill somebody?”

 

“No, I don't think so.” Kazuya shook his head. “The culprit couldn't have predicted how the night went down specifically, that's impossible.”

 

“So, for unknown reasons, someone followed Daisuke to the Tailor with Yayoi's wine bottle, and killed him there...” Yashiro said. “How perplexing!”

 

“But if nobody knew about Daisuke's plan, why would they steal Yayoi's bottle?” Stella said. “That doesn't make sense unless they didn't have one themselves or something.”

 

Jun groaned. “Isn't there an obvious implication here that you're dancing around?”

 

Yayoi looked at him. “What, you mean that I'm-”

 

“Yayoi has some of the least motive out of any of us!” Shinobu said. “Her one reason for wishing a hasty escape, now that we know allies on the outside are working to save us, has been erased. I find it highly unlikely she would even begin to think of murdering someone.”

 

“I agree.” Claus said. Most of the room nodded their assent, too.

 

“It's extremely unlikely that Hansuke or Luan would have been able to see Daisuke going up the stairs,” Chihaya said. “They were in Abilene, and Daisuke and Gavin were in Campbell.”

 

“So, it's just Sakaki, Inoue, and me, huh?” Yayoi said. “I had the bottle, but I guess I did put it down. Sakaki threw his in the trash and Inoue never had one, so I guess it's possible that one of them stole mine.” She sighed.

 

“Trip, man, I guess that'd make me pretty suspicious.” Gavin said. “I mean, Boss and Chi had, like, anti-motive mojo from the motive last night, yeah?”

 

“It's reasonable to suspect me, I guess.” Chihaya said. “I could've snuck in there and grabbed the bottle after seeing Daisuke. There isn't really anything proving otherwise.”

 

“Is this… a deadlock?” Kazuya said. He pondered for a minute, but his shoulders sagged. “I can’t think of any more evidence.”

 

“Man, what a weird trial.” Monokuma said. “What the heck are you guys even doing? Somehow I thought there'd be more arguing.”

 

Yeah, Rin thought. It was all so... _strange._ The one with the motive, Daisuke, was the victim in this case, and she couldn't conceive of anyone else, as she knew their situations, being motivated by this motive. So, was it spur of the moment? But how could a spur of the moment killing occur if nobody else knew about the plant in the Tailor? There was something, there had to be, some fact that she was missing.

 

Daisuke's plan had already been cleared up just fine. But what had happened after that? Someone had followed him to the Tailor for some reason, and attacked him, but how had they even gotten the plant to poison him to begin with? If they'd followed him, he would've been there first, to grab it from above the fan, and it wasn't like two people could get up a stepladder at once. But if they'd been waiting for him, then the case made no sense. Why would the wine bottle have broken? Or, rather, why would they have poisoned him, then?

 

She thought back to the state of Daisuke's body. The only wounds inflicted before he died were the wine bottle fragments. The wine bottle had been stabbed into his stomach after he died, and he'd also taken a head wound as he fell. His hair had had dirt in it-

 

-his hair... had had dirt in it? Dirt. Dirt in his hair. Now, why would that be there? She'd basically ignored it up until now, but there it was, dirt in his hair. It was probably from the flowerpot, but why would there be dirt in his hair? That would imply the flowerpot spilled while it was above him, which would imply-

 

All of a sudden, all the disparate pieces of evidence began to click together in Rin's mind in one long, uninterrupted stream of realization. Things began to make sense. It was all coming together.

 

And she didn't like it.

 

“Huh?” Rin's face was cold as she came to her realization. Her eyes were wide, and pallid, and she realized she was staring off into space. “No, that's not... But...”

 

“What's wrong?” Stella said. Rin barely heard her.

 

“This can't be...” Rin gripped her own arms, unconsciously expressing her emotional turmoil in a similar way to Stella's habits. “No, no, no.” Then she gripped her head. “No, there's no way, this can't be happening!”

 

“Rin, please, calm down!” Claus said. “There's no reason to panic so much, is there?”

 

The world seemed to fade in and out for her, flickering in and out like a dying lightbulb. This couldn't be real, could it? It wasn't _fair._ It wasn't fair to anybody.

 

A voice cut through the dark. “...Have you figured it out, Rin?” Shinobu said. “Have you figured out the truth of the case?”

 

Ah, right. She didn't have time to be worrying about that, did she? Rin was still in a trial, after all. And... that was it. This whole time, this trial had felt so strange, but not because of Daisuke. It felt wrong. It didn't feel like a 'class trial' should, where one person was working against the others. Was it just that they'd all been trying to avoid letting it end? Had she just been forcing herself to prolong the inevitable? But...

 

“ _...for the culprit's sake, too._ ”

 

Words from earlier floated back to the front of her mind. Was that what they'd meant, from a wider perspective? Was it all just for this moment?

 

“...Yeah.” Rin said, standing back upright, hardening herself. “I think I have.”

 

“Judging from your reaction, it doesn't seem particularly pleasant.” Shinobu said. She closed her eyes, and smiled. “But, please... All of us must share this burden equally, no? Please speak.”

 

“There's... one more thing I have to confirm before I start.” Rin said. “Yayoi?”

 

“Yeah?” Yayoi said. She, too, was calm. Oddly so, given her temperament.

 

“One last time. I want to make sure.” Rin said. “You're absolutely sure that Yashiro could not have left his room? You know, for a fact, that he didn't? There's no possibility that he's the culprit?”

 

This answer would decide the case. Rin knew that. Depending on what answer Yayoi gave, the rest of this trial could go two very different ways. The room was quiet as she looked at Yayoi. The two women stood at this precipice together.

 

And in response, Yayoi closed her eyes, and smiled. “Yeah,” she said, not raising her voice. “I'm positive.”

 

It was the answer Rin knew was coming. Though there were two possible answers, there was no way Yayoi would have ever said 'no.' She'd been adamant about it this whole time, after all. She _knew_ Yashiro didn't leave the room to kill Daisuke. It was a _fact._ She'd been saying it the whole time. Yayoi hadn't claimed anyone's guilt, she'd only defended others, helped with Shinobu and Rin's theories, been nothing but helpful and cooperative the entire time. Even if she was a brash, loudmouthed, bullheaded, stubborn person, she'd tried her best to support the group in her own way, ever since the very first day they'd met.

 

That was just who Yayoi Murasaki was. She wasn't the kind of person who'd throw Yashiro under the bus in a situation like this, or anyone else, for that matter. In the end, all she'd ever wanted was to keep people safe.

 

“...Okay.” Rin nodded. “Then, in that case...” She turned towards the rest of the class. “This wasn't a murder. It... was an accident.”

 

“...What?” Claus said. “An... an accident?”

 

“I thought about Daisuke's body again,” Rin said. “Remember how there was dirt in his hair? That's pretty weird, don't you think? That would mean that the flowerpot would've needed to spill dirt while it was above him.”

 

“What's the problem with that?” Stella said.

 

“The problem is that the flowerpot was above the fan,” Rin said. “If it spilled, that means it would've had to have been moved. And it's in Daisuke's hair. That's proof that Daisuke must've gotten down the flowerpot, right?”

 

“Yeah, that's the likeliest explanation.” Hansuke nodded.

 

“And if Daisuke got down the flower pot from above the fan, that means that the culprit did follow him, and get there second.” Rin said. “But if Daisuke had the plant in his hands, how could they have poisoned him-?”

 

“Oh, hurry it up.” Yayoi said, rolling her eyes. “Jesus, Hashizawa, I don't have all day. There ain't any need for all this leading along the class like a schoolteacher, is there? Just do your big monologue thing and lay it all out.”

 

“...Alright,” Rin said. “I'll do it.” She took a deep breath.

 

“This,”

 

she said,

 

“is the truth of the case.”

 

* * *

 

 

“This case began last night, with The End's newest motive. Most of us got the chance to speak with our families on the outside, who told us what was going on, how things had been going, and about the person keeping us captive, known as 'The End.' For most of us, it was a happy reunion, and a grasp back at normalcy, but there was one person for whom it was anything but.”

 

“Daisuke was greeted with his older sister Haruhi. Haruhi ordered him, under threat of destroying his life, to kill someone and escape before midnight the next night. Daisuke was just a normal guy you'd see on the street- he wasn't built for a crafty, unsolvable murder, and he didn't have the heart for it, either, really. So, in a hurry, he constructed a murder plot- but it would prove to be his downfall.”

 

“When Kazuya headed to the Tailor during the concert, Daisuke planned to poison him from Ventilation by placing the _Florem diabolica,_ a poisonous plant, above the fan. The plant's spores were highly toxic, and would've been spread around by the turning ceiling fan, but in order to activate the spores, Daisuke needed to douse the plant in Monokuma's Plant Nutrient. He planned to do it by sending a wine bottle full of water mixed with the Nutrient through the vents.”

 

“When preparing for the concert, Daisuke prepared nine bottles. There were three bottles of water, probably as some kind of way to frame other people. It wouldn't have really worked, but that's not really important. That night, he wheeled the cart into the Venue, presented us with it, and then took for himself the deadly bottle.”

 

“What Daisuke wasn't expecting was our culprit. They'd been tasked with ensuring the concert was safe for everyone, and that included doing their own share of the grunt work. When Daisuke took his own bottle, they grew suspicious, and they decided to confront him. In the ensuing struggle, the two wound up switching bottles, and the deadly bottle was now in the culprit's hands.”

 

“Daisuke never checked his bottle, though, and went forward with his plan anyway. He put the bottle he held now, filled with wine, into the vent, and doused Kazuya with a cloud of wine. Kazuya, along with Stella and Shinobu, left. Eventually, the people remaining in the Venue got worried, and I was the first person to rush out of the Venue, along with Claus and Hansuke. Meanwhile, Daisuke, Gavin, Yayoi, Luan, and Yashiro left through the Basin passage to cover more ground.”

 

“We all met up outside of Kavka Hall, and split up to search further, but Daisuke must've been very shocked to learn that his plan had failed. Shortly after he and Gavin began searching Campbell Hall, he suggested that they go back to Kavka. Gavin was assigned to areas that would keep him from looking at Daisuke as he entered the Tailor to check out the scene and clean up the plant; after all, it was evidence of a murder attempt.”

 

“The culprit, meanwhile, had been paired with Yashiro, and grew ever more suspicious when they learned that there had been multiple water bottles presented, including the one Daisuke was supposedly going to take for himself. Yashiro went to check the Gym, giving the culprit plenty of time to poke their head out to look for Daisuke. When he and Gavin left, the culprit followed him into the Tailor.”

 

“Daisuke climbed down from the stepladder with the plant, but was greeted with the culprit entering the room, witnessing his act. The culprit's suspicions were confirmed, and Daisuke now knew that the jig was up. He panicked, and lunged for the culprit, attempting to kill them using the flowerpot as a bludgeon. But the culprit was faster, and instinctively defended themselves with the implement they were carrying.”

 

“...if it had been anything else, who knows how this case would've gone? Or even if there would've been a case at all? But the facts are the facts. The plant and the wine bottle the culprit carried collided, and the wine bottle shattered. Daisuke's hands were injured by fragments of the wine bottle, and he dropped the flowerpot, which began to rotate in the air, dropping the plant and bits of dirt onto him. The culprit, unknowingly, completed Daisuke's plan- the water inside the bottle also got out, and splashed the plant as it fell towards him. The plant's concentrated spores hit him right in the face, and he died before he even hit the ground. “

 

“The culprit, though, managed to avoid the spores. Since the spores of the plant were described as sticky and heavy, and the fan was off, they weren't kicked up into the air. Instead, they fell with Daisuke and the plant onto the ground, and within instants, the culprit was left with a dead body in front of them, that they had killed without even really knowing how it had happened.”

 

“This case wasn't a murder at all. It wasn't even self-defense. It was... an accident. The culprit never meant to kill anyone.”

 

“...I hope that was good enough. I know it was still a bit long, but... that's the truth of this whole incident. Right, Boss?”

 

* * *

 

 

The courtroom was utterly quiet as Rin finished speaking. The faces each student wore ranged from shock, to disbelief, to sorrow- but one person and one person alone had a peaceful smile that wasn't perturbed in the slightest.

 

“Yeah,” Yayoi said. “That seems right. Good job, Hashizawa.”

 

“...Huh?” Gavin said. “W... what? Huh?” His mouth was agape.

 

“Then...” Jun stammered. “The scene of the... the crime...”

 

“You didn't want us to ignore the wine bottle, right?” Rin said. “You had to be sure we saw it, so you stuck it in his body. You wanted us to figure out what was going on.”

 

Shinobu's eyes were downcast. “Oh, I see. So... in other words, you followed and assisted me so readily because you, too, wanted to figure out how Daisuke had died. Even you, the culprit, did not fully understand it. Is that correct?”

 

Yayoi nodded. “That's about the size of it. I told you I'm not an investigator. You two idiots are the mystery solvers around here, right?” She smirked. “You did a damn good job of it, too.”

 

“Serving as my alibi, too?” Yashiro said. “That was-?”

 

“Of course I knew you didn't do it,” Yayoi said. “Cause I did. Why the hell would I let them suspect you if I knew damn well you didn't go anywhere?”

 

“Why didn't you tell anyone if you were suspicious of him?” Hansuke said. “Seems like that'd be your first option.”

 

“Same reason we didn't tell people about the security with Inoue, either.” Yayoi said. “If I could resolve the situation without anybody else knowing, there'd be no need to panic, right? Everything would be square.” She gave a low chuckle. “In hindsight, it was pretty stupid.”

 

“I don't understand.” Claus was visibly trembling, his face still stuck in a single position of shock. “I don't understand. Why... Yayoi, why... you...”

 

“All this time, you've been trying to guide us towards the answer?” Kazuya said, his eyes wide. “You've been trying... to help us that way?”

 

Yayoi closed her eyes. “Not that I did a great job of it or anything. Hell, I probably just confused things more. Sorry. My bad.”

 

A scream from Claus tore through the courtroom. “ _Why are you so calm?!_ ” He shouted, turning to Yayoi and grabbing her shoulders tightly, tears flying from his eyes. “How could this happen? Why... why are you so calm? Why aren't you trying to save yourself?” He shook her. “Yayoi, I don't-!?”

 

“Oh, come on.” She said, still calm in the face of Claus's offensive. “You know damn well I woulda been caught even if I tried to hide it. But... hey.” She looked towards the group. “Look at 'em all, Claus. Look at you. You're all working together, all standing upright and locking arms all friendly. Ain't that as good a reason as any? If I'd just left you guys alone...” She snorted. “Who knows what kinda sad sacks you'd be right now.”

 

“Is... this real?” Stella said. “This... is this even real?”

 

“Yayoi, please, no. This...” Claus said, tears falling down his face. “This isn't alright. Why are you just letting this happen? You-!” He gritted his teeth for a moment to hold it down, but the scream came out. “ _You're going to die!_ ”

 

In response, Yayoi just tapped his cheek a few times with her palm. “C'mon, Claus. Quit shaking me. Is that any way for the Ultimate Principal to look? You're their leader, dumbass, you know that? You can break down after the fact if you want, but...” She smiled. It was a sad smile, yet it was honest, earnest, pure in a way that didn't really fit Yayoi too well. “Just this once... be strong for me. 'Kay?”

 

Claus gritted his teeth again, and after a thousand years' worth of emotions all played out on his face in an instant, he made the decision to let go. “I'll try.”

 

“Then... that's it?” Jun said.

 

“That's it.” Yayoi said. “Hey, Monokuma. You can do your little voting rigamorole if you want, I guess.”

 

Monokuma was uncharacteristically quiet, sat in his throne. He seemed to ponder this for a moment. “...Just say it one more time, please.”

 

“Huh?” Yayoi said, cocking her eyebrow. “The hell does that mean?”

 

“Come on,” Monokuma said. “It's the end of your trial. We're about to start Voting Time! I can't let this go without hearing your catchphrase one last time! C'mon, I'm a sentimental bear. You know that, right?”

 

After a moment's confusion, Yayoi understood. She snorted. “Is that some kind of fucking joke?”

 

“Alright, folks, here we go! Iiiiit's Voting Time!” Monokuma said.

 

She was certain it did not have to happen this way. It should not have happened this way. It was wrong and cruel that such a situation had occurred at all. But, in the end, Rin Hashizawa, and each of her eleven classmates, tore past the chains of their hearts, letting the painful blood flow in their veins, and made their choice.

 

The screens above displayed Yayoi's face. Yayoi Murasaki was the culprit behind the death of Daisuke Harada.

 

The trial was over.

 

* * *

 

 

“I don't... I don't understand.” Jun said. He was quiet, simmering. “What are you even doing? What the hell is this?”

 

The stands receded, and the twelve students were left in the aftermath.

 

“Ah, thank god, it's over.” Yayoi said, blowing out a breath. “Christ, Claus, you really put me in a tough spot there. All the sentimental shit ain't my forte.”

 

“Yayoi, you...” Claus gritted his teeth and closed his eyes again, clenching his fist. “That's...that's easy for you to say.”

 

“I don't understand!” Jun's voice suddenly spiked, spittle flying from his mouth. “How are you so calm?! You're about to die! What the hell are you doing?!” He threw his hands toward her repeatedly, grasping at answers he didn't have.

 

But of course, Rin knew, it wasn't that she was taking it lightly. The truth was that Yayoi had had this whole time to come to terms with the situation. It wasn't that she hadn't lost her cool over the situation at all—she'd just done it while nobody was looking.

 

“What the hell...” Stella said, sobbing, vainly trying to stop herself. “This isn't fair, what the hell is this? She didn't even do anything wrong!”

 

“They...they can't execute you over something like this, can they!?” Yashiro shouted. “That—that's a miscarriage of justice!”

 

“Ah, but you're making a very big mistake there, Mr. Narumi.” Monokuma piped up, having left his throne. “You're assuming that 'justice' is something this game's systems care about. Unfortunately... A culprit is a culprit, no matter the situation.”

 

“So Yayoi really is...” Kazuya muttered. “She really is the culprit? She's really...going to be executed?”

 

“That is what that would mean.” Monokuma said. Even he wasn't particularly chipper for the occasion. “Of course, I told her that myself right after Daisuke died. It wouldn't be very useful for anyone to start charging at me, claiming a rules violation, or to have the culprit fighting to exonerate herself instead of properly playing the role of a culprit, so I gave her the lowdown of the situation real quick at the crime scene.”

 

“All this time...” Yayoi said. “All this time, I'd been yammering on about how I was innocent, even if nobody else was.” She scoffed. “Well, when Harada went down, like it or not, I wasn't innocent anymore. At that point, I figured, I had two choices.”

 

“The choice of whether or not to play the role of the culprit in a proper murder mystery,” Shinobu said. Her hand was clenched against her chest.

 

“But, shit...” Yayoi rubbed the back of her head, then, spontaneously, took off her hard hat and held it in her hand. “First off, there's no way in hell I'd ever get anything past you goofballs. All of you, whether you like it or not, you're smart kids. This whole gang working together, ain't no way I'd get past you if Morinaga didn't.”

 

“B-boss...” Gavin said, his voice weary. “You've gotta be kidding me, right...?”

 

“Second, even if I did...” Yayoi paused. “Miki'd never forgive me...if I killed all of you to get out. I know that for a damn fact, 'cause I'd never forgive myself either.” This whole time, Yayoi's posture never flinched. She never looked away, never hesitated. “You all... You're my subordinates. And every one of you deserves to live. Even if you're not innocent yourselves, no matter what it is you've done, you deserve to live.”

 

“What... What are you talking about? What are you talking about!? _What the hell are you talking about!?_ ” Jun's voice spiked, and he began throwing his arms towards Yayoi, grasping at answers he did not have. “So you— You, you, you _willingly chose death?_ You willingly chose death, you, you let yourself die, you, you with your, your projects and your, your _life,_ your _sister,_ you're saying you just chose to die?! For a bunch of people you've known for two goddamned weeks?!”

 

Without skipping a beat, Yayoi returned his frantic gaze, and said, “Yeah, I did. That a problem?”

 

“You... _what..._ ” Jun grabbed at his hair, and began scratching it. “ _WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?_ ” He shrieked, the dams behind his eyes breaking. The proud, egotistical, unfriendly Net Admin finally shattered, and tears began rolling down his face, screaming 'what the hell, what the hell is this?!' over and over again.

 

Hansuke chuckled, tired and hollow. “Well, shit. Yayoi Murasaki... You're one in a million, huh? Lady like you, anyone's lucky if they find one once in a lifetime.”

 

“Are you hitting on me?” Yayoi snorted.

 

“Like hell.” Hansuke snorted right back. “I'd never date a woman like you, not in a million years.”

 

“Well shit, Yasuda, you really know how to make a lady feel nice.” Yayoi laughed. “Just what I expected.”

 

“You had...you had so much to live for...” Stella bit her lower lip. “And you chose us? I...” She sniffled. “I don't get it either. How can you...be okay with this? You're—” Choke, sob. “You're about to die because life is just unfair, and you chose us?”

 

The woman who was about to die stood resolutely against her classmates' grief. The whole time, she never flinched, she never wavered. Yayoi Murasaki stared death in the face and did not back down. It was...something Rin had never seen before. A kind of unimaginable bravery, a will that she'd never seen before.

 

“So this...” Yashiro said, looking down towards his hands. “This is what it means...to be truly strong.”

 

“Now, 'fore you all go crying, I ain't done talking yet.” Yayoi said. “So shut your trap, Fukuyama, and lemme finish. I've got a third reason.”

 

“Er, well—” Monokuma raised his paw.

 

“Shut up.” Yayoi said.

 

“Shutting up.” Monokuma said.

 

Yayoi stamped her foot. “All of you, listen up! My third reason is cause I'm competitive as hell, and there's no way in hell I'm gonna let The End win this stupid game of hers, got me?”

 

“Win her game?” Kazuya said. “But...you're about to die.”

 

“Damn straight I am.” Yayoi said. “But as long as you guys are alive, that means she's losing. She's afraid of us, ain't that what you said, Okudaira? She's afraid of what we can do to her. Look around you, look at the rest of these idiots.” She waved her hands around. “You aren't enemies, you're teammates on the same side, working to beat her dumbass killing game and get out of here alive. Whatever that bitch wants, like hell I'm ever gonna let her have it—and griping about dying, being all sad about it, that'd just be giving in. If I'm gonna die, I won't play along with it.”

 

“Boss...” Gavin clenched his fist and shed a few tears. “Is it even legal to be this cool? C'mon, man...”

 

“So _listen up!_ ” Yayoi said. “Hashizawa!”

 

Rin didn't know why she was being called on, but out of respect, she saluted. “Yes, ma'am!”

 

“No way The End ain't scared of what you've got to remember,” Yayoi said. “You're smart, and tough, and I know you've got it in you to win this game for everyone and bring this group home. I couldn't have asked for a better person to bring it home just now. Make me proud, kid.”

 

Yayoi patted Rin on the shoulder, and pumped her fist. Rin's eyes grew teary, and she replied, “I will, Boss!”

 

“Fukuyama!” Yayoi called. “You're a pain in the ass and a colossal tool, but you've got it in you to be a good person. Don't give up on yourself just 'cause you don't get what other people do. Get that stick outta your ass, and look to the future.”

 

“Who the hell do you think you are...?” Jun sniffled and sobbed. “Ordering me around... You're so fucking full of yourself, you know that? I've... I've always hated you.”

 

“Back atcha, you fucking prick.” Yayoi smirked. “Sakaki!”

 

“B-boss!” Gavin saluted.

 

“You're one hell of a weirdo, but god damn if you aren't a good guy.” Yayoi said. “No matter what, keep on smiling, got it? Everyone here's counting on you to keep being your weird-ass self. As long as you're still smiling, no way they'll lose.” She smirked. “And one day, maybe tell people a stupid, long, rambling story about me, too, got it?”

 

Gavin sniffled. “Aw, Boss... Aw, god, Boss!” He leaned in and hugged Yayoi. “You got it! Gav's not gonna let you down!”

 

“Leggo, I ain't done yet.” Yayoi shoved him off after a moment. “Yun-Fat!”

 

Luan had remained silent the entire process, shedding his own tears. “Yes?”

 

“You've got a family to go home to, so you know how important it is that you get home safe.” Yayoi said. “I know you've seen some shit. Compared to that, this should be nothing, yeah? You're a studious kinda guy, and you're sturdy, so I know this won't beat you, but god, could you speak your mind a bit more? Nobody's gonna know what you're thinking if you don't say it, so say it, dammit.”

 

“I'll try.” Luan gritted his teeth. “Yayoi, I... I'll never forget you.”

 

“That's all I can really ask.” Yayoi smiled. “Yasuda!”

 

“Yeah?” Hansuke said.

 

“You keep helping them however you can, got it? You're the kind of analytical, stoic mind this gaggle of idiots needs to pull things together. Ah, god, look at me throwing out the five-dollar words,” Yayoi chuckled. “And remember this, kid. I don't care how long you've spent on the road, or in some shitty apartment. Right now, these guys are your home, got it? So take care of them like one.”

 

“You really know how to hit a guy in the heart, huh?” Hansuke's eyes sparkled a bit, and he put his hands in his coat pockets. “Dunno if I'll live up to your expectations, but I'll give it my best shot.”

 

“Inoue!” Yayoi shouted over to behind Monokuma's throne. “Don't think I don't see you back there, you little snot! You ain't getting out of this, either!”

 

Chihaya, her face red from tears, peeked her head out from the throne. “W-what?”

 

“The world's a scary place,” Yayoi said. “I know that. But, shit, you think everyone else here wants to see you cowering behind a chair? C'mon, stand up and look me in the eye, just once.”

 

She hesitated a moment, but nonetheless, Chihaya did slowly stand up, and look Yayoi in the eyes. “Like this?”

 

“Yeah,” Yayoi nodded. “There you go, that's the ticket. Remember, you're Chihaya Inoue, not some kinda ghost of a dead girl. Doesn't matter how scary it is, you gotta get out there and show the world who you are! Psychological battle, right? You're a mental marine, fighting people in their own heads, so you stand up and fight a fight nobody else can!”

 

“...I don't get you,” Chihaya said. “I never have, really. How can you be so out there, so brave, so confident in yourself? But... I guess if it's your last wish, then I don't have a choice.” She closed her eyes. “I'll try my hardest to make you proud.”

 

“Narumi!” Yayoi called.

 

“Yashiro Narumi, standing at attention, ma'am!” Yashiro said.

 

“You're a guy with some pretty strong morals, ain'tcha?” Yayoi said. “You can carve this into your soul if you want, if you think this is true strength, but I think you're pretty strong yourself. Never give up your justice, big guy! Do what you think is right! You've got it in you to be the strongest guy I ever goddamned met, so you go out there and make it happen!”

 

“I'd never considered otherwise for even a second!” Yashiro nodded, pumping his fist.

 

“Okudaira, Masaki! Both of you, at attention!” Yayoi called.

 

“Yes, ma'am!” Kazuya instinctively saluted, a bit flustered. Stella mirrored him with a wordless yelp.

 

“The two of you got problems of your own,” Yayoi said, “but if you're willing to go the distance with each other, I've got faith that you can weather 'em. No matter how bad things get, or how dark the future might seem; Okudaira, you shout out loud what you've got to say, and Masaki, remember that no matter what, you've always got someone waiting for you to come home. You've got this!”

 

“Ah, god...” Stella cried, but despite herself, she did her best to smile. “It's not even fair that you're like this. How am I supposed to compete, huh?”

 

“Shinobu!” Yayoi turned to the Mystery Novelist. “You listening?”

 

“To you, my friend?” Shinobu said. “Always.”

 

“You're a goddamn weirdo.” Yayoi said. “You talk weird, you act weird, everything about you's just weird, weird, weird, but dammit if you aren't also one of the sweetest people I ever met. A bleeding heart like you's gotta take care of itself, so make sure you let people soften the landing when you fall, got it? Don't just laugh it off! Your laugh's annoying!”

 

“My goodness.” Shinobu said, laughing. “How blunt of you. But...” Her eyes grew wistful. “I shall...take your words to heart, my friend.”

 

“Good.” Yayoi nodded. “And last of all's you, Claus.” Yayoi walked up to Claus and put her hand on his shoulder, grasping it firmly.

 

“Yayoi...” Claus said. “I... I just don't know. You've always been there for me, helping me along. I don't know how I'm supposed to lead without you. You're so...you're so _strong,_ Yayoi.” He clenched and unclenched his hands, his palms sweaty. “What should I do? How can I live up to—?”

 

“God damn, will you have some faith in yourself for once?” Yayoi snorted. “Listen, Claus. I'm the Ultimate Foreman 'cause I know what talents people got, what roles they'd best serve, and you? You've already got everything you need to be a great leader. I mean, you're the Ultimate Principal, for god's sake! I know you can do it! So...” She chuckled. “God, this is hokey, but... Just believe in yourself, dumbass. Just take a second to realize how great you are, and how much greater you can be. You can be a leader. Hell...”

 

The two of them locked eyes. Though Claus was taller, Yayoi's presence was so grand that she seemed to dwarf him in comparison—but she let go, and reached her hand out, awaiting his.

 

“Claus Toranosuke, you've got it in you to become a hero. So don't you let me down.” Yayoi said.

 

There was a moment's hesitation as Claus blinked away his tears, but in the end, he shot his hand forward, and firmly grasped Yayoi's. “I... I promise.” Claus said. “I won't let you down. I'll be the greatest leader I can possibly be!”

 

“Good man.” Yayoi nodded, shook once, and released, then turned away, walking towards the center of the room. “Now, I ain't saying that it's impossible that some of you'll still die after this. But even if they do, as long as you've got the will to keep going, The End won't win. I know you idiots can do it. Make it out alive with as many people as possible, and never— _ever—_ give up.” She craned her head over her shoulder. “Got it?”

 

“Got it!” Rin said. “If anyone forgets, I'll make sure to remind them! I've got a pretty good memory, y'know.”

 

“Right.” Yayoi grinned. “And no hard feelings, either. It don't feel right to hate one of your classmates 'cause of what The End did, right? ...Ah shit, that reminds me. Hey, Hashizawa!” Yayoi pointed at Rin. “You make sure my little statue's damn good, got it?”

 

“I promise.” Rin nodded.

 

“And...one last favor.” Yayoi said, turning back around. “When you get out, no matter who it is... you gotta help take care of Miki, alright? She's gonna be all alone without me, but, shit... You guys got my seal of approval. Be her family for me. Make sure she grows up good, and you make sure she knows that her sister went out fighting, got it?”

 

“You have my word.” Claus said.

 

There was a moment's silence before Yayoi said, “Good.” Then, she looked to Monokuma, still standing around by his throne. “Alright, I'm done. Do what you gotta do.”

 

“Are you sure?” Monokuma said. “You don't wanna wait any longer?”

 

Yayoi clicked her tongue. “I'm a busy woman, you stupid bear. I've got places to be, so hurry it up! Vamanos!”

 

“Alright.” Monokuma cleared his throat. “Now, today, we've prepared a very special punishment for our culprit!”

 

“Miki...” Yayoi said. Was she talking to herself? To the group? Rin wasn't sure. “Sorry. Looks like I won't be coming home to you. But... remember, no matter where I go, I'm always looking out for you. I'll always be watching over you.”

 

“Let's give it everything we've got!”

 

Yayoi looked up to the ceiling. “This one goes out to anyone who's watching!” She pointed her finger up, past it, pointing skyward. “If you gotta blink, do it now! Don't you look away or close your eyes!” She placed her hard hat back on her head, and made sure it was properly set. “Watch this, and be sure you remember every moment of it!”

 

“Iiiiiit's PUNISHMENT TIME!” Monokuma called.

 

“My name is Yayoi Murasaki!” Yayoi roared, and threw her arms wide. “ _ **Come at me!**_ ”

 

**GAME OVER!**

**Yayoi has been declared Guilty.**

**Time for the Punishment!**

 

She didn't turn away from the massive metal claw, and Yayoi was grabbed firmly by it, being shot off into another long hallway by the claw. Within instants, the screens above the students flickered on, and Rin craned her head up to look.

 

Yayoi, having just finished being shot into the room, stood up off the ground. The room around her seemed to be a brick-laid, tall, square building, with several windows built into the walls, and tiered quite obviously due to steel fixtures on the walls. Despite how late it was, daylight seemed to pour into the room from the windows. There were several ladders around her, and a stairway on one wall, that led up to platforms on higher tiers, strewn haphazardly with little care for proper architecture.

 

One wall caved in, and a tier of the building collapsed downward. The floor beneath Yayoi began to crumble.

 

**Yayoi Murasaki's Execution**

**WRECKING CREW '96**

 

Quick on her feet to register the situation, Yayoi began climbing up a ladder to a higher tier, taking one rung after another in rapid succession. Through the windows outside, Monokuma could be seen sitting in a large, black and white excavator, holding the remote control to a giant wrecking ball that swung around the building. The wrecking ball struck the side of the building again, collapsing another tier as Yayoi climbed, nearly wresting her grip from the rungs—but she kept strong, and climbed up to a platform above.

 

She swung herself up on top of a platform, and turned to survey her surroundings, only to be greeted with the sight of a large, black, cartoon-esque bomb marked with Monokuma's red bat-wing eye insignia. It loudly proclaimed, on a monitor stuck onto it, a “3,” that quickly became a “2.” Between the choice of a closer ladder that gained her less height and a farther ladder that gained her more, Yayoi looked at the bomb and decided on the closer ladder, climbing away from the bomb as the explosion blew the platform to bits, leaving her hanging over a great, fatal fall. Tiers continued to collapse as she climbed, leaving her ever closer to the edge of death.

 

Yayoi reached another platform, only to find another bomb, waiting to explode- but instead of climb, she looked towards the windows on the wall. She saw Monokuma outside, in his excavator. In that instant, something flashed in Yayoi's eyes, and her face twisted upwards in a crooked grin. Without missing a beat, she grabbed the bomb in front of her, and hurled it towards the wall between her and Monokuma. The bomb blew a hole in the wall, hastening the building's collapse greatly, but Yayoi took a step back and made a running leap towards the wall, flying several feet in the air and grabbing onto the bottom edge of the hole.

 

She pulled herself up just as quickly, and surveyed the surroundings of the great, white room she found herself in. The lighting was stark, fluorescent, and bright. Outside the collapsing building was Monokuma, as well as several steel beams marking the edge of the demolition zone, and the wrecking ball swinging around inside it. Several familiar gatling guns shot bits of debris from the collapsing building to bits to prevent a mess. Monokuma's eye went wide as he saw Yayoi on the edge of the building, and Yayoi took that opportunity to grab her hard hat and throw it like a discus towards the bear, knocking the remote control to the wrecking ball out of his hand. He yelped as it fell several feet below, to the ground, and shattered with a spark.

 

The wrecking ball came to a stop close enough for Yayoi to jump to it, and jump she did, her eyes not on Monokuma, but above and behind him; a stealthy, opaque glass case sat high on the wall, and that, not Monokuma, was her goal. Though the wrecking ball was a tough surface to scale, she scampered up it with ease, and took one more jump into the scoop of Monokuma's excavator, then leapt into the cabin.

 

“What do you think you're doing?!” Monokuma cried, but Yayoi brushed him off, grabbing at the controls of the excavator and swinging it around, then extending it upwards, giving her a path to climb higher. It still didn't quite reach the glass case she was aiming for, but after a moment, inspiration flashed in her eyes, and she grabbed Monokuma by the head. “Hey! Wha— What the heck do you think you're doing?!”

 

With the small bear wiggling in her grasp, Yayoi flung herself onto the top of the excavator's cabin. The gatling guns on the walls made an audible 'whirrrrr' as they began preparing to fire upon her for violating the rule against attacking Monokuma, but Yayoi, undeterred, ran up the excavator. “You're pretty bouncy, yeah?” Yayoi said.

 

“What does that have to do with anything!?” Monokuma said. “Put me down, you idiot!” But, of course, she did not. Instead, right before reaching the scoop, Yayoi jumped, then hurled Monokuma straight downwards into the scoop. The bouncy bear, shrieking, bounced back up out of the scoop, and Yayoi's feet managed to come into contact with him—and she jumped again, off of him, using Monokuma as a boost to give herself the last bit of height she needed to reach the glass case. She grasped onto its edge and flung herself up onto it, carefully balancing on the edge, her arms wide and splayed.

 

And the gatling guns...stopped. They didn't fire a single round. Not one.

 

Yayoi rapped her knuckles on the glass behind her, laughing. At first, it was a slight laugh, but soon, it was a loud, booming, triumphant laugh. “Hey there. You're in there, yeah? What's wrong? Why don't you just fill me full of holes, huh?”

 

But of course, if The End was in there, she couldn't shoot at Yayoi with the gatling guns. The bullets would tear through the glass and risk harming her, as well. Dust began to fill the air as the fake building fully collapsed, leaving a pile of rubble that was quickly tended to by several small service drones. Yayoi's feet quivered on the edge from the vibrations, but she held strong, keeping herself suspended.

 

“Come on,” Yayoi urged. “Hurry up. Show me your answer, End!”

 

The sound of gunfire tore through the air, but it wasn't from the gatling guns. From behind Yayoi, inside the glass, a bullet ripped through her midsection, leaving a hole in her chest. Then a second shot, and a third, and a fourth. Blood trickled out of the holes in Yayoi's torso, but, even as the pain and the force from behind pushed her off of the edge, she chuckled, keeping a smug grin on her face, aimed towards the faintly-visible red-gloved hand holding a gun she could see through the holes in the glass.

 

With a loud crack, Yayoi hit the ground, her grin never wavering for a second. If the blood was trickling before, it was seeping now, a great pool of red beginning to pour out from below her on the stark, white floor.

 

She wasn't alone, though. Monokuma began walking up to her still body, staring at her. He gazed at Yayoi with a complex, inscrutable mixture of emotions. “Why...did you do that?” He said. “When you were in the excavator with me, you... you could've tried to save yourself, or run away. Why'd you provoke the guns like that?”

 

With a sputter and a cough of blood, somehow, Yayoi managed to cling to life long enough to respond. “Maybe...it's something you don't get yet, kid—!!” She gritted her teeth, as several of her limbs stopped moving. “But I... proved my point. That's all.”

 

“...And what point is that?” Monokuma asked.

 

Yayoi Murasaki, the Ultimate Foreman, turned her head to look at Monokuma, the last thing she would ever see. With the last of her strength, she croaked out one last thing.

 

“That she _lost,_ ” she said. “I...win. I'm...the boss.”

 

Her eyes closed for the last time. Yayoi took one last shuddering breath, and finally ceased to be. Her body stopped moving. Blood stopped flowing from her wounds.

 

But she never stopped grinning.

 

The screens cut out.

 

* * *

 

 

The room was silent as the broadcast cut out. There was no need for commentary or explanations of what had occurred—the victim herself had put it in the plainest terms possible.

 

Claus turned to the elevator, and began to confidently stride towards it. “Come on, everyone. Let's go.”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said. She nodded, and began to follow. Soon, everyone in the group began to follow as well, and the elevator doors opened for them.

 

“What an absolute idiot,” Jun said. He still didn't look happy. “But...she did win, didn't she?”

 

“Yeah,” Gavin said. “Boss won. So we gotta win, too. For her sake.”

 

“For Boss's sake,” Rin agreed.

 

All eleven of them felt it in their own ways—of that, Rin was certain. The spirit Yayoi had left for them, her last wishes, wouldn't fall on deaf ears. No matter who died from this point on, no matter how many people actually managed to escape, in this moment, all eleven of them heard her words. Yayoi believed in them, so they needed to keep fighting.

 

As the elevator rode up, Rin grasped the hand of Shinobu, who was standing next to her. Shinobu didn't shy away. The elevator doors opened back up to the walls of Abilene, which happened to include the sight of a clock.

 

“Oh my goodness, it's five in the morning!” Claus said, frowning loudly. “I, er—”

 

“You'll be a wreck if you don't get to bed soon,” Kazuya said. “Honestly, so will I.”

 

“Alright.” Claus said. He cleared his throat. “The fourth level is no doubt open. Investigate on your own time, everyone, and report in for the breakfast meeting on Day Fifteen. I'll be off to bed, then. Goodnight.”

 

Most of the group followed Claus as he left the room, and Rin made to too, but hesitated when she realized that Shinobu and Hansuke weren't moving, but were in fact sitting down at the Lounge table as the elevator descended back down. “Uh, hey, guys. You gonna go to bed, or—?”

 

“Do you mind if she's here for this, Hansuke?” Shinobu suddenly said. “It would help my nerves.”

 

Hansuke shrugged. “Fine by me, I guess. But don't go blabbing what you hear tonight willy-nilly, got it?”

 

Rin sat down next to Shinobu, across the table from Hansuke. “So, um... This seems pretty important, what are we talking about?”

 

“Last I recall, the conversation ended...” Shinobu looked downward. “During discussion of the death of my parents.”

 

“Right.” Hansuke crossed his legs and leaned forward onto the table. “It's not exactly pleasant to remember, I know, but I need to know. How'd your folks die?”

 

Shinobu began to sweat, and gulped. Rin grabbed her shoulders, and asked, “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

 

“I'm alright.” Shinobu said. She was trembling, so she was clearly not 'alright,' but she nevertheless seemed to want to press forward. With a deep breath, she began to calmly recite the state of her parents' bodies, horribly wounded and mutilated, with the blood drained from their bodies and small holes in their necks. The detail with which Shinobu recalled the scene was almost frightening, and worried Rin no small amount, but Shinobu kept steady, though she did grip tighter and tighter onto Rin's arm as she spoke.

 

Hansuke listened, scratching his chin, and occasionally nodding. Once Shinobu had finished, he said, “I see,” and stood up.

 

“Did you get what you needed?” Rin said, her antenna curling towards Shinobu to try and curl itself around her as well.

 

Instead of responding, Hansuke walked over to their side of the table. Then, instead of saying anything, he did something Rin never saw coming—he got on his knees, and bowed down before the two of them, on the floor.

 

“This isn't nearly enough to repay you for the suffering my father inflicted on you,” Hansuke said, “but I'm sorry, Shinobu.”

 

There was a moment of silence. Then, Shinobu gave a vague noise of questioning, which she then more eloquently put as, “I don't understand what you mean.”

 

“Ah, yeah. I guess you wouldn't.” Hansuke said, getting back up onto his knees. “Well...lemme put it this way for you. You're the girl I've been looking for, Shinobu.”

 

“Eh?” Shinobu started back. “M-me? I am?” She began pawing at her own hair. “For whatever reason?”

 

“I guess I should reintroduce myself.” Hansuke sighed. “I'm Hansuke Yasuda, the son of the Vampire Killer. My pop's the one who killed your parents.”

 

Seventeen words. Two sentences. That was all it took to stun Rin and Shinobu into silence. The long night they'd gone through left with one last parting shot.

 


	35. Monokuma Theater 6

 

After a long darkness, there was a blinding light that tore into her eyes. As though she were returning from the grave, Miki Murasaki slowly awoke from a deep unconsciousness. Most children her age could probably scarcely imagine being used to the sensation of awakening from anesthesia after a surgery, but after so long of being ill it had become second nature.

 

Even before her senses came into full view, though, there was something different awakening... no, not 'some' thing. Multiple things. The first was a curious sense inside of her of _normal processing._ Several telltale signs of waking up had suddenly disappeared; there were no lancing aches in any of her organs, for one thing. She was breathing perfectly well. There was no unsettling numbness in any of her limbs, no further plays on the frightening roulette of 'how disabled am I this morning.' She couldn't feel any hemorrhaging from anywhere on her body as sensation fully returned to her skin.

 

The second thing, however, was that, ordinarily when she woke up, there was one person in the room, maybe two if Yayoi had been present. Others might come in shortly after, but the fact that three people were immediately present in the room was drastically different. She blinked away some of the blurriness to check, and yes, one of the three people was definitely Doctor Morinaga. He was discussing something with a nurse she recognized, a man with a goofy-looking bowl cut that was nonetheless probably pretty practical. Over to her side, another nurse, a woman with a ponytail, was checking on her equipment.

 

“Huh,” Miki mumbled. “Mmugh.”

 

“Oh, Doctor, she's awake!” Bowl Cut said. “Miki's waking up!”

 

“I can see that.” Doctor Morinaga said. She hadn't known him for long, but the Doctor had a certain, what was the word... She'd described it to the woman in the bed next to hers in the Hope's Peak on-call medical wing, and she'd used the word—'candor.' That was it. Doctor Morinaga had a very frank candor to him that Miki appreciated. A lot of doctors tended to use kid gloves with her because of her age, she'd observed, but he told it like it was.

 

“Mmmuffllrrffllmm.” Miki grumbled.

 

“Don't bite your tongue,” Doctor Morinaga said. “That'd be more work for both of us.”

 

“Mm.” Miki agreed.

 

Ponytail leaned over from the side of the bed, and said, “Well, Miki... Chiral reactions have been completely eliminated from your body. I think-”

 

“Oh come on, she's twelve, she's not going to know what chiral reactions are!” Bowl Cut said. That was pretty presumptuous of him. Of course she knew what chiral reactions were, _how_ long had she been ill with a disease that caused them? Bowl Cut seemed like kind of a prick. Or maybe he was just on edge, from the repeating himself earlier and all. Miki would've said this, but she still couldn't really move her tongue.

 

“The operation was a complete success, is what they're trying to say.” Doctor Morinaga said. “Congratulations, Miki. We've already scheduled a follow-up for six months from now, but assuming nothing goes wrong in that time, signs say you're cured.”

 

Oh. Huh. It hadn't fully hit Miki yet, probably. Cured. She was no longer ill, in other words. She wasn't sick. Well, that was the whole point of finding this doctor in the first place, wasn't it? Ah, god, she was sick of this whole tongue thing.

 

“Waah—” Miki gulped. She scraped her tongue with her teeth a few times, then on the nerves at the top of her mouth. “What's going on?” There we go. That probably didn't do anything, but it felt satisfying.

 

“Well, um, how are you feeling?” Ponytail said, in the sort of 'annoyingly cloying' mood people had before telling her bad news to try and make her feel 'comfortable.'

 

“I've been in a Hope's Peak hospital bed most of the week with the lady in the bed next to me talking my ear off about anime I've never heard of,” Miki said. “So I guess I'm alright.”

 

“Er, anime?” Bowl Cut blinked, and he looked at Ponytail. “Is she in the same room as...?” Ponytail nodded to him, and Bowl Cut groaned. “My condolences, Miki. I know that she can be quite eccentric-”

 

“She's better conversation than you are.” Miki said. Bowl Cut's eyes went wide and he sputtered a bit, and Ponytail giggle-snorted over it. “So why are you all here?”

 

“Well, er.” Bowl Cut, flustered over being owned by a tween, was red, and sputtering a bit. “Isn't it normal to—?”

 

“Miki.” Doctor Morinaga said. His face was dourer than usual. “I've... never been good at these sorts of things,” he said, frowning, “but you should know.”

 

“Yayoi's dead, isn't she?” Miki said. The looks on Bowl Cut and Ponytail's faces told her she was right on the money.

 

“Mm.” Doctor Morinaga mumbled. He pulled out an audio playback device, and hit play.

 

“Monokuma Theater 6,” it said.

 

“Well, or ordinarily I guess I'd be thinking up some smarmy way to put all this, right? But my heart's not in it this time. Well, it's never really 'in it' in it, I guess... To tell you the truth, this whole performance art thing isn't really my bag. I've always been better at the more visual arts, y'know? I mean like, painting, drawing, stuff like that. This whole stand-up comedy routine is really kind of a bummer.”

 

“Anyway, I should get on with the point. I want to tell you all about a woman I met two weeks ago, a woman named Yayoi Murasaki. You've probably gathered from the previous broadcasts, but the impression you'd get is that everyone here is somehow connected, right? Yayoi was the exception. She was barely even tangentially connected to the whole incident. The only crime she committed was accepting an invitation to Hope's Peak.”

 

“She was rude, crass, stubborn, bullheaded, the works. Out of everyone, she was the first person to defy me, to fight back against the killing game. She shouted at people, spent days trying to win a pointless mahjong game, and sometimes I don't even think she knew some people’s first names.”

 

“I'm not very...emotionally literate, I guess, so it's hard for me to put this into words. Something about Yayoi was different from everyone else, for me. I mean, I had a friend, too... You probably heard that in the third Theater. I miss Miria, too. But it was different. Yayoi was special, and not just because she was the exception to the rule. She had a spark, a life to her that was special, unlike anyone else I'd ever met. She was... strong.”

 

“...Yayoi is dead. She died a few hours ago, executed for the death of Daisuke Harada. But she wasn't a murderer. It was an accidental death, self-defense if you can even call it that. But even so, she did something that I didn't understand until I took a bit to think about it. Instead of trying to hide her crime and escape, she helped them figure it out, to give the rest of the group the strength to carry on after her death.”

 

“Even in her execution, she fought back. She beat the execution. The rules were broken to kill her. I...didn't quite get it when she told me that, when she gave me her last words. She said, 'I proved my point, that I won. That I'm the boss.' But I get it now that I've thought about it. She chose suffering for herself, to save the group, and fought back to prove that she made the right choice.”

 

“...This next part is to her sister, Miki. I...don't expect that you'll ever forgive the people responsible for your sister's death. And I can understand that. But...you may think you're alone in the world, now, and I want to tell you that that's not true. Yayoi passed on her feelings to the other people here. I don't know how many will survive, but... There's a bunch of people in here who Yayoi's given her blessing to try and be your family in some way. They're good people, and Yayoi trusted them all so much she gave her life for them.”

 

“...I donno where I was going with this. So, um... I hope you got it.”

 

“...”

 

“Oh, looks like my time's almost up. I should cut off the broadcast. If anyone else dies, Monokuma Theaters will probably resume normal broadcasting. I'll let you know.”

 

“I really admired her.”

 

The broadcast ended.

 

“Oh,” Miki said. “I see.”

 

* * *

 

 

Back in her room, Miki lay in her bed, silent. She looked up to the ceiling's fluorescent light long enough that it left an imprint in her eyes when she closed them. She briefly considered asking someone to turn it off, but the window was closed, so that would leave the room dark, and she didn't want dark right now.

 

“And, let's see... Oh! Let me tell you about Fate/stay night!” Glasses said, sitting in a chair across from Miki's bed.

 

Glasses was the other woman staying in this room. Long, straight-cut blue hair, with glasses, obviously. Miki hadn't learned her name yet after a week of staying with her, on account of the fact that she'd spent most of that time worrying about Yayoi and had forgotten to ask. Miki had, however, once asked how old Glasses was, and Glasses had said, 'Oh, I'm about the same age as you.'

 

Glasses was not the same age as Miki. Miki was twelve.

 

“The Fate series is really fascinating.” Glasses said. “It's a fantasy action slash drama series regarding the intricacies of the Holy Grail War, a war between magi in which Heroic Spirits from history and legend are summoned to do battle against each other. The original protagonist, for instance, summoned King Arthur as a Saber-class servant, oh, though, er, I suppose that's a bit of a spoiler, since Saber is a woman and you're not supposed to immediately know that she's King Arthur.”

 

“How is she a king, then?” Miki said.

 

“Merlin used his magic to trick the people of Britain into thinking she was a man. It's a bit of a long story.” Glasses said.

 

“Mm.” Miki mumbled.

 

“And even though it's structured with a three-route structure with an according heroine for each like a traditional romantic visual novel, the protagonist's character arc progresses metatextually over the three routes in order, so by the end of the third route, he's a completely different character than when he started.” Glasses said. “You can see this happen when he does battle with his future self and the flaws of his own ideals in the second route.”

 

“Why is his future self there?” Miki said.

 

“Well, in the future he becomes a Counter Guardian, which, well, for all intents and purposes, it means that he's one of the Heroic Spirits summoned in the Grail War. So his future self is summoned to the past and tries to kill himself in the past to stop himself from becoming a hero.” Glasses said.

 

“Oh.” Miki said. “What an idiot.”

 

“Hehe, yes, well, he's still a very cool character, both of him.” Glasses said. “You know, Miki, I really appreciate having someone around to talk to about this! They don't really put people in my room, and when they do, they usually ask not to talk to me.” She was smiling pretty brightly, and seemed almost to sparkle. “I so appreciate you listening!”

 

Miki, staring at Glasses, finally gave voice to a question she'd had for some time. “How do they let you keep your glasses around? Couldn't you poke your eyes out with those?”

 

“Well, if you're plain enough, nobody really notices if you have something you shouldn't.” Glasses said. “And I'm very plain,” said the clearly odd woman.

 

“'I see, said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw.'” Miki quoted something she'd heard Yayoi say one time.

 

“I think you'd make a really good Mordred, Miki!” Glasses said, her eyes scanning Miki in this odd, but harmless-seeming way that Glasses tended towards. “Yes, definitely. You have just the right color of hair!”

 

“Mordred? Like King Arthur's son?” Miki said. “I thought King Arthur was a woman. Was Morgan le Fay a man?”

 

“No, Merlin magically enchanted Artoria to give her a temporary magical penis so she could procreate with Guinevere and legitimize her marriage to keep up the facade of being the rightful king of Britain.” Glasses said. “But then Morgan stole some of Artoria's semen and used it to create a magical clone of her, and that's Mordred in the Nasuverse.”

 

“That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.” Miki said.

 

“I actually think Mordred's a rather fascinating character, in-context.” Glasses said. Her eyes sparkled. “And his armor is sooooo cooooool! I actually have a set somewhere around here, but, oh, well, it's a bit big for you right now, it's built for my figure, after all...” She flitted around Miki's body, sizing her up. It was creepy the first time, and Miki had attempted to smack her in the jaw, but by now she was used to it.

 

That said, though, it occurred to Miki now that despite having been in here for a week with this weirdo, she'd never really asked about Glasses other than the age thing. She wasn't sure why, but Miki asked, “Why don't people talk to you?”

 

“Oh, who knows?” Glasses sighed wistfully. “Perhaps the normies are too overwhelmed by my aura of plainness to notice me. It's a sad state of affairs, Miki. Young ladies like us being ignored like this...”

 

“Well, you said they ask not to talk to you.” Miki said. “That means they notice you're here. It seems like you have a reputation.”

 

“It seems like a lot of the newer or more temporary staff members find me vaguely frightening,” Glasses said. “Which is quite unfortunate! It's plain to see I'm not particularly scary, right, Miki?”

 

“Eh,” Miki shrugged. “You are kinda scary, actually. Maybe if you calmed down a bit about the anime.”

 

“How blunt!” Glasses started back. “Is this the candor of a child? Oh, do you remember what 'candor' means, Miki?”

 

“Of course,” Miki said. “I used it today, even.”

 

Glasses might've been odd, but she was actually a very effective tutor. She seemed to delight in imparting information, and had been teaching Miki about any number of things in the week they'd known each other. If nothing else, Miki would leave this period of her life far more worldly than she'd entered, and not just about anime she'd never heard of because it was multiple centuries before her time.

 

_“No matter how goddamn loony, each person's got something to add, you got that, kid? So don't you go saying you're a burden on me. Like hell I'll let my baby sister say that.”_

 

“—Kkhhh!!” Miki bit back a sudden swell of emotion from within her chest. She tried to make the flinch as silent as possible, but Glasses was pretty perceptive.

 

“Oh my goodness, are you alright?” Glasses said, leaning over to dote on Miki like a nurse. “Is your illness acting up?”

 

Miki blinked at her. “...I got cured today.”

 

Brightening up in an instant, Glasses's concern shifted to glee. “Oh, that's amazing, Miki! I'm so happy for you!” She grasped Miki's hand, earnestly glad as though she herself was cured. “That's really, truly amazing! I'm so proud that you've managed to hold out this long!”

 

“...Wouldn't you have heard me get taken off for surgery?” Miki said. “You're right next to me.”

 

“Oh, I was working.” Glasses said. ...She had a _job?_ “I'm so sorry, Miki. I should've been there to cheer you on.” She visibly flinched herself. “How shameful of me!”

 

“Uh... I mean, if you had work, that's fine...” Miki mumbled. _Do you really care that much?_ She thought. “You...work?”

 

“Absolutely!” Glasses said, smiling brightly. “I take a lot of pride in my work. It's not easy, but it's so rewarding!” Her eyes were shining. “What do you think I do, Miki?”

 

Miki blinked. She hadn't expected to answer. “You're, uh...” She snapped her fingers. “You do... y'know, that thing you do. Cos...costuming?”

 

“Oh, the wide world of cosplay is so gleaming and beautiful, Miki!” Glasses sparkled, a rabid look in her eye. “It's such a wonderful thing to share with everyone, to have fellowship over!” But, surprisingly, she shook her head. “But, though I love it, it's just a hobby. An important one, but a hobby.”

 

“Then what do you do?” Miki said.

 

“I'm a teacher, silly!” Glasses said. Wait, _what?_

 

“You...” Miki gaped a bit. The urge to stop herself from giving a really stupid face lost out to the sheer bafflement she felt at this idea. “At what school?” She scoffed. “Old Anime College?”

 

“At _Hope's Peak,_ silly!” Glasses said. “It's plain to see, isn't it? After all, it's very convenient that I'm a patient in the medical wing of my own workplace, isn't it?”

 

Miki had, admittedly, briefly forgotten that this was one part of a high school. “So you're a teacher here who's also a full-time in-patient at the medical ward.” Glasses nodded. “That's really weird.”

 

“It is a bit of an unusual situation,” Glasses said. She giggled.

 

“Are you even sick?” Miki said. “Aren't there better places on the campus to live?” There were some pretty damn nice student dormitories, for instance.

 

“I actually have my own little suite here!” Glasses said. “Unfortunately, I had a bit of an attack recently, so I had to be moved here for the time being, for my own safety. You understand.”

 

“Are...” Miki stammered. It was so odd to ask this question herself after months, years, of hearing it from other people. “Is it... Will you ever be cured?”

 

Glasses, in a gesture Miki recognized, sadly shook her head. “Some studies say that there's still a slight possibility, but it's plain to see that I'll be living with my issues for the rest of my life.” She was still smiling as she said it, though. “It's hard for me to live anywhere else as a result.”

 

Sympathy would probably come first to many people, but to Miki, the first thing that came to her was rolling her eyes, and saying, “What, is 'plain to see' your catchphrase or something?”

 

“Can't a girl have her own catchphrase?” Glasses giggled again. “Why, working at Hope's Peak with the most colorful teenagers you'll ever meet, it's a good thing I do have so many quirks and flaws, or else I'd never be able to keep up!”

 

This woman was...strange. She was definitely strange. Strange, strange, strange. Miki was, even after a week, unsure of what to make of her. This new information explained some things, but raised further questions. Glasses was just _odd._ Like, did she ever leave? Did she have friends outside of school? Did— Did she— No, no, don't ask that—

 

“What—” Stop it, stop i— “—about—” No, no, no, no— “—your—” Why, why, why can't I keep my mouth shut— “—family?” Miki said.

 

Glasses's smile fell into a more neutral position. “Oh, I don't have a family.”

 

“So...” Miki looked down, suddenly feeling quite cold. “You don't...have anybody?”

 

“Well, I have my students, and I have the headmaster, and the medical staff here.” Glasses said. She was back to smiling. “That's my family. I'm broken, but if I give all my tiny little shards to them, I think, maybe I can hold myself just a bit closer together.” No, now her smile was...purer. Brighter. “I love Hope's Peak! I'm so grateful to this school and everyone in it for giving me the chance to be just a little bit less broken... Er, Miki?” Glasses leaned in.

 

“No,” Miki sniffled. She was crying. She was crying. Stop crying. Stop crying. “Shut up, I'm not...” Stop crying in front of Glasses. Look at her. She looks so worried. Why are you still crying. “I'm... I...”

 

“Miki, honey...” Glasses leaned in a bit further and patted Miki's head. That ticked Miki off, so she batted Glasses's arm away.

 

“Well, that's great for you, isn't it?” Miki choked. “That's...just great. But now I'm all alone. What am I supposed to do? What do I do?! What do I even do now that Yayoi's dead?!” Her voice began to reach a fever pitch, and she began pounding against Glasses's chest. “I don't even have a family anymore! I'm all alone! I survive this long, suffering every day, and now my reward is that my sister gets murdered by some psycho! It's not fair, it's not fair, _it's not fucking fair!_ ” She shrieked and sobbed against Glasses.

 

Most adults tended to chide her when she used such coarse language. Glasses didn't, though. Glasses just wrapped her arms around Miki, lightly taking hold. Several minutes passed, or at least, it felt that way to Miki. Eventually, her crying subsided to a degree where she could hear Glasses speak.

 

“For the time being...maybe I can be a start, Miki.” Glasses said. “I want to be the start of your new family.” Then she started laughing to herself. “Oh, that's such a classic line. Where have I heard that before? No, it couldn't have been any of the most famous romances, it must've been something more indie.”

 

Despite herself, despite everything, Miki chuckled dryly. “You're such a weirdo, Glasses.” A few moments passed in which Miki considered Glasses—this odd woman of unknown age who apparently really cared after spending a week cooped up in the same room as Miki—before realizing she'd called her 'Glasses' out loud and had never actually learned her name. “Uh.”

 

Glasses blinked. “Er. 'Glasses?'”

 

Being in grief over the loss of your sister, ow it hurt again, was one thing, but admitting she'd never known Glasses's name was just embarrassing. Had to happen, though. “I, uh-”

 

Glasses lit up. “Wow! 'Glasses!' I have a nickname now! Miki gave me a nickname!” She began prancing about the room, really...proud of this...? “This is going great already! Be proud of yourself, Glasses!” She giggled to herself.

 

Miki groaned. “I can't deal with this. I'm going back to sleep.” She turned back over in her bed and placed her pillow over her head. She'd deal with this pain in the ass in the morning. ...Son of a bitch, it was still only five o'clock. Why couldn't time move faster?

 

* * *

 

 

The sounds of impacts, repeated and hard, echoed through the control room. A fist repeatedly slamming into a wooden arm, a leg meeting a wooden leg.

 

“What the hell is this!?” The End screeched. She punched the arm of the wooden dummy she had strung up. “What the hell was that?!” She punched it in the stomach. “What the hell is this?!” She grabbed its arm and twisted with more force than was really necessary, but not enough to break it off. After all, it would be a lot of trouble if the arm came completely off; she'd come in danger of that the last time she attacked the dummy, and it was quite troublesome.

 

The lights in the room were off, so an outside observer would probably have some trouble discerning the black and white bear laying limp on the floor next to The End as she did this. “It seems pretty obvious to me,” Monokuma said.

 

_Wham._ The End's fist buried itself into the dummy's gut again. Monokuma's stomach caved, but he didn't noticeably react. “Excuse me, young man, I am not appreciating this solo on the sassophone you're playing right now!” The End said.

 

It was a simple setup the two of them had here. Monokuma was not only dangerous in a fight, but he was also quite bouncy and difficult to hurt. As such, in order to properly punish him, The End had rigged his pain and injury sensors onto this human-shaped wooden dummy, so that she could wail on him as a more proper target.

 

“ _First_ of all,” The End said, hissing as she did, locking her gaze onto the wretched bear on the floor at her side, “what in the world was that Monokuma Theater? You know very well that wasn't the intended broadcast in the event of Yayoi's death!”

 

“The writing on the one you wrote was pretty bad,” Monokuma said. “I hated it, so I made up my own— Ggghhhk!” He recoiled from a punch to the dummy's head, his senses going white.

 

“That!” A second punch to the head. “Was not!” A third. “The!” Fourth. “Ar-range-ment!” By the seventh, she wrung out her hand. It probably stung from all the impacts. “I give you all this freedom, all this safety, and you still betray me. How could you do this to me? Why? Do you hate me that much? Is that it?”

 

Monokuma took a shuddering gasp, then said, “Don't act like you're the victim heaa, aaaagh, ghhh!” Though Monokuma was, of course, a bear, and a cartoon one at that, The End had been certain to rig his pain sensors on the dummy to reflect his identity as 'male.'

 

“Why aren't they all crying, huh?” The End said, her voice filled with a seething malice. “Why aren't they all sad, angry, scared? Why are they...” She gritted her teeth. “What's going _on!?_ ”

 

“Do you...really not get it?” Monokuma wheezed out. “Wow. You're pathetic. It's 'cause Yayoi beat you—” A roundhouse kick to the leg caused him to trail off. Having his mouth open when he was attacked caused her to get more satisfying noises, so he'd rather keep his mouth shut.

 

“She's _dead!_ ” The End shrieked. “Yayoi is dead! I shot her dead! She didn't 'win' anything, you shut your stupid mouth!” She stomped her foot on the ground, throwing her hands up in the air like she was a child throwing a temper tantrum. “I won! I'm the winner! I won!”

 

“You have...” Monokuma said. “...a very narrow definition...of 'victory.' Don't you.”

 

The End briefly reared up to attack the dummy again, but upon looking at the sorry, wrecked state it was in right now, she spat and stopped. “I hope you learned your lesson, young man.” She kneeled down to him and put on a chiding voice.

 

“Your plan failed completely,” Monokuma said, unable to move from his position on the floor. “Get over it already.”

 

“It did not!” The End pouted.

 

“Admit it. You fucked up,” Monokuma said. “Plan A was doomed to fail from the start, because you didn't do your research. Plan B failed because you relied on _Daisuke_ to actually kill someone. Plan C never even existed to begin with, because Yayoi decided to sacrifice herself instead. So here you are, and instead of having another death to strike fear into their hearts, you've got all eleven of them becoming better friends and working together.” He smirked at her from the ground with what little strength he had right now, after talking so much.

 

After a moment of silence, The End said, “Don't worry.” She mumbled it again to herself, 'don't worry, don't worry.' “I just need to turn it around somehow. Right? This is my Chance for a Big Reversal!” She grinned. “Haha, I'll think of something.” She laughed to herself.

 

“Well, aren't we an underdog,” Monokuma said. “I feel so bad for you.”

 

The mood in the room changed again, to become something colder, more introspective, more subtly frightening. The End's voice was low and somber. “Do you...hate me?” It was almost a whisper.

 

Monokuma laughed. It hurt to laugh. “My answer hasn't changed since the last time you asked that.”

 

“Why...” There were tears welling up in her eyes. “Why do you hate me so much? Why, huh? Why, why? I don't understand!”

 

“Why...do I hate you?” Monokuma said. He did his very best to roll the optic sensor behind his bat wing eye. “Are you kidding me? Isn't it obvious?”

 

“It's...” The End gritted her teeth. “I bet... I bet it's her fault, isn't it?” She smiled to herself, assured of her own correctness. “Yeah, that's it, it's her fault! It's her fault you hate me so much! Her fault, her fault, all her fault!”

 

The End began furiously stomping her foot, clenching her fists and growling, cursing the name of the person she hated most in the world, more than anyone else, more than any other person, any other thing in this entire world.

 

“Nanako,” The End said. “Nanako. Nanako, Nanako, Nanako! It's all her fault! It's all Nanako's fault!”

 

The eleven participants of the game didn't even know the name 'Nanako.' But here The End was, screaming it like a woman possessed. She swung her arms around in a rampage, sending files and clipboards and folders flying to the floor off of various shelves and consoles, all the while screaming 'Nanako, Nanako, Nanako!'

 

“Yeah!” The End said, taking off her hat and gripping it tightly. “Yeah, that's right! It's all Nanako's fault! I just have to beat her, right? I just have to beat Nanako and then you'll know I'm right, everyone will know I'm right, right? That's it, right?!” She started laughing.

 

“Pfft.” Monokuma couldn't help but laugh a bit. “You'll...never beat Nanako. Keep dreaming.”

 

“Hahaha, I just have to beat Nanako, right?” The End said. “Haha! I'll beat her! I'll beat her, I'll beat Nanako! I'll beat her, you'll see!”

 

One of The End's hairs—her 'antenna'—wobbled wildly as she laughed in her mad glee. Monokuma just sat there, with no recourse but to listen to her wild cackling, and wait for morning to come.

 

 

**Students Remaining: 11**

**#1 - Gavin Sakaki, Ultimate Buddy**

 

**#2 - Hansuke Yasuda, Ultimate Salesman**

 

**#7 - Chihaya Inoue, Ultimate Ghost**

 

**#8 - Luan Yun-Fat, Ultimate Masseuse**

 

**#9 - Claus Toranosuke, Ultimate Principal**

 

**#12 - Stella Masaki, Ultimate Commentator**

 

**#13 - Kazuya Okudaira, Ultimate Orator**

 

**#14 - Shinobu Koshimizu, Ultimate Mystery Novelist**

 

**#15 - Yashiro Narumi, Ultimate Strongman**

 

**#16 - Jun Fukuyama, Ultimate Net Admin**

 

**#17 - Rin Hashizawa, Ultimate Roboticist  
**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this, we've passed the midgame. The battle between the mastermind and the students will now reach a new level. How are you faring? It's likely the previous case wasn't all that difficult for you, but perhaps it's not necessary for each case to be 'difficult.' So long as you find yourself satisfied, that's the most important thing.
> 
> In the Ultimate Despair killing games, many times, double killings, cases with two victims, occurred. Many times, they came third. Why is that? Cleaning out the chaff, those unnecessary for the story? Gutsiness on the part of the killer? More often than not, the answer is, 'there's no meaning to anything a killer does.' Trading two lives for a mansion staffed with vampires. Killing twice out of a twisted love. 
> 
> Two victims died in this case with no culprit. This is the truth of the case. There can be no meaning to the actions of one who does not exist.
> 
> This concludes the Third Case, "While My Sitar Gently Weeps." Next will be the Fourth Case. However, from here on, we may occasionally be interrupted by the fight of those who wish to defeat The End from outside. Pardon the intrusion.
> 
> From me, and from everyone inside and outside Compound VK, thank you for reading.
> 
> Good luck in the rest of your battle.


	36. Intermission, 1 ~ Your Mind is the Ultimate Tool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say 'occasionally?' 'Occasionally' includes right now. Pardon the misunderstanding, and to all those reading, Happy New Year. Let's make it a great 2018.

 

The nation of Japan had many noteworthy sights. Even at the tail end of the 22nd century, when the aftermath of Ultimate Despair had led many nations to come together in a way they hadn't before and form a more stable global community, the island nation off the coast of the greater Asian continent possessed many unique experiences for any worldly individual to absorb.

 

Among them, as anyone who knew anything knew, was the administrative building of Hope's Peak Academy, the academy of talent that once itself ended the world. It was something of a miracle that it even still existed, but Makoto Naegi was nothing if not a miracle worker in his time. Though Hope's Peak had drastically changed since then, both physically and in terms of goals and morals, its administrative building still retained the same architecture, the high-rising building in the midst of the Rokumei cityscape. Were they to change that specific building, people would riot, just like when people rioted for the changes to the design of Superman, or to the formula of Coca-Cola.

 

As such, they had maintained the original Hope's Peak building as the administrative building of the campus, all five of its floors serving some purpose or another. In particular, the headmaster's office, though it had been greatly redesigned, had not actually been moved in almost two centuries. Having read through a great deal of prior case files, this meant that the woman who had just driven up on her motorcycle to the front of said administrative building knew exactly where she was expected to go.

 

She removed her helmet, allowing her mostly-purple (though with a grey coif at the top resulting from a quirk of genetics she, and nobody else, up to and including her family, understood) hair to be let loose. She'd been warned at times that keeping too much hair in a motorcycle helmet might be a bad idea, but her locks were part of her personal brand, and she wouldn't change them for the life of her. Of course, wearing a dress, even one as high-slit as hers, was probably also a bad idea, and she had never let that stop her.

 

Carrying her helmet with her, under her shoulder, nestled in her red and purple cloak, she entered through the front doors, as, no doubt, any number of protagonists had done before. Someone at a desk to the side offered to guide her, but she waved them off, saying that she knew where she was going.

 

Exit the front hall, turn left. Pass what was once the school nurse's office, pass a set of bathrooms... She checked to ensure that her boots were tied, as she occasionally forgot to tie them before leaving home. The second floor was straight on and up through there. Pass by what was presumably still some sort of pool or another, who knew, another set of bathrooms, turn left, up to the third floor. Left, past what was once the rec room, a while on, turn right, pass what was once the art room, turn right briefly, up to the fourth floor. Up once more, another set of bathrooms...

 

“Have you ever noticed,” she said to a passing employee of some description, “that you directly pass three sets of restrooms to get to this floor even if you make no side trips? It seems a bit unnecessary to me.” She laughed lightly and walked off, leaving said employee with the look of slow realization on her face. Pass the music room, turn left, pass the office, and ah, here was the headmaster's office.

 

Walking through the doors with her cloak fluttering, she came to a room with only two people in it, or rather, she could assume that there was a second person in it. Around a central table stood a particularly old woman with a crow on her shoulder, and behind that table, at the headmaster's seat, was a plush doll of a particularly grizzled-looking shark. Naturally, she came up to the table, swung into a seat, and kicked her legs up on the table.

 

There was a silence in the room for a moment before the old woman—Tomoe Narumi—said, “And just who are you supposed to be?”

 

“Nice entrance, kid.” The shark doll puffed on a similarly plush cigar. Was that a Sicilian accent? It sounded Sicilian. “Don't you worry, honey. This is the 'expert' I called in to 'take care' of that End character.”

 

Producing a glass of water from within her cloak, she handed it to Ms. Narumi. “It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Narumi. **My name is Ruri Bessho, and many, including our Headmaster here, call me the Ultimate Data Analyst.** I've been called to join the main cast of this incident.”

 

Tomoe raised her eyebrow. The crow on her shoulder took wing for a moment to give an appraising glance across Ruri's person, then returned to its perch. “Hm. Curious. It seems Sakuya likes you.”

 

“Why, I'm glad to hear it.” Ruri said. “It's always good to be in the esteem of animals.”

 

“Now then, let's get down to business.” The shark doll said. “We've got—”

 

“It's actually rather curious,” Ruri said. “When Ultimate Despair ran its killing games, rarely, if ever, did the main cast go above numbering seventeen; sixteen students, and one crony of Ultimate Despair, lacking in originality, fulfilling the will of Junko Enoshima.”

 

The shark doll did not blink, because it did not possess eyelids, but it made a movement that indicated that the Headmaster was blinking. “Excuse me?”

 

“Oh, you know, Izuru Kamukura? Cimber Tillius? Eva Banville? Chiyoko Tachibana? Akira Tsuchiya?” Ruri said. “Others? I've been reading up on the previous case files in this ilk in preparation for dealing with the situation, and there's a remarkable amount of consistency, you know. Very occasionally, perhaps you upscaled a bit, but the level of consistency to the no-more-than-seventeen-strong main cast was quite something, considering.”

 

“And your point?” Tomoe said.

 

“Meanwhile, here, currently our main cast numbers twenty-two.” Ruri said. “It's simply curious, is all. Yourselves, myself, The End and her little helper, and the seventeen captives themselves. Naturally, The End has acknowledged you, Headmaster, as a worthwhile adversary, which also places us-”

 

“Hold on a second, sugarcheeks.” The shark doll said. “Whaddya mean, 'seventeen' captives? We've had sixteen students kidnapped.”

 

“Ah, you're not aware?” Ruri said. “Well, I suppose I am advantaged in this department. Before I continue, for the sake of my own internal monologue, what is the name of this shark character, anyhow?”

 

“I'm Don Lino, boss of the Sharkcilian mob,” Don Lino, boss of the Sharkcilian mob, said. “What's it to you?”

 

“Thank you, Don Lino, boss of the Sharkcilian mob.” Ruri nodded to Don Lino. “In any case, before I continue, let me ask you. What do you believe the greatest weapon in the world is?”

 

“There's many things worthwhile on a battlefield,” Tomoe said. “But if I were to choose one... it would clearly be information.”

 

“Exactly.” Ruri smiled. “Information is key to victory. In a battle, what you and your opponent do or do not know is key to the outcome of the battle. To control information is to control the flow of battle.” She wagged her finger. “While leaving your opponent in the dark can be effective at times, The End has instead opted to specifically disseminate information through her Monokuma Theater broadcasts and the few direct contacts she's had with you, Headmaster. Naturally, I've already reached a conclusion through these broadcasts.”

 

“What, already?” Don Lino whistled. “That's quite a cranium you got there.”

 

“It's the wrong conclusion, though.” Ruri said. “You see, in a situation such as this, The End is disseminating information in a manner to attempt to guide our thinking. Since she thinks she knows what we know, she thinks she knows what we think, so in order to know what she is thinking, we have to know what she thinks we think based on what she thinks we know.”

 

“But what if she knows what we think she thinks we think based on what she thinks we know?” Don Lino said.

 

Ruri waved a hand dismissively. “I assure you she's not that clever.” She removed her legs from the table and leaned forward, hands joined. “Returning to my original point, yes, 'seventeen' captives. The sixteen Ultimates of the 263rd Class and another high school girl named Rin Hashizawa, the 'Girl H' mentioned in the Monokuma Theater broadcasts.”

 

“Ah, so you're also familiar with her.” Tomoe said. “Interesting. How did you come to that conclusion?”

 

“Oh, did you not inform her, Headmaster?” Ruri cocked an eyebrow. “Ms. Narumi, are you familiar with the contents of the Monokuma Theaters?”

 

“I've checked the manifest.” Tomoe said.

 

“Yours truly happens to be the 'Girl B' mentioned in the very first Monokuma Theater.” Ruri said. “B? For my surname? You understand. Naturally, I'd know exactly who the Girl H in question was, and I assure you there's no other candidates.” She sighed wistfully, and looked away at a very interesting spot on the floor. “A shame, though. I suppose even I make mistakes sometimes. I wish she had said something, she probably would've made a far better match for me than young Aoto had.”

 

“I, er...actually didn't know that.” Don Lino said. “I mean, I thought it was possible'n all, but I didn't _know_ it.”

 

“Aoto's a lovely boy, you know, but he's not very deep.” Ruri said. “You take a single glance at Aoto and you know what you're getting, which is perhaps why he was my first foray into an immature romance. Now, of course, I am aware that I'm simply a bit romantically illiterate.” Her fist subtly clenched. “Even so, he was still a good friend of mine. Killing him in a manner like this, and involving another dear friend as well, is absolutely unforgivable.” She gritted her teeth. “And then to add insult to injury, she goes and gives me an insulting name like 'Girl B' and treats me like a bit background character. I was already offended, it's not as though she needed to go any further.”

 

“But how do you know that this, ah, 'Rin Hashizawa' character's a captive, anyhow?” Don Lino said, waving his cigar.

 

“Well, naturally, because she also went missing around the same time as the other captives.” Ruri said. “Her current guardian just didn't bother to report it, so it went largely unnoticed. Dreadful state of affairs, really, I assure you I gave her aunt a piece of my mind, but that's beside the point. In any case, if our mastermind is attempting to use her backstory as a piece of this demented puzzle of hers, there's no doubt that Rin is involved, no?” She turned to Tomoe. “And what is your familiarity with her, ma'am?”

 

“Yashiro told me a few times about an eccentric friend he made while we were touring in Okinawa.” Tomoe said. “Called herself Rin Hashizawa.”

 

That gave Ruri a bit of pause, so she mumbled, “Okinawa, hm...?” to herself. “Interesting. Interesting, interesting. I'll have to file that for further consideration. In any case, it's worth considering that due to the affluence of the Hashizawas, it's likely that The End wants us to _think_ that she is, in fact, Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“Oho.” Tomoe hummed. “Tell us more.”

 

“If she simply wished to kill the class, she could do so without leaving such an obvious trail.” Ruri said. “While there is a great deal of malice here, killing games are nonetheless meant to be watched, no? Think about it this way.” From her cloak, she whipped out her trusty go board, and slapped it down on the table. She also produced her trusty bag of multi-colored candies.

 

“The Silverberg Method?” Tomoe's eye slightly widened. “I didn't know anyone still practiced it.”

 

“I am an expert, after all.” Ruri chuckled. With deft, highly practiced movements of the hands, Ruri placed several of her candies onto the board. “The End kidnaps sixteen high school students, who are, almost without exception, acquainted somehow with Rin Hashizawa, and begins setting them against each other in a killing game, airing their dark secrets over radio transmission after their death. The _natural_ culprit to assume is Rin Hashizawa herself, especially considering her conveniently-timed disappearance along with the others. In addition, The End has not only broadcast herself, but she does not filter her voice or appearance, and in fact, as I recall from reading the transcripts, her fashion _specifically_ calls her femininity to attention, no?”

 

“So you're saying she's trying to _frame_ Hashizawa as the culprit, eh?” Don Lino puffed on his cigar.

 

“Absolutely.” Ruri said. “Whosoever The End may be, she wants us to think that Rin Hashizawa is the mastermind behind this game.” She sighed. “For what purpose, I haven't the foggiest. Perhaps some sort of grudge. Incidentally, Headmaster, which members of this class identify as female?”

 

“We ain't gotten any reports of anything past what you'd expect just yet.” Don Lino said. “So it's just the eight you'd expect, yeah? Why?”

 

“Oh, just ensuring I knew your perspective in the case that one of the students is the mastermind.” Ruri said. “In that case, considering the students that have died, that would narrow down the possible student masterminds to three. Based on their psychological profiles, I highly doubt any of the remaining male students is either transgender _or_ such a dangerous individual.”

 

“Er, I'd rather not think one of my students is such a bastard, Miss Bessho.” Don Lino said. “But wait, three? Wouldn't it be four?”

 

Ruri almost began speaking, but then she remembered that her having read the personal journals of Mr. 'Maho' Okudaira, whatever his actual name may be, was technically an invasion of privacy, and would not come across particularly well. “Ah, yes. Four. I'm sure.” She nodded. “But at any rate, I don't particularly suspect any of them, and as such I've decided to consider The End a separate entity for the time being.”

 

“Well that's all well and good, lady, but the question is, what do we do?” Don Lino said. “All the motive in the world doesn't help us if we can't help ourselves.”

 

“I believe that we'll be receiving assistance that will allow me to further explain my findings in roughly one minute.” Ruri said. She checked her watch. “Mm, forty-five seconds.”

 

After thirty seconds, the crow, Sakuya, ratcheted her neck up, noticing something. “What is it, girl?” Tomoe said. “What have you noticed?”

 

“I believe that two people are about to come through that door.” Ruri said. “Two women, one a teenager and one of highly uncertain age. The teenager will no doubt trip on the door as she bursts it open.” She raised her fingers. “Three, two, one—”

 

“RuuuuuriiiiiiIIIIII!” cried a teenage girl's voice as she charged through the door, stomping into the room before completely bowling herself over on the boundary of the door, flipping one hundred and ninety-six degrees in midair and landing on her back. She was tall, lean, wiry, very athletic overall, wearing a white shirt, running shorts, a sweater wrapped around her waist, and white sneakers. She was just as tan as the last time Ruri had seen her, and still possessed the same number of freckles. This was completely as expected.

 

What was not as expected was the small teen boy the girl had been carrying in her arms, who cried, “Suzukage-san, your fastness is muzukashii to compreheeeeend!” as he flew through the door and out of her arms, striking the back of Ruri's chair and sending her, also, spilling to the ground. She was not used to being laid on the ground, and noticed a dull ache in her forehead.

 

“Oh goodness, that was quite a spill!” said the woman of highly uncertain age, running in behind them. “Are you two alright? People die when they're killed, you know, so be careful!”

 

“Somehow, you always find a way to surprise me, Kotone.” Ruri said, muffled by the floor, to the girl who'd come spilling through the door. “A plus one was within my calculations, but your plus two here was quite a surprise.”

 

This character, whose name was Kotone, hopped up from the ground with her characteristic rapidity, and rolled up the already-short sleeve on her white shirt, clenching her fist and huffing at Ruri, whose shoulders she grabbed, pulling her back to standing. “That's not important right now, Ruri! What have I told you about just running off like that? Come on, you pull out the motorcycle and I don't get to ride?” Her eyes glowed with an intense radiance. “We're buddies, right? And buddies take their buddies on sweet road trips on their motorcycles!”

 

“My side car was in the shop for repairs.” Ruri said. “And in any case, you're always there when I need you, Kotone, so there was no need to worry. See? Here you are!”

 

“Argh!” Kotone grumbled. “One of these days, I'm just gonna _not_ show up, you know that? I'll just be a total no-show and you'll have no idea what happened!” She turned away and groaned to the ceiling, huffing again. “Then see how you wind up feeling!”

 

“You care about me more than you care about my motorcycle, dear.” Ruri laughed.

 

Kotone turned on her heel after a moment, grinning goofily. “Yeah, you're right.” She gave a thumbs-up gesture. “Glad I could show up in time!”

 

The almost-forgotten boy, on the other hand, shakily stood up. Ruri took inventory. He was a fair brunette, small and baby-faced, bright green eyes, compass needle hairclips between his ears and his poofy little hat. His white and brown shirt was decorated in a manner that evoked the outfit of an old-fashioned waiter or service boy, as did his shorts and pure-white socks, but his heavy boots and the bulky, many-pocketed pack he carried around his waist belied that appearance.

 

“Wow,” he said, unsteadily, as he stood up, “the bonds of tomodachi-hood between the two of you are very cool! I have an impress!”

 

“Yes, their nakama-ry is very heartwarming.” The other woman said.

 

“Nakama-ry!” The small boy said, the look on his face telling Ruri he found the prospect of this phrase deeply pleasing. “Omedetou on your nakama-ry, Suzukage-san!”

 

“Seriously, just call me Kotone.” Kotone looked away awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head.

 

“Kotone-chan!” He said, sparkling a little. “Hai! Megane-sensei, did you hear? I have obtained a first-name basis with Kotone-chan! This is honto to excite!” He grabbed the other woman's hands and jumped up and down a little.

 

The other woman smiled, seeming to share in his joy. “Yes, congratulations, Blake! I'm so glad for you!”

 

Ruri looked away from this scene of jubilation towards Kotone again. “So, tell me, who exactly are these characters?”

 

“Not to be a bother or nothin', but if you don't explain who this character is,” Don Lino said, pointing his cigar at Kotone, “there may be consequences, capice?”

 

“Ah, of course.” Ruri said. “Kotone, this is the headmaster of Hope's Peak, Nobuyo Kagenui, and the ringmaster of the Narumi Circus, Tomoe Narumi—”

 

“Oh my god, it's the Queen of the Crows!” Kotone squealed. She ran over to Tomoe and got on her knees, bowing. “I'm such a huge fan! You guys are sooooo coooool!”

 

“Hm.” Tomoe hummed. “Interesting. You may stand.”

 

Jumping up at once, Kotone saluted Tomoe again before turning to face the Headmaster. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Headmaster! **My name's Kotone Suzukage. Just recently, the Ultimate Initiative declared me the Ultimate Marathon Runner!** ”

 

“Ohhh, so _you're_ the rumored runner girl Washizu's been telling me about.” Don Lino said. “Nice moxie, kid. You familiar with Ms. Bessho over here?”

 

“She and I have been pals for ages!” Kotone leaned over and put her arm around Ruri. “It's like, she's the eccentric investigator and I'm her go-getter assistant, you know? Like, uh...” She tapped her finger to her lips.

 

“The Archie Goodwin to my Nero Wolfe,” Ruri said, “to steal a turn of phrase from Ms. Koshimizu.”

 

“Whatever she just said!” Kotone grinned. “Ms. Megane let me in.”

 

“Yes, indeedy!” The small boy whose name was presumably Blake said, bouncing a bit on his heels. “Kotone-chan very much needed to get to your office, Mister The Headmaster! We had much friendly conversing outside before the kind Megane-sensei allowed us entry! Arigato, Megane-sensei! I have appreciation for your kind deeds!”

 

“Oh, it's nothing.” The woman of unknown age who was apparently called Megane said, giggling girlishly. Long blue hair, glasses, certainly dressed as a teacher, with a figure that no doubt filled many students' dreams with naughty teacher fantasies. “It was plain to see that you two needed very badly to get in.”

 

Suddenly, from under the Headmaster's desk, an aging man with snake-like features launched out and grasped 'Megane' by the arms, putting his hand on her forehead. “Who am I? What year is it? Which of my characters does my wife like me playing the most?”

 

“Oh my, Headmaster, how forceful!” Megane said. “You're Nobuyo Kagenui, the former Ultimate Puppeteer and Headmaster of Hope's Peak. The year is 2196 C.E. She prefers Captain Steele, saying that he is, and I quote, 'dripping with a raw, dangerous sensuality.' I'm fine, you old fuddy-duddy!” She giggled again.

 

Nobuyo looked uncertainly towards her for a moment, scanning her face for signs of something or another, before saying, “Oh.” Then there was a pause before he said, “I see. That's good.” He then slowly, awkwardly slunk back the way he came, under the desk, and Don Lino re-appeared in the chair. “So why're ya calling yourself Megane, then? Some kinda... cosplay thing?”

 

“No, no, I was just so excited, Headmaster!” Megane bounded up to the table, glowing. “You know Miki, the girl who's been in my room for the past week? We're friends now, and she gave me a nickname! A nickname, Headmaster!”

 

“Well ain't that neat.” Don Lino said. “Real proud of you—” The expression on her face stopped him from saying her actual name, and he slowly said, “...Megane.”

 

“Wow! Megane-sensei!” Blake clapped.

 

“So, Miss Megane, you work here?” Ruri said. “My thanks for letting Kotone and her new friend in...” She trailed off. Something about this woman that Ruri couldn't put words to was... odd. “Are you a teacher?”

 

“Well, that's plain to see, isn't it?” Megane said. “I've worn school uniforms so many times I lose track of them all, but I'm definitely a teacher, and a good one, too!” She glowed. “Oh, you're Ruri, the Data Analyst, right? You'd make such a good Ghost Girl!”

 

Ruri narrowed her eyes. “I see. And, er—?”

 

“How old are you, miss?” Tomoe said from her perch by the table. That was the same question Ruri had been about to ask.

 

“Oh, I'm about the same age as you.” Megane said.

 

Tomoe's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. Sakuya crowed. “...Hm.” That seemed to satisfy her enough, so she asked no further questions.

 

“In any case,” Ruri said, “I was hoping you'd arrive right about now, Kotone. I've just learned an interesting datum that points me in a direction that requires your help.”

 

Kotone reached down onto the go board and grabbed a large, red candy, popping it in her mouth. “Any time!”

 

“My apologies for Kotone eating your grandson, Ms. Narumi.” Ruri said to Tomoe. Tomoe did not respond. “Now, allow me to clear things...” She blinked. Megane was still there. “Are you staying?”

 

“Why wouldn't I stay?” Megane said. “This is about my students, isn't it? I'd love to help in any way I can!” In an instant, her gaze was fiery and intense, filled with a burning passion for education.

 

“...Twenty-four. Well, I won't complain.” Ruri said. “A teacher character is an interesting way to shake up the dynamic of the main cast in a situation like this. I'm glad to have you on board.”

 

“Well, I doubt that I'll be anything more than a side character, but I hope I at least get one memorable fight scene that leaves the fans complaining when more popular characters get more screentime over me!” Megane said. “It'd be my honor to be overshone by Polnareff!”

 

“Wait, she actually understood your whole 'main cast' thing?” Kotone was taken aback. “Ruri, she actually understood your whole 'main cast' thing!”

 

“Of course she understood it, Kotone, it's basic dynamics.” Ruri rolled her eyes. “For the sake of the room, allow me to explain. The End, the mastermind behind this situation, has been using an odd form of signal interference to prevent the staff of Hope's Peak from locating where she's hidden the captives by seemingly sending multiple signals at once from multiple locations to form a single broadcast; as such, the broadcast locations are difficult to determine entirely, and are marked all over the country.”

 

“And that's why I called her in.” Don Lino pointed his cigar at Ruri.

 

“It might seem intimidating at first, but this sort of signal-clouding technique is child's play for anyone with a functional understanding of wireless signals post-2080.” Ruri said. “The vast majority of them are, obviously, dummy signals- false positives given to our computers to make them think that multiple signals are being input. However, The End thought one step ahead, and ensured that within the list, there are a few genuine backup signals being sent. This also prevents the broadcast from cutting out if the location she's present in loses power.” Pulling out a map of Japan, Ruri marked various locations on the map with her trusty candies, all around the country.

 

“So in this case, do the different colors represent different broadcasts?” Megane said.

 

“That's correct.” Ruri said. “Each of the broadcasts contained three genuine signals from these—” She placed seven toothpicks down into the map where some candies were. “Radio towers. The use of the towers seems arbitrary at first glance, but I believe that there is, in fact, a pattern to them. Now, please look to the green candies, if you will.”

 

There were three green candies, representing the initial broadcast The End had sent out shortly after the incident had begun. “So...” Kotone leaned in. “Chiba... Tottori, and Okinawa were the ones she used for her first?”

 

“Hm.” Tomoe hummed.

 

“Of these three locations, I'm most interested in Okinawa.” Ruri said. “Ms. Narumi's testimony places a possible great importance on the location. Thankfully, my lovely assistant here is an Okinawa native, and has the entire layout essentially memorized, yes, Kotone?”

 

“You know it!” Kotone pumped her fist. “I've run the whole thing. I'm a certified Okinawa expert!”

 

“Sakuya.” Tomoe nodded her head at her companion, and Sakuya grabbed a sheet of paper from inside Tomoe's jacket, bringing it down to the table. “This is the record of our performances in Okinawa last year.” She pointed a bony finger to one particular entry. “This performance, in July of 2195, was where we were staying when Yashiro first came into contact with Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“Oh, that's your old tinkerer friend, right, Ruri?” Kotone said. “Didn't you say she was really pale? Why was she in Okinawa?”

 

“That's what we're trying to figure out.” Ruri said. She peered down. “Not too far west of Mt. Yonaha, in the north of Okinawa, hm? I see.”

 

“I know exactly where this is!” Kotone said. “Don't worry!”

 

“After our performance, Yashiro took a pilgrimage west from there, to the coast.” Tomoe said. “I didn't have Sakuya tail him, but he did inform me of the sights he saw along his journey. Kotone, was it? If I give you his descriptions, will you know?”

 

“No doubt!” Kotone said. “Lay it on me.”

 

“At first, he found himself accidentally heading south.” Tomoe said. “He did so for some ways, and then found himself at the mouth of a river, which he followed. Eventually, he found other people at a great waterfall some time west of the river's beginning.”

 

“Oh, that's the Hiji Waterfall!” Kotone said. “No doubt about it, gotta be!”

 

“He followed the river further and came to a campground, but was blocked by a storm in that direction, so he was unable to follow the river any more.” Tomoe said. “He decided to head due north.”

 

“Due north from the Hiji Waterfall Campsite...” Kotone said.

 

“Eventually, in the forest, he came to a nature conservation site after crossing over another river.” Tomoe said. “He stayed there for a day before heading west again towards the coast.”

 

“That's the Yanbaru Wildlife Conservation Center.” Kotone said. “No doubt about it!”

 

“He spotted a large park to the north as he progressed west towards the coast, and considered stopping there, but did not.” Tomoe said.

 

“That's probably Kaganjishinama Park.” Kotone said.

 

“And from there, he progressed another two kilometers west, to a beach, where he originally came into contact with Rin Hashizawa.” Tomoe said.

 

There was a silence in the room as Kotone processed her words. “Um, are you sure you mean kilometers?”

 

“My grandson is very skilled at reading distances, young lady.” Tomoe said. “He claimed that he went two kilometers west from there, so that is what he did.”

 

“Er, okay...” Kotone mumbled. “Maybe it wasn't Kaganjishinama Park?” Kotone scratched her head in confusion. “No, no, that'd have to be Kaganjishinama, right, Ruri?”

 

“Can you give us any further details?” Ruri said.

 

“He described it as a mostly flat, uninhabited beach area with several coconut trees,” Tomoe said.

 

“Matte a moment, please and thank you!” Suddenly, the other person in the room, the curious young Blake character, bounded up to the table. “Eto, I am very gomen, Narumi obaa-san, but that is a definite impossible!”

 

“Oh, hey, Blake.” Kotone said. “What's up?”

 

“Ah, wait! I am being so rudeness!” Blake said, jumping back. He was quite an animated little bean, that was for certain. “You, otome-san, are the rumored Ruri-san, yes? Kotone-chan speaks of you in the myth and the legend! Ohellogozaimasu! Yoroshiku to meet you!”

 

Ruri giggled. “And what exactly does Kotone say about me?”

 

“Kotone-chan says that you have very big intelligence, and think that you are a shujinko-chan!” Blake said. “Also, she says that neko-chans give you a frighten, and that there is a hachi-jyu percent chance that you are dancing with the yuris, in the symbolic meaning!”

 

Narrowing her eyes, Ruri turned her head back to Kotone. “Kotone, what exactly are you telling this boy about me? First of all, I do not 'think' I am a heroine, I 'am' a heroine, and second, where are you pulling this number from?”

 

“I mean, I dunno, I just thought it seemed like the right number.” Kotone said, shrugging. “He asked a lot of things and eventually it just sorta came up, y'know?”

 

“Don't mistake me, I'm not denying it.” Ruri said. “I'm just very curious where you got the exact measurement. Is there a scale? Please, show me your Ruri Bessho Lesbianism Chart, Kotone. I'd love to see it.”

 

“Charts are more your thing, though.” Kotone said. She sweated. “Why are you so intense all of a sudden?”

 

“And _third,_ ” Ruri said, “why in the world do you insist on telling everyone we meet about my one weakness?!” She gritted her teeth, her face scrunching up in her angry look. “My one weakness, Kotone! Every person you tell this is one more person that can eventually destroy me!”

 

“I'm allergic to cats too, Ruri.” Megane said, coming over and putting her hands on Ruri's shoulders. “Don't worry, you're with friends here.”

 

“Sumimasorry, Ruri-san!” Blake said, also coming up, tearing up a little. “Sumimasorry for my transgressions! I am very gomen!”

 

In one swift motion, Ruri reached into her candy bag and grabbed a pile of them, shoving them into her mouth. The various fruity flavors helped her to regain herself, and after swallowing, she said, “Oh, it's no problem at all. As long as I can trust you to not do anything bad with it, alright?”

 

“Hai!” Blake saluted. “I am a big seigi no mikata when it comes down to the red wire! Your himitsu is guarded with me! Jitsu wa, neko-chans have never been my tomodachis, either, so I am also feeling a kizuna with you over this conversing. I am better with inu-chans.”

 

“So, your name is Blake, right?” Ruri said. “Your accent... is that Welsh?”

 

Blake nodded. “Hai! **Boku wa Blake Mirabeau, the Super High School Level Geographer!** I am a transfer student from Wales. Yoroshiku to meet you, Ruri-san! I will onegaishimasu on you in the mirai!” He bowed.

 

“Blake, dear, we phased out the 'Super High School Level' terminology about fifty years ago.” Megane said. “You can just say 'Ultimate' now.”

 

“Hontoni?” Blake said, with a quizzical look. “But the Super High School Level is such a fun speak! A uniquely Japanese speak, desu! Doushite was it phasered?”

 

“Too many people bit their damn tongues sayin' it, is why.” Don Lino said. “It's a pain in the ass, so we stopped.”

 

“Ohhhh.” Blake nodded. “I see!”

 

“A geographer, eh?” Ruri said, giving him an appraising glance. “I wouldn't take you for the type.”

 

“Yes, I am!” Blake said, hopping on his heels. “I daisuki to travel a lot, and see sights of the yamas and the umis and the honoos and the many, many ningens in our sekai!” He was a bit loud, but he was definitely enthusiastic from the way he shone. “Earth is very ureshii!” He smiled. Ruri fought down the urge to squeeze his cheeks.

 

“Well, Blake, what did you mean that that's impossible?” Tomoe said. “Sakuya seems interested.” Sakuya crowed.

 

“Hello, Sakuya-chan!” Blake waved to the crow. He leaned over the map of Japan. “Tonikaku, this discussion is around the dreadful kidnapping case caused by the Owari-san, yes?”

 

“No, no, <The End.>” Kotone said. “You can just say it in English.”

 

“Ohhh!” Blake said. “End-san, then, a dreadful mahou shoujo of child napping! Eto, ah, hai! My meaning from earlier is that we are now in the discussing of Yashiro-san's meeting of the Hashizawa-chan, right? And there was the beach with coconut trees.”

 

“That's correct.” Tomoe said. “He threw one of them at her head, as he told me.”

 

“But that is arienai!” Blake said, shaking his head. “Coconut trees definitely do not grow in Okinawa! The subtropical climate is killing the young saplings before they can grow up dai tall!”

 

“Oh, yeah, he's right!” Kotone said. “The only place you see coconut trees is, like, resorts and stuff, there's no way Yashiro would've just found a bunch of them lying around.”

 

Tomoe's gaze narrowed. “That...is very bizarre.”

 

“Eto, there is hitotsu more thing wrong with this story!” Blake said. “Kotone-chan seemed very confusion about it, too, so I am thinking that it is definitely an extremely strange!”

 

“Go on, Blake. What's wrong?” Megane said.

 

“Kaganjishinama Park is not two kilometers away from the coast at all.” Blake said. “It is arienai that Yashiro-san could have walked two kilometers west from there, unless he was a fishman! Yashiro-san would have done a big swim!”

 

Six heads crowded in around the map and Ruri's go board, as Blake pulled out a pencil to mark the park on the map, then drew west from there to indicate the distance. “You're right, he would walk right into the ocean!” Megane said. “It's plain to see that that's plainly impossible.”

 

“Hey, that's my turf.” Don Lino said. “The hell's that kid think he's doing bringin' his impossible coconuts in there, eh?”

 

“In other words...” Ruri said. “Yashiro Narumi walks an impossible distance, finds land where there should be ocean, and that land also possesses a plant that can't grow in Okinawa...” There were many emotions around this table, but the first and foremost that Ruri herself felt was challenge. She began chuckling to herself.

 

Kotone had always been perceptive of Ruri's emotions, so she turned, and said, “You're getting all excited about this, aren't you?”

 

“This little episode just got much more interesting, Kotone.” Ruri said. “Not only do I have something of a personal stake here, but this fascinating conundrum has suddenly arisen!” She grinned.

 

“You're still super weird.” Kotone smiled. “But that's what we like about you!” She raised her fist for a fistbump, a gesture she was very fond of. Ruri shrugged amicably, and returned it.

 

“Wow! The Woman Series: Sis Fist!” Megane said. “A Sis Fist in the wild! How extraordinary!” She sparkled. “Can I get a photo op?”

 

“What a gesture of nakama-ry!” Blake said. “Can I join in the fist bumping? I very much want to join in on the fist bumping!”

 

“Aww, okay, c'mere, buddy.” Kotone fist-bumped Blake, who jumped for joy and clapped in the air.

 

Tomoe chuckled. “Quite the spirit they have. To be young again, eh?” She said to Don Lino.

 

“Hey, don't go lumping me in with you, lady.” Don Lino said. “I ain't that old!”

 

Ruri had originally declined the invitation to Hope's Peak this year, believing that for her third year, it would perhaps not do to have too much excitement; that perhaps it would be best to take it easy and rest on her laurels. Nevertheless, here she stood, with two other Ultimates and three adults, preparing to take on a psychotic killer.

 

For the Ultimate Data Analyst, there would be no backing down from a challenge, especially not one with such dire stakes. Life was full of surprises, developments that she had not foreseen- and that was what she loved most about it. Plot twists were never a bad thing for her.

 

 _Hold on a bit longer, will you, Rin?_ Ruri thought, just in case any psychics were listening in or something. _It won't be long until I arrive to sweep you off your feet._

 

She pondered for a moment. “Hm,” she mumbled. “You're right, Kotone. Just then I was going for more gallant, protagonistic, if you will, in my internal monologue, but it wound up at least an eighty percent gay thought. You have my percentages down better than I thought.”

 

“I _told you._ ” Kotone rolled her eyes.

 


	37. Day 14, Part 1 - Mandelbrot

 

A metal arm slowly swooped its way over Rin's body, quietly humming as it made its progress. While there was the threat of death hanging over her head, the process of scanning something with the ADAM had seemed much longer, but now, as she lay here, it felt oddly peaceful. She'd understood before that it was good to have alone time, but this was the first time since coming here that Rin really _felt_ it —and as such, she'd barred the door with a cart to prevent anyone from entering.

 

“Mom?” She'd said once. She didn't remember how long ago it was, of course, since all of her memories were still in a state of lacking solid placement on her own timeline. At this point, though, she was still a bit shorter than her mother. “Hey, are you busy or can I ask you something?”

 

Mom had been hard at work on something or another, she could tell, but like always, she turned around with a smile on her face. “I always have time for questions, dear. What is it?”

 

“Hey, um...” She'd twiddled her fingers. “This is kind of an awkward question. It's, uh...well, um.”

 

“Is it that awkward?” Mom chuckled.

 

The ADAM chimed to proclaim the completion of its bodily scan, and Rin slowly sloughed off of the bed to take a look at the readout. Various statistics of her body were proclaimed along with a simplified X-Ray view, since she'd put it to 'For Dummies' level of reading comprehension. She'd never been too skilled at reading graphs or anything of that nature, after all. Even this, when you put it all together, was a bit beyond her level, but one thing was very clear.

 

She most decidedly was not a human. Rin wasn't sure  _what,_ exactly, it was that she was made of, but there was no room for doubt. There wasn't even an inch of human biological tissue in her body. For that matter, it didn't even seem that she was entirely made of metal, either, not like the classical idea of a 'robot.' There was a deep darkness in several areas of her body surrounding her skeleton, a darkness which not even the ADAM could pierce. 

 

“It's about my programming.” She'd said. “I mean, I know what you've said about it before, and all, but I really have to know. Did you program me on purpose to, uh...” She stammered. “Be like you, I guess?”

 

Mom didn't seem to really understand, based on the look of her face. “Er, such as? I mean... You're my daughter, so I thought it only seemed right to, say, give you the same hair color, and all.”

 

“Gay, Mom.” She'd said. “To be sexually attracted to other women. Y'know, like you? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I am, and I know you are, and I was just wondering, and all.”

 

The blank look on Mom's face had shifted through a wide range of emotions in a short moment before settling on surprise. “Are...wait, you...really?” She'd stood up.

 

Suddenly, she'd felt Mom's hands on her shoulders. “Whoa, is it really that much of a surprise?” She'd said. “I thought this was the sort of thing most parents talked to their kids about around this stage of development!”

 

“Well, it is, but!” Mom had said. She'd gone past surprise and into excitement. “You...naturally came to this development. You've developed a  _sexuality,_ not from any kind of outside stimulus, but just because of how you are!”

 

“Uh, yeah.” She'd said. “I mean, I donno. Does watching  _Alien_ and thinking Ellen Ripley is a total babe count as an outside stimulus?”

 

Mom had laughed giddily, bouncing on her heels a bit. “Oh my god, honey, you're a lesbian!” She seemed in a bit of disbelief. “Oh, this is amazing! I have to log this in my journal!”

 

“So is it specifically a good thing that I'm a lesbian?” She'd said. “Like, what if I was straight, would that be a problem, or...?”

 

“What? No, no, of course not...” Mom had mumbled, whipping out one of her many journals and furiously scribbling something down. Mom's handwriting was not very good, and it was a wonder that she could read anything she'd written after the fact, but hey. “It's really just the existence of a sexuality at all, honestly... From a scientific point of view it's a massive breakthrough... Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you...” She'd begun to pace around as she wrote. 

 

“Wow,” she'd said. “It is super weird having my mom be this excited that I'm into other girls.”

 

Rin quietly removed the obstructions she'd placed in front of the door to keep it from opening. It didn't seem like anyone had tried to come in, but that didn't mean it wasn't a good idea to bar the door. She exited the Infirmary, leaving everything as it had been before she'd come, and walked out of Abilene, beginning to climb the stairs.

 

“Oh, er, aha, I'm sorry.” Mom started up out of her journal and slammed it shut awkwardly. “That would come off as pretty strange, wouldn't it, ehehe. Heh.”

 

“Eh, I'm kinda used to it by now.” She'd shrugged. “You're kind of weird, Mom.” She'd paused for a moment, and raised her finger. “Actually, nix the 'kind of.' You're definitely weird, Mom.”

 

Instead of rebutting, or laughing, or anything, Mom instead had come over, and wrapped her in a hug. “I'm glad I'm weird,” Mom had said. “If I wasn't weird, you wouldn't exist.”

 

“...Yeah,” she'd said. “Thanks for being weird, Mom. I love you.”

 

“No matter what happens,” Mom had said, “I love you, too.”

**4 P.M.**

 

Rin was torn from her moments of nostalgia by the sound of squeaking wheels on the fourth floor, and of a certain young Net Admin's voice saying, “Oh. It's you.”

 

“Jun.” She said, nodding in greeting. “Have you slept?”

 

“Of course I've slept.” Jun said. The fourth floor, Rin noted, had basically the same Stairwell as the others, but for the connecting halls. In green, on the right, was 'Barnsley Hall,' and on the left, in magenta, was 'Mandelbrot Hall.'

 

“Huh,” Rin said. “I was dead on. Go me.”

 

“Have  _ you _ slept?” Jun said. He seemed a bit less standoffish than usual towards her, if the quiet of the room was any indication. “You seem a lot less annoyingly cheerful than usual, Hashizawa.”

 

“I have emotional variance just like anyone else, Jun.” Rin said. “Can't I just not be in a particularly good mood?”

 

“Ooh, snappy.” Jun scoffed. “If you got into a fight with your little ladyfriend, don't take it out on me.” At the mention of Shinobu, Rin flinched. “Oh, so that is it, hm?” Jun closed his eyes and smirked, shrugging. “I'm sure whatever it was will be over in no time.”

 

“No, Shinobu and I didn't get into a fight, Jun.” Rin groaned. “It's just... Look. Last night wasn't...very good. For anyone. I'd rather just leave it at that for now, okay?”

 

Jun looked suspicious, but after a moment's narrowing his eyes, responded, “Well, that's fine, I suppose.” He looked to the stairs behind her. “It's definitely an odd day to see you alone exploring a new floor, though. Aren't you usually supposed to be palling around with one of your chums, exchanging witty banter, during investigative periods like this?”

 

“Aren't  _ you _ supposed to be hanging out with Gavin during investigative periods like this?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“I  _ was, _ ” Jun spat, “before Kazuya let slip on our way in that there's a bowling alley in Mandelbrot Hall. Gavin shot an, 'OkayJseemslikewe'reonourowntodaygottahitsomepins!' at me before running off to go bowl, or something.” He rolled his eyes. “I swear, that man. I don't even get the appeal of bowling. How is it supposed to be fun?”

 

“I donno, I don't remember ever playing.” Rin shrugged. “So, you wanna wheel yourself or should I?”

 

“Wha- what the hell are you implying?!” Jun shouted, beginning to redden to a more tomato-esque shade. (What exactly did he think was going on here?)

 

“Aren't I usually supposed to be palling around with one of my chums, exchanging witty banter, during investigative periods like this?” Rin said. She smiled impishly. “You even sat here waiting for me instead of going off and exploring on your own. Thanks, buddy.”

 

Jun groaned. “Oh, god, how the hell did this happen to me? Damn you, Gavin Sakaki, and your apparently-insatiable lust for striking pins with heavy balls!” He shook his fist.

 

Rin snorted. “Wow, you totally just said that.”

 

“Don't be a child, Hashizawa.” Jun scoffed. “I just gave a completely legitimate description of what bowling entails, don't pretend as though I didn't!” He sighed. “You should wheel me. It’s faster that way.”

 

“Got it.” Rin smiled. “Anyway, I've been checking the right hall first each time before, but I'm feeling rebellious, so this time we're going on the left first.”

 

As Rin wheeled Jun through the magenta-colored door to Mandelbrot Hall, Jun hummed. “I see. Decision theory paradoxes, laws of unintended consequences, and mathematical visualizations, hm? Hashizawa, are you  _ certain _ you're not the mastermind behind this?”

 

“Yes, Jun. Yes, I am,” Rin said, rolling her eyes.

 

“Oh, don't give me that tone. That was a joke,” Jun said.

 

Rin stopped cold. “It— It was?” Her antenna puffed. 

 

“Yes!” Jun groaned, putting his head in his hands. “Ugh, you're a roboticist, aren't you? What three things could possibly fit an AI scientist better, you moron? If it's a coincidence, then it's funny, dammit! Laugh! It's a joke!”

 

Looking down at the angry little gremlin in his wheelchair, Rin felt oddly proud of him. “Jun, you made a joke!” She said, clasping her hands together. “Good job!”

 

“I've never been more mortified in my life.” Jun said. “I can't believe I'm being congratulated by _you,_ of all people. Ugh.” He looked away. “Well, yes, the Mandelbrot set is —”

 

“Oh, I know.” Rin said. “If there's one thing I'm still good at, it's number stuff!” Her antenna curled smugly. “And the Barnsley fern, naturally.”

 

“It's rather odd, though.” Jun mumbled. “If the fifth level has two halls like the rest, it wouldn't be symmetrical.”

 

“Huh?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “Symmetrical how?”

 

“Ah, yes, of course you wouldn't have noticed.” Jun said. “The halls thus far have fit into three categories, as I just said. Decision theory paradoxes, laws of unintended consequences, and mathematical visualizations. I was informed by Shinobu later about your findings regarding the Housing Suite—”

 

“My what?” Rin blinked.

 

“Your...” Jun groaned. “Argh, your findings about the rooms in the Housing Suite, idiot! How it's a Tower of Hanoi?”

 

Sudden recollection flashed in the back of Rin's head. “Oh! Oh, wow, that was ages ago, I barely remember it, honestly.” She laughed bashfully.

 

“It was only a week and a half ago, you numbskull!” Jun griped. “Argh, whatever. I don't have time to stoop to your level. The point is, we have eight halls thus far.  _ Three _ are mathematical visualizations,  _ three _ are laws of unintended consequence, and  _ two _ are decision theory paradoxes, if we consider the Housing Suite to be a 'Hanoi Hall.'”

 

“Right, uh-huh.” Rin nodded. “And?”

 

“It would naturally make thematic sense for there to be an equal number of each if that's their theming, yes?” Jun said. “But if there are two halls on the fifth floor like before, that's impossible! Either they'd have to suddenly introduce a new category on the final level, or the pattern is off!”

 

“Oh my gawd, who caaaaares?” Monokuma said.

 

“I care!” Jun shouted. Then he realized he'd responded to Monokuma. “Oh god, it's you again.”

 

“That's right, it's me again.” Monokuma said. “I'm back again, and about time too, and this time, I'm in the mood!” He clapped. “Anyway, will you quit being such a whiny baby about patterns that may only exist in your head, Jun? I knew you were a pedantic little snot, but this is taking it to a new level, maaaan.”

 

“You're only saying that because you know I'm right!” Jun snarled. “You can't hide anything from me!”

 

“Hey, Monokuma, how many halls are on the next floor?” Rin said.

 

“Oh, just one.” Monokuma said.

 

“Aha!” Jun leaned forward and pointed at Monokuma. “I knew it!”

 

“Get the stick out of your ass, Jun.” Monokuma frowned. “I'd have told you that just fine if you  _ asked _ me,  _ politely, _ like Ms. Hashizawa here, but no, you had to go and be all confrontational about it. Geez, do you always have to be so uptight about your own little theories?” He was gone just as quickly as he came.

 

“I was right.” Jun crossed his arms and pouted. “I was right, you saw that, right?”

 

“You were right, but maybe not for the right reasons.” Rin said. “C'mon, let's get going.”

**4:20 P.M.**

 

Once again, a new hall brought with it a completely different design aesthetic. The floor glowed with a pale, magenta light, which gently flowed towards the end of the walls. The walls, unlike the rest of the place so far, were obviously rounded, instead of straight—a pale, see-through veneer stood where the smaller circular room they stood in now connected to another, larger one. Instead of straight passageways, it seemed that the major areas of Mandelbrot Hall were connected through these small circular passages.

 

Rin took a look around, and said, “I like the color, it's pretty.”

 

“It's alright, I suppose.” Jun shrugged.

 

Through the first veneer, the two of them came to a longer room, which proclaimed itself through a sign on the wall to be the 'Bulb Room.' True to form, on the left wall, in front of a row of ten stools, there was an array of... two hundred lightbulbs, in orderly rows of twenty on the wall, lit and unlit in a seemingly arbitrary pattern. On the near side of the room, across from Rin and Jun, was a passage off to a 'Parlor,' and on the wall to Rin and Jun's right, nearer, there was a passage to 'Diagnostics,' and further, there was another veneer.

 

“Bulb Room,” Rin repeated, blankly. “So, like, do you think the pun is the entire reason this room exists?”

 

“Pun?” Jun said. “Is that what you're calling this?”

 

“I donno, wordplay? Would that be better?” Rin shrugged. The two of them didn't have much to do in the Bulb Room except stare at lightbulbs, though, so Rin elected to wheel to the Parlor instead.

 

The sound of a crackling fire greeted her as Jun opened the classical, oaken doors. Classically decorated, with modest, yet fashionable curtains across the windows to an artificial skyline, a rough, green rug sat under a bevy of differently-built chairs, sofas, and a coffee table in between them all. A fireplace on the back wall gave warmth to the room, but was thankfully separated by a grate from the rest of the room, as next to it were a set of four bookcases, lined with well-read tomes. A (clearly fake) mounted stag head hung on the near left wall, amongst a number of faded paintings of a countryside Rin did not recognize. Two suits of armors with fake claymores completed the ensemble.

 

Luan stood at a bookcase, thumbing through it, but turned his head when he heard the two of them enter. “Hello,” he said. “This room is much cleaner than the Archive. Less dust.”

 

“It's like someone's actually organized this room since it was built!” Jun agreed. “Amazing. The owners have basic housekeeping competence after all.”

 

Rin let go of Jun's wheelchair, taking in the room's atmosphere, making a few aimless steps as she did. “Huh,” she said. It only took a moment for her to realize what the curious feeling in her chest meant: this room reminded her of Shinobu. It had the sort of aesthetic that she'd come to associate with the Mystery Novelist, a feeling that suggested the idea of a master detective unveiling all the mysteries to a stunned crowd.

 

At Rin's heavy sigh, Luan's ears perked in concern. “Are you alright?” He said.

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine.” Rin said. She couldn't keep the melancholy out of her voice, but it was true that she was, at least, physically fine. An errant thought crossed her mind, wondering if it was even possible for her to get sick, but then she remembered the incident on the evening of Day Twelve. Whatever that had been, it was definitely some kind of 'sick.'

 

“Hashizawa seems to be having a bout of melancholia,” Jun said, inspecting the paintings. “Over what, I have no idea.”

 

“Wow, nice five-dollar word there, Jun.” Rin snorted. “Not just melancholy, but melancholia! That's fancy!” She began focusing her attention again, taking a look at the furthest bookcase from Luan.

 

“Well, yes, because I'm an educated man.” Jun said. “Don't mock me for your inferior education, Hashizawa. It's not my fault your backstory is so relentlessly tragic you didn't have time to learn how to speak.”

 

“Ooh, big words from the guy who thought Luan could put on Aoto's clothes.” Rin smirked. “This here's a boy who knows how math works, unlike me.”

 

“Of course it's that that you bring up!” Jun grunted. “You troglodyte. At least I'm not constantly stopping myself to ogle cute women, both alive and dead. I learned a bit of social decorum in my time, I'll have you know, social decorum which you seem to lack!”

 

“Jun, seriously, you and 'social decorum' are an oxymoron.” Rin said. “You wouldn't know good manners if they came up and bit your laptop.”

 

“I'm glad you two have become such good friends.” Luan said.

 

“We are no such thing!” Jun cried, pointing his finger furiously at Luan. Rin, meanwhile, didn't feel like objecting, since after all, Luan was clearly right, so she turned back to the bookshelf instead. She pulled a book off the shelf, and began to inspect it. Judging by the layout of the dust on the shelf, it had been read pretty recently, so she hoped to find some sort of clue in it.

 

“ _Brave New World,_ by...  How do you say this, Aldous Huxley?” She mumbled. It sounded pretty familiar—

 

“ _Kyahahahaha! Gotcha again!”_

 

She stumbled, a sudden feeling of malaise grasping at her, a pounding ache in her skull.

 

Luan rushed over. “Are you alright?” He grabbed Rin and put his hand to her forehead. “No fever, but you are sweating.”

 

Rin was unable to respond to him, a hot flash having suddenly overtaken her, and an unpleasant sensation of bloating from within her welling up, but as she kneeled on the ground, taking even, slow breaths, they began to subside.

 

“That's certainly not normal.” Jun said. “If you're sick, maybe you should just go back to your room and let the competent people handle this.”

 

“I appreciate...your concern.” Rin said through her teeth. Wiping away a bit of sweat and leaning on the bookshelf to regain her balance, she stood up, slowly regaining the strength in her knees. The bloating sensation disappeared, as did the hot flash, and though there was still a slight ache in her skull, she was still able to stand. She coughed a few times, then checked in the elbow of her sweater into which she'd coughed. It was, by all appearances, ordinary spittle that had left her mouth. “Huh.”

 

“Are you sick?” Luan said, his brow furrowed in concern. “If you are, you need to go to your room.”

 

“No, no, I just...” Rin trailed off. She had  _ just _ regained a memory of Kojiro, was what she had just done. A conversation...somewhere, where the two of them had discussed their mother, and boredom, and suffering, and this very book. The problem, of course, lay in her physical reaction. She'd remembered things before without such violent physical reactions, had done so just a moment ago, even, so why had remembering this caused her such sudden distress?

 

“Don't neglect your health.” Luan said.

 

“Seriously, I'm fine.” Rin shook her head. “I just had a minor case of flashbackery. It's no biggie or anything.” She shrugged.

 

Luan eyed her suspiciously. “Jun,” he said, “if she falls over like that again, will you please ask someone to take Rin to her room?”

 

“You're asking me for help?” Jun's eyes widened slightly.

 

“Well... Yes.” Luan blinked. “You're going with her, aren't you?”

 

“I... I mean, yes, I am...” Jun stammered. “But, I mean... It's  _ me. _ ”

 

“You're as good as anyone else.” Luan said, and Jun went quiet in the face of his unassailable logic. 

 

In order to help Jun recombobulate himself, Rin decided to change the subject. “How're you holding up yourself, Luan?” She said. “It's been a rough couple of weeks. Are you doing alright?”

 

“As alright as one can be.” Luan said. “I've gotten used to it by now.” He idly inspected a few books.

 

“Well, that's a bit sad anyway.” Rin said. “I don't think people should really be all that used to situations like this.” In response, Luan just shrugged. “Hey, so, do you, like, have any theories, or anything?”

 

“About?” Luan asked.

 

“Well, uh...” Suddenly, Rin halted. Most of the people in this facility were so talkative that if she asked 'do you have any theories,' she'd either get a quick no or roughly fifteen minutes' worth of rambling about something or another, so she wasn't used to having to specify. “What comes to mind first when I say 'theories?'”

 

“About fifty years ago, in my hometown, there was an unexplained incident where a woman who'd gone missing for a month was found stuck inside a full water tanker, alive, with no idea how she'd gotten inside it.” Luan said. “I've been talking to Shinobu about possibilities.”

 

“Well, that's real useful.” Jun rolled his eyes.

 

“Have you had any thoughts lately regarding our situation?” Rin clarified. “Like, any clues, any way another person we haven't fit in yet could be connected to this whole situation?”

 

“Oh, like Gavin being the eccentric boy that was briefly mentioned in Daisuke's Monokuma Theater?” Luan said.

 

Rin blinked. Jun coughed. “Um, yes, like that, actually?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark.

 

“Gavin is probably the eccentric boy that was briefly mentioned in Daisuke's Monokuma Theater.” Luan said.

 

“Wait, slow down there, Jethro.” Jun said. “What's a 'Monokuma Theater?'”

 

“The broadcasts Monokuma makes to the outside world upon the death of a victim. My parents told me about them.” Luan said. “When he said something along those lines in the trial, Monokuma was making reference to those broadcasts. I suppose maybe his original broadcast for Daisuke's death was unhelpful on purpose.”

 

“But that would make Gavin Hashizawa's childhood friend.” Jun raised his eyebrow. “What in the world would Gavin be doing making friends...with...” He frowned quite severely and trailed off, the look on his face telling Rin he was busy digesting exactly how stupid the protest he didn't finish was.

 

“That would make sense, though.” Rin said. “I mean, Gavin's lost memory is from around then, right? And if he was important enough to mention, there's not many people it really  _ could  _ be unless we've got a secret eighteenth student or something, but that seems a bit too...” She tapped her chin. “Dumb.”

 

“It would have to be one of the remaining men,” Luan said, “and it was not me, Jun, or Claus, for certain, yes?”

 

“As though I would be friends with this idiot, even when I had fewer standards.” Jun scoffed.

 

“You have standards?” Rin said.

 

“I will rip that stupid hair off of your head if you don't stop haranguing me, Hashizawa! This is uncalled for, you slanderous gearhead!” Jun made those weird grunting noises he liked to make.

 

Rin snorted. “As if you could even reach up this high, shorty.” She grinned at him, poking him in the forehead.

 

“I just haven't reached my full height yet!” Jun shouted, pointing his finger back at her and slapping away the finger on her head. “You'll see! Eventually, I'll tower over you!”

 

“I'm very glad the two of you have become friends.” Luan said. Jun grunted again.

 

“Come to think of it, we really have no idea how you fit into this yet, do we, Luan?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “Like, for everyone else, I've got a pretty good idea how they all fit together by now, but you're the exception. I have no idea how you fit into anything.”

 

“I'm curious as well.” Luan said. “I don't know how I could be.”

 

“But, you know, it's kind of interesting.” Rin said, giving Luan an appraising look-over. “You're, like, the same age as the rest of us, right? But you've...seen dead people, right?”

 

“I have.” Luan nodded.

 

“And I suppose that's how you know better than me in terms of decision-making, right, Devil Boy?” Jun said.

 

Rin had no idea what he was talking about, and neither did Luan, by the look of it, but after a few moments, Luan's face widened slightly in realization. “Oh, our conversation when you were staying shut in.” He said. “Are...are you mad about that?” He withered slightly.

 

Jun groaned. “No, I'm not  _ mad. _ I guess you weren't  _ wrong. _ You're...” He looked away. “Not horrible. Out of everyone here, you're probably the third-least offensive.”

 

“Yeah, he's a sweetheart, isn't he?” Rin patted Luan on the back. “Seriously, when I first saw you, I never expected you to be all soft-spoken and stuff, or to be able to sing, or...stuff. And the pen, and that talk the morning after the second trial, and stuff like that... I think you're pretty swell, Lou!”

 

It was hard to tell given all the grizzle, but Luan was definitely blushing. “Oh. Thank you.”

**5 P.M.**

 

With the worries about her health allayed by a bout of her characteristic tomfoolery, Rin was able to leave the room without much scrutiny. Jun grumbled about having to leave the fire, as it was a bit cold in Mandelbrot, apparently, but Rin didn't really notice the cold, herself. The two of them passed back through the passage and through the Bulb Room to pass through to the other side, and came to a dark, metallic door to 'Diagnostics.'

 

Diagnostics was a much darker room than the pastel colors of Mandelbrot Hall proper. The fluorescent lights above were shut off, so it was only lit by the ambient glow of various computer screens around the room. The walls were all lined with them, though only 38% of the screens were actually lit up at the moment, and each lit screen gave rapid technical information that Rin could hardly read no matter how hard she tried. There were four desks and consoles, one for each corner of the room.

 

Before Rin had time to say anything, Jun started laughing. “Yes, yes!” He cried. “Hahahahaaaa! You underestimate me, End!” He grinned madly and began furiously wheeling over to a console. “You idiot, don't you even know what power you've just given me?! Hahahahahaha! You'll be the arbiter of your own demise at this rate!”

 

“Uh, Jun, what are you talking about?” Rin stared blankly, her antenna drooping.

 

“Oh, what aren't I talking about, Hashizawa?” Jun gave a crooked smirk, his eyes wide in glee. “Not one, but four separate computer consoles actually connected to the mainframe instead of just being connected to the network wirelessly, being given a feed of diagnostic information regarding the schematics of the facility?” He laughed a low, evil laugh. “The amount of information present in this single room is unimaginably massive! With this, Jun Fukuyama has leveled up! The truth is at my fingertips!”

 

Having wheeled up to one of the consoles, Jun's fingertips began striking the keys at an incredible rate, seeming almost to blur as they went. Rin meandered up behind him and leaned over his shoulder to try and see what he was doing, but it was useless; even the screen that Jun was working on moved far too fast for her to comprehend.

 

“Mm, this could be difficult...no, actually, just time-consuming.” Jun said after a few moments' work. He did  _ something  _ or another, and began furiously typing away again. 

 

“What... are you doing?” Rin mumbled, her eyes beginning to cross.

 

Jun scoffed, and said, “I'm making a way to brute-force the system's UID and password prompts, since I don't know anything about The End to actually have any idea of what the UID or password could be,” as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“I see,” said Rin.

 

“It's like you've never even dealt with a computer before, come on.” Jun snorted. “This is so basic it's almost insulting to have to explain it.” With some gravitas, he hit the Enter key and turned away from the keyboard. “Alright, I'm done here. Let's go.”

 

“Wait, what?” Rin blinked.

 

“I have to  _ wait _ to let it do its work, Hashizawa.” Jun looked at her like she was stupid. “Computing isn't some sort of magic. We're lucky this place is sufficiently quantum computing-capable for me to be able to create a true brute-forcing algorithm, if it were too low-grade it'd be nearly impossible- why am I explaining this to you? Come  _ on. _ ” 

 

“Oh, uh... sorry.” Rin mumbled. “I don't think this is really...my wheelhouse?”

 

“Of course it's your wheelhouse, idiot, you're a roboticist.” Jun groaned. “Sure, cracking security might be a bit closer to mine, but this is still definitely your wheelhouse. How stupid did amnesia make you?”

 

Was it a matter of stupidity? Rin wasn't quite sure. Honestly, all these diagnostic feeds were making her feel rather lightheaded...or, wait, was that the right sensation? It was...hm, what was it...

 

“Motion sickness,” Mom had said one day, as she'd lay nursing a similar sensation on her bed. “This is very similar to a sensation called 'motion sickness' that humans experience.”

 

“Why's it called motion sickness?” She was still all there, of course, but she'd suddenly felt fatigued and dizzy, and had had to lie down. This room, this was  _ her _ room, and it was lit and decorated in a stark contrast to her own color scheme, with warm, bright colors like pinks and oranges making up the brunt of the room. She'd actually asked for it; Mom had been rather surprised at the enthusiasm she'd shown for brightening up her room, but hadn't complained.

 

“Well, in humans, we get it when one of our senses thinks we're moving, but our other senses don't.” Mom had said. She leaned a bit closer in. “I explained the vestibular system to you, right, honey?”

 

“Umm... Yeah, I think so.” She'd mumbled. In this memory, Mom was taller than her by a fair amount. This was when she was significantly smaller than she was now, so, presumably, this was the earliest thing she'd remembered so far.

 

“Motion sickness occurs when our vestibular system thinks that we're moving, but our eyes don't perceive us as moving.” Mom had said. “It's often also called 'carsickness' or 'seasickness,' because people come down with it on cars or boats.” Mom placed her hand on her forehead, rubbing tenderly. “And you don't have a fever, so I doubt it's any sort of actual sickness... I still don't even know if you can  _ get _ those.”

 

“But why do I have motion sickness?” She'd said.

 

“Well, in your case, it's more like...” Mom had rubbed her chin. “Let's call it 'data sickness.' Many Replicants experience a minor form of what you're feeling right now, but because of the way you process things, it's hitting you very hard right now.” She closed her eyes and smiled awkwardly. “I'm sorry. I didn't think about this.”

 

“It's okay,” she'd said, “but you still haven't explained it.”

 

“Oh, my bad.” Mom had started a bit in surprise. “Well, you took a look at a diagnostics feed, right?” She'd nodded. “Well,” Mom continued, “some back part of your brain is running your  _ own _ feed at all times, constantly scrolling at an incredible speed as it gives updates on every little thing about your body, and, of course, that includes what it's viewing through your optic senses. When you saw the diagnostics feed, your eyes naturally processed the stream of information, but when it was placed into your own feed, the diagnostics feed was fast enough that your mind tried to fit it into your own processes. Suddenly, you were processing, as part of your own information, another machine's information, too. It doesn't cause you any major harm, but the discrepancy between your own information and the feed caused you a sensation similar to motion sickness.”

 

“So staring at computers that are moving too fast makes me sick?” She'd said. “So, if I looked inside myself, would I get sick? I'm a fast-moving computer too, right?”

 

“No, no, I seriously doubt it.” Mom had smiled. “The way you're designed lets you process your own information flawlessly at all times, so even if you were viewing yourself again through an external viewpoint and happened to tap into your own processes, it'd be much likelier that the recursion would cause whatever external viewpoint you were looking through to be damaged than for you to be.”

 

She'd nodded. “Okay. I get it. So, if I wanna break a security camera, just look at myself through it.”

 

“Er, please don't go breaking cameras willy-nilly.” Mom had said.

 

Ah, right. That was it. “I kinda get motion sick when I look at screens that are moving too fast.” Rin said. “Sorry. I'm a bit lightheaded.”

 

Jun stared at her, and began to wheel off. “Well, it's been nice investigating with you.”

 

“Wait, what?” Rin started, and moved to block the door. “Hold on! I'm not done yet, I swear, this is just normal motion sickness, I'm fine. It's not anything like earlier.”

 

“Hashizawa, get out of my way.” Jun said. “You may not have fallen over, but you experienced symptoms. I should go tell him.”

 

Rin shook her head furiously. “No, Jun, please! I-I need to keep investigating, okay? It's important!”

 

Jun leered at Rin, fixing his eyes directly at hers. “Why? What's so important about this to you?”

 

“I mean, well, for one thing, it's important, but for another thing, I've been regaining a ton of memories in the last few hours as we explore.” Rin said. “I wanna keep exploring because, well, if I can help by regaining my memories, I need to do that. I can't just sit here and do nothing.”

 

“If it's so important to you, why don't you just overpower me?” Jun said. “You could easily do it. There's nothing stopping you.”

 

Rin blinked. “Huh? Overpower you? Why would I do that?”

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Jun gritted his teeth. “Overpower me! Throw me out of my chair and prevent me from telling anyone! It'd be the easiest way to stop me from reporting your condition to people!”

 

“Yeah, um, why would I do that?” Rin's expression went blank.

 

Jun's face scrunched up as though he were processing something very hard to believe. After a while, he said, “Fine. Let's go.”

 

“Oh, thanks, Jun.” Rin breathed a sigh of relief, hand on her chest. “This means a lot to me. If I get sick and die, you can have my stuff.”

 

“What stuff?” Jun scoffed. “You don't even know what stuff you have. Don't be a pain, Hashizawa.”

**5:30 P.M.**

 

Jun left his hackerman wizardry to do its business, and the two of them left Diagnostics and the Bulb Room to head to the next circular connection, through another veneer. It was roughly identical to the previous, but instead of a veneer, the next room, proclaiming itself the 'Ballroom,' was through a tall, white, ornate set of double doors.

 

“Ostentatious ass,” Jun grumbled.

 

Rin threw open the doors, but stopped in her tracks, starstruck. It really was a Ballroom, grand, tall, and shining, sparklingly clean and ornate white walls, glowing, golden chandeliers hung high above, a floor so shiny that Rin could see her own reflection. She took a few steps about, taking a breath, admiring the breadth of the room, the curtains that hung off of some of the arches. An unmarked side exit left through the east end of the great, oval-shaped room, while on the far, south end, on the west was a door proclaiming itself the “Comms Room,” and on the east was a door that proclaimed itself “Bowling.”

 

Gasping under her breath, Rin let out a, “Wooow,” and got a big, goofy grin on her face. Then, of course, she noticed one Kazuya Okudaira, standing awkwardly in the center of the room, staring at her and Jun. “Oh, hey, Kazuya. What's up?” She said, pointedly ignoring how red his face was.

 

“Haha! Hey, guys!” Kazuya said through his teeth. “I'm just standing around here. Lots of standing room in this hall, huh?” His eyes darted to the sides.

 

“Oh, really.” Jun leered from a while away. “Argh, damnit, why is this room so large?” He said, griping about wheeling himself towards the two of them.

 

“Don't worry, the acoustics are fine!” Rin called to him. “We can hear you!”

 

“Yeah, the acoustics are great.” Kazuya said. “It sure is a nice room.”

 

“That you're standing in doing nothing at all of import. Completely alone.” Jun said, finally making it to the center. Kazuya nodded furiously. “Right. I see.”

 

Still instinctively stepping around, Rin looked up to the ceiling again, spinning a bit. “But, wow, this room is great!” She said. Closing her eyes, she began to fly away on flights of fancy, imagining, for a moment, herself being all dolled up for a ball here, in, oh, some kind of nice, sparkly dress or something, and then being led by the hand by a gallant, tuxedo-clad Shinobu, who would elegantly spin the both of them about for an otherworldly experience for just the two of them.

 

“She's going full Disney in her imagination, isn't she?” Kazuya said.

 

“Does she have no sense of embarrassment?” Jun grumbled. “She's making a fool of herself and others. This is ridiculous. How is she the main pinch hitter during trials?”

 

“Making a fool of yourself can do a lot to make yourself seem less threatening.” Chihaya said. “Rin's whole schtick might be at least partially to try and allay peoples' worries by presenting herself as friendly and approachable. Given what she know, and the fact that she grew up in such a troubled household, it might also be a defense mechanism for some kind of psychological trauma. But, most of all—”

 

Rin's flights of fancy were interrupted when, in her imagination, she tripped on the hem of someone else's dress, and she spilled to the floor. “Owww,” she said, standing up and rubbing her forehead, “we were just about to do the macarena and everything.”

 

“—Most of all, I think she's just like that.” Chihaya smiled.

 

Suddenly returning to reality, Rin noticed the new face in the room. “Oh, Chihaya!” She said, zipping up, her antenna pointing straight upwards. “When did you get here?”

 

“I've been here the entire time.” Chihaya said.

 

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.” Rin nodded. “Seems a bit open for your tastes, though, doesn't it?” Chihaya just shrugged.

 

“The Comms Room is locked,” Chihaya said. “I've been spending some time trying to get it open, but it's very solid.”

 

“The End is underestimating me.” Jun smirked. “She thinks I can't get anything done without a direct feed to the outside, but she's already given me all I need.”

 

“What's over on that side?” Rin pointed to the unmarked exit on the east hall.

 

“I haven't had time to head over there yet,” Chihaya said. “I've been following the right wall, and I got sidetracked here by Kazuya-”

 

“You weren't supposed to tell them!” Kazuya cried, a bit distressed. Chihaya blinked and mumbled, 'oh, sorry.'

 

“Oho, so you two were doing something Kazuya doesn't want us to know about?” Rin's antenna puffed, and she leaned in, grinning impishly. “I'm very interested.”

 

“S-seriously, it's no big deal.” Kazuya chuckled, sweating a bit. “It's nothing important.”

 

“'Nothing important' is code for 'it's something that would impugn my masculinity if you knew,' right?” Jun said. Kazuya got a look on his face like he'd really like to hide behind one of his scarves, but he settled for hiding behind his coat sleeves.

 

“I mean, you're pretty manly, Kazuya!” Rin said. “I don't think you need to be worried about us thinking less of your manliness for anything.”

 

“...I wanted Chihaya to teach me to dance.” Kazuya, bright red, said through his sleeves. “I have two left feet.”

 

“Oh!” Rin clapped her hands together. “Really, I'm more surprised that Chihaya knows to dance than anything,” she said, looking at Chihaya.

 

“Chizuru wanted to be a ballerina.” Chihaya said. “Years of lessons left an impression on me.”

 

The room suddenly went silent. “Oh,” Rin said, her antenna drooping. “That's... a surprisingly depressing reason.”

 

“It's no big deal.” Chihaya said, waving away the sudden silence with her hand. “Kazuya said he wanted to have a useful skill to impress Stella's mother once they get out of here.”

 

“ _ Aaaauuuuggghhhh, _ ” Kazuya added.

 

“Is that how courtship rituals work?” Jun raised an eyebrow. “Well, I don't see why it's a big deal. You already have plenty of applicable skills, Kazuya. Don't be such an overreacher, it's insulting to the rest of us.” He scoffed.

 

Kazuya popped his head out of his sleeves. “Uh, was...that a compliment? It sounded kind of like one.”

 

“Ugh, why can't you just take it?” Jun clicked his tongue, turning his wheelchair around and beginning to wheel away. He threw up his arms and cried, “Men!” with disdain. “They're always like this! Can't take a compliment!”

 

“...What?” Kazuya blinked. “Guys, I'm confused.” He said, looking to Rin and Chihaya in his befuddlement.

 

“He's trying his hardest.” Chihaya said. “We should be understanding.” Rin nodded in agreement.

**6:15 P.M.**

 

Off to the unmarked wing it was, then, as Rin caught up to Jun and began wheeling him off properly, waving goodbye to Kazuya and Chihaya as she did. This wing didn't have the rounded walls of the rest of Mandelbrot so far, and seemed to transition back towards the gunmetal grey look of the Stairwell, as the two of them wheeled through the hallway.

 

Eventually, the hall widened and tapered into a proper room, and a massive one, at that. A placard on the far wall of the room declared this the “Landmass & Motion Simulation Wing,” with a bit of space to their right and then a far, wide ways to their left, which bent off to the left again for yet more room that the two of them could not yet see. Scattered about the Simulation Wing were small chambers, fit for two people at best, with seats and sealable entrances, in various shapes and configurations.

 

“Oh, god, it's like the old 4D attractions at tourist traps.” Jun rolled his eyes. “What the hell is the purpose of these?”

 

“Like the old what now?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

“They box you in and move the chamber around and such to simulate you being in the midst of the action in, say,  _ Star Wars. _ ” Jun said. “I've been to a few. They're mediocre.”

 

One of the chambers, a rectangular, black one on the far wall a ways to the left, ceased its motion and opened. Claus stepped out, a proud smile on his face as he noticed the two new arrivals. “Hello, Rin, Jun.” He said. “I'm proud to report that my motion sickness resistance is as strong as it's ever been!”

 

“Right.” Jun rolled his eyes again. “Unsurprising. Idiots have great resistance to illness.”

 

“But I've been sick a few times while we've been in here.” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “I thought you thought I was an idiot?”

 

“Shut.” Jun raised a finger to Rin's face. “So, what are the purpose of these chintzy little chambers?”

 

“Er, 'chintzy?'” Claus raised an eyebrow and adjusted his necktie. “'Chintzy,' that's certainly one word. Well, I've been testing them out, and they seem to be chambers for simulating the experience of various sorts of motion and landmasses.” He pointed to a few of them in rapid succession. “That one is for being on a boat, that one is for being on dry land, that one's for during an earthquake, the one I just left is for being in a car, that one is for an airplane, that one is for a _crashing_ airplane —”

 

“You've been testing these out all by yourself?” Rin's eyes widened. “What if they were something dangerous? You could've gotten hurt, Claus!”

 

“Well, I couldn't ask anyone else to do it.” Claus said. “I'm your leader, no? It's my job to ensure you all remain as safe as possible, so I couldn't ask any of you to test them out.” He crossed his arms and looked away awkwardly. “If I do wind up blowing up, though, you're free to say that you told me so.”

 

“...I don't get you.” Jun said, speaking quietly. “People here, and outside, too, they'd miss you. It'd be smarter to use someone who had no family, wouldn't it?”

 

“I would rather not send you in, Jun, because I value your safety.” Claus said. Jun flinched, which told Rin that Claus was right on the money. “I'm the Ultimate Principal. That means it's my job to guide my, er, students, and I can't do that if I'm putting them in harm's way. If I let you do this, it'd be a disgrace to my title.” He looked up towards the ceiling. “And to Yayoi.”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said, sighing. “I miss her already.”

 

“It's odd, isn't it?” Claus laughed, but it was a bit hollow. “Every time I turn a corner I expect to see her come and yell at me, or someone, at any rate.”

 

“Harada's gone, too.” Jun said. “He was a complete buffoon, but I suppose he had a way of livening up a room... and he wasn't half bad on the sitar... and it was sort of comforting to know that there was always a room to go to where you could deal with someone who wasn't as smart as you.”

 

“They were both pretty loud people.” Rin said. Her antenna drooped. “I bet if Yayoi were still here, she'd have a ton of words to say about the architecture of this hall, like, oh, the rounded walls have this weird effect on the construction or something.” She idly paced over far enough north that she was now able to see the end of the wing. No further exits existed except, as usual, the crooked visage of the Monokuma Service Elevator, showing up once again. “Man, this stupid elevator keeps showing up and we can't even use it.”

 

“It'd be pretty inconvenient if you could!” Monokuma said, falling from the ceiling in front of Rin, causing her to jump back. “See, since the Mono-serv-ator—”

 

“Excuse me?” Claus said, raising his eyebrow. “The what now?”

 

Monokuma went silent for a moment, and his bat wing eye began to glow. He bore his claws, and growled, “Miss Hashizawaaa, have you not put the nickname into vogue yet? I worked hard to find the most ergonomic way to give this baby a hip, cool nickname, and you just ignore it? I'm shocked, SHOCKED to find such disrespect in this establishment!”

 

“Come on, man, that was like, two weeks ago.” Rin said, giving Monokuma the stink-eye. “You can't expect me to remember every bit of nonsense you spout. A lot has happened since that conversation!”

 

“Rassafrassin', can't believe you.” Monokuma grumbled. “Fine! I guess I'm throwing out the nickname! The MONOKUMA SERVICE ELEVATOR, you hear how many more syllables that is? You hear what you're throwing away? Anyway, it actually doesn't count as part of the main building, so sometimes I just leave trash in there when I'm too lazy to clean it up, and if you guys saw some of that trash, whoo! You'd think, man, what is that bear doing with his life?”

 

“I mean, I still don't really understand why you're still here.” Rin said, staring blankly at him. “What  _ are  _ you doing with your life?”

 

“Isn't it obvious?” Jun said, sneering at Monokuma. “Clearly, he's The End's primary accomplice. He's just as complicit in these crimes as she is.”

 

“Though, that begs the question again, is he his own entity or is he remote-controlled?” Claus said. “We still haven't gotten a definitive answer.”

 

“I'm relatively state of the art!” Monokuma said, and then he was gone, yet again.

 

“If I had to guess,” Jun said, “I'd suppose he's probably his own entity, but I'm not completely sure. What he is, though, is obnoxious.” He clenched his fists. “How much I'd love to get at him and tear him apart.”

 

“I mean, I'd rather he just not help keep us stuck here, myself.” Rin said, shrugging. “But still,” she said, looking around, “this is a lot of tech, right? What in the world is this building  _ for? _ It doesn't make sense.”

 

“Whatever it may be for, it won't matter once we're out of here.” Claus said. “But it is curious. There's no way a facility like this, underwater, even, was constructed for the sole purpose of keeping us locked inside it.”

 

“Don't worry.” Jun smirked. “Sooner than later, we'll have an answer to all of our problems, thanks to yours truly.” He started laughing again.

 

Claus stared at Rin confusedly, to which Rin said, “He's really proud of what he did in Diagnostics.” Claus nodded in understanding.

**7:15 P.M.**

 

Passing back through the Ballroom and flustering Kazuya in the process, Rin and Jun made their way to the next area- the rumored bowling alley that Gavin had apparently run off to. There was another circular connecting passage in between, but the veneer present in the entrance wasn't able to stop the triumphant sound of pins being struck by heavy balls, and Gavin making sounds of jubilation.

 

“That's a turkey, baby!” Gavin said, clapping. “Gav's on a roll! Sourdough!”

 

“Cluck cluck?” Rin said, popping her head through the veneer.

 

“A turkey is three strikes, Hashizawa.” Jun said, wheeling through the veneer. “And for that matter, those were chicken noises, you damned fool, and  _ speaking of damned fools!! _ ” He gritted his teeth, a vein pulsing in his temple.

 

“Oh, hey, J.” Gavin waved, picking up another bowling ball. “Whoa, when'd you and Rin get to be best buds?” He grinned.

 

“We are  _ not  _ friends, god damnit!” Jun snarled. “Now, speaking of friends,  _ friend,  _ I hope this bowling alley is treating you well, because I, for one, am feeling rather snubbed!”

 

“Haha, uh, my bad, my dude.” Gavin threw a purple Venom Lord-style ball down the lane at some angle or another, and added a presumable fourth to his streak of strikes. “Haven't beefed it yet, my dawgs! Shazam!” He jumped up in the air and clapped above his head.

 

The bowling alley was only a single lane, but the back wall, around the pins, was brightly decorated enough to seem large anyway. A great mirror stood to the sides, and neon lights sat above the lane itself, adorning the pins' home with all the colors of the rainbow. Gavin had swapped out his sandals for some bowling shoes at a shoe rental to the right, a simple hole in the wall that probably worked by similar methods to the laundry chutes in the Gym. There were a few four-person tables and a sofa near the lane, a hanging scoreboard above, and on the left wall, one more door, labeled “Class 4-B.”

 

“Graaaargh, what is even the appeal of bowling!?” Jun cried, scratching at his hair. “I don't get it! What is so exciting about this thing?”

 

“Well, I think we need an impartial judge here.” As the pins were set back into place, Rin walked up. “Gavin, I know you're playing, but give me the ball.”

 

Gavin nodded solemnly. “Just dropping in to see what condition your condition is in is a holy ritual, yo. I couldn't intrude. That'd be majorly gnarly.”

 

There were five balls on the line for Rin to take. “What's the difference between the balls?” Rin said, giving them a once-over.

 

“Just the weight's all.” Gavin said. “Makes mondo difference to how the ball rolls, 'n all. For a beginner, might be best—”

 

Rin grabbed the heaviest ball on the line and hefted it with ease. “Alright, I'll pick this one then.”

 

“Whoa, you sure that's the best idea, dawg?” Gavin's face did a few strange motions. “I mean, trip, man, it's your first time, ain't it? Them's some heavy balls for your first.”

 

“It's fine. I've just gotta hit the pins, right?” Rin grinned. As she stood in front of the lane, her antenna bent at a ninety-degree angle and began moving back and forth as she considered her angle of attack.

 

“You got some impressive hair, I ever told you that, Rin?” Gavin said, staring at her antenna.

 

“By all rights, it doesn't make sense.” Jun said. “I haven't the foggiest how it does that.”

 

The antenna locked its direction as its midsection began bending back and forth now to determine the angle of her spin. “I've totally got this,” Rin said, huffing proudly.

 

Having 'got this' apparently, as it turned out in the next few minutes, meant accidentally throwing the ball upwards, killing its momentum, and then watching it roll through the gutter at a snail's pace, an awkward silence falling over the room as it did. By the time it finally sank down below, Rin was thoroughly embarrassed by her own poor performance.

 

“Trip, man, don't feel down.” Gavin nodded. “Bowling is an expert's sport. Takes a lotta practice to get good, ya dig?”

 

“'Expert's sport' my arm.” Jun spat. “Frankly, I think Hashizawa should feel proud of her lack of bowling expertise. At the very least, it means she hasn't wasted her time trying to learn this idiotic excuse for a sport like certain Ultimate Buddies I could mention!”

 

“Aw, gee, thanks, J!” Gavin rubbed the back of his head and laughed. “Man, Rin, when'd you two get to being BFFs?”

 

“I donno, around the time he actually started believing I had amnesia?” Rin said, over the noise of Jun once more protesting the idea that the two of them were friends (though that did beg the question: what exactly did Jun think friends  _ were? _ )

 

“Oh, bee tee dubs, y'all,” Gavin said, “there's a hole down to the Pool in here, in back there.” He pointed to the corner further on the right wall, behind the shoe rental. “Probs one-way like usual, samurai mansion stuff, ya dig?”

 

“What if we had an Ultimate Samurai in here?” Rin said, her antenna curling. “Maybe they could, like, cut through the bars with their secret techniques or something.”

 

“Aw, trip, man, you're right!” Gavin snapped his fingers. “They could go all, wham, whazzow, pow, Rapid Slash, Judgment Cut, Spiral Sword, Multi-Dimensional Swallow Cut, and have us out of here in a jiff!” He emphasized each attack name with a striking pose.

 

“What exactly do you two think that a samurai is?” Jun rolled his eyes, wheeling over to the door to Class 4-B, and opening it. “A samurai... isn't...” He trailed off.

 

“Huh?” Rin briskly jogged over to look in herself, and was taken aback. Class 4-B was the same as the other classrooms she'd seen so far, but what was different was the drawing on the back wall. Or... Well, rather, the fact that it wasn't a drawing at all. It was a painting, clearly made by the same artist who'd painted the trial rooms, and drawn the previous classrooms' blackboard drawings. 

 

Two girls, both sandy blonde, stood in front of a small house on a bright, sunny day. The two of them were clearly sisters, based on the amount of familial resemblance, but the smaller of the two was fairer, paler, and seemed to have a bit less presence. Compared to her older sister, Miki Murasaki's body language was more reserved, more measured, but as she stood next to her boisterous, loud older sister, who held a Hope's Peak acceptance letter that declared her the Ultimate Foreman, it was easy to see the pride and love the two sisters held for each other. They were smiling brightly, both of them raising their fingers in peace signs, one arm wrapped around the other.

 

“It's real nice, ain't it?” Gavin said. “Iunno how Kuma knows how this'd look, but... Well, it's nice, ain't it?”

 

“Yeah,” Rin said, having yet to really catch her breath. “It's...nice.”

 

“Why the hell would you even make something like this?” Jun said, his voice slightly trembling. His fists were clenched. “Is this some sort of fucking joke?”

 

“It's not a joke.” Monokuma said, appearing in the classroom. “I wanted to draw this because I admired her. That's all.” And just as quickly, he was gone.

 

“That's kinda sweet, ain't it?” Gavin said, patting Rin and Jun on the backs. Rin was fine, but Jun looked a bit further than downcast.

 

“I don't want to be here any longer.” Jun mumbled. “Let's go, Rin. We still have another hall to check.”

 

“Er, are you sure, Jun?” Rin's antenna curled. “I know you were looking forward to spending time with Gavin—”

 

“I want to leave. Please, let's go.” Jun said. Rin and Gavin shared a nod of understanding, and Rin wheeled off the dour Net Admin, away from the portrait of the two sisters.

 


	38. Day 14, Part 2 - Barnsley

**7:45 P.M.**

 

“Um, are you doing alright, Jun?” Rin said, her antenna perking up in concern. He'd remained eerily silent the entire way out of Mandelbrot Hall after seeing the portrait of the Murasakis, and given Jun's personality, she found that a bit worrying.

 

“I'm _fine._ ” Jun said, huffing. “Let's just go already.”

 

“You sure you don't wanna talk about whatever's bugging you?” Rin said, leaning over his shoulder to look him in the eyes.

 

“Yes, I'm _sure._ God, you're such a harpy.” Jun snarled. “Quit shrieking at me and worry about your own damned problems.”

 

“Well, I can't really do too much about my own problems right now, I don't think.” Rin said. “So I can't help but worry about you, you know?”

 

“Oh, don't give me that.” Jun spat. “What the hell could you possibly want from me that could warrant being worried about my problems?”

 

“Do I really need to want something to be concerned?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “It's not like I have a reason to _not_ be concerned.”

 

“The reason you have to not be concerned is that I'm highly unpleasant to you and we do not get along, you idiot.” Jun sneered. “Is that not reason enough for you?”

 

“I mean, not really.” Rin shrugged. “I mean, I guess I don't really know what's going through your head, but, like, I still kinda would like to understand, you know?”

 

“A plebeian like you could never understand the thoughts of genius.” Jun scoffed. “You should know that by now.”

 

“Genius, huh?” Rin muttered. “I haven't really thought about 'genius' before much. What does it mean when you say 'genius,' Jun?”

 

Jun reared up to respond, but then stopped, looking like what Rin had said had only just now hit him. “Huh?”

 

“I said, what does 'genius' mean to you?” Rin said. “I mean, I know you're really proud of your skills as the Ultimate Net Admin, but... I donno, it seems like when you talk about that, it's different than like, Claus talking about being the Ultimate Principal, or Shinobu being the Ultimate Mystery Novelist.”

 

“Of course it is,” Jun said. There was a slight shaking beneath his voice. “They haven't really devoted themselves to their talent like I have. I'm a genius because I use my talents to the fullest, obviously.”

 

“And that's why you're so proud that you were admitted to Hope's Peak?” Rin said.

 

“Naturally.” Jun smirked. “It's the proof of my ability, after all, the proof of my greatness. Maybe a dropout like you wouldn't understand.”

 

“When you insult people like that, is it because you actually mean it, or is it just because you don't know how to talk otherwise?” Rin said. “It seems like kind of an unconscious habit.”

 

“Wha— What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Jun said, his face reddening. “Every word I say is completely well thought-out and logical! Don't mock me, Hashizawa!”

 

Rin shrugged. “You're kind of a weird little guy, Jun.”

 

**8 P.M.**

 

After a bit more friendly antagonizing, the two of them entered into the green door to Barnsley Hall—and were immediately stopped cold in their tracks.

 

“What in the hell is _this_ supposed to be?” Jun spoke, quietly, almost a whisper.

 

All across the floor of the softly-colored, and in fact, generally _soft_ room, were a great number of toys for small children, scattered about with seemingly no order. Blocks both wooden and plastic, cars both handheld and remote-controlled, building logs, pots of clay, finger painting sets, the list went on. There were even set-up miniature slides, clearly too small for either Rin or Jun, and playsets for a small child to clamber about if they were feeling adventurous. On the other side of the room was another door, which would hopefully lead to an actual Hall for once.

 

After her senses returned to her, Rin's first response was, “This is a total mess!” She put her hands on her hips and huffed. “Seriously, I mean, do you see this?” She gestured widely to the floor, which was choked with the debris of childhood.

 

“Yes, unfortunately.” Jun said. His pointed glare seemed to be directed at the entire room. “But this just confuses matters more. What's a room like... _this,_ ” and his face twisted slightly as he acknowledged the room, “doing in the same facility, hell, on the same floor as rooms like that Parlor or the Ballroom? It's disgusting.”

 

“Well, I mean, if you've got a little kid here, what else are you gonna do?” Rin picked up one of a number of blocks that had various katakana characters on them, throwing it up in the air and catching it a few times to ensure it was actually as it appeared to be. “But yeah, it's super weird. Hey, Monokuma, what's the purpose of this room?”

 

Falling into the room from above, onto the slide, Monokuma slid down at high speed, spun in the air, and landed in the center of the room, making a pose befitting an Olympic athlete as he did. “Do you want me to be fake with you or real with you?” He said.

 

“Er. What?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark. “What the heck does that mean?”

 

“Well, I mean I could give you a totally fake answer you won't believe, in keeping with the growing schism you feel between my presence and what's actually happening, or I could be totally legit with you about the purpose of this room.” Monokuma said. “It's a simple question, lady. Which one do you want?”

 

“Clearly we want to hear the actual answer.” Jun snarled. “You aren't funny.”

 

“I disagree!” Monokuma said, putting his paws on where he would theoretically have hips and huffing. “I'm _hilarious._ Anyway, so about this room, the 'Playroom.' I actually had to totally redecorate this room for this whole thing, cause, see, the mastermind was all, 'Rawr! We have all these childrearing supplies and I don't need these! Monokuma, you need to scatter them in the entrance to Barnsley Hall to make it look more like a 'Playroom' is supposed to look, and make it snappy!'”

 

“Are... Is that a direct quote?” Rin blinked.

 

“Eh, a bit paraphrased, less stairs involved.” Monokuma said. “Now, anyway, as an artiste, naturally, organized chaos appeals to me, but I was specifically ordered not to make it organized chaos so much as just chaos. Even if someone comes in and tries to clean or something, I have to come in at the beginning of nighttime and mess it up again.”

 

“That seems like a really stupid job.” Rin said, looking about at the room. “Why would the mastermind even want that?”

 

“I have no freakin' clue, man!” Monokuma said, desperation in his voice. “Why does the mastermind want _anything?_ Why does the mastermind prefer their coffee black? Why does the mastermind prefer red gloves so strongly to other colors, say, black, or white? Why did it take, like, an hour for me to convince the mastermind to let me give Kazuya a male-coded Handbook?”

 

“Wait, seriously?” Rin frowned, but it was a frown of more confusion than anything. “Why in the world?”

 

Monokuma squished his own face in and started doing an exaggerated 'stupid strawman' voice. “Nyehhh, 'what if it comes up during a muuuurderrrr? It could be a cooooool plot twiiiiiist!' Listen, first off, basic conscientiousness should take precedence over 'cool plot twists,' and second, do you know what happened last time something like that happened? You'd get people arguing for years about whether Kazuya was trans or just crossdressing! Look what happened to Chihiro Fujisaki! Is that what you want?”

 

“What do you mean, 'what happened to Chihiro Fujisaki?'” Jun said. “It's historically provable that—”

 

“ _For god's sake, man, don't speak the Forbidden Pronouns!_ ” Monokuma cried, shouting over Jun's halted sentence. “Do you want to bring down the wrath of half of [https](https://www.123.yamada.net/)[://](https://www.123.yamada.net/)[www](https://www.123.yamada.net/)[.123.](https://www.123.yamada.net/)[yamada](https://www.123.yamada.net/)[.](https://www.123.yamada.net/)[net](https://www.123.yamada.net/) on us?! I mean, I know you like to troll online and write bad reviews for fanfiction you've never even read just because you object on a basic level to their ships, Jun, but seriously!”

 

“Wha— _Excuse me?_ ” Jun sputtered wildly, his face bright red. “I— I don't— What— N-nuh-uh!” He pointed his finger frantically at Monokuma. “No, that's wrong!”

 

“Anyway, where was I?” Monokuma said. “Oh, right. Why does the mastermind always enter into the simulation machines in the Simulation Wing with their right foot? Why does the mastermind prefer their galbi medium well instead of well done, and for that matter, why does the mastermind like galbi so much? Why does the mastermind still have the Power Room locked? Well, okay, actually, it's because there's an execution in there and that person isn't dead yet, but whatever.” He stopped, and slumped over. “Hoo, complaining's tough work, you guys. I'm pooped.”

 

“This, uh, seems like kind of an uneven relationship you two have here.” Rin said, her antenna curling. “Do you get, like, vacation days or anything?”

 

“Hah! Vacation days!” Monokuma chortled. “That's a good one. Anyway, so yeah, top of nighttime every day, I re-mess this place. The only bit of organization I'm allowed to do is that everything goes back in its container and upright when I fix it up, so no keeping the blocks on their sides. Not that it matters because they're freakin' _squares!_ ” His bat wing eye glowing and he growled. “So, that's it from me. Enjoy the rest of Barnsley Hall, which is far less annoying. Exeunt Monokuma, pursued by his own ursine self.” And thus did Monokuma disappear again.

 

“Well, that was enlightening.” Rin said. She turned to Jun. “Don't you think?”

 

“I do _not_ do that,” Jun said, his face still red. “I don't.”

 

“It doesn't really matter to me whether you do or not, honestly.” Rin shrugged, and then got down on her knees and began crawling on the floor. “Everyone has their vices.”

 

“I don't do that!” Jun shouted. “I... Why are you on the floor?”

 

Rin grabbed at a few of the blocks on the floor and began to set them aside. “I'm clearing a path for you. It'd be trouble if your wheelchair got stuck on anything, right?”

 

Jun stopped in his linguistic tracks. “Er. Well, yes, but. I mean... I suppose you're right, but...”

 

“But what?” Rin said, setting aside a pot of clay. The room wasn't too large, but it was still a pain to get everything off of the floor in a wide enough area for Jun. She inwardly cursed the mastermind for it.

 

“Oh, never mind.” Jun sighed. “You're tough, though, and I'm not very large. Couldn't you just carry the wheelchair or something? That seems less trouble for you.”

 

“What if I tripped?” Rin said, carefully handling some paints. “That could hurt both of us. Besides, do you actually want me carrying you?”

 

“Of course not!” Jun said, grimacing. “I don't like people touching me, especially without my consent. It's a horrifying feeling.” He shivered.

 

“Then why'd you suggest it?” Rin said.

 

“Ugh, you're such an idiot, Hashizawa.” Jun grunted. “I'm not 'suggesting' it, I was just curious why you didn't. Of course I wouldn't want you to do it.”

 

“Isn't that reason enough for me not to do it?” Rin said. “Your consent is as important as anyone else's, isn't it?”

 

“It's never seemed that way.” Jun said, causing Rin to stop cold. It was only five words, but it felt to her like there was a whole lot more than five words' worth of sentiment behind them, despite how flat and matter-of-fact the tone of his voice was.

 

“Uhh... Really?” Rin said, awkwardly beginning to get back to her work.

 

“Of course, _really_. It's just the way my life is. Every so often, someone thinks it's perfectly fine to grab my wheelchair and wheel me around willy-nilly, like I'm an amusingly crippled doll for their enjoyment.” Jun said. He shrugged. “Whether it's out of malice or some kind of misguided pity or something, who knows, depends on the person.”

 

“That's, um...” Rin paused to try to gather her words. “Kinda messed up.”

 

“You didn't seem particularly against it when Eriko was doing it.” Jun said. “Why the sudden revulsion?”

 

Pause. Rewind, digest statement once, twice, three times. “Ah—” Rin's breath caught in her throat. “Mm—”

 

“I'm sure that in her mind, she was 'just trying to help,' and all.” Jun said. “But if my consent was so important, why were you all so pleased when she forced herself on me?”

 

“Uh, mm—” Rin stared intently at a point on the floor, unmoving. “I... Oh man. I—”

 

“What?” The most unnerving thing about this was Jun's tone. Ordinarily, he was very, very angry, but this discussion about his state of life and Eriko's behavior seemed almost _resigned_ in comparison, flat and emotionless as though he were discussing the weather.

 

“That was... Oh god, that _was_ really crappy of us, wasn't it?” Rin placed a hand on her forehead. “Oh geez, I— I'm so sorry, Jun!” She stood up and ran over to him, bowing her head.

 

Jun cocked an eyebrow. “What is this supposed to be?” He scoffed.

 

“I mean, I know it's late, but, I mean, I'm apologizing.” Rin said. “Like, I didn't really notice at the time because I had, like, no idea what was going on and also because you were a _total jerk,_ but that still wasn't cool of me or anyone else to not tell Eriko to cut it out and respect your agency and stuff!”

 

“Just _shut up_ already!” Jun suddenly shouted. Rin jumped backwards a bit. She wasn't sure what reaction she was expecting, but it wasn't that. “God, I don't want to hear any more of this! I get it, whatever, just shut up. It's fine.”

 

“You sure?” Rin said, her antenna drooping.

 

“Yes, god, I'm sure.” Jun groaned. “It's fine. Whatever. Let's just go already.” He put his head on his fist. Rin couldn't help but feel a bit conflicted about what had just happened, but at least it was definitely an improvement over when Jun was a _total jerk._

 

**8:45 P.M.**

 

The bizarre Playroom left behind, Rin and Jun entered into Barnsley Hall proper. Appropriately enough for its namesake, its walls were decorated with a leafy green foliage pattern, and the dark brown, wooden baseboard and floor gave it a sort of quiet, meditative atmosphere. The hallway curved off to the right, the curve increasing exponentially, and as it went, hallways split off from the main hall, three on the left and three on the right, evenly spaced to ensure that a hallway was never across from another. A quick jog forward told Rin that the end of the hall wasn't too far down the line, so it was just these six hallways.

 

On the left side of the hall, front to back, there was the 'Monokuma Studio,' 'Pocket Circuit,' and a 'Chapel.' On the right side, front to back, there was 'Class 4-A,' a 'Firing Range,' and 'Crafts.' “Where do you think we should start?” Rin said, jogging back to Jun.

 

“Much as I'm loath to say it, it's the closest, so the 'Monokuma Studio' makes the most sense,” Jun said. “Eurgh. Haven't we had enough of that damned bear today? The more he talks the worse he grates on my nerves.”

 

“I think we gotta.” Rin said, and the two of them turned left and wheeled down the first hall, then turned right into the door on the wall leading to the Studio.

 

Vines hung on the ceiling above, for taste, in the rustic orange studio. When Monokuma had mentioned 'organized chaos' earlier, evidently he hadn't been kidding, for chairs, posing models, easels, baskets, sketchbooks, and paintings all came together in a whirlwind of a layout that didn't make much sense to Rin at all. Bookshelves lined the walls, with titles in languages Rin frequently could not read, but all of which seemed to be somehow art-related. Small tools, like paintbrushes, hammers, pencils, and more lined the spaces of the shelves and the desks where nothing was already present. Multicolored paint stains were scattered erratically about the floor and walls.

 

“Are there going to be any rooms with open floor at all in this hall or will we have to develop levitation to get anywhere?” Jun said.

 

Monokuma arose from beneath a desk, dressed in a lavender suit with a remarkably large collar and a skull-topped cane, for the express purpose of snapping his cane and shouting, “THIS is ART! I'll make _you_ my **masterpiece!** ”

 

Rin blinked. “Uh, nice suit. Is that your...art...ensemble?”

 

“Nah.” Monokuma shrugged. “I just felt like being fancy for a bit. Anyhoodle, welcome to my fantabulous studio!” He began running about the floor, occasionally stopping to pull himself up onto a stool with some difficulty. “I do work here occasionally. Y'know, art stuff? I do it.”

 

“Yes, we get it.” Jun growled, waving his hands about sarcastically. “You're a big, fancy artist. How magical for you.”

 

“I'm choosing to hear only your words and not your tone, young man.” Monokuma said. “Anyway, when I'm not being called for large projects like painting the courtrooms, I stick around in here and amuse myself with artistic diversions. It's a lovely little room, if'n I do say so myself!”

 

“I have a question, actually,” Rin said, regarding his stubby legs. “You can't climb the stairs, right? Doesn't that mean it's tough for you to get around here? I mean, there's a lot of desks, and stuff.”

 

“Ah, well.” Monokuma blushed. “That's, er...” He slumped over. “To tell you the truth, my shock absorbers have been turned off. It's normally a lot easier.”

 

“What do shock absorbers have to do with anything?” Jun said.

 

“Well, normally, with my powerful bear muscles, I can just jump!” Monokuma huffed proudly. “My sense of balance is pretty great, y'know, so I can land effectively most of the time! But with my shock absorbers turned off, my natural bounciness means that more often than not, if I come up from that high, I'll just go careening off like I'm a pinball, and then I'll hurt myself. It makes working in here a bit of a pain, but I make it work.”

 

“And that's why you can't climb the stairs?” Rin said. Rather than nodding or anything, though, Monokuma looked away awkwardly and started fidgeting.

 

“I-I-I might be elementally weak to stairs.” Monokuma twiddled his paws. “Look, it's just, I donno why, but I'm no good with stairs, especially going downwards! It's like, what if someone pushes you down them? What if someone tries to protect you from the terrible secret of space?!”

 

Rin's antenna perked up a bit. “What's the terrible secret of—”

 

“You need to watch out, Jun!” Monokuma cried, flinging his arms towards Jun (from across the room, so it still wasn't much closer.) “Watch out! Watch out! You might not be able to defend yourself, so you need to be careful of the terrible secret of space! What if the Pusher Robot comes up behind you and dumps you down the stairs? You might die from stairs!”

 

“Wait, hold on, what the hell—?!” Jun's face contorted in confusion, but Rin put a finger in front of him to silence him.

 

“No, no, he's right, Jun.” Rin said to him, with the tone of 'just go along with it for now, I know it's bullshit, we'll talk later.' “Watch out for the Pusher Robot. Dangerous guy.”

 

“Even if the Pusher Robot weren't extremely dangerous, though, I just have a hard time with stairs.” Monokuma said. “You'd be surprised. Even though I am highly bouncy and much stronger than I may appear, a lot of it is for very minute movements, like, say, dodging if you were to punch me. Please don't punch me to test that out. Anyway, it's just an odd quirk of my design, and that's why I have my handy series of tubes to help out!”

 

“I...see.” Jun gritted his teeth. “How... How nice.”

 

“Anyway, it would be nice to be taller, at least. Then I'd have an easier time.” Monokuma grumbled, walking around, deftly avoiding his various painting supplies as he did. “It's tough being an artist this compact, y'know, but doing so even despite my challenges is my calling, I tell you! It's all about heart, and I'm a very hearty bear.”

 

“You painted the trial rooms yourself, right?” Rin said. “How does that work? Do you, like... climb up the walls?”

 

“Nawww.” Monokuma grinned. “I just get control of some service drones, so it's like having a bunch of bodies on different heights! Good thing, too, or else I'd never have been able to get the one for Miria's trial done in time.”

 

“Why not?” Rin said. “I figured they'd all be prepared beforehand or something.”

 

“Well, most of them were, but that one was a spare room I had specially prepared after Miria died.” Monokuma said. “I had to get it done within the span of a few hours, so I had to really work hard, but I think it came out looking great, if I do say so myself!”

 

“Yeah, you did a really great job!” Rin leaned in and clapped. “We're very proud of you!”

 

“Eh-heh, thank you, thank you.” Monokuma wobbled bashfully. “That's all from me, but since this is my room, how's about you two scoot so I can paint something?” He made a shooing gesture. “Go on, git! Git off ma property!”

 

“Yes, sir, absolutely, sir.” Rin spun Jun's wheelchair about by doing something akin to a wheelie, and the two of them quickly left the Studio, briskly heading across the hall to Class 4-A, remaining quiet as they did. It was only a few moments before they arrived in the room, which was, unsurprisingly, essentially identical to the other Classrooms other than its blackboard having the token comic of a young Daisuke getting pushed around by his mean older sister. Apparently, he didn't warrant a portrait.

 

The two stopped in the middle of the classroom, and Rin let go of Jun's wheelchair, at which point, Jun grunted and said, “Next time, warn me before you pull those sorts of sick stunts with me! You could've just turned me around normally!”

 

“Sorry, sorry, I just thought we needed to get out of there pretty quick.” Rin clasped her hands together and bowed in apology.

 

“It's fine, just...” Jun blew out some air through his teeth. “It scared me, dammit. I'm not used to being at an angle to the floor.” He shivered.

 

“So... You heard that, right?” Rin said. “I mean, I know I got louder after that, and so did he, kinda, but you heard that, right?”

 

“Of course. It was hard to miss.” Jun said. “Surprised you did, though.”

 

“I mean, nobody else says it that way!” Rin said, beginning to pace around. “But he says 'donno!' Everyone else here says it...uh, how do you guys say it?”

 

“'Dunno.'” Jun said. “If I were to debase myself strongly enough to not properly enunciate 'I don't know.'”

 

“Right, right, right.” Rin nodded, once for each 'right.' “That's just _weird._ I mean, it's something so small it might not mean anything, but it's bugging me!”

 

“Maybe you made him.” Jun said. “And passed your stupid linguistic habits onto him.”

 

“Why in the heck would I make him?” Rin said, shrugging loudly confusedly. “He's, like, a total butt sometimes. And if I were to make a robot, it'd be a human-shaped one, probably one that didn't have issues going up stairs!”

 

“I don't know what goes on in your head!” Jun said. “Maybe you have some sort of...” He sputtered. “Weird bear kink!”

 

“Wha—” Rin sputtered, too. “Buh!? Bwah?!” She began to back away. “What kind of girl do you think I am!?” Her antenna spun wildly.

 

“ _I-I don't know!_ ” Jun said, seeming similarly flustered. “I-I didn't mean it, okay? I didn't know what else to say! Argh, stop freaking out! You're making me freak out!”

 

After a few moments' worth of mutually freaking out, Rin and Jun calmed down sufficiently to look at each other straight in the eyes, and Rin said, “I would not make a bear plushie robot for the purpose of getting off.”

 

“I know.” Jun said, rolling his eyes. “For one thing, you're such a colossal lesbian that I think even the slightest hint of maleness would cause you to shrivel up like a raisin.”

 

She wasn't about to argue that point, but Rin pondered for a moment and came to a realization. “What do _you_ look for in a partner, Jun? I don't actually know.”

 

“Huh?” Jun looked like a small animal caught in the headlights of a car. “Wh-where is this coming from?”

 

“Oh, I was just curious.” Rin said, leaning on a desk. “I mean, y'know, we're both teenagers, I feel like it's natural conversation.”

 

“W-w-w-w-w-well isn't it obvious?!” Jun said. He was sweating wildly and his eyes were wide, and Rin had the strangest sense that if he could walk, he'd be running away at top speed right now.

 

Rin frowned a bit in concern. “Um, I just—”

 

“I'M NOT GAY, GOD DAMNIT!” Jun suddenly screeched, flailing his arms at her in a vain attempt to, presumably, make her go away. “Shut up! Shut up! I'm not gay, okay?!”

 

“I-I wasn't going to say you were!” Rin said, worried that she had accidentally stepped into a topic that she was not equipped to handle, and talking over him still shouting at her to shut up. “Um, Jun, please calm down, I'm sorry. I didn't know-”

 

“You don't believe me, do you?!” Jun's teeth were gritted, and Rin saw tears welling up in his eyes. “You just think I'm lying! You think that I'm just some prancing little gay boy waiting for Prince Charming to come kiss me on the mouth! Well, fine, whatever, I don't care, just LEAVE ME ALONE! FUCK YOU!”

 

“Jun, _who are you yelling at?!_ ” She knew that he didn't like people touching him, and yet Rin couldn't help herself. She leaned forward and grabbed him by the shoulders, kneeling down to be closer to his height. “Come on, talk to me!”

 

The sudden physical contact shocked him a bit, and his breathing, which had suddenly become quite rapid, began to slow. “H-huh?” Top to bottom, he seemed utterly bewildered. “What? Hashizawa? When did you—?”

 

“You're right here, buddy. Okay?” Rin nodded slowly at him, trying to ensure he kept calm. “You're right here, and there's nobody here trying to bully you. Okay?”

 

“Bully me?” Jun's voice sounded innocent, vulnerable, for a second, but then regained its usual standoffishness. “I-I don't know what you're talking about.” He said, looking away. “Isn't it just like you to make up wild fantasies on your own?”

 

“I'm not blind, Jun.” Rin said, with a flat gaze.

 

Jun wilted slightly under her gaze. “...Fine. Whatever. I'm, um...sorry I lost myself there...for a moment.” He awkwardly twiddled his fingers.

 

“I'm sorry I stepped into such a touchy subject for you without realizing.” Rin said. “I just—”

 

“I'm not gay.” Jun said, forcefully, again. “Okay?”

 

“Okay.” Rin smiled, nodding. “I understand. It doesn't really matter to me what anyone's sexuality is, but you're not gay. I've got it!” She took her arms off of Jun's shoulders and patted her right bicep.

 

“W-well.” Jun mumbled. “I'm glad you understand. At least you're good at following instructions.”

 

It seemed a bit awkward to leave it there, so Rin said, “But, um, I can tell you've gone through a lot, so, if you ever wanna, I donno, talk about it, or anything...”

 

“Never in a million years would I talk about my life with you, Hashizawa.” Jun said, which wasn't quite as emphatic a 'yes' as Rin would've liked, but almost certainly at least meant 'I'll consider it.'

 

**9:30 P.M.**

 

With that uncomfortable, questionable little episode over, next on the list was the 'Pocket Circuit,' whatever that meant. It was a plain, white door, like you'd see in an office building hallway, so Rin wasn't sure what to expect as she opened—

 

“ _And Yashiro takes the lead!_ ” Stella shouted. “It's still anyone's race, ladies and gentlemen, but the level of finesse in Yashiro's car is electrifying! A first-time entrant and he's still managed to surpass the pace with the best of them!”

 

A blood-curdling roar resounded from inside the room. “ _ **Go, Grand Papillon! Let your wheels cry out for the spirit of JUSTICE!**_ ”

 

It was a pretty plain room, mostly, with grey or light blue walls and ceilings and standard fluorescent lighting, with several folding chairs set up around the room, and a commentator's booth to Rin's left, at the edge of its one notable feature- a miniature four-track race track upon which four tiny cars zoomed by at high speeds. Three were plain red, blue, and yellow, but one possessed a blue and white butterfly motif and mauve wheels, and that one had overtaken the rest of the pack.

 

“Oh my glob, it's Pocket Circuit!” Rin said, dashing over to the commentator's booth and sitting next to Stella. “Oh! My glob!”

 

“This is the second time you've burst into my booth, you jerk, and let me tell you, I don't take kindly to it!” Stella said, a big smile on her face, pointing at Rin. Her scouter was open. “Unless you're a real enthusiast I'm going to have to ask security to make you leave!”

 

“Am I an enthusiast? You bet your butt I am!” Rin said, intensely staring at the cars zipping by. “Pocket Circuit was my favorite game to play as a kid! Still is! It's so much fun! Oh, man, that's a shin-RYU #4 HYPER-Nos model car our good friend Yashiro is piloting, right?”

 

“Indeed!” Yashiro, standing at the edge of the track, said, intensely manipulating a small remote control.

 

“Let me tell you, I was shocked to see the variety of parts on display here.” Stella said. “This is easily on the level of modern RC raceways, if not better! The parts are such high-quality that they must've been hand-crafted by a thousand master craftsmen, folded one thousand times over to create pure Hanzo Steel!”

 

“Isn't Hanzo Steel a katana joke, not race cars?” Rin said.

 

“I can say whatever I want, this isn't being recorded!” Stella responded. “You can't tell me— Oh my god, the Grand Papillon is falling off the course! It's tipping over!”

 

Indeed it was, as it took a particularly tight turn! “Can he make it?! CAN HE MAKE IT?!” Rin slammed her fists on the table.

 

An almost palpable aura of power began to build around Yashiro, as he crouched down and began roaring. Rin and Stella began devolving into just shouting 'OH! OH! OHHH! OHHH!' as his sheer spirit power re-righted his car, allowing his risky movements to help him to gain the speed necessary to hit the finish line.

 

Jun, left abandoned at the entrance of the room, offered a bewildered “What the fuck was that?” when, at the conclusion of the race, Rin and Stella jumped out from behind their desks and ran to go congratulate Yashiro, Rin engaging him in a celebratory series of post-race arm bumps.

 

Stella tapped her earring, sending her scouter back inside its clip. “What did it look like? Commentating over a race of Pocket Circuit.”

 

“Y'know, Pocket Circuit!” Rin said. “The sport of champions! The sport of gods, Jun!”

 

“I've never been much for idiots standing around screaming at each other.” Jun scoffed, as Yashiro picked up his car, the 'Grand Papillon.'

 

“I must say, you were right all along, Rin!” Yashiro laughed. “This _is_ fun! I had no idea that my skills could be so mad!”

 

“I told you!” Rin high-fived him. “I totally told you!”

 

“It's not _the_ most exciting sport to commentate over, but the community is surprisingly friendly overall.” Stella said, smiling. She shrugged. “Usually smaller sports like Pocket Circuit have really elitist communities, but nah, it's just cool there.”

 

“Still, though, this is one nice car.” Rin said, picking up the Grand Papillon and inspecting it closely. “Ooh, yeah, the parts here _are_ real nice. You did a great job picking combinations here, though, Yashiro. Didn't peg you for a gearhead.”

 

“Oh, I'm not at all!” Yashiro said. “This was my first try, albeit with some help from the style guides.” He gestured to a door in the back. “Back there is a closet with very well-delineated supplies. Without the excellent organization, I could not have constructed Grand Papillon to fight so strongly!”

 

“Grand Papillon?” Jun said. “Like, the European-filmed superhero show adaptation of...?” He snorted. “I didn't take you for a nerd.”

 

“Don't insult the good name of Joachim Valentine in this house, young man!” Yashiro pointed a finger at Jun, and within instants, was a lot closer to him than he had been before. “Grand Papillon is a hero for a modern age!”

 

“I'm not insulting you.” Jun shrugged, recoiling a bit from Yashiro's enthusiasm (and size.) “It's a good show, though I can't help but wish his sister showed up more often.”

 

“Oh!” Yashiro beamed, grabbing Jun's hand and shaking it. “I had not considered you might be a fellow fan of the series! Its following in Japan is far too small, if you ask me, far too small for its excellent cinematography and fight choreography.”

 

After a few moments' deliberation, Jun sighed and said, “Yeah, you're right. It's very underappreciated here. The Japanese dub is even pretty decent on account of it originally being a Nintendo-owned franchise. All around, it's a surprisingly good show, and a surprisingly great adaptation of what source material it follows.”

 

“It is, isn't it?!” Yashiro said, bouncing a bit on his heels in an uncharacteristically giddy motion. “What's your favorite episode? What's your favorite move of his? Mine is Grand Slam! Oh, oh, when do you think they're going to adapt the Man Festival!?”

 

Stella leaned over to Rin and whispered, “Sometimes I forget that he's also a teenager.” as Yashiro aggressively chatted all things Papillon with Jun.

 

“You seem like you're in a good mood.” Rin smiled at Stella. “I'm glad!”

 

“Yeah, well...” Stella's eyes bounced around a bit. “I kinda just felt like crying for a while, and I did, but when a dead lady tells you straight up to get over yourself, it's...” She sighed. “Hard not to.”

 

“I'm just glad it happened.” Rin said. “Pretty much everyone seems to be trucking along pretty well at this point. It's nice.”

 

“Things must be going well if Jun let you bring him along.” Stella said, giving the small boy an aside glance, as he withered under Yashiro's fanboy assault. “Doesn't he hate you?”

 

“Nah, water under the bridge. We're totally friends now.” Rin said, huffing proudly.

 

“Well, good for you.” Stella said.

 

“Oh!” Rin's antenna pointed upwards. “Um, just curious, have you seen Shinobu anywhere today? Like, outside of her room?”

 

“Huh?” Stella said. “No, not that I can think of. Why?”

 

“Well, that's no good.” Rin's antenna drooped back down. “I hope she hasn't stayed holed up in her room all day.”

 

“What, did something happen?” Stella said. “Don't tell me you had a fight already?”

 

“What? Pfffft. No.” Rin snorted. “Nawww. Just a bit of a rough night for her, was all. I'm just a bit worried, y'know.” Her antenna curled. “Oh, say, Stel. You talked to your mom a few nights ago, right?”

 

“Uh, yeah.” Stella said. “It was, um...kinda emotional. Why?”

 

“What does she think of your new boyfriend?” Rin said. “Out of curiosity.”

 

Stella blanched, and coughed a bit on her own words. “Well, uh. Pfft, gghftt. Uh. She, um.” Cough. “Don't laugh.”

 

“I promise not to laugh.” Rin solemnly nodded.

 

“She was proud of me for finding a guy who actually lined up with my tastes, because all she remembers is me being ten years old and having posters of Makoto Naegi on my walls.” Stella said.

 

Rin blinked. “You had—”

 

“A crush on Makoto Naegi as a kid, yes.” Stella said. Her face was flat, as was her tone. “I know.”

 

“That's actually really cute.” Rin said, and Stella blushed. “I can totally see it, though. The bullheaded optimism and all, definitely would suit you pretty well.”

 

Stella gritted her teeth. “I do _not_ just like Kazuya because he's my type. Okay?” She glared at Rin. “Are we clear on this?”

 

“Oh, crystal.” Rin nodded. “Teen you has way better standards than tween you. Seriously, a crush on Makoto when his hot wife is standing right next to him?” She rolled her eyes. “Crazy.”

 

“I'm—” Stella raised a finger to protest something or another, but then stopped herself. “No... Wait...” She looked conflicted, but the conflict quickly turned into obvious distress. “Oh no.”

 

“What?” Rin said, moving in a bit closer. “What's wrong?”

 

“Oh, shit, why did I think it was okay to say yes to him? He's gonna hate me for sure when he finds out...” Stella mumbled to herself. “Mmmrgh, no, um...” She twiddled her ponytail.

 

Rin blinked. “What are you mumbling about, Stella, and how can I help?”

 

“Fuck, you can't help.” Stella said, her eyes scrunched tight in worry. “No, this is my problem, it's my fault, you can't—” She stopped, opened her eyes, and stared at Rin. “Wait. Um.” She breathed through her teeth. “Rin? Can I talk to you, like, tomorrow, about something really important?”

 

“Of course.” Rin smiled. “Always.”

 

“Come on, seriously, it's kinda important to you, too—” Stella stopped herself. “Right. It's you. Why did I assume you'd say no?”

 

“Because you have much lower self-esteem than you deserve to and therefore illogically assume you come off as a burden to those who love you and care about you?” Rin said.

 

“Yeah, sounds about right.” Stella said. She exhaled quickly, and sharply. “It's a good thing you're so annoying, it does wonders for my whole thing about not talking to people about my problems.”

 

“Being annoying is my specialty!” Rin proudly huffed.

 

Stella looked down at her feet. “Hey... Rin,” She said. “I'm kinda running on adrenaline now, but... Even if I crash when we get out of here and get really bad again, can...will you still...” She twiddled her fingers. “Can we still be friends?”

 

“Always, Stella.” Rin leaned in for a hug, being sure to avoid the sore spots of her arm by going underarm as usual. “Besties!”

 

“Bestieeeeees.” Stella said, attempting, but failing, to feign enthusiasm. “...Cause, I, uh... I kinda told Mom about you too. And she was really proud that I made a friend that sounded as good as you.”

 

“I'll do your mom proud!” Rin said, squeezing Stella a little and then letting go.

 

Suddenly, a “HASHIZAWAAAA!” erupted from the other end of the room. Jun wheeled up and yelled, “Why didn't you inform me that this sport existed sooner?! I could've become a god already, for god's sake!”

 

“I mean, I kinda just remembered it existed now.” Rin shrugged. “Couldn't really do it until now, so.”

 

“Don't 'so' me!” Jun gritted his teeth. “You and I clearly need to do battle on the field of Pocket Circuit so that I can show you my superiority. I'll destroy you.”

 

“Okay, but later. It's late.” Rin said.

 

**10 P.M.**

 

The nighttime announcement rang out as Rin and Jun left the Pocket Circuit. Out of the corner of her eye, Rin spotted Monokuma, having removed his coat, heading to the Playroom, presumably to do...however you'd describe what he'd mentioned earlier.

 

“When did it get this late?” Rin groaned. “And there's still three rooms left?”

 

“I can do it by myself if you're not feeling up to it.” Jun snorted. “You can go and get your beauty rest.”

 

At the smirk on his face, Rin huffed and said, “I'm not gonna lose to you! Come on, let's go to this... 'Firing Range.'”

 

Inside a sliding, metallic door was a narrow, but long room, mostly metallic. Glass panes stood on the floor in between partitions to separate 'lanes' of the firing range, and above and behind the glass panes was a large, empty space. A control mechanism sat on a metal panel on each glass pane, looking to have various mechanisms to specify the sort of firing one wanted to do on the range.

 

Most notable, though, was the rack of guns on the far wall. Rin and Jun quickly wheeled over to check them. Rin was by no means whatsoever a gun expert, but the rack contained very real-looking guns of various shapes and sizes in an impressive array.

 

“Sniper rifles, shotguns, rifles, SMGs, pistols, revolvers...” Jun mumbled. “Mm. I don't exactly see what use you'd get out of a shotgun here, though.” He picked up a revolver and began to inspect it. “It certainly seems functional. Would have to be, if you wanted to fire it, I suppose.” He checked the chamber, and made a little noise. “Blanks. Hm.”

 

From behind the two of them, the door opened, and Rin jumped a bit. “They're all blanks,” said the new arrival. Hansuke.

 

“Oh.” Rin said. She turned back to Jun.

 

“Did you check them yourself?” Jun said, turning his chair a bit to look at Hansuke, still holding the revolver. “You must have a lot of free time on your hands.”

 

Hansuke didn't disagree, just grunted and walked up. “Blanks are still dangerous, though.” He said. “So don't just go firing it off like an idiot. You could hurt yourself.”

 

“Why the hell would I do that?” Jun put the revolver back. “Guns are a pain, anyhow. And if I were to use a gun, naturally, I'd use something more suited to someone in a wheelchair. An AT rifle, perhaps.”

 

Hansuke raised his eyebrow and snorted. “You? An anti-tank rifle? Please.” He walked up to the gun rack, passing Rin and Jun as he did, and picked up a pistol, before going up to one of the lanes and pushing some buttons to bring up a few targets in the range- wooden targets, which popped up from below. Once, twice, three times, he fired, blasting holes in the targets with aim that wasn't perfect, but it was pretty good, all told. “It'll do.”

 

“You like firing guns, hm?” Jun said. “That sounds like something you'd be into.”

 

“How do you figure?” Hansuke said. Jun shrugged and said something about him just seeming like the type. “Anyway, I've been looking for you, Jun.”

 

“Huh? Oh, looking for little old me, are we?” Jun said. “Whatever for? I certainly hope nothing bad.”

 

Hansuke's face didn't have any humor in it. “Whether it's bad or not depends on you, little guy.” He came in closer, still holding his gun, perhaps to create an aura of authority.

 

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” Jun sweated a bit, his eyes ducking to the side.

 

“Mm, good thing you're here too, Rin.” Hansuke said. “Well, last time we talked to you, you spilled some beans, about knowing her beforehand and all.”

 

“So I did.” Jun grunted. “What about it?”

 

“What else are you hiding?” Hansuke said. “I know people, and there's no way that's all the secrets you're hiding.”

 

“I... Huh?” Jun's eyes darted back and forth. “What are you talking about?”

 

“There's something else you know. I can see it in your eyes.” Hansuke said. “Or, hell, maybe it's something you don't _wanna_ know. Something you're trying to deny or whatever.”

 

“What... What the hell are you talking about?” Jun shivered, wheeling backwards a little. “I told you everything I know! I swear, I don't know what's going on!”

 

“If there's something that only you know, or only you can figure out, then you have to do it, Jun.” Hansuke said, closing the gap. His face had gone from humorless to stern to downright frighteningly intense in a rather short time. “Come on. Don't try and tell me you have no idea what I'm talking about. I can see that you do.”

 

Jun shook. “Um, listen, I-I swear, I don't know what you're talking about. Stop it. Stop it!” He'd been backed into a corner by now, and was sweating quite profusely.

 

Hansuke gritted his teeth. “God damn it, man, that's just not good enough! Six people have died and you're just sitting here saying you don't know? What the hell—”

 

“He _said_ he doesn't know.” Rin's fist had unconsciously balled into a fist, and she spoke quietly. “So why won't you believe him?”

 

Turning to face Rin, Hansuke looked as though he'd just seen something unbelievable. “Are you kidding me?” He said, blinking. “It's Jun.”

 

“Who cares?” Rin said. “What gives you the right to charge in here and attack him like that, anyway? Maybe try asking politely instead of waving a gun in his face.”

 

“By now, you of all people should know I didn't get to being the Ultimate Salesman by being sensitive.” Hansuke rolled his eyes, leaning forward and staring at Rin. “Finding secrets isn't 'sensitive.' It's not glamorous work.”

 

“Well, that's sure convenient.” Rin stared at him, disdain evident in her eyes. “It's cool how your talent gives you an excuse to never have to read the room when you're talking about something important.”

 

“What the hell's with the attitude all of a sudden?” Hansuke glared.

 

“You know what, Hansuke?” Rin said, stepping in between him and Jun. “I'm mad, is what's with the attitude. I'm mad about a few things, but I'm mad right now about the fact that you think it's okay to charge in here and attack Jun when you're clearly really badly upsetting him.”

 

“H-Hashizawa...?” Jun mumbled from behind her.

 

“Maybe you're frustrated or something about not being able to solve everything because of Yayoi and Daisuke.” Rin said. “Y'know, I can understand that. But there's no reason to take it out on Jun like that. If you're angry, talk about it like an adult instead of charging around insisting you know better than people.”

 

Hansuke stared at her, before quietly saying, “You're mad about last night—”

 

“ _Of course I'm mad about last night, you asshole!_ ” Rin roared, throwing her hands wide, her antenna growing spiky and pointing at him threateningly. “You want me to _not_ be mad? Then try apologizing to Shinobu when you see her instead of trying to hurt my friend like this. Maybe you can, I don't know, give what _other_ people want a try, instead of trumping around thinking that you know best, and trying to convince people that what they actually want is to buy an 80-yen box of staples from you!”

 

Rearing back, Hansuke's face shifted into an openly angry expression he didn't often use. “Excuse me? Listen, lady, how the hell is it your problem? Damn it, this was between me and Shinobu, why the hell are you even butting in?”

 

“Because she asked me to!” Rin said. “And just because it doesn't directly concern me doesn't mean I can't tell you how much I hate the way you acted. I don't care if you've been running around for years doing whatever, don't you even know Shinobu at all, Mr. 'I Know People?' How the hell did you think it was a good idea to say any of what you said last night?!”

 

“It was my _job_ to tell her that!” Hansuke said. “I said what had to be said! It was my _duty._ ”

 

“Oh, yeah, that's a really good word to sit behind, isn't it?” Rin said. “'Duty.' Absolve yourself of any responsibility. Do you even know how much pain you might've caused her because of your selfish bullshit?” She snarled. “I just...” She ran her hands through her head. “I'm just so pissed off at you right now.”

 

“Not the first time someone's been pissed at me.” Hansuke said. “So I can't interrogate him, huh?”

 

“Yeah, that's basically what I'm saying.” Rin said. “Maybe try it again after you've apologized to Shinobu. And meant it, too. Figure out what you did wrong first.” She let out a sharp breath. “Please hurry up so I understand it and like you again. Being angry at someone is a serious pain.” She turned to Jun, who had gone from frightened to shocked since she'd last laid eyes on him. “C'mon, let's go. You don't need to give him the time of day if you don't want to.”

 

Jun blinked, his eyes wide. “I... Alright.” He let Rin take hold of his chair, and the two of them rolled off, leaving Hansuke in silence.

 

**10:30 P.M.**

 

In her haste to wheel away, Rin stayed on the same side of the hall and turned into Crafts, opening the door too fast to really register what kind of door it was.

 

“Er, I...” Jun mumbled, twiddling his fingers. “Thank you. I didn't realize you had that sort of mood, too.”

 

“Of course I do.” Rin said, wheeling in, letting go of the chair, and allowing normal thought to resume. She sighed. “I don't like being mad, though. It sucks. I have no idea how you do it so often.”

 

“Sometimes it's rather cathartic.” Jun said. A silence hung in the air for a moment. “So he really fucked up, hm?”

 

“Yeah.” Rin huffed. “So I'm mad.”

 

Crafts wasn't particularly large, either. It was a small workshop, mostly brown-walled, with boxes full of beads, buttons, cotton balls, string, any number of things to sew or put together some sort of little handicraft. This also wasn't particularly Rin's strong suit, but she decided that giving it a shot one of these days might not be that bad of an idea.

 

“Can I just sit in here and cool off for a bit?” Rin said. “I need a minute.”

 

“I'm not going anywhere.” Jun said.

 

And so, the two of them sat in silence.

 

* * *

 

 

**Huh?**

 

**Oh, that must've happened after you went to sleep last night, Administrator. The three of them had a conversation in the Lounge after the trial. Would you like to see it?**

 

**Understood. Beginning playback procedure.**

 

**5:30 A.M.**

 

“I... Excuse me?”

 

Rin, Shinobu, and Hansuke sat around the table. Shinobu had been stunned into silence for several moments by Hansuke.

 

“Yeah.” Hansuke nodded. “Probably not an easy thing to take in, but it's true.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait, what?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark. “So when you were talking earlier about your dad—”

 

“He was a serial killer.” Hansuke said. “Publicly, over the course of two years, he killed thirty-seven people across Japan, since his job meant he went places pretty often.”

 

“I...” Shinobu was pale. She gulped. “You mean...to tell me...”

 

“Was pretty sick, too.” Hansuke said. He leaned his arms onto the table. “They called him the 'Vampire Killer' 'cause all his victims wound up the same way: Drained of their blood, with holes in their necks.” He sighed. “Wasn't an actual vampire, though. Who the hell knows what he did with the stuff.”

 

“...You said 'publicly?'” Shinobu said, after a moment of tapping at her head and attempting to compose herself.

 

“Yeah.” Hansuke said. “See, after my parents died—some idiot cop put a bullet in him when he got caught and he died, so hell if I know why he did any of that—basically, none of my folks wanted to keep the son of a psycho murderer around, so instead, I've been going around Japan to meet all the victims' families and apologize personally. The whole Salesman thing is something I picked up as a way to keep myself alive while doing it.”

 

“What?” Rin blinked. “Why would you apologize?”

 

Hansuke, staring at her as though she'd just asked why the sky was blue, said, “Because my pop murdered their friends and family. Anyway, while I was on the road, I heard about three unsolved murders out in the country from ten years ago or so. Turns out his kill count was actually forty; three killings from a few months before his first recorded victim was three vics who matched his MO exactly.”

 

“Three?” Rin said. “Wait, who was the third one, then?”

 

“Some salaryman.” Hansuke shrugged. “I already tracked down the family there, not really important, but the last person I had to find was the one daughter of a married couple who got killed, his first two victims. I've been looking for months, and that was when my Hope's Peak letter came in.”

 

“So, you mean to tell me...” Shinobu's breath was shaky. “You mean to tell me that you're professing your father's responsibility for the death of my parents, and that you've been looking for me for months to try and apologize to me?”

 

“Seems like it.” Hansuke said. “So, there we go. My job's done. You can do whatever you want with me.”

 

“Er.” Shinobu stammered. “What... What do you mean, 'whatever you want with me?'”

 

“You probably hate me, right?” Hansuke said. “I can only guess how much you must hate the guy that killed your parents. Well, your parents were his first victims, so you've got the decision to make. Not like I'm living for much else, so you can do whatever you want with me. String me up, tar me, feather me, murder me, I don't care. Hell, if you two wanted to use me to escape, I wouldn't say no.”

 

“Are... Are you absolutely out of your mind?!” Shinobu shouted. “Why would I possibly—?”

 

“Don't tell me you've never thought of revenge once in your life.” Hansuke said. “You can't seriously tell me you've never once wanted to kill the bastard who killed your folks. Well, here I am. You can use me to get out all of whatever aggression it is you feel.” He chuckled. “Hell, if you wanted to, you could kill me the same way he killed your folks, fuck up a vampire by being a vampire for a bit—”

 

The air drained from the room. Shinobu went pale. Her scream began low, standing up from the table and slowly backing away, but soon became a loud shriek as she turned and bolted from the room at top speed. Hansuke seemed bewildered, and Rin stood up, running after her, with a, “Shinobu, wait!”

 

“Damn it, why does apologizing always have to get so damn messy?” Hansuke grumbled.

 

**After that, you've probably already figured it out, but Shinobu wouldn't leave her room despite Rin's calls, not when Rin went to sleep, and not when Rin woke up, either. Ah, men.**

 

**Was that enough?**

 

**Understood. Returning to normal feed.**

 

* * *

 

**10:45 P.M.**

 

Rin and Jun had left Crafts, and were heading for the final room of Barnsley, the Chapel. “I didn't take The End for a Christian.” Jun said, as the two of them stood in front of the tall, pale white door. “Or, for that matter, versed in religious matters.”

 

Shrugging, Rin opened the doors, which creaked loudly. “Maybe Monokuma's really proud of his stained glass and just needed somewhere to...” She trailed off, breathing in slowly. Similarly pale white arches stood on the sides of the room to the sides of seven rows and two columns of wooden pews sat in the room, which was not as large as Rin would've imagined a 'Chapel,' but was still tall and wide enough to be worthy of note. Lanterns hung on the pillars created by the arches, and a great chandelier hung above. Behind the arches, on each side, was a flowing waterway, which seemed to run in a track around the room, with small, stained-glass windows that Rin could not make out any details of above. In the center was a great pulpit, to the side of which sat a massive pipe organ. Behind the pulpit, on the wall, was the room's most notable feature; a massive stained-glass window depicting, Rin somehow knew, the archangel Michael, with sword in hand.

 

Jun, too, was stunned. “I... Hm.” He rubbed his chin. “Huh.”

 

Of course, probably most important was the single person in the pews, her head bowed in what seemed like prayer. The beret was unmistakable, and Rin bolted over once she noticed. “Shinobu!” She cried. “Oh, thank god!”

 

“...Er?” Shinobu raised her head to note the visitor, and was startled when she saw Rin leaning against the pews, panting. “Oh. Er.” She scooted over a bit in the pew. “Hello.”

 

“I was really worried that you'd be stuck in your room—” Rin leaned in closer. “—And that you wouldn't be doing alright enough to come outside because of what happened last night—” Rin leaned in closer. “—And so I'm really glad to see that you're out here because I was really worried about you!”

 

“Er, yes.” Shinobu said. Rin was barely an inch away from Shinobu's face, so Shinobu's eyes darted back and forth. “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

 

“Can I kiss you?!” Rin said.

 

“I'm still here, you know!” Jun said from the entrance of the room. Shinobu sputtered a bit under Rin.

 

“Ah! Hello, Jun! Good evening!” Shinobu said, raising her head a bit to look at him from beneath Rin. “It's lovely to see you! Rin, dear, please, get off of me, allow me a moment to regain my composure, please.”

 

“Oh, yeah. Right. Of course.” Rin stood up out of the pew.

 

After a few moments' worth of tidying herself up from the sudden attack, Shinobu stood in between the pews as well, sighing. “My apologies for worrying you. Many find some solace in praying to God, so I thought I might give it a try as well. It's a lovely room, isn't it?”

 

“Yeah, it is.” Rin said, looking around again. “I like the little river.”

 

After a moment's more silence, Rin suddenly felt Shinobu's arms tightly around her. Oh, it was a hug. Hugs were nice. “I'm glad you're here.” Shinobu said. “It's good to see you.”

 

“It's good to see you too, Shinobu.” Rin's arms returned the hug. “Are you doing okay?”

 

“Well, I won't say it didn't cause me a great deal of distress.” Shinobu said. “I have spent a great deal of time today wondering what in the world I should respond to him with. I... I don't wish for any more to die, of course. And I...” She buried herself deeper into Rin. “I especially do not wish for him to die that way.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin said, luxuriating a bit in Shinobu's warmth, but still remaining serious as the situation demanded.

 

“Er, I imagine you're probably quite mad at him.” Shinobu said. “Unless I've drastically misread your personality somehow.”

 

“No, I'm really mad at him.” Rin said. “I kinda blew up at him a bit ago when I ran into him.”

 

“Well, I don't believe that it was out of any sort of malice that he said that, by any means.” Shinobu said. “It...frightens me greatly, Rin, that this same event should have had such a drastically different effect on him, that he has had to suffer from it as well and has led himself to believe that offering up his life is the way to deliver recompense. But... I wish to convince him that he need not give up his life for my sake.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin said. “I'm with you. But, um... You know your health comes first, right?”

 

“I will try to keep that in mind.” Shinobu said. She raised her head up from being buried in Rin and looked her in the eyes. “I'm glad I have you here. Having a companion made regaining myself... remarkably easier. I, er...” She smiled. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Shinobu.” Rin smiled too. Feeling a bit bold, she swooped in for a quick kiss to Shinobu's forehead. Once she registered what had happened, Shinobu turned bright red, and began making stuttering noises akin to a broken printer, releasing her grip on Rin.

 

“I'm so glad the two of you have this loving relationship.” Jun said. “I'm still here.” When Rin realized that Jun was still there, she also turned bright red and placed her head in her hands, twisting herself to and fro because oh my goodness, I just did that in front of Jun, this is so scandalous!

 

“Er, actually!” Shinobu suddenly righted herself and loudly cleared her throat. “Rin! That reminds me! I had something! That I wanted to discuss! With you.”

 

“Oh, what's up?” Rin said.

 

"While it isn't, perhaps, ah, necessarily, erm." Shinobu stammered. "I mean, it's not as though I, you see, err. During the concert."

 

"During the concert?" Rin nodded along.

 

"Your... affectionate nature, ah." Shinobu's hands were waving to grasp onto the words. "I-I don't, er. You were... er... very... on... me."

 

"I remember this." Rin continued nodding. Her antenna was nodding, too. "Strong public displays of affection because that's just the sort of girl I am."

 

"Yes! You understand." Shinobu nodded back, still frowning as she tried to choke out her own words. "And while I do like that about you, it- it, ah- in front of _everyone?_ "

 

"Me being an overly affectionate goofball in front of our entire friend group at once was a bit too embarrassing for you?" Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

"Yes! Exactly!" Shinobu nodded, a bit more positively this time. "So while I deeply appreciate the sentiment behind the gesture, I would prefer it if you did not, ah, flaunt our relationship so publicly. So to speak."

 

Rin shot fingerguns at her. "You got it, toots."

 

“What are you going to do about the fact that Hashizawa's antenna has been curled into a heart shape this entire conversation?” Jun said, pointing towards Rin's antenna, which had indeed done so. “And aren't I a form of ‘public?’”

 

Rin and Shinobu looked at each other. Shinobu's eyes flicked up to the heart antenna, then back down at Rin. Rin's eyes flicked towards Jun, then back at Shinobu.

 

“Ah, there are still more of us than there are of you, no? Wolves and sheep puzzle rules, my boy.” Shinobu said.

 

“I mean, it's no secret that I'm head over heels in love with her, is it?” Rin said. “Like, seriously.”

 

Jun's face scrunched up a bit. “Did you just—?” He shook his head. “Whatever.”

 

“Oh, whatever happened to Gavin?” Shinobu said. “Doesn't he usually wheel you about a new floor, Jun?”

 

“Bowling happened.” Rin said. Shinobu nodded, fully understanding the ins, outs, and what-have-yous of the situation. “So we've been bonding instead. It's going great!”

 

“I'm glad!” Shinobu said. “Your relationship does seem to have greatly improved as of late.”

 

“I _guess._ ” Jun grumbled. “If you want to call it that.” Suddenly, he stretched and yawned. “Argh, I'm exhausted.”

 

“Same here. It's way too late.” Rin stretched, too. “I need to get to sleep for my beauty rest.”

 

Jun rolled his eyes. “Are you sure it'll even do you much good?” He snickered.

 

“Uh, yeah, duh.” Rin said. “Har dee har. It's important. You need sleep too, Jun. No staying up all night on your computer, okay?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yap, yap, yap.” Jun said. “How do you even put up with her, Shinobu? She's like a nagging mother. Oh, wait, you're like that, too.”

 

“I won't deny that I can nag, but I assure you I have much fewer bad habits for her to nag me about than you do.” Shinobu cackled. Ah, there was that sound Rin missed! “Sleep is important for anyone, my dear boy! You'd best take her words to heart!”

 

“Yeah, yeah, let's just go already.” Jun grunted.

 

The three of them left the Chapel and made to exit Barnsley Hall. Unfortunately, there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for them at the entrance.

 

“Oh, hey, gang!” Monokuma, leaving the Playroom. “Going to sleep like good little humans? Sweet dreams, sweet dreams. By the way, are you aware that tomorrow is a special occasion?”

 

“What's the occasion?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“First off, let me explain something for the viewers.” Monokuma said. He pulled out a graduation cap and put it on. “Claus's estimation of the date in an earlier conversation wasn't entirely correct. This is Day Fourteen, of course, and counting the first day as a sort of 'Day Zero,' it's the fifteenth day you've been here. Hansuke was kidnapped the day before school was to begin, and, of course, the Japanese school year these days starts on April 5th, since some wise guys decided starting school on April Fool's wasn't the best idea. Claus was mostly correct, but he overestimated the amount of time you were all kept under. Day Zero was April 8th, so tomorrow is the 23rd! By his estimate, it would've been the 23rd today, which would've been quite unfortunate, because today was a bit of a bothersome day, and the 23rd is quite important.”

 

“Well, er, what is the occasion of the 23rd?” Shinobu said. “The Treaty of Oliva? The birthday of William Shakespeare?”

 

“The launch date of New Coke?” Jun said.

 

“Nah, nah, nothing so gruesome as that.” Monokuma said. “Don't worry, I'll tell you at breakfast tomorrow. By the way, good luck with the Playroom. Toodles!” Down a hole he went.

 

“Good luck with the Playroom?” Rin mumbled. She opened the door to find its floor in chaos and disarray again. “Oh. Right.”

 

“Oh, _son of a bitch!_ ” Jun shouted.

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Fourteen.**

 

**No students died today. Eleven students remain.**

**No abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**

 


	39. Intermission, 2 ~ Working a Marvel with Strength and Skill

Owing to the fact that it was not only the site of Hope's Peak Academy, but also the nation's foremost atomic and biologic research laboratories, Rokumei City, referred to affectionately by the government as the 'Town of Communication,' was a town with a bustling citizenry and a great sense of pride. It sat atop the Tone River, allowing it a great deal of openness from the Pacific Ocean and other cities on the river, and within its limits was the Gold Dragon Airport, one of Japan's premier airports, with a stellar record of security, flight safety, and more.

 

As a result, it wasn't unusual to see faces who were just briefly passing through Rokumei in the slightest. It was a frequent joke among the citizenry that at least a fourth of the population at any time were tourists or sailors. But though Rokumei was the home of a school which was the very definition of 'elite,' the city did not turn away these temporary visitors, and instead accepted them with open arms.

 

This was also the case for much of the homeless population. Though Rokumei was such a bustling city, it was still inevitable that disasters, both personal and natural, would cause some people to be without a place to live. Charity was one of the town's tenets, and it showed; after disasters, many people would even take leave of their jobs to volunteer full-time at soup kitchens or as managers for housing areas for those homeless who were not able to take refuge in the charity of friends, family, or random citizens.

 

“Oi, oi, Natsu-chan!” That was the voice of a rough-looking man in back of the soup kitchen, who seemed quite fond of her. “You ain't leaving already, are you?”

 

“My shift is over.” Natsuhi said, placing her apron back in the volunteer locker she'd been assigned. “Generally, I leave when my shift is over. That's how shifts work, sir.”

 

“Ahhh, but it's so much less interesting without you around!” He said. “C'mon, we love hearing about fish!”

 

“You can hear about fish when I come back.” Natsuhi said, leaving through the back door. The hustle and bustle of the soup kitchen quickly faded, and she was greeted with the bright April skyline, throwing her hand up in front of her face to shield her eyes somewhat. The parking lot out back was thankfully empty, so, as she had nothing to do, Natsuhi opted to sit down on a bench beneath a nearby tree.

 

As things stood, Natsuhi Miyashiro was, theoretically, the Ultimate Mariner; theoretically because she had only been a high school student for a few weeks, and therefore was probably not yet eligible to actually be enrolled into Hope's Peak. She was rather tall, though, and quite athletic, so most people who saw her guessed that she at least had to be a second-year. It was something of a requirement for the job that she have skin that tanned rather than burned (and according to people who hit on her, she tanned quite nicely), but that didn't mean she didn't prefer shade from time to time.

 

The back door opened again, and with a loud sigh, another woman, in her early forties, brunette, small and mousy, much fairer-skinned than Natsuhi, exited the soup kitchen. Luna Masaki adjusted her glasses, pulled down on her gray sweatshirt to ensure it was properly on, and sat down, with another loud sigh.

 

“You're wearing sweatpants still?” Natsuhi said, looking at Luna's bottom half. “Isn't it a bit warm for that?”

 

“I didn't have the energy to look for anything nicer today.” Luna said. She shrugged “It's been a hard couple of weeks.”

 

“Mm.” Natsuhi said.

 

Comparatively, Natsuhi, with her fishnet socks in boat shoes, black swim trunks, fishnet undershirt, black sports bra and navy blue blazer, was significantly more fashion-conscious—or so people who saw the two of them beside each other said. Luna had once said that the most striking thing about Natsuhi, though, well, had been her physique, but second-most had been her bright pink bowl cut. Natsuhi couldn't deny this, and had been getting such comments since she'd gotten sick and tired of her hair getting sun-bleached and being inconsistently colored, and dyed it pink in a fit of rebellion against the great ball of plasma in the sky.

 

“It's the 22nd, right?” Luna said.

 

“Yes.” Natsuhi said. “2:43 P.M. April 22nd.” She took the red-and-yellow cane from behind her back and started twirling it around in her fingers.

 

Luna sighed even louder. “It's Stella's birthday tomorrow.” She said, her shoulders slumping. “And she's been kidnapped. Do you think The End would let me send in a birthday cake?” She stopped. “Oh, that's ridiculous. Of course she wouldn't. I hope someone makes her a birthday cake or something.”

 

“Maybe her boyfriend will.” Natsuhi said.

 

Luna went silent for a bit. “Oh, right. I, er... I'm still not quite used to the idea of her having a boyfriend. Here I thought after the last time, she'd never fall in love again.” She sat up slightly straighter. “It's a bit of a mixed bag, does that make sense?”

 

“After Sagami?” Natsuhi said.

 

“After Sagami, yes.” Luna said. “It was terrible what happened. Stella was absolutely crushed, and it didn't seem like she'd fully recovered even after two years.” She sighed even louder. “But at least she seems to be doing...as well as she can, in there. Did I tell you she's made friends, too? I've been very proud of her!”

 

The older woman was prone to bouts of melancholy, but she dearly loved her daughter, and so she lit up any time she talked about Stella's achievements. Natsuhi found it endearing, and so said, “I'm glad.”

 

Natsuhi and Luna were both frequent volunteers wherever they went, and the Masaki household was also on a river, so the two of them had run into each other on multiple occasions and eventually become friends. It was by sheer coincidence that Natsuhi had happened to be in Rokumei at the time, but Luna had expressed great relief that she had someone familiar to talk to in this time of crisis. As a result, she had talked, and quite a lot, especially once she had gotten a chance to speak with her daughter two nights before.

 

“I haven't thought to go speak to any of the other parents. Is that bad of me?” Luna said. “I mean, well, I don't actually even know if any of their children will survive, so it would be presumptuous of me to try and strike up parent-to-parent relationships.”

 

Natsuhi shrugged. “I don't know.” Right on time, 2:45, the sound of small wings flapping came down from the sky, as did a pigeon, a Luzon bleeding-heart, specifcially, carrying in its beak several papers (in pristine condition) and a pen. “Thank you.”

 

“Oh, this one is... Akagi, right?” Luna said, gazing at the pigeon. “Thank you for your hard work, Akagi.”

 

Of the pigeons Natsuhi's school employed to send schoolwork to students off-campus, Natsuhi knew from experience that Akagi was the most anti-social of any of them by a country mile, but nevertheless he accepted Luna's touch as she lightly stroked the top of his head. “You have a way with birds.” Natsuhi said, inspecting her study materials for the day, as Akagi flew off once more.

 

“Well, they all do so much work in bringing students their materials every day.” Luna said, placing her head in her hands. “It's only right to appreciate them, isn't it?”

 

“Yes.” Natsuhi nodded. “I agree.” And the two sat in silence.

 

Silence was a remarkably rare thing in the bustling streets of Rokumei, but this back parking lot was one of the few places in the city Natsuhi had found to really allow the peace of silence to wash over her. She would've been even more peaceful had she been on the water, but at a time like this, that seemed inappropriate, so she grasped at what little silence she was able to obtain. Natsuhi had never been a particularly talkative person, but many of her friends were.

 

It was both a blessing and a curse that only one of her friends drove a loud, red convertible car, decked to the nines in Prosecution Ensemble deco, with all the glittering sword and shield decals and hood ornaments that implied, and with a gold, one-winged eagle décor on one side, which was currently sharply turning into the parking lot with a loud screech of the wheels, completely killing the silence. It was a blessing because it was _only_ one, and yet it was a curse because it was only _one._

 

“Na~tsu~hiiiiiiiiiii!” Cried the car's driver, a light-skinned, fair-haired individual with a remarkably soft-looking face, clad in—ah, a blue sweater vest over top a baby blue shirt with red tie, with that ostentatious, yet unmistakable red-and-gold half-cape over the left shoulder. Black pants. Brown shoes. “My darling mermaid, I've been longing to see you! It's been far too long!” Swinging open the car door, this individual grandly stepped out, and briefly lost their footing on a rock, requiring a bit of stumbling to get back into posture, arms thrown wide.

 

Natsuhi's eyes narrowed. “It's been two days, Rei—” Quick scan. Hair was in a ponytail. Sweater vest was generally men's clothing. The one-winged eagle ring was on the right hand. “—ji.”

 

With a high-pitched whining noise, Reiji bent over dramatically. “Ah, but how can I go so long without seeing you when I know you are right here, waiting for my company?! It's simply cruel to separate the two of us for so long, my dear!” He clenched his fists against his chest, making sobbing noises. “Ohhh, it tears at my heart! Aaaaahhhh, the lacerations!”

 

Luna didn't seem to know what to make of this new arrival. “Er—?”

 

“Ah, but where are my manners, have they taken flight of me off to the halls of Muspelheim?” Reiji bowed grandly. “My sincerest apologies for not saying anything to you yet, my dear lady. I hope you can understand the degree to which Natsuhi takes priority!”

 

“Oh, er, certainly...” Luna said, in a low, confused tone that made it very clear how much she did not understand anything that was currently happening. “Mister, ah... Reiji?”

 

Reiji did a pirouette. His half-cape fluttered in the wind. “Bonjour, bonjour! So pleased to make your acquaintance!  **In the world of the law, I am known as Reiji Ittosai, the Ultimate Attorney!** ” 

 

“Attorney?” Luna blinked. “Wait, but how old are you?”

 

“Why, I'll be turning sixteen in just two scant months!” Reiji laughed a high-pitched laugh. “Now, I know what you're thinking, and yes, madame, I did, indeed, pass the bar exam at merely thirteen years old. They say I'm something of a prodigy.” He postured proudly.

 

“R-really?” Luna blinked again. “That's, er...quite impressive. Good job.”

 

“Ahaha, it's nothing, it's nothing.” Reiji smiled. “More importantly, though. Natsuhiiiiiii!” He leaned in closer. “How are you  _ doing _ today, my pure, pickled pufferfish?”

 

“Why am I pickled?” Natsuhi said, narrowing her eyes. “That's stupid.”

 

“T'aaaugh!” Reiji staggered back, seeming almost physically injured by Natsuhi's retort. “I am crushed!”

 

“Is...is he a friend of yours, Natsuhi?” Luna turned to her and asked. Natsuhi nodded. “Oh, I see. Hello, Reiji, I'm Luna.” She extended her hand for a handshake.

 

Reiji gasped. “Why, if I don't miss my mark, that would make you miss Luna Masaki, would it not?!” He enthusiastically grabbed her hand and shook twice, firmly. “I've heard of you, ma'am. Natsuhi actually speaks about you! She is rather quiet, you know, so it is a great occasion—” Natsuhi stared at him, to which he responded, “As I've told you before, Natsuhi, continuing to talk when most people would stop is a valuable skill for an attorney. Bluffing is part of the job, you know, and what better way to bluff than to talk?”

 

“So, er, how long have you two known each other?” Luna said. She was, understandably, a bit confused, or at least she looked it.

 

“Four years.” Natsuhi said. “Last year of elementary school.”

 

“And a better companion I couldn't POSSIBLY have asked for!” Reiji said, and then, for some reason, flipped his hair dramatically. “Why, on multiple occasions, I would be dead, interred in the family grave, if it were not for the efforts of dearest Natsuhi!”

 

Natsuhi scoffed. “It was  _ one _ time I saved your life.”

 

“Three times, actually.” Reiji said, lowering his voice to become matter-of-fact. “Once when you fished me out of a river, once when you came in with a harpoon to fend off yakuza flunkies, and once when you used a fishing pole to help me defuse that bomb.”

 

“You could've taken those yakuza.” Natsuhi shrugged. She didn't remember helping him defuse a bomb, either, but his memory for times they'd worked together was better than hers, so she didn't bother rebutting.

 

“You see the faith my dearest, most trusted friend has in me, Luna?” Reiji said. “Oh, may I call you Luna, or would Ms. Masaki be better?”

 

“Luna's fine, I think any friend of Natsuhi's...” Luna mumbled.

 

“Lovely!” Reiji sparkled. “But you see, this faith, this trust the two us have in each other, this is the reason why we are destined to be together! It's unmistakable, Natsuhi!” He clenched his fist. “This, too, must be the will of causality!”

 

“A crush is not the will of causality.” Natsuhi said.

 

“What I feel for you is not merely a 'crush,' Natsuhi! One day, one day soon, you will realize that it is  _ true love! _ ” Reiji threw his hand up towards the sky, and then abruptly returned to normal posture. “But anyhow, my point.”

 

“You have a point?” Natsuhi said, her eyes widening slightly.

 

“Is there a kick-me sign on the bench or something?!” Reiji bent over to an almost ninety-degree angle, making a noise as though he'd just had all of the air knocked out of him. “Aaaaagh! Aaaaaauuuugh!” Then he stood back up. “Yes, I do have a point.”

 

“What?” Natsuhi said.

 

Reiji did a little dance on his heels, then made a clicking noise and made fingergun gestures at Natsuhi. “I wanna take you for a ride!” He sang.

 

* * *

 

 

“Rin Hashizawa,” Reiji said, sunglasses on, rolling down the highway, one arm on the open window. “Sixteen years old, born on May 22 nd , 2179. She's currently listed as a student at Clearwater Academy in Tochigi. Her grades are stellar, but her attendance record is poor. Her legal guardian is her aunt, Yuno Hashizawa, but the two only speak very infrequently, despite living in the same house. As a result, despite her complete disappearance from scheduled checkup times, Rin wasn't reported as actually missing until a total of one month after her last known sighting.”

 

“Huh?” was all Natsuhi had to say. It turned out that Reiji was going to Hope's Peak proper, and apparently wanted her along for the ride for some reason.

 

“I've heard that name before.” Luna said. “She's one of the hostages The End has, right? Stella's made very good friends with her.” Luna had insisted on coming along as well, if they were going to Hope's Peak. “Also, er, how do you have a driver's license? You're not sixteen yet.”

 

“It's quite a long story, I assure you, but it had to do with a particularly strange case in Tokyo.” Reiji said, with a sort of smug pride in his voice. “But that's beside the point. You're quite correct, Luna; Rin Hashizawa is a person of interest in this case, and great interest, at that. However, as a result of her real identity not being discovered until after the killing game began, much information about her as relates to the case has been slow to come in.”

 

“So?” Natsuhi said. “What do you have to do with this?”

 

“Well, at the behest of Hope's Peak, I've been doing quite a bit of legwork learning more about Ms. Hashizawa.” Reiji said. “You see, there's some people on the staff who think it's quite likely that she herself is the mastermind behind this incident, so I was requested by the staff to determine her possible culpability.”

 

“Isn't that more what an Ultimate Detective should be doing?” Luna said. “Why are they having the Ultimate Attorney do so much legwork?”

 

Reiji lowered his sunglasses and rolled his eyes. “Detectives have their place, but oftentimes, an attorney must take the law into their own hands in order to really understand the case. Unfortunately, a great deal of my legwork outside of the city was inconclusive. While I did find record of several of her residences, and past incidents, there was little to satisfactorily find a connection between her and the ongoing events, or question why she would be included in this event.”

 

He turned into his exit. “That is, until I headed to Marufuji College.”

 

“The Tech Expo?” Natsuhi said. “Why?”

 

“One of the hostages, a Mr. Jun Fukuyama, you may recall, won that competition.” Reiji wagged his finger, then placed both hands on the steering wheel. “But there was one very important factor that went unreported until I took a look into the event itself. Of its two hundred ninety-six entrants, an amazing two hundred forty-three presented their exhibits, but of the remaining, there was one curious case.” He paused briefly. “Ah, should I turn left or right here...? Left.” He turned left. “Rin Hashizawa was also an entrant in the Expo.”

 

“Oh.” Natsuhi said.

 

“However, when it was time for her exhibit to be presented, she entered the hall in a great panic, claiming that it had suddenly disappeared.” Reiji said. “Indeed, where it seemed that she'd brought in her exhibit, there was nothing but an empty preparation space. However, the judges and the staff had not actually seen her exhibit beforehand, as she claimed that it, whatever it was, should not be disturbed until the presentation.”

 

“What?” Luna said. “That... Well, that sounds like someone must've stolen it!”

 

“Apparently, no trace of it was ever found. Her exhibit came in, essentially, a moving van, so the primary theory was that someone unlocked the garage of the preparation space, entered it, stole the van, and left. However, she adamantly claimed that it was impossible for anyone to have operated the vehicle without her permission, owing to some factor of how the vehicle was controlled.” Reiji said. “Nevertheless, it was missing. The head judges of the Tech Expo deemed that, whether she was lying or telling the truth, either way, there was no exhibit there for them to judge, and as a result, she was disqualified.”

 

“Weird.” Natsuhi said. “But what's the point?”

 

“During an event in which something baffling and inexplicable happens around Rin Hashizawa, not only does Jun Fukuyama wind up the winner, but Claus Toranosuke is one of the head judges. Five months later, which is to say, now, they all find themselves missing.” Reiji said. “It stuck out a bit too much to be a coincidence, so rather than looking for information about Rin herself, I decided to look into ways in which the rest of the class could also be connected to her. I've gathered quite a bit, but something occurred to me a few days ago.”

 

“What's that?” Luna said.

 

“It was right under my face; the largest concentration of people I can ask about this situation are, essentially, all under one roof right now!” Reiji said. “So I'm returning to Hope's Peak in the, excuse the pun, hopes of putting this all together and determining my case.”

 

It was Reiji's normal investigative fervor, as far as Natsuhi could tell. He was a grade-A weirdo, but he had a good head on his shoulders despite how flowery it was. “But why am I here?” Natsuhi said.

 

“Two reasons.” Reiji raised two fingers as he turned into the campus of Hope's Peak Academy. “The first reason is that, if my understanding of the current situation is correct, the students are being held underwater and your expertise may come in handy at some point.”

 

“You're assuming I'm going to help.” Natsuhi said, and Reiji looked at her in the mirror and gave her a look that said, 'well, you  _ are,  _ aren't you?' “Yeah.” She nodded.

 

“The second reason is that I'm about to confront a possibly dangerous criminal.” Reiji said. Luna gasped audibly, but Natsuhi just sighed, and gave him a look that said, ' _ again? _ ' “Yes indeedy!” He nodded. 

 

“Why would you be doing that here, of all places?” Luna said. “And—and aren't you two only fifteen?! I can't let you do that!” 

 

Reiji would've said more, because he did love talking, but as he pulled up to the front, their conversation was a bit derailed by the sound of oddly noisy staff chatter and the sight of security guards rushing off somewhere else off campus. “Oh dear, it seems there's some sort of situation.” He said, stopping the car and hopping out. “Excuse me!” He jogged over to someone, a highly concerned-looking blue-haired woman who was probably a teacher, but Natsuhi wasn't completely certain. “What's going on? It seems like there's an emergency.”

 

“It's plain to see, isn't it?” She said. “Er, wait... Oh my goodness!” Suddenly, she totally switched stances from concerned to glowing. “You're Reiji Ittosai, the Ultimate Attorney!” She looked towards the car. “And that's your partner in fighting crime, Natsuhi Miyashiro, the Ultimate Mariner! Oh my gosh, I'm such a big fan!” Then she shook her head furiously. “Wait, that's not the point right now.”

 

“I'd love to indulge in pleasantries, but you're right, now's not the time.” Reiji looked around. “If I had to guess by the way the guards are running, it's a situation still on-campus?”

 

“Er, well, yes, at least, we think so.” She said. At this point, Natsuhi got out of the car and came up, too, since she had a feeling of where this was heading. “Two people have gone missing, and, well, we think it might be some kind of hostage situation!”

 

“Who?” Natsuhi said.

 

“A woman named Haruhi Harada.” The teacher then had a pained look on her face. “And... A little girl named Miki Murasaki.”

 

“How convenient.” Reiji said. “Just the criminal I wanted to hear about.”

 

“Miki is no such thing!” The teacher grabbed him by the lapels, and Natsuhi snorted at his frantic protests that he meant the other one.

 

* * *

 

 

“Get the hell in here, and keep quiet!” The hag shouted, carrying Miki, who'd been bound in ropes to prevent her from escaping. She opened the door to a utility closet, at what Miki was pretty certain was some kind of soccer field on the campus of Hope's Peak, and went in.

 

“It's really cool how you have to tie up a little girl to kidnap her.” Miki said. “You're really proving whatever your point is here.” She wasn't bothering to wriggle, or anything, since she didn't feel like giving the hag the satisfaction.

 

“Didn't I just tell you to keep quiet?!” The hag snarled, slamming Miki down roughly on the ground. Miki was used to pain, so she did her best to keep quiet. “You fucking celebrities never know when to stop talking!” Her makeup was running from the stress and sweat, so she looked even faker than she had before, and her breath reeked of cheap alcohol, so it was pretty unpleasant.

 

“I've been in bed sick my entire life.” Miki said. “How am I a 'celebrity?'” The hag kicked her in the gut. She gritted her teeth and bore it.

 

“You think you're so much better than me just because your sister was a big, famous construction worker.” The hag spat. “Well, you know what, kid? Maybe you should learn to respect your god damned elders!”

 

“You just kidnapped me. Why should I respect you?” Miki said.

 

The hag grunted, and punched a wall. “Why didn't I gag you, fuck!” Then she reacted from the pain of hitting the wall. “And why the hell are you mouthing off so much?” She pulled a pistol out from the pocket of her gray hoodie, which was in stark contrast to how bright the rest of her was. “Don't you get I'm in control here?”

 

“Then hurry up and shoot me if you're so ready.” Miki said, staring her dead in the face. “What's with the pageantry?” Glasses had just taught her that word. It was a good word.

 

“You just don't get it, do you?” The hag gritted her teeth. “This is  _ revenge. _ I'm taking revenge for my dead brother. Daisuke Harada? You may have heard of him? Your,” and she put on a mocking tone, “preeeecious big sister  _ murdered _ him?”

 

“Oh.” Miki had actually already figured out that the hag was Haruhi Harada, because after all, they'd been in the same room for that broadcast earlier, so her reaction was very muted. “So you're going to kill me because Yayoi killed your brother.”

 

“Yes, that's right.” The hag nodded. “Of course, I'm not going to just shoot you. That's probably not enough to pay you back for how he must've suffered.” She grinned a crooked grin. “I think I'm going to drive you into the ocean, since they did die underwater, and all. I'll drive you into the ocean inside the trunk of a car, so you can either suffocate or drown. Your choice, really.”

 

“Cool.” Miki said. “Should I waterboard myself now to get ready?”

 

“You're about to die!” The hag shouted. “The least you could do is be a bit scared, you little shit!”

 

Miki looked the hag right in the eyes, and said, “I've been 'about to die' for years now. Are you supposed to be more scary than that?”

 

“Typical.” The hag spat. “You celebrities don't know anything about how the world works. You just walk around trumped up because you're all so goddamn special and wonderful, and so now since you're sick you get to be more special than me, ohh, even the stupid bear thing gives you a special little message because your sister was sooooo much better than Daisuke was.” The hatred in her voice was so obvious it was kind of embarrassing. “Well, I'm sick of it. I'm going to show you and that little bitch of a sister of yours that nobody messes with  _ my _ family and gets away with it.”

 

“It kinda seemed like you didn't care about him until he died.” Miki said. The hag kicked her again.

 

“Don't bother screaming for help. You aren't getting anywhere, you little shit.” The hag snarled, and then picked up a box full of locks both mundane and electronic.

 

“Bringing your car around?” Miki said. “Good luck. Glasses tells me the roads around this part of campus need paving.”

 

“Will you _shut up?_ ” The hag said, and then opened the door and closed it again. In the now-dark closet, Miki heard her lock the door. And then lock it again...and then again...a fourth time...a fifth time...a sixth time...seventh...eighth... Well, eventually Miki lost count, but the point was it was very thoroughly locked. Miki had to wonder what the point of the locks was, considering that she was tied up anyhow.

 

After a moment, though, a pile of boxes in the corner rumbled, and Miki heard a yawn. “Wowzers,” a sleepy voice said. “She sure seemed like a jerk.” Sounded like a boy. There was a shuffling in the darkness as whoever that was stood up, and slowly worked his way towards the light switch.

 

When it turned on, she saw him. The guy, whoever he was, was real thin and wiry. He had one of those droopy faces that always looked a little bored, and had a mess of white hair that looked like he hadn't combed it in weeks. His eyes were some kind of brown...ochre. Right, that was ochre. His skin was pretty medium, but his accessories sure weren't—he had gold 'cufflinks' on that more closely resembled handcuffs, and what looked like a rope tied as a belt around the waist of his pants, like old samurai used to wear. His shirt was striped, white and black, left to right, and buttoned up, real wrinkled from being under those boxes, but looked kinda loose despite that. Same with his pants, which were black and nondescript. And...was he wearing slippers? 

 

He yawned again. “Bummer. Sorry I didn't help earlier... I think one of those kicks woke me up or something. You want me to untie you?”

 

She wouldn't dare show it, but Miki was pretty baffled by this guy. “Why were you sleeping under those boxes?”

 

“The need for a nap came over me, no big deal.” He shrugged. “I've been pretty worried these days and sometimes you just need to sleep it off.”

 

“Please untie me.” Miki said.

 

“In a jiff.” The weird guy said, strolled over, flipped her over with a rapid, yet gentle motion, and untied the ropes at a frankly absurd speed. “Can you move? Sounded like she hit you pretty hard.”

 

Miki mumbled as she tried moving her limbs. “I feel better than I have in years.”

 

“That's a pretty mixed bag.” The guy said. He gave Miki his hand, and she took it. The two of them were now both standing, in the utility closet. Miki hadn't been able to see much from on the ground, but it was really cluttered in here. “It's kinda crazy how much stuff there is on this campus.” The guy observed.

 

“I think they use a lot of it for official city events when it's not in use by the students.” Miki said. “And a friend of mine told me that a lot of Ultimates still use the study facilities here even after they graduate, so there's lots of places on the campus that grow into basically totally separate businesses.”

 

“It's a nice school.” The guy said.

 

Miki chose that moment to actually say what she'd been thinking about this guy's attitude. “You know we're locked in here, right?”

 

“Huh?” The guy blinked. “We are?”

 

“She just locked the door.” Miki said. “A lot.”

 

The guy got an odd look on his face, and stared at the door. “What, just the door? Pshhhh.” He grinned and shrugged. “That's no big deal.” When Miki raised an eyebrow, he said, “Oh, doy, introductions. My bad, I totally forgot to ask your name.”

 

“Uh, it's Miki.” Miki said. “Miki Murasaki.”

 

“Howdy, Miki.” The bizarrely relaxed guy said. “ **The name's Saburo, Saburo Kirihito. Folks call me the Ultimate Escape Artist.** ” Saburo smiled, and raised his hand in greeting.

 

“...Escape Artist?” Miki stared. “So, you're one of those people who likes to tie themselves up and jump into fish tanks and then try and get out?”

 

“Well, y'know, stuff like that, yeah.” Saburo said. “I've always just been good at getting out of sticky situations like this.” He grinned. “Y'know those room escape things they have sometimes? All those folks hate me cause I get out so fast.”

 

“And why are you here?” Miki said.

 

“See, I came to the campus cause my buddy Gavin got kidnapped and I wanted to help look for him, yeah?” Saburo said. “But I wasn't real sure what to look for, since it's my first time here, aaaaand I kinda got lost.” He shrugged. “Y'know how it is.”

 

“How are we gonna get out of here?” Miki said. It was good to be relaxed, but they were in a bit of a situation right now.

 

“Oh, doy. Gotta get outta here before Crazy comes back.” Saburo chuckled. “My bad. Well, we've got two ways. First way is that little hatch on the ceiling.” He pointed up behind Miki, and above some shelves, she could see a small hatch on the ceiling, indeed. “Second way is, way that wall there looks,” and he pointed to one of the walls, “there used to be a window there but now it's a wall to another closet or something. We can just break through the spot where the window used to be.”

 

“Going up sounds easier.” Miki said.

 

“Good choice.” Saburo nodded. “How's about you and I get going, huh?”

 

* * *

 

 

The teacher, who called herself 'Megane,' had gotten a call from someone in the school, who told her to hurry to the stadium on-campus. Megane had questioned the caller why it should be her and not any of the security guards or anything, and the caller had answered, apparently, that it was on account of her present company. 

 

So, it turned out that Natsuhi and Luna were also dragged along with Megane and Reiji to the stadium. “Who was that calling you?” Luna asked, as they hurried across the campus.

 

“Oh, that was Ruri, she's, ah, very smart, oh I'm not used to running.” Megane panted. She sputtered out. Natsuhi didn't feel like waiting, so she ran ahead.

 

“Ah, Natsuhiiiii!” Reiji cried out from behind, barely managing to keep pace. “Wait for meeeeeeeee!”

 

The spring breeze blew in the wind as the four of them came to a stadium that, Reiji said, was named after an Ultimate Baseball Star whose name she missed. Natsuhi wasn't particularly well-versed in sports stadiums, but it seemed nice enough, with stands that might be able to fit half the population of Rokumei if they squeezed in and a space that was wide enough for even the most heated baseball games. It seemed to be between paint jobs, so it was largely gray and undecorated for the time being, but the turf was well-maintained and the diamond was quite clean.

 

“So, Ms. Megane,” Reiji said, after the other three had caught up, “why exactly did your friend tell us to come here?”

 

“She thought it was likely that Haruhi might try to store Miki somewhere around here while she obtained her getaway vehicle.” Megane said. “It's plain to see that people aren't coming around here very often right now, since our city's team is currently in the middle of several away games and all.”

 

“How did she decide that?” Luna said. Megane smiled and shrugged. “Well, that's alright, but where do we start looking?” Taking a wide look around, she took in the stands. “There's a lot of space to look here and not too much time-”

 

There was a low rumbling from the open entranceway that they'd entered through. Natsuhi's hair stood on end, and she spun and stood at the ready, cane in hand. “Everyone, move over!” She commanded.

 

Megane made a quizzical noise, but Reiji grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the way, saying, “If Natsuhi says so, do it! She's very keen on these sorts of things!” Luna followed, all three of them standing well out of the way of the entranceway, to Natsuhi's right.

 

The rumbling grew somewhat more intense. It was an easy rumbling to recognize; it was the sound of an approaching car. Moving at high speeds, it took a sharp turn into being visible and began speeding through the entranceway, its tinted windows not betraying any of its driver's intentions- though since it wasn't attempting to turn away from Natsuhi, they were clear enough anyway.

 

Flicking the handle of the cane downward and the tip upwards, Natsuhi's cane rapidly produced a sharp, metal spear. Her cane was her proudest possession; within its shaft contained a number of fishing apparatuses that would make a superhero blush.

 

The car charged towards her, but this wasn't the first time Natsuhi had been in a situation like this, so there was no need to flinch. A car's tire was an easier target than several sorts of fish. She aimed downwards and to her right, to the car's front tire, and fired. The spear launched out of the gun and pierced the car's tire, causing it to blow with a thunderous popping noise. Natsuhi dodged to the opposite side, and the car began to sharply veer to the right. The driver was no doubt rather panicked, as they made the mistake of attempting to brake; but this just sent them into a spin, and within instants, the car had careened far away from Natsuhi and the other three, and with a great crash, slammed into the wall of the stadium.

 

“Ahaaaa, brilliant!” Reiji clapped. “That's my Natsuhi! Always fantastic against oncoming cars-” Natsuhi raised a hand for him to be silent, and the air was quiet. She slowly approached the car, which made some sputtering noises as its driver attempted to restart it, but eventually grew silent.

 

“A-are you sure you should be going near there?” Megane said. She ran up as well and put her hand on Natsuhi's shoulder. “I'm a teacher, maybe I should do it.”

 

“You might die.” Natsuhi said. As she approached the car, which had not broken entirely but certainly was not operable, she noticed that the windows were cracked enough that sound was leaking through.

 

“Argh, shit. I can't believe this.” The occupant, probably Haruhi Harada, said. “A speargun?! Who carries one of those?!” It was faint, but Natsuhi heard the sound of an actual gun being loaded.

 

“Sensei.” Natsuhi whispered to Megane. “What's her dominant hand?” Megane gestured to her own right hand, and Natsuhi nodded. She ducked behind the trunk of the car, and retracted the speargun, flipping the cane around and releasing a line and a hook for its fishing rod. “Hide.”

 

Megane looked concerned. “Are you—?”

 

“ _ Hide. _ ” Natsuhi commanded, and Megane ran for what cover she could find. The left car door began cautiously opening, and Natsuhi crouched. It swung out a little more...a little more...the driver's feet hit the ground...she was out! With one fluid motion, Natsuhi flung her fishing rod through the air with accuracy that had taken years to master, hooking it between the trigger and the guard of the pistol in the woman's hands, and immediately yanking it back. Haruhi yelped in surprise as the gun was wrenched from her hands, and was clearly seething when Natsuhi grabbed it out of midair and quickly holstered her cane and pointed the gun back at her. 

 

“What the fuck?!” Haruhi said. “A speargun and a fishing pole?” She wasn't looking her best, but she already looked like the sort of person who liked to pretend she was more attractive than she was. Her yoga pants looked a bit torn and cut from the crash, but that was a matter for after she was subdued. “What kind of weirdo are you?!”

 

“ **Natsuhi Miyashiro. Ultimate Mariner.** ” Her hands were level, ready to fire at any time. “Reiji. You can talk now.” 

 

“Oh, can I?” Reiji said, plastered on the wall a ways away. He came up, his teeth gleaming in the sunlight, rubbing his chin. “Fantastic work as always, Natsuhi. This is the sort of work that made me fall in love with you!”

 

Haruhi sneered. “Oh. I recognize  _ you. _ You're that attorney.” She reached for her gun on instinct before remembering that Natsuhi had stolen it. “What do you want with me?”

 

Reiji laughed. “Haruhi Harada! Just the woman I wanted to see. Well, before the police come to arrest you, have I got some questions for you.”

 

“Don't I have the right to remain silent?” Haruhi said.

 

“I'm not a member of the police, ma'am. I'm just a humble high school heartthrob with a hankering for mysteries.” Reiji grinned. “Now, if I may. Aside from your attempted murder just now and kidnapping Miss Miki, I'd like to ask you about an earlier incident.”

 

“An earlier—?! Where the hell do you get off?!” Haruhi shouted. “I don't have time for this!”

 

“I don't really care what you have time for, ma'am.” Reiji said. “I'm an attorney. Several years ago, a long string of harassment led to a media scandal regarding a woman named Uchiko Hashizawa.” At the mention of the name, Haruhi's teeth gritted. “Her daughter Rin was the same age as, and was friends with, your younger brother Daisuke. Their living situation was a highly-kept secret among adults.”

 

“So what?” Haruhi narrowed her eyes.

 

“Well, essentially what I'm saying is, you put your younger brother up to coaxing that information out of Rin and used it to ruin the Hashizawas' lives, yes?” Reiji said. He flung his half-cape to the side and sparkled. “I was worried you might do something drastic when I confronted you about this, but you saved me the trouble and placed yourself in the frying pan by yourself. You have my greatest thanks!”

 

“What  _ about _ it?” Haruhi said. “You big-shot celebrities always love to talk, don't you. If you've already got everything figured out, what's the point of asking me?”

 

“Just confirmation.” Reiji said. “Now, another question for you, why in the world did you kidnap that young girl?”

 

“It's revenge, dumbass!” She snarled. “I don't know if your head is far enough out of your ass to have heard about it, but Daisuke is  _ dead _ and her sister's the one that did it. I've had it up to here with these god damned celebrities going around doing whatever the hell they want!”

 

“So you kidnapped a little girl.” Natsuhi said.

 

“You planned to kidnap and presumably murder her as revenge for your younger brother's death?” Reiji hummed. “A fascinating story. And if I were to ask your family, would they corroborate?”

 

“What do you mean, would they corroborate?” Haruhi said, glaring.

 

“Because that's not the sort of story I heard.” Reiji said. “I heard from calls to your grandfather and younger sister that you were quite adamant to Daisuke that he murder someone or else you might destroy all his worldly possessions. If that were the case, then I believe it would actually be your responsibility for forcing him into that situation, from a moral point of view, you understand.”

 

“What the hell do you want from me?!” Haruhi shouted, having suddenly become very visibly upset.

 

“I'd just like an explanation, really.” Reiji said. “What exactly did you think you were  _ doing, _ ma'am?”

 

Gritting her teeth, Haruhi trembled for a moment before screaming. “You don't know a goddamned thing about me! You think I wanted to say that to Daisuke?!” She threw her arms wide. “No, it's my duty as his older sister to keep him from making dumb decisions like he's been doing ever since he picked up that fucking sitar! He just trumps around, going, 'oh, woe is me,' and never thinks about the kind of effect he has on his family, and on me! Aren't you supposed to discipline a child if they misbehave? I just wanted my fucking brother back after you high-life scum seduced him away! It's because I love him that as his older sister—!”

 

Natsuhi's eye twitched. “What?”

 

“Oh, dear.” Reiji said, sweating slightly. He stood in front of Natsuhi. “Er, Natsuhi, we should really ensure the girl's safety before we do anything drastic, don't you think?”

 

“Let me beat her.” Natsuhi growled. A vein was bulging in her temple, and she saw red. “I'll kick her ass. Let me kick her ass, Reiji.”

 

“I-I understand your feelings, dear, really, I do, but we mustn't be careless! Also, I wouldn't want you jailed too, you know!” Reiji waved his hands frantically.

 

“Just  _ one _ black eye.” Natsuhi growled. It was less than people like her, people who thought they could do whatever the hell they wanted and just say 'love' like that meant it was fine, deserved, and Reiji knew damn well that that was the case. “Just let me bruise her face.”

 

“Again, there is a hostage at stake here, Natsuhi!” Reiji said. “I believe this is already breaking protocol rather heavily—!”

 

“R-right!” Haruhi pulled out some sort of small, handheld switch. “Right! Haha! Come any closer and I'll set off the bomb I rigged in the utility closet! It'll blow her to smithereens!” She backed up even closer into the wall. “I  _ will _ do it!”

 

“That's a pen light, idiot.” Natsuhi said. “Reiji, move. I have to kill her.”

 

“We don't necessarily know that, it might be better to—!” Reiji said, and then from the stands, a white-haired guy dropped down carrying a sandy blonde girl on his back.

 

“Oh, there was a bomb in there?” The guy said. “Huh. Good thing we got out, huh, kid?”

 

The girl, who was probably Miki Murasaki, said, “There was no bomb, she's bluffing. What an idiot.”

 

“Wha— Wha, wha, wha— How the hell did you get out?!” Haruhi sputtered at the two new arrivals. “I locked the door!”

 

“Well, I mean...it was just the door.” The white-haired guy shrugged. “Not really a problem.”

 

“See? There's no hostage anymore, so get out of my way!” Natsuhi shoved Reiji to the side, and he yelped, but she could deal with that later. She grabbed Haruhi by the front of the hoodie and shoved her against the wall.

 

“Ow, christ, what the hell is your problem?” Haruhi groaned.

 

“What the hell is  _ my _ problem?” Natsuhi said, her voice quaking. “So you think it's okay to just go and try and ruin someone's life because you think you love them? That's real funny, bitch.” She couldn't tell where she wanted to hit her first, there were so many good places. “That's just hilarious. Real heartwarming story you've got there.”

 

“You don't know anything about me.” Haruhi's teeth were gritted, and Natsuhi was pretty certain that it must be hard for her to breathe at this point from the pressure. “You think you know everything about me but you don't.”

 

“I know everything about people like you.” Natsuhi said. “People like you don't actually care about anyone else. You just care about yourself. You're scum. The world would be better off if you were dead. Maybe I should just kill you right here and save prison the trouble, huh?”

 

It wasn't anything pleasant that made Natsuhi come to her senses. She just happened to catch a whiff of alcohol on Haruhi's breath. Cheap alcohol, bought not to enjoy, but just for the sake of getting drunk. All of a sudden, she saw clearly, and threw Haruhi a bit to the side to let go of her. The pathetic woman coughed a bit.

 

“Oh, thank god.” Reiji got up from the car and stretched. “I was worried you might do something drastic there for a second!”

 

“She's so trashed she doesn't even know what she's doing.” Natsuhi growled. “It's not worth doing anything to her.”

 

“Dang. That's pretty intense,” said the white-haired guy who'd dropped down with the girl. He patted Natsuhi on the back as she breathed, to relieve her own tension. “You need a chill pill or something?”

 

Luna was running up from wherever she'd been hidden, too. “Natsuhi, oh my god, are you alright?” Probably on instinct, she gave Natsuhi a hug.

 

“I'm fine.” Natsuhi unclenched her fists. “She's...” She sighed. “She's not worth my time.”

 

It seemed the fear of Natsuhi finally broke Haruhi, because now she was on the ground, crying. She moaned. “Ah, god damn it... Daisuke! Daisuke, why did you have to die?! Come on, just come back... Just come back, please!” She was hunched over on the ground. From the sound of it, it was pretty gross. “Please, I just want my baby brother back... What did I do wrong? I miss you, please, just come back.” She was whimpering now. “Just come back.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You're surprisingly deft with a speargun, Miss Miyashiro.” This was Ruri, Megane's 'smart friend,' who was dressed even more ridiculously than Reiji. What was that, some kind of Castlevania cosplay? The cape certainly looked like it. “That took quite some guts. I'm impressed.”

 

They were sat in an office room, the three of them- the white-haired guy, whose name was apparently Saburo, was brought along, too- sat in front of a table and this lady, who was talking at them. “Mm.” Natsuhi said.

 

“If I may ask, Miss Ruri, how exactly did you figure out she would use the Kuwata Stadium?” Reiji leaned onto the table between them, his elbows on it.

 

“It's quite simple, really.” Ruri said, idly looking at her nails. “Delusions of grandeur meant she'd naturally go to the most famous place on campus that she could manage to keep little Miki in, and what place sees more visitors than that stadium?”

 

“Huh. Cool.” Saburo said.

 

Some kind of custom phone ringtone played, and Ruri made a slight noise of recognition. “One moment while I take this, please.” She picked up her phone. “Ah, Kotone. Just the woman I wanted to hear from. How is Miki? ...Good, good. Give my condolences to Doctor Morinaga for that bump on his head, it looked quite nasty. ...Yes. ...Yes, of course. And Ms. Masaki? ...Oh, really? That's interesting. The number keeps climbing. Inform the headmaster that I'll be bringing these three over once this little discussion is over. ...Lovely, thank you. Tell Blake I said hi. ...Oh? Very well, I'll communicate that. Ciao.” She hung up.

 

“Friend of yours?” Saburo said.

 

“A dear friend, at that.” Ruri nodded. “And Reiji? Blake Mirabeau says, 'Ometedou on your ganbaru-ing, Ittosai-san-kun-chan! Your nakama-ry with Miyashiro-chan is an inspiration to minna-san, and especially boku!'”  _ What? _

 

Reiji's face widened at the name. “Blake Mirabeau, of the Mirabeau family from Wales, you mean?” He laughed. “Oh, I'm surprised he remembers little old me. That case wasn't anything major, really.”

 

“You understood that?” Natsuhi said. He nodded.

 

“Now, as I understand it, you're here to determine the culpability of Rin Hashizawa, yes, Reiji?” Ruri also leaned in.

 

“I'm here to uncover what truth I can find, ma'am.” Reiji said. “Whether that truth leads to Rin Hashizawa or someone else.”

 

Ruri smiled. “Well, that's lovely. Interrogate who you must, sir. I will hold you responsible for any horrifying truths you might uncover, though, and I will expect your assistance in rescuing the hostages, as well.”

 

“Of course.” Reiji said. “Though, I can't help but think, shouldn't this be what the headmaster is saying to me?”

 

“Headmaster Kagenui is busy looking at islands right now.” Ruri said. “And anyhow, as the protagonist of this story, it falls to me to welcome any who wish to join the effort.”

 

“Protagonist?” Saburo said. “Uh...okay.” He scratched the back of his head. “You do you.”

 

“Thank you for speaking up, Mr. Kirihito!” Ruri said, smiling. “As for you, thank you for your efforts in rescuing little Miki, but, ah, what exactly are you doing here?”

 

“Well, I just thought I could help somehow or something.” Saburo shrugged. “Y'know?”

 

“No, I don't know, actually.” Ruri said. “Well, I suppose perhaps an Escape Artist might be decently useful in formulating a breakout plan. Are you going to be useful to the investigation at all, though?”

 

“Iunno. Maybe.” Saburo shrugged. “I'll give it the old college try.”

 

“I see.” Ruri said. “Well, good luck to you, then, on your...old college try.” She didn't seem certain what to make of Saburo. “Report to me in twelve hours with your findings, if you would. I've islands to look at. Ciao!” She waved, stood up, and walked briskly out of the room.

 

Natsuhi looked at Reiji. Reiji looked back at her. “A curious character, isn't she?” Reiji said.

 

“I thought you'd be the weirdest person I saw today.” Natsuhi said. Reiji reacted loudly, doubling over as though he'd been booted in the stomach.

 

Saburo laughed a bit. “Glad it wasn't just me. Nice cape, dude.”

 

“Ah, yes... I had it custom-made...” Reiji was slumped over, attempting vainly to maintain his gravitas. “It's a very important piece of my ensemble.” Just as quickly as he slumped, though, he was back up. “Well, shall we be off, you two?”

 

“Huh?” Saburo said, raising his eyebrow a bit.

 

“I got the information I needed out of Miss Harada, thankfully, but I do have several questions I'll need to have answered by others involved in the case.” Reiji said, adjusting his tie in a gesture he thought was very cool. It wasn't as cool as he thought he was. “And if I've apparently been roped into a larger effort, I will need to see who exactly I'm working with, no?”

 

“Oh, I more meant that you wanted me to come with you.” Saburo said.

 

“Well yes, of course.” Reiji said. “Three's company, my friend, and I have a feeling you and I are going to be getting to know each other quite well.” He reached his hand out for a handshake. “It's good to meet you, Saburo. Let's be off!”

 

Saburo blinked. “Oh, cool, a handshake. I'm down.” He shook Reiji's hand in kind. “Uh, what exactly are you investigating, though?”

 

Reiji shone. “Oh, well, there's several factors in this case-”

 

Natsuhi groaned and started walking as Reiji began animatedly explaining the particulars of the matter to their new friend. Saburo, for his part, seemed reasonably interested.

 


	40. Day 15 - Digital Native

**8 A.M.**

 

“Ah, Rin, question.” Claus tapped Rin on the shoulder as she entered into the Cafeteria for her regular morning meeting. “Why, ah...” He looked at Hansuke, who was being dour in a corner. “Do you know why Hansuke is in such a poor mood?”

 

“I told him off for being an ass to Jun and Shinobu,” Rin said. “Long story, but lemme tell you, it's no wonder he hasn't gotten any dates if that's how much stock he puts in other people's opinions. Also, he really needs to not talk about his life as though it's a commodity, because that's both worrying and unattractive.”

 

“I'm sure some people are into that,” Jun said from the table, reading what looked like an archive of old American newspaper comics. “What the hell is the joke here?” He mumbled.

 

Gavin leaned over Jun's shoulder to look. “Uhhh...” He scratched his chin. “Yeah, Gav's stumped. And ain't Garfield supposed to have bigger eyes?”

 

“No, this is Heathcliff.” Jun said. “The  _ other _ orange cat.”

 

Over by a flowerpot, Yashiro was doing pushups. “Four hundred fifteen. Four hundred sixteen. Four hundred seventeen.”

 

“Isn't it difficult to lift yourself if you weigh that much?” Chihaya said, from...probably somewhere in the vicinity of the flowerpot. “One hundred twenty. One hundred twenty-one.” Oh, there was a hint of her legs. She was doing sit-ups.

 

“Not if you're the Ultimate Strongman, it's not!” Yashiro laughed. “Though I do need to be certain not to trip and fall. Thankfully, I always land on my feet!”

 

“You see?” Rin looked at Claus, gesturing to Yashiro, who was laughing again. “You see how he's totally a cat? He's totally a cat.” Claus nodded slowly, and pondered.

 

After Rin and Claus had sat down, Kazuya was next to enter. He had doffed his large coat in favor of... “Is that one of Aoto's shirts?” Rin blinked.

 

“Yeah.” Kazuya said. “They weren't going to any use, and I liked the color, so I had some alterations done.” He cut a pretty dashing figure in red, honestly, and Rin told him so. His face turned red, too.

 

“Kazuya, great timing!” Yashiro said. “Chihaya and I are warming up this morning, four hundred forty-five. Care to join us?”

 

“Ah, no, that's alright.” Kazuya said, still blushing. “I'm a bit sore from yesterday, anyhow.”

 

“And here I thought the Masculinity Brigade would be in full force today.” Jun said, still scanning his comics. “Why don't you sit on him or something? Bet he could use the extra weight.”

 

“That's a fantastic idea, Jun!” Yashiro boomed. “Four hundred fifty. Come, Kazuya! Sit on me!”

 

“Ah—” Kazuya croaked. “Ehm. Err...” He turned towards the entrance, as Luan made his way into the Cafeteria. “Luan! Good morning! Yashiro is looking for someone to sit on him.”

 

“Oh.” Luan said. “Okay.” He obligingly walked over and sat on Yashiro, who made a slight noise before resuming his pushups ever-so-slightly slower than before.

 

With a high-pitched cackle, Shinobu spun into the room. “Greetings, friends!” She said, placing a hand on a table to stop the spin. “How are you all this fine April morning?”

 

“How do you know it's a 'fine' April morning?” Jun scoffed. “For all you know, it could be raining cats and dogs out there. Maybe lightning will strike the compound and a fire could start, and then we'd have to deal with Monokuma running around crying about how he's on fire.” He flipped the page. “Ah, and what do you know, a 'raining cats and dogs' joke. How passé.” 

 

“Well, gee, I'd think we should put him out first.” Rin said, her antenna curling. “I mean, being on fire probably hurts, like, a lot, doesn't it?”

 

“It's very painful.” Luan nodded, from on top of Yashiro. “Fire is part of the reason I keep my head shaved. Burning hair is an unpleasant sensation.”

 

“Have you been on fire before?” Chihaya said from behind the flowerpot. Luan nodded.

 

“It's— It isn't a habit of yours to be on fire, I should hope?” Shinobu said. Luan shook his head. “Oh, good. Sometimes I worry about your well-being.” She wiped her brow of sweat as she sat down next to Rin. Rin fought the urge to squeal about it. Her antenna gave in immediately.

 

It was a few minutes before the final member of the group slinked into the room, and Stella Masaki had clearly seen better days. She hadn't bothered to gussy herself up whatsoever this morning, and there were obvious bags under her eyes, which were a bit red. The dye in her hair was still slowly bleeding out, but she hadn't even put her hair up in its usual side-tail, so instead it just sort of fell around her face in an odd brown-to-cyan gradient effect. She slumped over to a seat at the table with nobody adjacent, planted her face and arms flat on the table, and groaned.

 

“You don't look very good.” Kazuya was quick to reseat himself to be next to her. “Are, um... Would you like some coffee or something?”

 

“I hate coffee.” Stella said into the table. “The person who invented coffee should feel ashamed of themselves.” Her voice was the deadest Rin had ever heard it, and her body was trembling slightly. She groaned again. “Fuck.”

 

“What are you fucking?” Jun said, flipping a page.

 

Stella raised her head off of the table and glared at Jun. “Can't I just say 'fuck' without you getting on my case? Jesus.” She briefly began to move off of the table, but her fingers tightly gripped it and she returned to her face-plant. “Why is Luan sitting on Yashiro.”

 

“Er, exercise.” Kazuya said. His brow was furrowed. “Um, you don't seem alright, do you want to go back to your room?”

 

“No!” Stella gritted her teeth. “No. I can go back after I eat.” She then seemed to actually notice Kazuya. “Oh. That color looks good on you.” He blushed again. Stella began slowly craning her spine upwards, and though her eyes were a bit unfocused, she did seem to be there, at least.

 

“Trip, man, sounds like someone is having a gnarly morning.” Gavin observed. “Yo, Claus, we should probs hurry up for Stel, yeah?”

 

“I agree.” Claus produced nine straws this time. “Stella, you can stay seated. Everyone else, come up—”

 

“Wrong!” Suddenly, Monokuma shoved open the door to the Kitchen from the inside, appearing in a chef's hat and an apron. “Wassup, nerds? It's Monokuma from the Kitchen!”

 

“Astute.” Chihaya said. “Is there something you wanted?”

 

“God, please. I can't deal with this crap.” Stella grabbed her head as though she had a headache, and groaned again.

 

“Wow. I can't believe I'm so unappreciated, today, of all days!” Monokuma pounded one paw into another. “That just means I'll have to really impress you all in order to earn back that appreciation and return to my rightful place as the group's primary heartthrob!”

 

“You're coming early.” Luan said. “It's only been a day since the last trial. A new motive?”

 

At the sound of the word 'motive,' a chill ran down Rin's spine. It had been quite some time since one had been formally announced, but each time a motive had appeared, in short order it had led to the deaths of two of her friends. “Come on, can't you give us a bit of time?” She clenched her fists and harrumphed.

 

Monokuma, though, seemed uncharacteristically bashful, twiddling his...toes? “Well, about that.” He produced a little sheet of paper that he began looking at. “I  _ am _ supposed to give you guys kind of a motive today...” ...and then tore it into tiny pieces. “But screw that! It was a dumb motive anyway. Make it raiiiiin!” He spun around, spreading tiny fragments of paper everywhere.

 

“...You're serious?” Hansuke said, so baffled by this display that he broke his aura of dourness. His jaw was slightly agape.

 

“Oh, completely, completely.” Monokuma gave a thumbs up... somehow. “I mean, it was just gonna be this overdone plot point about, 'oh, somebody in this room is secretly working for the mastermind, a blur blur blur!' Hey, here's the joke— I'm in this room. It means me. The joke is that it means me. Whackity smackity doooooo!” Canned laughter emanated from the intercom.

 

“That's...certainly a piece of wordplay.” Kazuya nodded weakly.

 

“So, rather than do something stupid like that and inflate artificial drama for the sake of reusing an overdone plot point, I decided I'd do something more important today.” Monokuma said. “Namely, celebrate an important occasion!”

 

“What occasion would that be?” Yashiro said. “Five hundred and twelve.”

 

“Today is April 23 rd , 2196 CE.” Monokuma said. “Does anyone have any guesses as to the significance of this specific date?”

 

“The Siege of Santo Domingo?” Kazuya said.

 

“The death of the philosopher Zhu Xi?” Luan said.

 

“The founding of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey?” Claus said.

 

Monokuma huffed and began tapping his foot. “I'm  _ waitingggggg, _ ” he said. “I know you're listening!”

 

A long, burdened sigh emanated from Stella. “It's my birth—”

 

“ _ That's right it's your birthday! _ ” Monokuma took off his chef's hat to reveal a party hat underneath it, and blew a party horn. Suddenly, confetti rained down from the ceiling, and a few disguised party streamers activated, too.

 

“Argh! No! No, no, get out of my hair!” Jun frantically waved his hands around to defend himself from the confetti onslaught. “I already have enough shit in my hair, don't you dare, you god damned bear!”

 

“Hey, that rhymed!” Gavin laughed.

 

“Wait, it's your birthday?” Rin stood up, leaning in closer to Stella. “Oh my glob, happy birthday! How old are you now.” She leaned in even closer. “How old are you.”

 

“I'm seventeen.” Stella said. Her voice was a bit more animated now, and she was staring around at the confetti rain and Monokuma dancing around, utterly bewildered. Gavin had begun to dance around as well.

 

“I had no idea!” Kazuya looked shocked, and he leaned in closer to Stella, as well. “I'm sorry I didn't ask. Happy birthday, Stella!”

 

“Indeed!” Shinobu cackled. “It is a day worth celebrating, so sit up and be proud!” She clapped once, twice, three times. “Ah, I wish I had something to give you. What a shame.”

 

Yashiro rolled out from under Luan on his five hundred and thirty-fourth pushup and jumped into a standing position. “Congratulations, Stella!” He boomed. “Happy birthday!”

 

“What... What?” Stella blinked. There was quite a bit of confetti in her hair. “Huh?”

 

“Yeah.” Hansuke seemed to have recovered from his gloom for the occasion, and was even smiling a bit. “Happy birthday, kid.”

 

“Wahoo, it's Stel's birthday!” Gavin said. He grabbed Shinobu's hand and began twirling her around. “Nobe, let's dance! We party kids now!”

 

Shinobu cried out in surprise, but managed to catch on to Gavin's untrained, uncouth dance steps pretty quickly. “You have the right idea of things, Gavin, my friend!” Eventually, her greater skill meant that, despite his size, she was clearly leading Gavin, rather than the other way around, moving several chairs and tables out of their way as they went- though carefully avoiding Hansuke, who was still seated.

 

Chihaya even peeked her head out from behind the flowerpot. “Happy birthday.” She said, then she slunk back into her corner.

 

“Not good with parties, eh?” Jun said, wiping some confetti from his hair, wheeling himself over to the flowerpot. “It's all stupid, anyway. Just means you're a year closer to death.”

 

“In this situation, is there any bad reason to celebrate?” Luan said. He was smiling, too.

 

Jun mulled that over for a second, and then chuckled. “I guess not.” He nodded his head at Stella. “Happy birthday, I guess. That's what people do here, right?”

 

“What do you mean, 'what people do here?'” Rin said. “Of course it is.”

 

Shrugging, Jun shook his head. “I haven't had many. My birthday's on Christmas Eve, anyhow, so people would rather go on dates than spend that time with me.”

 

“Aw, whaaaaat?” Gavin cried, still being led by Shinobu. “Yo, J, I'll spend your birthday with you, dawg! And I'll tell you happy birthday!”

 

“W-what?” Jun rolled his eyes, but he was blushing. “Uh, thanks, I guess.” He grumbled a, 'stupid bastard,' under his breath.

 

Claus, meanwhile, was evidently still thinking business. “Monokuma, you interrupted the breakfast drawing and came out of the Kitchen. Would I be presuming if I were to think that meant—”

 

“That I've saved you the trouble?” Monokuma said. “Why, yes indeed! After all, what's a birthday without that ever-delightful confectionary we in the business like to call...” He lowered his voice. “Cake.”

 

“Wha— Huh?” Stella was still trembling a bit, but her disbelief had begun to transition into laughter. “A— You're making me a cake?” She had, however, latched onto Kazuya, presumably to grab onto some semblance of normalcy.

 

“Past tense. Made. I was up all night designing it and everything.” Monokuma said. “It's a coconut cake, too! Just like you like, eh, Stella?”

 

“I suppose now—” Kazuya grunted a bit under her grip. “Now I know what your favorite kind of cake is, huh?”

 

“I mean, yeah, but what?” Stella said. Her eyes were darting back and forth around her.

 

“As you're aware, I am an artiste.” Monokuma bowed. “What you might not know is that this also extends to the culinary arts. I've put all my finest MK-Brand efforts into making this baby for you!” Quick as a wink, he grabbed a tray from the Kitchen and placed it in the center of the long table in the middle of the room, and then pushed a button on a little remote he had under his party hat. From a hole in the ceiling right above the tray, floating down slowly, came...

 

“Whoa.” Rin mumbled. It was a pretty solidly big cake, dressed white and covered in coconut flakes. On top of the cake, though, was a baseball diamond, with seventeen candles placed with little baseball outfits on the field to simulate a baseball game. The 'stands' were finely molded to give the appearance of a bustling crowd despite there only being one color, and at the highest point of the stands, there was a small, open plastic box on a pole, with a plastic figurine inside- it wasn't very articulated, being just a round head and a cone body, but the color scheme, tones, and branding clearly marked it as a small representation of Stella in her element.

 

“I'd never actually asked what your  _ favorite _ sport to comment on was,” Monokuma said as Stella gaped, mouth wide, “so I just picked one.” 

 

“You made this for  _ me? _ ” Stella blinked rapidly, hardly able to get the words out.

 

“Uh, yeah, duh, you see any other Ultimate Commentators around here?” Monokuma said. “Happy fuckin' birthday! Enjoy your cake!”

 

Stella moved to more broadly take in the cake. Most of the room had gone dead silent at the sight of the absurdly ornate confection, so her voice, despite its low volume, was clearly audible as she said, “Am I even allowed to eat this?”

 

“What do you mean, are you allowed to eat it?” Monokuma's bat wing eye gave the impression of being rolled. “It's a cake! Cakes are for eating! You can have your cake, and eat it, too!”

 

“But it's so, uh... _ ornate. _ ” Stella said. “Like, I'd feel bad for destroying this.”

 

“Wha— It's clearly poisoned or something, come on!” Jun scoffed. “Nobody in their right mind would eat that cake!”

 

Suddenly, Monokuma was standing on a chair very up close to Jun's face. “I'm sorry, what did you just say to me?” His red eye glowed. “Did you just insinuate that I would poison a work of art? That I would use this art as a method to deliver murder most foul? Listen here, computer boy. I know you and your ilk only see the binary, blonde, brunette, redhead, but art is an extremely important part of our culture, and cultures throughout history! If you think I would poison the honorable sport of baseball  _ or _ a finely honed cake, then I spit on you! Pah!”

 

“What the hell is your character even supposed to be?” Jun sneered.

 

“I think it would go against Monokuma's or the mastermind's M.O. to poison us all with a cake,” Kazuya said. “So, it's probably safe.”

 

“It is still a great piece of art, though...” Shinobu said. She looked into her hands. “I share Stella's hesitance.”

 

“Oh, come on!” Monokuma shouted. “It's cake!”

 

“Yeah, but... it's really nice cake,” Gavin said. “I mean, it's really nice cake.”

 

“I...don't like coconut,” Luan said. He frowned. “I decline.” A clever way to avoid the responsibility, Rin thought.

 

“Look, at least blow out the frickin' candles!” Monokuma gestured at the cake, whose candles were now lit. “C'mon! Tony's head is on fire and he has to pitch!”

 

“Er, who's 'Tony?'” Claus said. “Is...that the candle's name?” He adjusted his necktie.

 

“I could give you a whole list of stats on these players, y'know.” Monokuma said. “It's important to the authenticity of the work. I've got, like, pages and pages of data, which I can show to you after Stella blows out the candles!”

 

Sighing, Stella sidled up close, and though she was still trembling, she did her best to breathe inwards. Seventeen candles was a lot to blow out, but it seemed her Ultimate Commentator skills included quite the breathing training, as she was able to quickly snuff out all seventeen flames. “Alright, there.” She said.

 

“Did you make a wiiiiish?” Monokuma said in a sing-song voice.

 

“W-what's it to you if I did?” Stella blushed and looked away. “Besides, you're not supposed to tell anyone your wish or it won't come true, right?”

 

Heartwarming as it was, though, that did little to solve the central problem of Stella's birthday cake, and the ten-way deadlock of those who presumably wanted to eat cake, and yet were standing in wait to see who would disturb the baseball game first. “Um, maybe we should draw straws for this?” Rin said.

 

“Yo, man, we can't just draw straws for a cake like this!” Gavin said. He clenched his fists. “We gotta give it the respect it deserves.”

 

“Hashizawa has a sharp object on her head at all times.” Jun said. “Why don't you be our cake-cutter?” He smirked.

 

“Uh, as if.” Rin's antenna spiked at him.

 

“Truly...a deadly predicament...!” Yashiro's aura raged, and Rin could swear his hair was flying in the wind.

 

A bit longer passed before Hansuke sat up from his seat in the corner, groaning an, “It's a cake,” as he did, and walking over to the table and putting his hand on the plastic cake cutter Monokuma had provided. “...Oh.” Then the room went silent; as it turned out, his hand and Chihaya's hand from under the table had grabbed at the cake cutter at the exact same time. “When did you get there?”

 

“It's a cake.” Chihaya said. Hansuke made eye contact with where Chihaya's face probably was, under the table, and the two of them nodded, acknowledging each other's will to do what nobody else would. Together, they did the deed. They cut the cake.

 

“It's still a bit tragic.” Kazuya said a few minutes later, deftly wielding his plastic fork to take reasonable bites of his cake. “It was a really good cake. I'm surprised you were willing to let it be eaten.”

 

“Sometimes, the purpose of a piece of art is to be destroyed, young man.” Monokuma said, clasping his hands together in a praying gesture. “Understanding this is part of understanding life as we know it. Once you understand this universal truth, you, too, will be one step closer to understanding the world—to true enlightenment.”

 

It was a wonder that Rin was able to listen at all, she reasoned, because as she ate her piece of the cake, her taste buds were in such bliss that she thought she might ascend to the afterlife. “Oh my  _ holy heck _ this cake is good.” She gasped, before taking another bite. “It's so coconutty I'm gonna die!”

 

“Why, I've never actually partaken of coconut cake before.” Shinobu said. “It's not half bad, as they say!” She twirled her fork in her fingers. “Quite enjoyable.”

 

“I still can't believe you made it.” Stella said. Despite what a poor mood she'd been in when she came in, her face was unusually bright as she savored the flavor of her birthday.

 

“Yeah, well, I am pretty great.” Monokuma puffed his chest. “Artiste, chef, stealth non-comedian, all in an adorably rounded ursine package. Is there anything I can't do?”

 

“Climb stairs.” Jun said. Monokuma went silent, and then laid on the ground and curled into the fetal position, rocking back and forth, crying, 'nooooo the words of power!' repeatedly.

 

“It is succulent and moist!” Yashiro boomed. “You have made a good cake! My opinion of you has slightly risen, Monokuma!”

 

“Is this really alright?” Chihaya said. “It seems a bit counter to the idea to rip up a motive and bake a cake for us.”

 

“Well, I mean, it's like they say.” Monokuma nodded sagely to himself. “A broken clock is right twice a day!”

 

“Uh, I'm not certain that's entirely the right adage to use in this situation.” Kazuya chuckled a bit.

 

“Who cares?” Monokuma said. Then he tapped his chin area. “Oh, wait. I guess you would, wouldn't you, Word Boy?” Then he paused again. “Oh, you changed your outfit! Looking good, my dude! Gimme five!” He raised his paw.

 

“Um, you don't have five claws.” Kazuya seemed a bit hesitant, but returned the gesture anyhow. “Wouldn't it be 'gimme three?'”

 

“Were it not for present company, I'd be saying that it's that kinda talk that would never, ever get you laid.” Monokuma said. Kazuya turned bright red and buried his face in his hands, and behind him, Stella gagged a bit on a bit of cake in her throat. “Puhuhuhu!”

 

“What's with the laugh, anyway?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “I mean, I know Junko Enoshima did it too, but I've never really gotten it.”

 

Monokuma shrugged. “Search me. Marketability? Frankly, there's a lot about that lady that doesn't make much sense to me. Her fashion sense, for that matter. I know her standards of beauty were real attractive to the culture of that age and all, but her older sister was clearly the more attractive twin in that pair.”

 

Rin nodded sagely. “Ah, finally he speaks sense.” She stopped eating cake for a bit, and joined Monokuma in a prayer gesture.

 

“Oh snap, man, that reminds me of a story!” Gavin said, leaning his elbow onto the table. “So me and my buddy Saburo—I think I mentioned him before a few times—we was stuck in this steamer trunk floating out in a lake, yeah?”

 

“How did you get out into a steamer trunk in the middle of a lake?” Claus said, his eyes wide.

 

“Well, me and Saburo get into some crazy situations!” Gavin laughed, leaving everyone just as in the dark as they were before. “He's real good at getting' out of 'em, though. So anyway, it's like this: suddenly, we feel a knock against the trunk...”

 

Gavin's rambling story whisked everyone away on his narrative once again, and on his narrative did the atmosphere remain festive. Everyone, even Jun, even Stella and Hansuke, couldn't help but smile as the cake slowly disappeared. Even here, in Compound VK, there really could be a celebration.

 

“Happy birthday, Kojiro!” She had clapped. Mom had clapped too, a bit lighter than she had. “How does it feel to know that despite being a year older, you're never going to be as old as me?”

 

“Age is a psychological construct and you know it!” Seated in his chair, she had the distinct impression that Kojiro had rolled his eyes at her.

 

“Oh, come on, don't argue.” Mom had smiled. “It's your special day, Kojiro.” She had laughed lightly. “Would it really hurt that much to show some earnest affection?”

 

“Yes.” Kojiro had said. “It would actually, literally kill me. You'll walk into my room tomorrow and find me keeled over on the ground, dead, because I said 'I love you both.' I'll write a message in the ground with my last words that says, 'Cow tools,' for the detectives to ponder over for years. They'll never know what hit 'em!” He cackled.

 

“Oh, is that right?” Her antenna had puffed at him. “Well, you just said it, so I guess you're dead, huh?”

 

“Gack!” Kojiro had cried, gritting his teeth. “You're right!” He swooned dramatically. “It's been nice knowing both of you...my precious family...make sure...that the dog gets all my money...”

 

“We don't have a dog, though.” Mom had tilted her head to one side. “Where does the money go in that case?”

 

“Well—” Kojiro had started.

 

“Eat your cake, dude!” She had griped. “Or at least blow out the candles, geez!”

 

“Fine. Fine, I'll eat the cake.” Kojiro had huffed and blew out his candles. “I'm not telling you what my wish was.”

 

“You'd better not, or else it won't come true!” Mom had laughed.

 

“But since I'm already going to die, well, heck.” Kojiro had shrugged. “I love both of you. You're great, you know that?”

 

“Aww, are you just trying to butter me up?” She'd leaned in and squeezed him. “Because it's working.”

 

Mom had giggled lightly, and also come in for their little group hug. “Same here.”

 

“You know me too well!” Kojiro had laughed.

 

**12 P.M.**

 

“Hansuke, please allow me to speak with you.”

 

“Eh?” Hansuke had been spacing out, staring vaguely at the portrait of Yayoi and her kid sister, wondering what exactly he could do to live up to her last words. He turned around at the voice, and sure enough, that weird vernacular could only be Shinobu. “Oh. Here I thought you'd be avoiding me or something.”

 

“That was yesterday,” Shinobu huffed, “and today is today, sirrah. We need to have a discussion, and an important one!” She self-importantly came down and sat down at a desk next to him. “And there's no getting out of this, Hansuke.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Hansuke rolled his hand around on his wrist. “So, what's up? You think of something about the case, or—?”

 

“Oh, no. We aren't leaving this that easily.” Shinobu placed her hands on her hips and huffed at him again. “We need to have a discussion about the importance of your life!”

 

“The importance of...” Hansuke blinked. “ _ What? _ ”

 

“Your life is not a bartering good, Mr. Yasuda.” Shinobu said. “It's inexcusable to treat it as such, even to one to whom you believe you hold such a debt as you believe you hold towards me. Why in the world would I ever wish you dead?”

 

Hansuke sighed. “ _Because_ my pop murdered your folks —”

 

“And what,” Shinobu said, “in the world, does that have to do with  _ you? _ ”

 

That took a second for Hansuke to process. “He's...my father. What else does it need to have to do with me?”

 

“Sins of the father is a lovely plotline to use, Hansuke, but I don't believe it's a sound theory to live your life by.” Shinobu said. “Tell me something. You've given this apology to many people before, yes? How did they react?”

 

“A lot of 'em told me to get the hell out.” Hansuke said. “Told me that the son of the Vampire Killer needed to get the hell out, they didn't want anything more to do with that case.”

 

“'A lot of them' isn't 'all of them.'” Shinobu said. “What about the others?”

 

Hansuke gritted his teeth and sighed through them. What the hell was she even on about? “That was about nine families. Other people were... I guess sympathetic. Hell, there was this one weird old lady whose kids got iced who offered to give me a place to stay when they saw I was homeless.”

 

“And let me ask you this, Hansuke.” Shinobu said, looking him in the eyes. “Did any one of them tell you that they  _ wanted your apology? _ ”

 

Huh? “Huh?” Hansuke said.

 

“For being the 'Ultimate Salesman,'” Shinobu said, “it is really astounding how little you take into account the feelings of others when it is a matter regarding your own history.” Why did that sound familiar?

 

...Oh, wait. 

 

“You know, Rin said something real similar last night when she told me off.” Hansuke said. “What does that even mean?”

 

“Well, frankly...” Shinobu stopped herself. “How do I phrase this? Ah...hm, well...” She breathed in through her teeth, looking pretty uncomfortable, which probably meant she was figuring out how to phrase something  _ very _ rude, or something she at least thought was rude. “Oh, to hell with it.” She flung her hand around. “I don't think your apologies were actually necessary.”

 

“...Excuse me?” Hansuke was, in his own estimation, a pretty weathered guy, but shit if those weren't the exact words to stab him right in the heart. “The hell do you mean, they weren't 'necessary?' If they weren't 'necessary,' then why the hell did I get kicked out to go make them, then?”

 

“...Is that what your family told you, Hansuke?” Shinobu said, her voice low, her eyes downcast. “That you needed to apologize?”

 

“No. They just kicked me out 'cause they said they didn't want me around.” Hansuke said. “But hell, that means I did something wrong, right? So I should-”

 

“Hansuke.” Shinobu said. “How old are you?”

 

“How—” Hansuke sputtered. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

 

“How old are you?” Shinobu repeated. “Answer the question, please.”

 

“I'm eighteen, what the hell does that matter?” What the hell was this lady even  _ on _ about? The Ultimate Mystery Novelist was a mystery herself, apparently. 

 

Shinobu sighed. “Yes, you're eighteen. As of your most recent birthday, you are legally an adult. However, eighteen-year-olds still generally have quite a lot to learn. Many still remain in school for a while after that age.”

 

Hansuke stared. “What are you—?”

 

“Now, how old do you  _ think _ you are?” Shinobu said. 

 

There was a cold silence in the room for several moments as the gears in Hansuke's head slowly creaked. Shinobu remained silent, waiting for his answer. As they creaked, Hansuke began to slowly understand what it was she was actually trying to tell him, much as he didn't actually want to.

 

“I—” He began.

 

“You, yes.” Shinobu cut him off. “You are a greatly intelligent man who is to be admired for surviving on your own and for your interpersonal skills, but that does not mean that you are not still immature in many ways. You seem to put forth your weathered aspects as far forward as possible, in order to distract others from the aspects of yourself you've attempted to sublimate in your crusade to prove that your family was right to kick you out on the street.”

 

“What?!” Hansuke turned red and gritted his teeth again. “That is not—!”

 

“That is  _ exactly _ what you have been doing.” Shinobu said. She was deathly calm. “You've been attempting to gain validation from the families of the bereaved that your being forcibly shoved out of your own home was a just action, that you need not mourn the years of lost youth you have suffered as a result of them, and as I am the last one, you forced your twisted ideals on me in an attempt to make yourself feel better about the fact that nobody wanted you to do that in the first place.”

 

Hansuke felt a sense of eerie deja vu, as though he was suddenly on the other end of his own eyes, the cold scanning, seeing into his every dark corner. “I—”

 

“I believe I wrote a character much like that,” Shinobu said, “as the culprit of one of my earlier works. How did that go? Ah, yes, 'I'm eighteen years old and I've already wasted my entire life.'” Her eyes never wavered. “Frankly, it's a load of poppycock.”

 

“I'm _sorry, okay?!_ ” For the first time in a long time, Hansuke Yasuda really found himself shouting. “I'm sorry! I'm sorry I just spent my life wasting my god damned time!” His eyes, despite himself, were beginning to tear up. “You know what, you're right. I've been ignoring how much of a _moron_ I am so I could go on a self-righteous journey to try and get people to tell me I deserved it. Sure. Yeah, I can see where you're coming from, you're probably — No, hell, you're definitely right.” He breathed deeply. “So what? What about it?”

 

“Well, I just wanted to say that I forgive you.” Shinobu said.

 

There was another long, awkward silence as the gears in Hansuke's head creaked. “...What?” He said, at last.

 

“I forgive you.” Shinobu said, again. “Well, it would be rather hypocritical of me to not do so given my own host of psychological issues, no?” She cackled that annoying cackle of hers. “So I forgive you your transgressions, friend.”

 

“God, you are so fucking  _ weird! _ ” Hansuke threw his hands, baffled, towards Shinobu. “How do you go from yammering my ear off about stupid mystery books to telling me all my issues to my face and then saying it's fine, we're still friends?”

 

“Mystery books,” Shinobu said, gritting her teeth, “are  _ the highest form of literary expression, _ sir.” Oh, so that was what set her off? Really? “Clearly we need to have many, many words on the subject!” She stood up out of her desk to meet him.

 

“Oh, hell no.” Hansuke said. “I've had enough of hearing about those Knuckles Commandments for a lifetime. And we just had many, many words! Do we need more?”

 

“Well, since you asked...” Shinobu grinned. Shit. Had he fallen for a trap? “Yes, we do need more words.” She put her hand on his shoulder. “Hansuke, no matter how much it has pained you to live this way, I will not accept you throwing away your life so easily!”

 

“Huh?” Hansuke blinked. “Oh, right, you did say something about that.”

 

“I will admit, I understand. You have been alone for much of your life, yes?” Shinobu said. “But that has ended. Whether you like it or not, you have made an impact on all of us, so simply throwing away your life for satisfying that urge for validation is simply unacceptable!”

 

“...I don't follow.” Hansuke said.

 

Shinobu sighed, and began to speak slowly. “An eccentric author with an eccentric fashion sense. A commentator who struggles with self-loathing, and a speechwriter who wishes for his words to have greater meaning. An absurdly accepting man with any number of stories to tell, and a girl with a lost story who does her best to show everyone love. A girl who hardly exists, who is only at the fringes of history, and a man who strides proudly underneath the spotlight. A softspoken masseur who fights for his parents, a tortured boy who cannot help but injure others but wishes to grasp past that aspect of himself, and a man who wishes to be accepted among people he is expected to lead.” She fixed her gaze into his eyes again. “To these ten people, you, Hansuke Yasuda, are an irreplaceable presence. All of us come from varied backgrounds, yet we have all accepted you as you are, no?”

 

There was silence again, as Hansuke mulled this over. “An 'irreplaceable presence,' huh? So you're saying...that I've got some kind of family again, huh?” He chuckled. “What a story.”

 

“Am I wrong?” Shinobu said.

 

What a pain in the ass she was, her and her whole schtick. Why'd it have to be a lady this weird who wound up the arbiter of what he did with his life, Hansuke thought? But at the same time, it was definitely that same quality that made her something special. He sighed. “Hell...” He shrugged. “I guess you're not, huh?”

 

“Is fellowship not born of shared strife?” Shinobu said. “But, because of this shared strife, even you must accept that your life holds great power, Hansuke. It's not something to be thrown away on a whim.”

 

“'You only live once, don't let it go to waste,' huh?” Hansuke said. He sighed again. Christ, did talking to her make him tired. “Fine. I'll try and find what my life is really good for, for all of your sakes.” He began to walk away, but turned around to look at Shinobu again. “But you know I might not live through this, right? I might die before I ever find a real reason I was born.”

 

“I cannot deny that.” Shinobu said, looking downcast. “But I believe that the search itself is the noblest thing one can do. Every instant you spend knowing what it is you lack is a moment spent moving towards that goal.” She looked back up, and smiled. “Good luck, Hansuke.”

 

“Yeah. Right.” He waved to her, as he continued walking out. He thought to himself about what an absolutely bizarre girl that Shinobu was, and wryly commented, again to himself, how appropriate it was that she and Rin would get together.

 

_ But, who knows. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. _

 

**4 P.M.**

 

The trembling had returned after the party. Stella had tried her hardest to hide it, but it was no use, and eventually, she'd had to return to her room. Her arms ached horribly, and all across her body was a disgusting sensation that felt almost as though invisible people were constantly touching her, feeling her, crawling their hands across her body. She felt sick, nauseous, and didn't know what to do about it.

 

Gritting her teeth, Stella screamed into her pillow, then threw it down to the bed and punched it, punched it repeatedly, over and over. It didn't help. All the motion just made her feel sicker.

 

She knew, of course, that something like this could happen. On the internet, she'd seen it, she'd went looking for it, even; withdrawal symptoms. It had been ten days since she'd last cut herself, or picked at her scabs, and she was sick, horribly sick, so sick it felt in her mind like she could barely stand. She wanted— Did she want it? No, what she felt was a need, a need to split herself open again, to whack at her arms, to feel that pain again, to make herself bleed. Her body needed it. That was what this feeling was.

 

The low beginnings of another scream began to worm their way out of her throat, feeling just as alien and wrong as the rest of what she was feeling right now. It would be so easy, so easy to just rip her blazer off and start  _ picking, _ wouldn't it? To open up the wounds again, to feel that pain, to-

 

There was a knock at the door.

 

Or was there? Maybe she was just going completely insane. It wouldn't be the first time she'd heard things while sick. Her nails were long. It would be easy to scratch herself. She should keep her hands away from her skin. She should run her nails all across herself. She should-

 

A second knock. More insistent. And a third.

 

Who was at the door, anyhow? There were plenty of people it could be. Well, ten, to be exact. Ten people. But Rin would be knocking far more, so it probably wasn't her, and-

 

“You know, it's not like I need to knock to come in.” Someone said from the bed. “But it's kind of polite to open the door, don't you think?”

 

Stella stopped herself. She recognized that voice. No, well... It was a bit different from how she remembered, but it was still recognizably the same voice. She lifted her head up from the pillow and looked to the foot of the bed.

 

There was a girl there, at the foot of the bed. Just the same height as Stella, but broader-shouldered. Warm skin that could tan, but might have some trouble. Frizzy, brown hair, and an ahoge— Ah, wait. Rin called those 'antennae,' didn't she? She was in that open trenchcoat she'd loved in a store window once, ages ago, in that pleated skirt, with that striped black-and-white t-shirt under the coat, and... were those black thigh-high socks?

 

“...” Stella snorted. “When did you get so...daring?”

 

“Aw, come on.” Kei Sagami said, leaning onto her own legs. “Aren't I allowed to do things like this once in a while?”

 

“Yeah, probably.” Stella said. “I don't know how you manage to be more fashionable than me, though. Geez.”

 

“I just have a sense for these things.” Kei shrugged, and leaned back on her hands. “Now, you, you don't look too good.”

 

Stella sat on the edge of the bed, too, next to Kei. “Well, I feel like shit. My body is screaming at me. My mind is making me think a dead girl's talking to me. Happy birthday, right?” She snorted.

 

“Is your mind  _ making _ you think that?” Kei tilted her head to one side. “Well, that's not a fun thought. I'd hate to think I was an obligation.”

 

“Okay, okay.” Stella chuckled. “My mind is in such a state that I'm willingly thinking a dead girl is talking to me.”

 

“That's better.” Kei smiled. “So, what's wrong? I haven't seen you this bad in ages.”

 

“God, where do I even start?” Stella said. “I mean, I—” She stopped. “Um...so... I think I have a boyfriend.”

 

“Well, good on you!” Kei said. She gave a thumbs up. “I'm proud of you for taking that chance. He seems like a pretty great guy, too.”

 

“Yeah, well...” Stella looked down at her feet. “I'm not as great a girl as he deserves, I think.”

 

“Why do you say that?” Kei said. There was an innocent tone in her voice that kind of irked Stella.

 

“Wha— Why do I say that?” Stella said. “You of all people should know why I say that! I— Come on! Isn't it obvious?!”

 

“Maybe it's obvious to you,” Kei said, “but I like you, Stella. You seem like a great girl to me. So I need you to explain it to me.”

 

“Come on.” Stella said. “Don't make me say it out loud.” Who was she talking to, at this point? Kei, or herself? “Don't make me say it.”

 

There was a pause.

 

“I... I love him.” Stella said. “I love Kazuya. He's...great. I can tell in the way that he looks at me that he really is a great person, even if sometimes he doesn't think that he is. And...you were, too.” Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. “But how can he trust me? How can he trust me, knowing...my track record...” She began to tear up. “With the people I love?”

 

“You're worried you're going to hurt him the same way you think you hurt me?” Kei said.

 

“Of course I am!” Stella said. “How can I trust myself if I know I killed the last person I was in love with?! It's my fault you're dead, and, and what if he's next?! I don't wanna do that again! I don't want to kill him!”

 

Kei was quiet for a moment. “It wasn't your fault-”

 

“ _ Yes, it was! _ ” Stella hissed. “Of course it was my fault! I told them! I told your parents all about you! I told them everything they wanted to hear, that I shouldn't have told them, because you  _ trusted _ me to keep your secrets! And now you're dead, and it's my fault!” Her fists were balled, and she was glaring at Kei, now.  


 

“What could you have done differently?” Kei said. “You were still a kid, and my parents, and the other adults they had with them, they were bearing down on you. They wouldn't let you leave until you talked. There wasn't anything you could do—”

 

“You're just saying that because you're a figment of my imagination!” Stella said. She was crying now. “You don't know that! There had to have been some way for me to not kill you!”

 

“And you are  _ not _ going to hurt Kazuya the same way.” Kei said. “You've been suffering in silence this whole time since I've been gone, but you're not alone now. You have people you can rely on when you're scared.”

 

“But what if—?!” Stella started.

 

“Kazuya isn't me.” Kei said. “So stop acting like he is.” She puffed out her cheeks a bit.

 

Stella blinked, through her tears. “I... I'm not-” She stopped. “I wasn't—” She looked downward. “I—”

 

“You don't love Kazuya because of his similarities to me, right?” Kei said. “We both know that. You love him because of what makes him  _ him. _ He's bolder than I ever was, better-spoken. He's a  _ man,  _ for one thing! But you're trying to treat the relationship like this because you're letting me paralyze you, right? You think that because of you, he'll just get hurt the same way I did, even though he and I are completely different people.”

 

“...What if...” Stella sniffled. “What if he hates me? What if he decides he doesn't want anything to do with me?” She trembled, curling into herself.

 

“Well, do you think you can trust him enough to let him in?” Kei said. “You've said you love him. Is that true?”

 

“U-uh-huh.” Stella nodded.

 

“What does your mom always tell you about dating, Stella?” Kei said. “C'mon. You remember this, right?”

 

“'I sure hope you have better taste in men than me?'” Stella said. Despite themselves, they both snorted. “Yeah, I know. 'A proper relationship is built on mutual trust.'” Stella smiled weakly. “So you want me to trust him, right? To let him in?”

 

“Well, if I'm imaginary, that means that's what you want, too, right?” Kei said. She smiled. Her legs swung a bit, hanging off the side of the bed.

 

“I mean, is this imaginary, or is it real?” Stella said. “Are you a ghost, or something?”

 

“Hm.” Kei tapped her chin. “Let me think... Ah, right!” She clapped. “'Of course it is all in your head, but why on Earth should that mean that it is not real?' Of course, maybe that's just what a figment of your imagination would want you to think.” She tapped her chin. “Look, forget about that, that's not important right now. You should really just open the door. I think he's on his eighth knock.”

 

“Right.” Stella stood up, off the bed, still trembling, still nauseous, as the ninth knock rang out. “Ah, um, Kei—”

 

“You already know I forgive you.” Kei said. Stella turned back to look at her, and she was gone. ...That was right, wasn't it? She already knew that.

 

Kazuya had been at the door, about to knock a tenth time when Stella opened the door. His face was flushed, and he was sweating. “Oh, thank god, Stella.” He let out a heavy breath, hand on his heart. “I was worried something was really wrong—”

 

“That I was dead or something?” Stella said. There were tears in his eyes as he nodded. She still had on her weak smile as she grabbed him, and hugged him, just briefly. “No, no. Just sick is all.”

 

“What kind of sick?” Kazuya said, concern clearly evident in his voice. “'I'm puking' kind of sick, or 'Crushing despair is preventing me from getting out of bed' sick?”

 

“Eh.” Stella wiggled her hand around. “Little of Column A, little of Column B. I feel like I wanna puke and I'm having a hard time standing here talking to you, at least.”

 

“Oh, come on, don't just say that and stay standing up, then.” Kazuya dragged her over to her bed and sat her back down. “Do you want some water?”

 

“I'll probably puke it back up or something.” Stella said.

 

“Alright, lemme just get you some water.” Kazuya said. Thankfully, there was a cup under the cabinet in the bathroom, so shortly, Stella was taking a drink. “Was there something in the cake, or?”

 

“No, the cake was fucking fantastic.” Stella said. “It's withdrawal symptoms. No big deal.” She shuddered. “Okay, I guess it's kind of a big deal.”

 

“Withdrawal is a big deal!” Kazuya went a bit pale. “We need to make sure you're taken care of! Hold on, do you want me to run to the infirmary to see if we have any...uh, nausea meds or something?” That was the face of someone who wasn't good at dealing with the sick.

 

“Please just stay here for a bit.” Stella grabbed onto his leg with the hand that wasn't holding the cup, flopping face-first onto the bed as she did. “Don't leave.” She slowly wrenched her head up so she could take another drink. “Fuck, I didn't realize how thirsty I was. I hate crying.”

 

Kazuya was red again, and it occurred to Stella again how easy it was to fluster him. She liked that about him. “Alright, I'll... I'll stay here, then.”

 

As he sat down on the bed with her, Stella said, “Hey. I have something to tell you. It's kinda important, or maybe I just think it's important. And I thought I was gonna talk to Rin about it, but I guess I just wound up talking to myself about it. But whatever.”

 

“I'm all ears, if it'll help.” Kazuya said.

 

And so she told him all about her worries, about the danger she felt like she posed to him, about how it tore her up to feel so inadequate about him. About how she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, because she hadn't been able to quiet her own worries about him.

 

Kazuya was quiet, listening, for the several minutes Stella spoke. She had more to say on the subject than even she thought she would, but eventually, it was all out, and she slowly trailed off into quiet.

 

“Well...” Kazuya said. “I'm, um...” He twiddled his fingers. “I love you, Stella. And I trust you.”

 

“As amazing as that is.” Stella said.

 

“No.” Kazuya raised his finger to her mouth. “I'm not done, no self-disparaging right now. I don't like it when you do that.”

 

“Well, I don't like it when  _ you _ do it,” Stella retorted. 

 

Kazuya grinned. “I guess we will both need to work on that. But, the point is, as horrible as that was for both you and her, that was then, and this is now. And I...” He went quiet for a second. “I don't want to be the kind of person who's destroyed by his secrets anymore. I want to live honestly, and proudly, no matter the challenges it brings. And I want you to come with me.”

 

Stella sniffled. She took another drink. “Huh.”

 

“Let's just let go of our secrets.” Kazuya said. “You and me, both of us. No matter how hard it is, we just have to let go of the past, right? Here, I'll start.” He cleared his throat. “Hold on, this might be loud.” He cleared his throat again, stood up, and shouted. “I'm Kazuya Okudaira, and I have a vagina! And I'm so embarrassed by that fact that I had to ask Shinobu to go ask someone else for a tampon when I ran out while on my period, and  _ every single minute of it was utterly mortifying! _ ”

 

“Wait, what?” Stella blinked. Then she snorted. “Seriously?”

 

“Seriously.” Kazuya nodded. “By the way, never speak of this to anyone else, you're the only person who gets to know this, are we clear?”

 

“Crystal, you goon.” Stella laughed. “God, okay, I guess if you're gonna be like that, I can't really say no, can I?”

 

“That's the power of persuasive speaking.” Kazuya wagged his finger in an attempt to be wry. It didn't really work.

 

“Heh.” Stella said. “...Just stay with me for a while. Hopefully it'll pass.”

 

“Of course, Stella.” Kazuya said. “As long as you need. I don't have anywhere to be right now, anyway.” He shrugged.

 

And the room became silent once more.

 

**6 P.M.**

 

[Hello, world!] The laptop's screen proclaimed.

 

“Well, look at you.” Jun patted Chihaya on the shoulder. “You've taken your first steps in programming. In a pleb's language, admittedly, but still.” He grinned.

 

“You're a good teacher.” Chihaya said. She kept to herself how surprised she was by that fact.

 

She'd come to Jun's room a few hours ago for a lecture on programming, and he had very loudly insisted, after some practical demonstrations, that she give it a shot with what he described as 'what cavemen would consider a great achievement in programming,' and as such, the two of them were now seated at his desk. He had, however, complained about the language the laptop used, and had similarly loudly informed her that Python, the language that she was learning the basics of, was 'for those who enjoy self-flagellation to a degree that even visitors to an S&M club would balk at,' and that 'no one in their right mind would ever even think to use this trash if they had even an iota of sense or self-preservation instinct.'

 

“It's not often I find someone who actually has the patience to sit and listen to me as I explain this, you know.” Jun said. “So I suppose you could say that it's not me, but you being a good listener.” He shrugged and smirked. “Though I'll accept the compliment, naturally.”

 

“Hm.” Chihaya pondered that. A 'good listener,' eh? She hadn't heard that in quite some time, not since she'd begun hiding. ...It wasn't particularly correct, either. She had always been horrid at listening, or at least, that was how it seemed to her. It had always been Miria who was the good listener, Miria who quietly sat and digested Chihaya's life story, tragic to the point of absurdity. No, Chihaya was good at imposing on others, at being the one who  _ needed _ a 'good listener.'

 

Or perhaps she was just poor at reading herself, and Jun was right. Who knew anymore. Life was strange.

 

“Still, though.” Chihaya said. “You have to admit you're pretty bull-headed about these things around most people.”

 

“If they don't  _ want _ to understand, they'll  _ never _ understand.” Jun scoffed. “There's no need for me to dumb down my language to a snail's pace for people who won't even care to begin with.”

 

“But, if you were a bit more inclusive, wouldn't people pick up on why you do what you do more?” Chihaya said. “You're really enthusiastic about it.”

 

Jun clicked his tongue. “Programming is fascinating as it is! Why should it be my job to point people's heads in the direction of something that should be obvious anyhow?” He rolled his eyes. “Frankly, the joy of my field is so self-evident that it's surprising more people don't listen as well as you do.”

 

“Well, I think that maybe some people's brains just aren't cut out for this sort of thing.” Chihaya said. “But that shouldn't mean that you shouldn't try.”

 

“I've tried plenty.” Jun rolled his eyes. “And it didn't make sense to them then, and I doubt it'll make sense now.”

 

“How long ago was that?” Chihaya said.

 

“Second grade.” Jun said. ... _ Really. _

 

“Those...” Chihaya trailed off for a bit, trying to figure out how to phrase this. “Those were second-graders, Jun.” She paused to let it sink in. “I'm sixteen.”

 

“So?” Jun said.

 

“Er, well.” Chihaya stammered. “I think it might be a decent idea to, er, give it another shot. One of these days. You might be pleasantly surprised now that your target audience is a bit older.”

 

“Whatever you say.” Jun shrugged. She wasn't sure if he'd actually listened to her, but, well, she tried. “No matter the case, though, I do appreciate your listening.” He actually smiled, for once. It was even somewhat earnest. Chihaya smiled back.

 

She wasn't certain of how much of this she should say, but Chihaya had finally gotten a good read of Jun. There'd been something niggling at her about him the entire time they'd known each other, and even since they'd become friends, but it had suddenly occurred to her what it was as she listened to Jun talk about his passions, explain it the way he did.

 

“Say, Jun.” Chihaya said. “Gavin and I are essentially your first friends, right?”

 

“Yes.” Jun said. “Though calling Gavin my friend is an insult to the idea of agency in friendship. That obnoxious man couldn't leave well enough alone if he tried.” He smirked.

 

The two of them, Jun and Chihaya, were surprisingly similar. The both of them were social outcasts with difficulties in interacting with others, for one, but something about Jun, and his projected identity of the 'Net Admin,' struck Chihaya as eerily similar to how she had been made to treat Chizuru. She was not sure what it was inside of him that he could be hiding, but she felt reasonably certain that there was something that he, too, had hidden away, whether he was aware of it or not.

 

“Jun?” Chihaya said. “I'm glad we could become friends.”

 

Much as it choked him to show genuine affection, eventually, Jun managed to croak out a, “Me too,” while looking away awkwardly.

 

It was an odd feeling, something she hadn't felt in a long time—the desire to know more about someone she knew. It was, however, also another step on the road to becoming her own person. Or was that it? Was it just that it was something she needed to do? No, it seemed different from that. It seemed...

 

Ah, that was it. Chihaya was no longer alone. She'd found someone else who may really understand. Perhaps not as kindly or as willingly as Miria, but she felt a bond with Jun that she hadn't felt with Miria, as well. He was strange, of course, and it was a strange bond, but, well, life was strange, and kinship was a strange feeling.

 

...Was it insensitive to think about Jun this way when there were still nine others in the facility who were also, by all rights, her friends? Hm. She certainly hoped not. Shinobu was nosy, sure, and Gavin was quite strange, and Rin and Yashiro were quite loud, and— Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Was this what having a _best friend_ was like?

 

“This is  _ weird! _ ” Chihaya said. “Man, friendship is  _ weird! _ ” She gripped her head. 

 

“Finally, someone here is speaking sense!” Jun said.

 

**9 P.M.**

 

“Riiiight...here!” Rin gingerly slid her latest two creations into the trophy case. It had taken quite a while to properly craft a wooden sitar, but Daisuke was sat on his perch, playing it for everyone to enjoy. (His ponytail had been the hardest part.) Next to him, Yayoi stood, cracking her knuckles, grinning proudly in a confident stance that befitted a real victor. Stella had never come to speak to her about whatever issue it was she was having trouble with, so she'd had all the time in the world to perfect the level of cockiness in Yayoi's grin.

 

A sigh escaped Rin's lips as she stared at the row of statuettes, starting with Aoto and ending with Yayoi. It only occurred to her now, but there really were six missing people, weren't there? There were only eleven people remaining in the facility of the seventeen they'd started with. The experience had gone from downright claustrophobic to having seemingly too much free space, and there were so many missing voices.

 

At some point, her legs had taken her to the Aquarium. The fish were just as fine as they ever had been, but judging from the atmosphere, it didn't seem that anyone had actually visited the room in quite some time. That didn't come as a surprise, for obvious reasons, but something about it was still a bit sad.

 

“Hey, Mom.” Kojiro had said, pointing up at a fish that was higher up than his small body. “What kinda fish is that?” Its fins flared out, and it was covered in spines.

 

“Ah, that's a lionfish.” Mom had said. “ _ Pterois lunulata. _ Native to tropical waters in the Pacific.”

 

“Can it kill somebody?” Kojiro had said. What kind of question was that?

 

“It's venomous, so yes, I would imagine so.” Mom had said. Then she'd paused for a second. “Wait... You're not thinking of doing something nasty, are you?”

 

“Who, little ol' me?” Kojiro giggled. “Never. I'd only do something with squishy marine life, like squids or octopodes.”

 

“P-please don't harm the octopodes!” Mom had said, suddenly going pale.

 

...Huh? Had they...visited an aquarium together? That would seem to be the case, but... Rin scratched her head. She was walking again. Who knew where she was going. Up and up and up and up, this was the third level. She'd decided to go to Kavka.

 

The Tailor was still open on all four sides, and it was clean. There were no wine stains, no broken flowerpot. Daisuke's sitar had even gone. It was a completely ordinary room once more.

 

“Stay still, please.” Mom had said. “I-I need to—” She had been squirming around under the measuring tape. “Honey, I can't measure your growth if I can't measure you!”

 

“Uuugh, but the tape is cold and it feels weird!” She was small then, young. “Can't you just put me in a machine or something for this?”

 

“Well, like I said, I don't have a machine that can take your measurements.” Mom had said. “For the sake of your development, it's important that I take them by hand.” She had chided. “So stay still, alright?”

 

Her attention had jumped. “Hey, Mom, is this where your clothes come from, too?” She had said. “There's clothes here.” She had begun pacing around.

 

“Well, er, I actually buy most of my clothes.” Mom chuckled nervously. “But I really do want to try making something for you, honey. So, er, please.”

 

“Oh, right, measuring me.” She had remembered all of a sudden.

 

Rin swept her hand across a loom, tracing its outline with her fingers. It was somewhat cold to the touch, like the measuring tape had been, but it was stiller than measuring tape, didn't buckle to the touch. Where was she going? It felt to Rin as though she were searching for something that was right in front of her, grasping at a seemingly illusory light. It was...odd. But—

 

_ Just accept that you know. _

 

The next place on her walk was the Parlor. The fire was still crackling, leaving the room warmer than the rest of the cold Mandelbrot Hall.

 

“Hey, hey!” Kojiro said. They were looking at Mother's private archive together. “Pick me up and bring me higher, Mommy Dearest's gonna show up any minute now and tell us off for looking at this shelf!” He snorted a bit.

 

“We don't want that.” She had agreed, and lifted him up. “See anything you like?”

 

“ _ Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Cleaning! _ ” Kojiro had cried. “This is the title of a powerful book! I'm taking it! How's about you?”

 

“But you don't have a motorcycle,” she had said, rolling her eyes. “Let's see...uhhh, hm.  _ The Count of Monte Cristo. _ ” It was eye level. They were both on the same shelf, which meant, in Mother's eyes, they had something to do with each other. “Nice and thick. And it's a Dumas! You know he was paid by the word?”

 

“Now that sounds like a good time!” Kojiro laughed. “Wonder if I could get a gig like that.”

 

Step forward, turn. Walk up to the shelf. She knew where she was walking. It was to this shelf, to the left of the fireplace. Would they be there? They would, wouldn't they? They weren't in the Archive, since much of that was for historical texts and whatnot.

 

Eye level. Just to the left of the middle,  _ The Count of Monte Cristo.  _ A ways to the right,  _ Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Cleaning. _ And in another shelf of this same room,  _ Brave New World. _

 

There was silence in the room, save for the crackling of the fireplace.

 

“Ah.” Rin made a noise. It wasn't quite a gasp, it was not surprised enough to be a gasp. Naturally, she'd already known this, of course, so it was no surprise to her. But at the same time-

 

“I _live here._ ” Rin said, quietly, almost inaudibly. “This is where I live. Compound VK is my _home._ ” She tapped at her forehead to ensure that she was still there, and her antenna slowly began to move again. “This is my home. I live here. I—” 

 

Of course it was. She remembered the concerts in the Venue, learning things in the Classrooms, reading in the Archive, the forklifts in Campbell, being scolded for being too flippant about the dangers in the Foundry, accidentally bruising herself in the Gym once or twice, testing her resistance to motion sickness in the Simulation Wing.

 

“What...” She gazed around the room, her eyes wide, lost. “What happened here? What have you...” Her eyes locked on, towards the intercom. “Where— Where's my family!? What did you do with them?!” She grabbed a book, she wasn't sure which one, off the shelf, and hurled it at the intercom. It didn't matter that it had always been there, she knew someone was listening, someone who had turned her home into this nightmare. “Where's Mom!? Where's Kojiro!? What have you _done with them?!_ ” She hurled a second book, and a third. She was determined to break this intercom, she'd break the mastermind, this mastermind who had twisted her home, taken her family, she—!

 

Whose...hands...were those, on her shoulders? Her vision cleared. Oh. Luan was in front of her, clearly concerned. “Are you okay?” He asked.

 

“Oh. Luan.” Rin said, still somewhat lost. “How long have you... been here?”

 

“I heard you screaming.” Luan said. “You were throwing books at the intercom.”

 

“I guess I was, wasn't I.” Rin fell out of his hands and slumped over into a seat. “I guess I was. Huh.”

 

Luan furrowed his brow. “Are you feeling sick like you were yesterday? Any similar symptoms?”

 

“No.” Rin said. “No, there aren't.” Her forehead was in her hands, and she was hunched over. “I'm not sick this time, at all. What the hell...?” Why was it only sometimes? Was it something to do with their contents? Was there something that her body was revolting against her remembering? She shivered.

 

He wasn't a medical doctor, but the sight of a man in scrubs was oddly calming. Luan crouched to reach eye level with her. “But you have been experiencing flashbacks.”

 

Rin nodded weakly. “Yeah. They've sort of just been happening, kind of...concurrently with my thought processes, I guess. I'm still moving while they're happening, it's like...” She trailed off. “I donno  _ what _ it's like.”

 

“It's progress, but it worries me.” Luan said. “I think you should go to your room.”

 

“Yeah.” Rin nodded again. “My room... right.” Was that her room? Where was her  _ room, _ her- her  _ old _ room? “I need... I need to go to sleep.” Her processing was slowing down. This was- This was too much. It was too much. She needed to go to sleep. Her room was- Room Seventeen was down. It was in the Housing Suite. That was also her room for the time being. “Can you... help me? My head's kinda... fuzzy right now.”

 

“Of course.” Luan nodded. He extended his hand, and Rin took it. They began moving.

 

This was strange. It was all so very strange. It was all so... very... peculiar...

 

It was about two hours later that Rin shot up in her bed and shouted, “Oh my god, I live  _ underwater! _ ”

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Fifteen.**

 

**No students died today. Eleven students remain.**

**No abnormalities detected.**

 

**Good night, Administrator.**

 


	41. Day 16 - Gigalomaniacs

 

**8 A.M.**

 

“This is your _home?_ ” Shinobu said. Rin had caught her in the Stairwell heading to breakfast, and the two of them were now discussing matters in the Darkroom's secret room. “Now, that...” Shinobu caressed her chin. “That is very, very interesting.”

 

“Yeah, I'm absolutely sure of it.” Rin said. “When I realized it, I realized I was completely sure. This is where I live.” She nodded.

 

“So, our mastermind managed to take over your home and take you hostage, but Kojiro is nowhere to be found.” Shinobu hummed. “Hm... Perhaps they have him held captive somewhere on the fifth floor or elsewhere for use in manipulating you?”

 

“Well, I mean, I hope not.” Rin said. “I really hope he's on the outside, somewhere, safe.” She sighed, and her antenna drooped. “But it's definitely possible.”

 

Shinobu hummed again, and pulled another lollipop out of her beret. “This both without a doubt confirms your importance and muddles it greatly. What could the mastermind hope to gain by placing you in a killing game in your own home?” She rubbed her chin. “Moreover, why do you live in such a place, anyhow?”

 

Rin blinked, and her antenna curled into a question mark. “Uhhh... I donno. I feel like maybe at some point I did know, but I don't right now.” She lightly whacked her head, grunting. “Stupid amnesia. I hate this.”

 

“Nevertheless, this is doubtless a massive clue.” Shinobu said. “We should re-evaluate—”

 

The entrance to the secret room opened, and both Rin and Shinobu jumped as they saw Chihaya standing in the entranceway, frowning. “Stop making out and get to the Cafeteria,” she said.

 

“W-w-w-w-w-w-w-we weren't m-m-m-making out!” Shinobu's arms flailed around wildly. “We were discussing very, very important matters! Matters of utmost, critical, world-ending importance!”

 

“I mean, we could make out if you wanted.” Rin said flatly. Shinobu screeched and pulled her beret over her head, leaving her face hidden by a mass of pink.

 

Chihaya grunted. “Shut up.” She rolled her eyes. “Monokuma is in the Cafeteria and he won't go away until you two show up.”

 

“What, again?” Rin stood up. “Two mornings in a row? That's weird. Well, nothing for it, I guess.” She bowed lightly towards Shinobu. “Shall we be off, milady?”

 

“CHIHAYA IS RIGHT THERE WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS,” Shinobu cried, extremely eloquently.

 

**8:20 A.M.**

 

Naturally, Chihaya was out of sight by the time the three of them arrived at the Cafeteria. The other eight members of the group were all in the room, seated around the central table, several of them obviously rather perturbed by the presence of a certain bear. “Ah, they're here!” Claus said, and all their heads turned to look at Rin and Shinobu. Luan waved.

 

“Heyyyy youuuu guyyyys.” Monokuma said from his perch atop the table. He was in quite a poor state, with bandages covering his bat wing eye and left leg, clear scuff marks on his midsection and cheeks, and using a crutch to walk forward. “Morning.”

 

Rin blinked. “Um...wow. You don't look so good. Did the stairs fight back this time?” She and Shinobu also sat down.

 

“Yeah, those stairs were really angry.” Monokuma whistled. “Like, wowzers. I didn't think stairs could be that furious.”

 

“That's rough, dude.” Gavin hunched over, shrugging sadly, his hair flopping over. “My feelings go out to you.”

 

“Oh, come on, this is clearly bullshit!” Jun said, gesturing widely at Monokuma.

 

“Er, so Rin and Shinobu are here now.” Kazuya said. “Now will you explain what you're doing here?”

 

“Well, ah.” Monokuma sat down on the table. “So, you know how I tore up that motive yesterday? The, uh, well, it turns out the mastermind had another motive prepared for if that one failed.”

 

“A _second_ motive?!” Yashiro boomed. “Devilry! Certainly that must be against some rule or another!” He clenched his fist, and righteously stood up out of his seat.

 

“Amazingly, no, it's actually not.” Monokuma said. “I think I mentioned every rule... Ah, hell, not like it matters. Not like any of you guys would ever break one, right?” He sighed. “Ah, life. It's just a pile of rules, isn't it? Rules and regulations that nobody reads, they just select 'I agree' and proceed with the installation.”

 

“I read the Terms of Service Agreements.” Luan said. Everyone else at the table was briefly startled out of the tense mood and turned to stare at him in awe.

 

“Truly a model citizen.” Shinobu gasped. “Why, I don't believe that I've ever met one with your discipline!” She clapped lightly.

 

“I think perhaps we could all stand to be a bit more like Luan.” Claus agreed. “You're a fine man!”

 

“I'm not gonna disagree, but we should get this over with.” Hansuke crossed his arms and kicked up his legs on the table. “What's the motive?”

 

Monokuma nodded lightly, wincing in pain a bit as he did. “It's, ah...” Monokuma produced what looked rather like an e-Handbook. “It's this thing here. It's called...” He waved his arms with as much feigned enthusiasm as he could muster. “The Denouement Perk. Wooooooo.”

 

“Ex-squeeze me?” Gavin said. “Den-who now?”

 

“'Denouement' is a French term.” Kazuya explained. His French accent was a lot better than Gavin's or Monokuma's. “Essentially, it's the point after the climax of a story where all the loose ends are tied up, any lingering secrets are revealed, et cetera. But what does that have to do with this?”

 

“Oh, is that what it means?” Monokuma looked down at his Denouement Perk. “Huh. Well, so, here's the deal. You guys don't get to have this thing, but you can _get_ it very easily.” He cleared his throat, and then his voice raised a bit in pitch, to return to normal Monokuma levels. “Now, I know you kids love solving mysteries, and boy, does this baby do it in spades! All the answers you could ever want regarding this incident, your lost memories, you name it--they're all in here!” He tapped it enthusiastically, as several people gasped in surprise. “It's a free cheat sheet to this killing game!”

 

“Y-you're serious?!” Rin shouted, her antenna spiking. “You're just putting all the answers in there?”

 

“It's all there?” Stella stared. “Everything?” She began to shudder. Oh, her hair was up again. Seemed she was doing somewhat better today.

 

“You have all of that on that one Handbook!?” Quick as a flash, Yashiro attempted to grab at the Denouement Perk, but Monokuma threw it up into the air, and it disappeared, sucked into one of his holes. “Damn!”

 

“Yeah, sorry, that would've been a baaaad idea for any number of reasons.” Monokuma shrugged. “But yes, the Denouement Perk, like dearest Kazuya said, reveals all lingering secrets, ties up all loose ends, and presents to you the full, unadulterated truth of this killing game!” He cackled. “And best of all, it'll be presented to the taker personally by the mastermind themselves!”

 

“You're _kidding!_ ” Jun's jaw went agape. “You mean you're just going to expose yourself?!”

 

“Specifically, you know that Chapel in Barnsley Hall?” Monokuma said. “Well, the mastermind will be showing up there at nighttime from now on _in perpetuity_ until someone enters the Chapel and meets them. Whosoever does so will be presented the Denouement Perk, and will obtain all the knowledge they could ever desire!” He blew an air horn. “Wow! What a cool!”

 

“What's the catch?” Hansuke glowered.

 

“To the point as usual, Hansuke. I appreciate it!” Monokuma said. “Well, you want a catch, huh? So, only one person can obtain the Denouement Perk, obviously--and once that person has obtained the Perk, they have until the next morning announcement to commit murder most foul!” He gave a little 'puhuhuhu' and swayed a bit. “Specifically, they must kill the first person they see once they leave the Chapel before morning comes--and if they have not committed a murder by that point, they'll be punished most drastically!”

 

“A Faustian bargain, in other words.” Shinobu glared. “How dreadful. Even in the greatest of circumstances, another of our number would sacrifice themselves to gain this knowledge.”

 

“Eh, a-no.” Monokuma wagged his finger. “Once a person reads the Denouement Perk, they aren't allowed to tell anyone any of that information until they've killed the next person they see! And, naturally, we'll be heading to a class trial at that point whether you like it or not, sooooo...” He shrugged, but then looked over at Hansuke, who was furiously writing in his notepad. “...What are you doing?”

 

“I'm writing down the exact words you're using so you can't bullshit us.” Hansuke said. “You and your boss are real fond of little word tricks like that, yeah? And with the fact that we've got three mounted motives now, it'd be a damn fool idea to not keep track.”

 

“Huh.” Monokuma blinked. “You know, that's actually pretty keen. Especially since this is more complex than just, 'a culprit gets their lost memories back,' and all. Anyway, I'm gonna go convalesce now. Toodles!” He walked to the edge of the table, and then looked down towards the floor. “Er.” Luan kindly and gently grabbed him and placed him on the floor. “You're good people, pal.” And Monokuma was off under the table again.

 

There was silence briefly. “So-?” Gavin began.

 

“Nighttime lasts nine hours, from ten to seven.” Claus said. “The best place to keep someone standing guard would probably be at the stairwell between Kavka and Newcomb. Luan, Yashiro!”

 

“Yes, sir!” Yashiro said, standing at attention. Luan nodded.

 

“I can handle guard duty from ten to twelve.” Claus said. “After that, I'll need to go to sleep. I'd like for one of you to handle guard duty from twelve to three-thirty, and another from three-thirty to seven.”

 

“I can do the midnight shift.” Luan said. “Yashiro, can you take the morning?”

 

“Absolutely, friend!” Yashiro said. He and Luan shook on it, and then both of them shook on it with Claus.

 

“Guard duty?” Jun scoffed, looking away. “Here I thought we were all being buddy-buddy. What happened to our spirit of camaraderie?”

 

“You misunderstand me.” Claus said, deathly serious. “I doubt anyone would maliciously attempt to sacrifice everyone in order to obtain this knowledge. No, what I'm afraid of is people getting it in their heads to sacrifice themselves for the rest of the group to obtain that knowledge. I won't accept that if I can help it.” He turned his gaze across everyone in the room. “Any objections?”

 

After a few moments' silence, Chihaya, from somewhere in the room, said, “It doesn't seem like it.”

 

“Well, there's the possibility of Luan and Yashiro working together, I guess.” Hansuke said. “But let me guess. You've 'got a good feeling' about Luan, right?”

 

Claus nodded. “It hasn't led me wrong yet, has it? The plan will commence tonight at the break of nighttime, but we'll need to see to it that nobody is present in either Barnsley or Mandelbrot roughly half an hour before that time. Chihaya, can I count on your assistance to ensure this?”

 

“Of course.” Chihaya said.

 

“And if the worst should happen...” Claus looked at Jun, who seemed rather shocked about it. “Jun, your monitoring may become incredibly important. I need you to ensure it continues working, and be _absolutely certain_ that you keep a close eye on it. Can I count on you?”

 

Jun looked rather flustered for a moment before twitching and regaining his usual bluster, smirking and remarking, “I'd be doing that with or without your request, Glorious Leader. I can keep you in the loop if I must, though.”

 

“Okay, seriously?” Claus's face grew square. “I thought you'd stopped doing that. What is with this 'Glorious Leader' thing?” His eyes looked genuinely pained, as his hands grasped the air. “I don't understand it at all, please explain it to me!”

 

“Oh my god, are you seriously this dumb?” Jun spat. “You weren't exactly much of a 'leader' after Eriko died, so naturally I stopped calling you that, but now you're finally acting like one again. I've given you your title back as recognition of your newfound self-confidence! God!” He rolled his eyes, groaning and throwing his hands up.

 

“I, er...” Claus blinked. “I thought it was an insult. That you were, ah, calling me incompetent or something.” He adjusted his necktie. “Or, wait. Were you?”

 

“Well the _first_ time, yes, of course I was, idiot.” Jun gritted his teeth, and held his head in his right hand. “What is so hard to understand about this? Shouldn't you be happy you've received a compliment?”

 

“You're, ah...” Claus pursed his lips, raised his finger and opened his mouth, and then closed it again and lowered his finger. “Mm.”

 

Shinobu cackled. “You know, I don't believe I've ever met someone as unskilled at giving compliments as poor Jun here. Perhaps we should give you some lessons, dear?”

 

“I'd die before I took lessons from you.” Jun sneered.

 

“Etiquette is important, friend!” Yashiro said, nodding sternly. “Properly showing gratitude is one of the most important tenets of leading a just lifestyle.”

 

Rin hadn't realized she'd spaced out listening to everyone else until Shinobu put her hand on her shoulder and said, “Are you quite alright? You seem rather out of it.”

 

“Huh? Oh, um...” Rin's antenna drooped, and she curled in a bit. “Well... it frustrates me a lot. It feels like the mastermind is taunting us with the truth now. It makes me really mad to think that they know I know they probably have Kojiro somewhere and are laughing at me for it.”

 

“Mm.” Shinobu nodded. “That is... quite unfortunate.”

 

“Now, not to butt in on y'all's conversation,” Gavin said, suddenly appearing between the two of them with one arm on each of their shoulders grinning widely. “but I don't think you gotta worry, yeah? The End's just desperate 'cause she know how bad she hurting! I mean, pffft, a second motive? Trip, man, that's so lame-o-rama Gav can hardly believe it.” He laughed. “Now that is one desperate chica, my dudettes.”

 

There was a brief hesitation in Rin's thought process before she shrugged and grinned, her antenna puffing. “Yeah, you're right. Hakuna matata, right, Gav?”

 

“Hakuna matata!” Gavin agreed.

 

**11 A.M.**

 

“How did Daisuke even work this thing?” Kazuya said, hefting the sitar in his arms. He'd taken it to Class 3-B to avoid being seen, but as he'd done so, he'd realized one major problem: he was significantly shorter than Daisuke, and this sitar was surprisingly tall. By this point he was beginning to see the folly in his own exercise, but stubbornness insisted he keep trying.

 

Chihaya was busy checking out the fourth floors to make absolutely certain she hadn't missed anywhere to look later, so rather than having her continue to teach him how to dance, Kazuya had decided to take a different angle to becoming more worldly. After all, if being around Daisuke had taught him anything, it was that people thought that musicians were attractive, and therefore that if he learned how to play this thing he might come off better to people.

 

Of course, the fact that it was Daisuke who'd said that about musicians to begin with had also occurred to him, and the fact that Daisuke's penchant for bringing alcohol with him was probably a larger part of any attractiveness he might've had had occurred to him as well, and of course there was the fact that whatever man you might be attempting to be, emulating the Ultimate Brewmaster was not the way to go because that was a way of life only a man with his very specific demeanor could pull off, not to mention the fact that Kazuya had never played a musical instrument in his life and had never even seen a sitar before he was kidnapped.

 

But he was still here, because of course he was.

 

Kazuya grumbled to himself. “Is it like a guitar? Who in Japan even knows how to play a sitar? Why a sitar, anyway?” These were questions he could not have answered, unfortunately. “And what-”

 

“Yo, Kazmatazz!” Gavin popped his head through the door. Kazuya shrieked and jumped, barely keeping hold of the sitar, his eyes bugging out and darting every which way, his back bumping into the blackboard with the images of Wanda's unfortunate past. “Uh, I interrupt something?”

 

“Haha! Hello, Gavin!” Kazuya said. “How! Are you doing today!” He smiled very loudly. “It's nice to see you! Haha! Hello!” His arms were still plastered against the blackboard. ...Wait. “ _Kazmatazz?_ ” He sputtered.

 

“Yeah, y'know.” Gavin said, properly coming into the room, sitting down at a desk. “Kazmatazz givin' 'em the ol' Kazzle-dazzle, know what I mean?”

 

“Frankly, no, I have absolutely no idea.” Kazuya said, his unfortunate embarrassment instinct thankfully taking a backseat to befuddlement. “Er, did you need something? How did you even know I was here?”

 

“I gotta need something to talk, dude?” Gavin shrugged. “It's just Gav-style Gavvery, ya dig? Haven't talked to you one-on-one in a while! Just figured it was high noon to rectify that, yeah?”

 

“I see.” Kazuya nodded vaguely. “Uh...” He stammered. “I guess this would be... Guy Talk?”

 

“Huh?” Gavin raised his eyebrow. Kazuya mumbled a 'never mind' and shook his head. “Well, anygroodle, whatcha doing back here, my dude? Trying to play yourself a little ditty?”

 

“Uh, yes?” Kazuya said. He could feel flustered sweat beginning to run down his forehead.

 

“Ah, Gav sees, yes he does.” Gavin nodded. “Kazuya, my dude, I suspect you're trying to go on a journey of self-improvement to attempt to better yourself for the purpose of looking better to others. Am I warm?”

 

“Er, well.” Kazuya blinked. “Yes. Yes, you are.”

 

Gavin stood up, put his arm around Kazuya's shoulder, and said, “Bond with me, Kazuya,” leaning in uncomfortably close.

 

“Um.” And then Kazuya and Gavin were walking together. As they left Class 3-B and entered into the Venue, Gavin threw his arms wide.

 

“You see this, Kaz?” Gavin said. “You see all these empty seats? All this standin' room?” Kazuya nodded. “You see how there's nobody in 'em, man?”

 

“Er, yes.” Kazuya said.

 

“So, if there ain't an audience, who's watching you?” Gavin said. “You? Stella? Your friends? Who's watching you?”

 

“Man, what is so weird about wanting to become manlier?” Kazuya grumbled. “I feel like everyone is saying that to me these days, that I'm just wasting my time.”

 

“Naw, dude, you ain't wasting your time, per se.” Gavin shook his head. They were a while up the Venue now, and passed through the curtain. “But come on, my guy, do I gotta tell you in great detail how fine a dude you already is to help you figure it out?”

 

“...Excuse me?” Kazuya craned his head to look at Gavin. Gavin's quizzical look said nothing. “Did you just call me hot?”

 

“Yeah.” Gavin blinked. “Um, ain't I told you that before, my man? Everyone's got their own kinda beauty, yeah?”

 

They were walking towards the Greenhouse now. “Well, I mean, I didn't really think you were serious.” Kazuya said. “I mean, I figured--it's sort of-” He was waving his hands to grasp at his point, something he didn't often do. “It's sort of not the kind of thing I've heard all too often.”

 

Gavin shrugged and grinned. “Well, I _am_ the Ultimate Buddy, yeah? As far as Gav is concerned, that includes being able to inform all my brothas and sistas out there exactly how fine they are from a personal pee-oh-vee. It's an important duty when you dedicate your life to the power of friendship, my man.” He nodded sagely.

 

“I see.” Kazuya said. “I won't lie and say I completely understand, but I think I get the gist. It seems... commendable, is how I'd put it.” He still wasn't sure how to take Gavin calling him hot completely honestly, but that was mostly because it was Gavin.

 

“Glad to hear it!” Gavin laughed.

 

They stepped into the Greenhouse, and Kazuya breathed deeply. The air here was different from the rest of the facility, for obvious reasons, and it did him a lot of good to breathe it in from time to time.

 

“But, see, here's what Gav thinks.” Gavin said, walking away, nonchalantly inspecting a few flowers. “So, Gav thinks it's pretty obvious you're afraid you ain't man enough for someone. But who?”

 

“Well, er...” Kazuya stopped walking for a second to ponder. “I... I guess the world. As a whole.” He sighed. “I mean, it's kind of hard for me to define why it is I'm a man, but I know there must be something that tells it to people, and I'm trying to find it.”

 

“Yeah, kind of a stumper, ain't it?” Gavin said. “And I know you probably pretty scared, right? Cause telling the world who you is is always pretty frightening. But these sorta things ain't gonna show _the world_ that you a dude, it's just parlor tricks to try to impress Stella's old lady and your parents, yeah?”

 

Kazuya gulped. Gavin still wasn't looking at him, but he felt eerily like the taller man was staring directly into him. “Parlor tricks?”

 

“Cause you think you ain't man enough to convince them of it if you go au natural.” Gavin said. “So you wanna get 'em to look away from you. Impress 'em with sleight of hand to keep their eyes off the man behind the curtain.” He sniffed. “Man, these some nice flowers.” Then he stood up, and spun on his heel again to look at Kazuya, the sun rising behind him. “But what'd your folks say?”

 

“My--what did my parents say?” Kazuya gulped. “Well, er...” The texture of the shirt was different than what he used to, and so was the noise when he crossed his arms. “They, ah, accepted it easier than I thought they would. I was expecting more resistance, but Mom said they'd kind of figured I had _some_ thing going on when they were looking through my room and found just how many journals I had.”

 

“And Stel's ma?” Gavin said. “What'd she say?”

 

“Well, er, Stella did tell her, and, uh, apparently she laughed and said 'of course, that's just your type.'” Kazuya said. “So apparently she was fine with it.”

 

“So who you trying to impress, dude?” Gavin said. “Stel's already pretty impressed by you. And I can't speak for no one else, but I only ever seen a dude when I look at you, dude.” He put his hands on his hips and nodded, then turned towards the sunlight. It was artificial, but it was still bright. “So you trying to impress yourself or what?”

 

Kazuya gaped, and began looking at some plants himself. “Look, Gavin-”

 

“I know, I know, you scared, stuff is scary.” Gavin nodded towards the sun. “But you just gotta look forward, yeah? You got time after you get out of here to branch out, so don't waste your time worrying 'bout people you already know love you. Right now, you gotta worry about living--and the fact you still alive means you one hell of a dude, my man.”

 

“But-!” Kazuya started, but Gavin quickly spun and put a finger in front of his mouth to shush him.

 

“Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, trip, man, ain't I just alive 'cause Boss took the fall for me?” Gavin said. Kazuya's eyes widened. “But that ain't it. You alive 'cause we all know you a good-ass guy and want you to live. You think Boss woulda grabbed that bottle if she didn't care about you? Pssssh. She ain't that much of a saint, c'mon, man.”

 

“Buh-?” Kazuya stammered. Had Gavin always been this perceptive and he just hadn't noticed? The power of an Ultimate Buddy was truly terrifying, Kazuya thought to himself.

 

“And all of us, we love you, Kaz.” Gavin smiled. “Not, uh, whatever your old name was, you dig?”

 

Kazuya blinked, and he began to laugh. “Uh, gee, thanks, Gavin. It's-”

 

“Yo man, that info's on a need-to-know basis and I don't need-to-know.” Gavin looked stern for a second. “Ain't important.”

 

Opening his mouth, Kazuya raised his finger to respond, but then closed it once he realized what Gavin had actually said. Gavin laughed, and said, “Yo, man, Claus does that same thing! You two do that thing where you're like,” and he went square and extended his hand firmly, “'Alright, mate.' at each other?”

 

“Er.” Kazuya said. “Yes. We, uh, we have.” He chuckled awkwardly, but then smiled at Gavin. “Um, thanks, Gavin.”

 

“Gimme a hug, dude.” Gavin threw his arms wide. “C'meeeere!” Kazuya briefly hesitated, but then relented and returned the hug. “Yeah, that's the stuff. We bonding! Bonding is great, ain't it?”

 

“Thanks for the talk, Gavin,” Kazuya said into Gavin's sweater vest, which was still hideous. “I think it helped. Um, can you take the sitar? I think I have somewhere to be.”

 

“Stel's in the A/V Room.” Gavin nodded, releasing the hug and grabbing the sitar off of Kazuya's back. “Godspeed, my dude.”

 

“Er, godspeed, my dude.” Kazuya responded, nodding firmly and walking out of the Greenhouse. It wasn't a far walk across the Stairwell to the A/V Room, so he managed to get there quickly enough. Standing in front of the door, he wasn't certain what he was going to find Stella doing in there, but he knew he needed to go in there and see her, so he opened it.

 

“ _You can climb on board, 'cause the Nimbus doesn't wait!_ ” Stella sang, thrusting her arms in hero poses to the opening theme of Dragon Ball. “ _A fantastic journey for your dreams, a thrilling mysteryyyyy-!_ ”

 

Then she spun around while dancing, and saw Kazuya in the entranceway. The two of them remained silent for a bit as the opening continued playing in the background. Kazuya coughed. Stella returned to standing position.

 

“I really like the song.” Stella said. “It's catchy.” She blinked, and sat back down on the couch.

 

Kazuya went to join her. “That's understandable.”

 

**2 P.M.**

 

Luan's hand shot out over the railing of the third-floor stairway, catching Chihaya as she flung herself from the side of the downward stairs to the side of the upward stairs. He opened his eyes and stared at the small girl, as a few of her curls fell out into straight hair from the wind speed.

 

“You're getting good at this.” Chihaya said. He nodded. It was very important that he be aware of any angles of attack, so he'd taken to closing his eyes before attempting to predict her movements.

 

He let her down onto the landing, and she dusted herself off a touch. “What next?” Luan said.

 

Chihaya hummed, but then looked at him, a small smile on her lips. “That's all of the angles of attack I can think of. Good job.”

 

“Are you certain?” Luan looked towards the stairs themselves. He hadn't thought overmuch about stairs before now, but the height of the stairs made it difficult to scale them without actually climbing them. Still, in the center of the upward stairs and downward stairs, there _was_ a place, behind the railings, where one only needed to obtain upward momentum. “What if someone uses a rope?” He said.

 

“There's only one rope here, and I have it.” Chihaya said. “And I don't need it. It'd be pretty dangerous, anyway.”

 

Luan nodded, crossing his arms. “Then aside from climbing the stairs, there's nothing?”

 

A thundering noise from Kavka Hall signaled the arrival of Yashiro. Luan sometimes wondered how he managed to keep his crimson mane clean at all, considering how thick it was, but that was a question for less pressing times. “My query has been completed, friends!” He laughed. “There is, in fact, absolutely no way to go from the heights of the climbing wall in Kavka Hall into the fourth floor or above.” He gave a proud thumbs-up.

 

“Good,” said Chihaya. At some point, hadn't orange-to-red hair been a remarkably uncommon color, possibly going extinct? Luan thought. That was interesting. Being in the room with two people with said hair colors--Japanese, at that--must mean that things must've changed since that point. He was fairly certain both their hair was natural, as he doubted that Chihaya would dye her hair such a bright color, and the idea of Yashiro dyeing his hair just seemed wrong. “Now it's your turn.”

 

“Are you certain?!” Yashiro said, balking at the idea of attempting to practice predicting Chihaya's movements. It had taken quite some time for Luan to get it down, after all, and Chihaya was nothing if not good at finding creative ways to move around. Sometimes Luan wondered if perhaps he should ask her for tips on moving more stealthily. It seemed like a very useful skill to have. He was much larger than her, admittedly, but it couldn't hurt. Even tall, burly fellows like himself could move quietly. “I'm not certain I have it in me to defeat you, Chihaya! You are quite mighty!”

 

“You're a cat.” Chihaya said, and Luan couldn't help but think he saw a hint of a smirk. “Catlike tread should come naturally to you.”

 

“Er...” Yashiro still balked. “Luan, my compatriot, any thoughts?”

 

“So there really isn't any way to get up to the fourth floor without using these stairs?” Luan said. “Whoever might try to come up would absolutely have to use them?”

 

“No, there isn't any other way.” Chihaya said, shaking her head. “I've checked every single room in the area. There's no secret ways up, unless there's one behind one of the locked doors for the unused executions.”

 

“It doesn't seem there's any way to know that, though.” Yashiro crouched down to his knees and began... shouting. Luan raised his eyebrow, and thankfully Yashiro noticed, and said, “No worries, friend! I'm girding my loins for a deadly battle against one of the nimblest foes I've ever faced!” He continued yelling. It was very loud.

 

Luan nodded, though he wasn't particularly certain why Yashiro needed to do that, and turned to walk up the stairs. Perhaps it was a strongman thing. “Where are you going?” Chihaya asked.

 

“I thought I would go ask Monokuma whether there was any other way up.” Luan said. “His studio is on the next floor up.” Suddenly, he felt a plush feeling on his head. “Hm?”

 

“What in the four blazes is this freakin' RACKET?!” Monokuma was on Luan's head. He was surprisingly light. “Hey! Yashiro! Will you quit yelling!?” There was the feeling of paws climbing down Luan's back, and then Monokuma crawled beneath Luan's legs to meet Yashiro. “Holy freakin' crapola, I know you're already loud, but jeezy creezy, you're gonna ruin my ears!”

 

“I would think your ears would be mechanical.” Luan said. “Can Yashiro really ruin them?”

 

“Think about that. Yashiro is so deadly that he can even ruin mechanical ears.” Monokuma said, his eye glowing at the Strongman. “What a guy, that Yashiro.” He was rather spry, and his wounds seemed to have disappeared. Did he heal that quickly? Or perhaps he was remodeled somehow? Perhaps the mastermind assisted him after his tumble down the stairs.

 

“Loud I may be, but it is the voice of justice!” Yashiro clenched his fist and gazed down at it solemnly. “I may have overdone it, though.” He coughed slightly. “Perhaps-”

 

“Are the stairs literal or metaphorical?” Luan asked. Yashiro and Monokuma both turned to look at him with baffled expressions, and tilted their head to one side. Yashiro made a quizzical noise.

 

“Uh, what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Monokuma said. He limply gestured to the stairs. “Those look like metaphors to you? This isn't some kinda work of psychadelic meta-fictional psychological horror, Luan-”

 

“Rin said something about stairs when you showed up injured.” Luan said. “And you said the stairs were angry. Are the stairs a metaphor for something else?”

 

The room went surprisingly quiet, given that Yashiro was in it. This wasn't quite the reaction Luan was expecting. “Uh.” Monokuma said. “I don't have a clue what you're talking about.”

 

“Victims of domestic abuse oftentimes use falling down stairs as an excuse to pass off wounds they receive that can't be hidden.” Chihaya said. Oh, she'd hung off the railing when Monokuma had appeared.

 

“When did this become the 'Psychoanalyze Monokuma Day?'” Monokuma said. “First Hansuke, now you guys. Geez, I can't catch a break.” He did something akin to rolling his eyes--was there an optic sensor behind that bat wing-esque eye? Luan wondered. “I come out here to file a noise complaint and this is what you get. If you _must_ know, no, I did not literally fall down the stairs. These stairs right here, though?” He gestured to them. “I'm still elementally weak to them. That's completely and utterly literal.”

 

“That is...” Yashiro looked a bit disconcerted. “Quite unfortunate. You have my sympathies.”

 

“Wow, that's a first. I thought I was a vile blackheart?” Monokuma said. “See? I guess we really can bond after all, eh, Yashiro? Put 'er there, pal!” He stuck out his paw for a handshake.

 

Yashiro looked down at Monokuma's paw. Very down. “I believe I might crush your arm in my hand if I were to grab it.” Yashiro said, frowning. “It is significantly smaller than my own hand.”

 

“You'd be surprised, I'm pretty sturdy.” Monokuma puffed proudly. “For instance, I can survive _two_ coconuts to the head! Three strikes and I'm out, though.”

 

“Must you attempt to one-up Rin?” Yashiro growled. “That seems quite a meaningless effort without any coconuts on hand!”

 

“Are there any ways to get to the fourth floor without climbing up these stairs?” Luan said.

 

Monokuma spun on his nubby little foot to stare curiously at Luan's knee. “What does that have to do with anything we were just talking about?” He said.

 

It occurred to Luan that he'd just interrupted, and he wilted slightly. “Oh, I'm sorry. You can continue.”

 

“No, no, my friend, this is likely more important.” Yashiro said. “Enlighten us, would you, Monokuma?”

 

“Yeah, sure, sure.” Monokuma nodded. “A way up to the fourth floor, eh? Well, there's one in the service hatches and stuff that you guys can't actually go to, but as previously stated, you can't go there, don't even bother.” He shrugged. “Other than that, uhhh... _up,_ nope. Down, sure, but...” He rubbed where he would probably have a chin. “Can't think of anything.”

 

“What about the Elevator?” Luan said.

 

“Uh, what _about_ it?” Monokuma snorted. “I mean, sure, but only I'm allowed to use that thing. Nobody could even get in without me physically letting them in, and I wouldn't do that. It'd take me _actually having to_ to do that, and the rules that the mastermind set up don't really have any possibilities for that.”

 

“So, no?” Luan said.

 

“Nope, pretty sure you guys are covered here.” Monokuma stepped back so that he could see Luan, Yashiro, and the railing at the same time, and gave them all a fist-pump. “Nice work! Work on your hustle, though, Yashiro, nobody likes a guy with Skill as a dump stat.”

 

“It is not a _dump stat!_ ” Yashiro yelled, a vein throbbing in his clenched fist... of justice? “Rather, I think you will find that Chihaya's Speed is entirely beyond average! My dump stats are Magic and Resistance, thank you!”

 

“Sure, sure.” Monokuma disappeared into a hole. Luan had absolutely no idea what that conversation was about.

 

Chihaya flipped back over the railing. “I'm glad we got that settled.” She looked at the two men. “It seems we don't need to change our strategy from here. Luan, could you go let Claus know?” Luan walked off to find Claus, going down the stairs, hearing Yashiro begin grunting furiously attempting to halt Chihaya's advances.

 

**6 P.M.**

 

The room crackled with tension, the air almost electric as everyone present stared intensely at the starting line. Three entrants stood side-by-side, and a fourth would, if he were capable of standing.

 

“Alright, everyone.” Stella said. “Remember, no attacking the other racers or attempting to damage their remote controls. This is a fair race, so race fair!”

 

Jun rolled his eyes. Of course he wouldn't attack another racer. Jun Fukuyama, Ultimate Net Admin, raced to _win._ He was the greatest. Victory was his destiny. He glanced down at the remote control in his hand, and then at the car he'd constructed with his own hands. A self-satisfied smirk came upon his features.

 

Stella gestured grandly to the track. “For tonight's Pocket Circuit exhibition match, we're using the Expert Course. All four of our racers have constructed completely custom cars for the occasion, and what a lineup! In Lane 1, we have Yashiro Narumi and his Grand Papillon!”

 

“This is far easier than attempting to catch Chihaya!” Yashiro laughed. “Without a doubt, I shall race in the name of justice, truth, and honor! Prepare to have your Great Question answered, friends!” Despite his good cheer, the intense concentration was evident in his eyes, the gaze of a lion burning holes in the track. The Grand Papillon was just as ostentatious as ever, a bulky car built for acceleration and power, thick-wheeled, but lacking somewhat in the turning department.

 

“In Lane 2,” Stella said, “we have Hansuke Yasuda, and his Dusty Highway!”

 

“I guess I gave it my best shot.” Hansuke rubbed the back of his head. Jun and Yashiro had insisted he join the competition a few hours ago, and he hadn't disappointed. His Dusty Highway, a sleek, brown, thin-wheeled number with an even distribution of weight, had thin wheels that could turn quite easily. True to its name, the machine specialized in taking advantage of terrain, but was also capable of terrifying speeds in a straightaway. He would be a worthy opponent for Jun to defeat, especially to get him back for that incident two days ago.

 

“Lane 3!” Stella said. “Rin Hashizawa, and her R-8 Copernicus! What's with the number?”

 

Rin's antenna twitched as she grinned, giggling obnoxiously as she jittered with excitement. “I just thought it sounded cool!” She said, taking a stance as though she were about to go into a fight. True to its R-Type designation, the Copernicus seemed to closer resemble a starship of some sort than a car. Mostly grey and metallic, but with a blue, glass nose, it had a thick back end and then a narrow front end. It was a high-risk machine, designed not to limit air time, but to maximize it. Its air control was unparalleled, and Rin was known to take risky maneuvers to attempt to skip parts of the track with it. To prevent turning in midair, it possessed weight stabilizers on various locations that bolstered its spaceship aesthetic. ...And there was a little antenna on the top. What a hacky move.

 

“And finally, Lane 4!” Stella said. “Jun Fukuyama, and his Manifest Destiny! Seems like a pretty pretentious name, if you ask me.”

 

Jun clicked his tongue. “This name works on many, many levels, and I'm sure you only understand maybe half of one of them.” His car, for which he had no doubt that nobody understood the reference to an ages-old belief held in North America in the name (which was itself only one level on which the name was appropriate,) was a fine work of art. It was compact, smooth, medium-wheeled, with a green circuitry pattern racing across the chassis and the small flag he'd attached to the back. Its parts were designed for relentless advance--no corner, no loop, nothing could slow his masterwork down. Its top speed was not quite as high as some of the others, perhaps, but all he need do was keep a cool head, and its all-around high specs would lead him to victory.

 

“I must confess,” said Claus, Stella's guest in her little 'commentary booth.' “I haven't the foggiest how this, ah, Pocket Circuit, you said? I have no idea how it works.”

 

“I'm glad you asked! The racers are doing four laps around our Intermediate Circuit.” Stella said. The four cars sat in the lanes of the course--Yashiro in Lane 1, the furthest left, then Hansuke in 2, Rin in 3, and Jun himself in 4, the furthest right. Stella flipped open her scouter. “Each racer is controlling their car via remote control, and they'll be moving down one lane each lap, so each racer has to have a good idea of what challenges each lane faces. If a car gets lapped, leaves the track, or becomes inoperable, that's game over!”

 

The Intermediate Circuit as a whole possessed a shape that reminded Jun somewhat of old board games. From the car's perspective, the track went thus: a straightaway, then a right turn as the track began to slope. The altitude gradually raised for the next right turn, and then two more in rapid succession. A straightaway after that, then a soft left curve before a sharp right corner. There were hills at that point, first a short one, then a large hill, then another short one. A right turn onto a steep sideways incline followed, and then another such turn to leave it. A long straightaway passed beneath the higher-altitude straightaway from earlier, albeit with two short hills. Right turn, right turn, a large hill and then a short one, and then two quick right turns on another sideways incline. A left turn to a snaking path led to an imposing loop laying in wait in Lane 1 to switch over to Lane 4, beneath which the other racers could switch lanes unimpeded, and finally one more right turn to return to the starting line.

 

Jun, of course, had no doubt studied this course in particular far more thoroughly than his opponents, so he was certain of his capability to claim victory. He sat at the ready, his remote control ready to rumble. Sweat was already beginning to form on his forehead.

 

“Hey, uh, Jun, you're looking pretty intense.” Rin said. “You might wanna calm down or you'll give yourself an ulcer.”

 

“I can have an ulcer if it means _victory._ ” Jun said, not taking his eyes off the track for a second. She seemed placated by this answer, making a little noise and turning away.

 

“Is this sport really worth this much intensity?” Claus asked Stella. “The air in here feels almost electrified.”

 

“I think you'll see.” Stella said. “Alright, everyone! On the count of three, we go!”

 

“One...” Jun licked his lips. His scalp itched a bit.

 

“Two...” His thumb jittered, waiting for the call sign. Time seemed to slow down for him in the moment of anticipation-

 

“Three!”

 

Within a matter of milliseconds, Grand Papillon was heading up the pack. Manifest Destiny took third, between Dusty Highway, in second, and R-8 Copernicus, in fourth--but Dusty Highway's high speed and better cornering gave it the advantage over Grand Papillon on the first few turns. The two larger men's cars seemed to be battling it out over an early lead, but Jun was not far behind as they passed left to the first hills. Hansuke, it seemed, hadn't taken air into account, and Dusty Highway lost some speed taking the hills, allowing Manifest Destiny to take second. It was the furthest on the outside, at the moment, so the early advantage was a huge boon in the long run.

 

Grand Papillon seemed a bit unsteady on the incline, and while Yashiro's shouting did right it, the gap between him and Jun grew steadily closer. Dusty Highway and Copernicus weren't too far behind, as Copernicus had gained some advantage with its air time. A straightaway came, though, and Jun's position became just a bit more precarious. Dusty Highway began closing in again, and the cars were all rather close together as they passed over the light hills. Stella and Claus were talking, but it went in one ear and out the other. The large hill came, eventually, and Manifest Destiny found itself again taking a lead once Dusty Highway's hill deficiency and Grand Papillon's difficulty with cornering reared their ugly heads. By the time the first lap had been completed, Manifest Destiny found itself managing to have obtained a lead even in the outside lane.

 

“It's looking like Jun really knows his way around a box of bolts.” Stella said. “Here I thought he only did well with data!”

 

“Oh, don't disparage him, I think he is rather competent at that sort of thing.” Claus said. “Not Ultimate-level, but he's certainly no stranger to small-scale construction.”

 

It was the same story for the other three laps, Jun thought. He simply needed to keep doing the same thing. He would only gain greater advantage as time went on, assuming the loop didn't eat it all right at the end. Manifest Destiny continued on, undaunted. The turns were the same story. The curves were the same story. Or at least, so he thought, until Yashiro suddenly pulled ahead on the short-hilled straightaway.

 

“Go, Grand Papillon!” Yashiro shouted. “ **MUSCLE ART! OOOOOAAAAAAAAH!!!** ”

 

All three other racers gasped in surprise. Where had this sudden burst of speed come from?! “This power... It can't be!” Jun said, his eyes wide. “What is this?!”

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I think this might be the power of justice finally manifesting!” Stella said. “It's almost as though Yashiro's soul is pouring directly into his machine!”

 

“ **I am the master of the asphalt fight!** ” Yashiro cried.

 

“That spunk of yours can't last forever.” Hansuke said, cool and collected as usual (except for certain incidents Jun would think about and snidely remark on more if he were not currently very busy.) “Dusty Highway, don't fail me now!” Its cornering assisted it once more, and it began to pull up behind Manifest Destiny, gaining far too closely for Jun's taste.

 

Inwardly, Jun could feel the panic begin to set in. Yashiro was racing ahead now, except... wait! There was the steep sideways incline, and Yashiro was at the outside, in Lane 4! His burst of speed couldn't last forever when faced with his greatest weakness! Sure enough, the speed coursing through Grand Papillon caused it to lose a great deal of stability making the turn, and while it did not fly off the track, it took a great hit to its speed as it did.

 

“You fool!” Rin shouted. “Don't you know that you can only use that power once every twenty-four hours?!” She was still trailing behind a bit.

 

Going into the third lap, Jun and Hansuke were neck-and-neck, and behind them, Yashiro and Rin were battling in the back. Jun's ever-so-slightly weaker turning was made up for by the fact that he was closer to the inside, and they remained roughly even until Jun poked his head out a bit in front from the hills. “Do you think Hansuke should have perhaps taken the hills into account?” Claus said.

 

“He's doing a bang-up job despite it!” Stella said. “Not knowing what's going to happen is part of the fun of Pocket Circuit!” She pounded her fists into her desk.

 

There was, however, a simple fact here. Dusty Highway was faster, overall, than Manifest Destiny, and whatever lead Jun might eke out from being on the inside would soon be made moot by the loop waiting for him at the end of his route. His relentless advance strategy had run into its greatest flaw--an opponent whose flaws didn't at all outweigh its strengths! The two remained in a dead heat all through the third lap, shooting well ahead of Yashiro and Rin.

 

“You're going down, computer boy.” Hansuke said, a competitive spark to his voice that Jun hadn't noted before. “I've seen more cars than you've written lines of code.”

 

“Ha!” Jun scoffed. “No, it's you who's going down. I, Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin, will not lose to anyone! So I certainly hope you're hungry, Hansuke...” Jun gritted his teeth, and focused. “Because you're about to **eat my dust!** ”

 

With a sharp burst of speed, halfway through its final lap, Manifest Destiny began to take a solid lead. “What?!” Stella shouted. “Jun's getting the same kind of burst of speed as Yashiro! I didn't take him for the justice type!”

 

“No, it's not justice!” Claus said, his voice just as enthused about the game now as Stella's. “This is the power of his conviction, his belief in his own victory! Jun's conviction is propelling his destiny forward!”

 

“Oh, no way in hell, buster!” Hansuke cried, and he attempted to perform a similar maneuver. Unfortunately for him, he was on a large hill as he did so, and the burst of speed in the air gave his car a face-first landing into the track. “Damn it!”

 

Jun cackled, spiraling through the loop at incredible speed. He had done it! He was the greatest! None could possibly defeat-

 

He pulled into the finish line in _second place._ The R-8 Copernicus was already present there. “...Huh?” Jun blinked.

 

“Wow, nice race, everybody!” Rin clapped beside him, acting as though nothing in the world was odd. “Really, that was great!”

 

“And that's game, everybody!” Stella shouted. “Game! Set! Match! Our winner is Rin Hashizawa and her R-8 Copernicus, with Jun Fukuyama's Manifest Destiny in second and Yashiro Narumi's Grand Papillon in third! Sorry, Hansuke, but your Dusty Highway took a spill, so you're in last by default.”

 

“It's my own fault.” Hansuke shrugged. He was grinning, though. “This is pretty fun. I guess you weren't wrong, huh?”

 

“I told you.” Rin huffed. The two of them must have made up at some point or something... wait. Hold on a second.

 

“What?!” Jun shouted, scratching at his head. “Hey, hold on a second!” He pointed a finger at Rin, who was in a post-race clump of people at the commentator's desk. “How did you get in first?! I didn't see you pass me! I won that race!”

 

“Ah, well...” Claus adjusted his necktie. “You didn't see her because she didn't directly pass you.” Oh, like that made it make any more sense. Jun rolled his eyes and grunted.

 

“Oh, okay, here, lemme show you.” Rin said. She gingerly hopped over to the middle of the track, being careful not to disturb anything, and put her hand on the second large hill, in the later part of the track. “I did this!” She drew her finger up the hill, and then ramped it off a ways away, over a short hill and onto the steep sideways incline... _in the next lane._ “Took a bit to get started again, but I went over the boundary.”

 

Jun made unfortunately fish-like noises, as he was unable to vocalize the depth of his bafflement. “You...” He held his head in his hands.

 

“That's a pretty crafty play.” Hansuke scratched his chin. “I was wondering why you built your car like that.”

 

“Is that even legal...?” Jun asked, feeling a bit like a balloon that had just been unceremoniously popped.

 

“Well, depends on the ruleset, but this place uses Open Format Kazak Rule 3.” Stella said. “Which does allow it as long as the car's wheels and chassis never touch the boundary from above. It has to make a perfect landing in between the boundaries of the next lane over, so it's an extremely risky move.” She snorted. “Just the kind of thing you'd do, huh, Rin?”

 

“You know me too well.” Rin rapped her knuckles against her head and stuck her tongue out, her antenna curling into a little sprung shape.

 

“I...” Jun trailed off. “That... that can't...” He felt his face fall, and a familiar emptiness sick into his stomach. “I can't lose... I never lose.” He shivered a bit.

 

Suddenly, Rin was on him, giving him a hug. “Hey, hey, it's okay, alright, Jun?” She'd immediately gone into Soothing Mode, it seemed. Ugh. She was the worst. “Calm down, okay? It's okay. You did really well!” She let go of him, thankfully, and smiled at him. “Really. If I hadn't done that, no way I could've beaten you. You learned this game really quickly!”

 

“I have to agree.” Claus said. Everyone else was over by the commentary desk now, and only Jun had not moved earlier. “It seems like you've gained quite a bit of proficiency in a short amount of time, Jun. That's something to be very proud of!”

 

“I'd be lying if I didn't think you did the best overall.” Stella shrugged. Why...?

 

“Indeed! The amount of passion you showed there is truly incredible.” Yashiro said. “I believe I have found a newfound respect for you!” He laughed. Why... were they...?

 

“It was a damn good race.” Hansuke said. He rolled his shoulders back. “Didn't even know tiny cars could get that intense.”

 

Why were they _congratulating_ him if he _lost?_ It didn't make sense. He hadn't been listening too well, but it almost felt like they were congratulating him more than they were the person who actually won the race, and that didn't make any sense. He lost. That meant he was inferior to her, didn't it? Almosts and what-ifs didn't cut it in the real world, all that mattered was that you were the best, so why did they seem so damned proud of him if he lost?

 

_They're lying!_ A small voice in the back of his head said. _They're lying, they're lying! They aren't telling the truth! They just want to hurt you and mock you for losing! Nobody loves you unless you win!_

 

_Hey, whoa, hold on there, Reptile Brain._ Oh. It was Shoulder Gavin. _Aw, c'mon, J, can't you just take the hint? You did damn good, and when you with friends, you ain't gotta come in first to win! All'at matters is that you have a good time, and you had a good time, yeah?_

 

“Ugh,” Jun said. “Ugh!” He repeated. His scalp itched. “I'm leaving!” He began to wheel himself out of the room. These people were so confusing, and who needed them, anyway? Besides, it wasn't like he'd--no, he'd had fun, what the hell was he saying? No, what the hell was he saying having fun that he lost?

 

“Hey, take easy over there, will you?” Hansuke said. “Lighten up.” He lazily raised a hand to wave. “You did good.” The rest of the room seemed to agree. Ugh. These people. Didn't they understand how anything worked?

 

As he left the room, Jun breathed a heavy sigh. He needed a conquest.

 

**7:30 P.M.**

 

She'd been pretty satisfied with her own victory, but Rin couldn't help but be a bit concerned about Jun's reaction. It wasn't anything unusual for him to have a bit of a problem with losing, but his strangely disdainful reaction when everyone congratulated him anyway sparked a curiosity that had been building inside her for quite some time.

 

Specifically, she wanted a better idea of what made him tick. She'd been rather unfair to him early on, and she wasn't entirely certain why that was, but she knew that she felt like she should make it up to him by being a good friend. He had Gavin, certainly, and Chihaya too, apparently, but still. More was better.

 

Rin had hunted about looking for Jun for a few minutes, but he wasn't anywhere to be found in the Pool, where he normally went about this time of night. She decided to sweep from the top down to try and find him, and hope she wasn't being too much of a bother. She usually did bother him, it seemed, but that didn't mean she shouldn't try.

 

“Gavin, you moron, I am not 'in!'” Rin heard as she passed through the Bulb Room. Luan was inspecting the bulbs, and she waved to him, but that noise could only have come from Jun, so she didn't stay long. She crept up to the door of Diagnostics, and cautiously listened in from outside to ascertain the situation.

 

“Aw, that ain't how hackermanning works? Gav thought you just said, 'We're in!' once or thrice, maybe zoomed the camera around a few times like, whooosh, waaaaaahhh, and you were in!” That was, uh, obviously Gavin.

 

“You dolt.” Jun. “This is a complicated process. ...With the way The End is treating this, it's almost as though she thinks this is a game, but that's where she's wrong. If this is a game, then I'm going to show her never to challenge Jun Fukuyama.”

 

“How do you mean, 'treating this?'” Chihaya was in there too.

 

“She gave me the laptop to begin with, probably as a way of taunting me, and then limited my programming options. She thinks I'm not good enough.” Jun began chuckling lowly. “I'll elucidate her. She'll see I'm the greatest. I'm better than her.”

 

“Unrelatedly, Rin is at the door.” Chihaya said. Wait. Oh dear. Rin heard Jun make a frustrated noise, but he eventually groaned, and apparently that meant an affirmative, because Chihaya said, “You can come in.”

 

Rin kept her eyes low to the ground as she entered the room, attempting to avoid coming down with data sickness. “Hey, guys.” She said. Her antenna did some expressing for her, thankfully.

 

“Yo, wassup?” Gavin said, waving from over by Jun at one of the consoles. “Good to see you--uh, yo, Chi, where'd you go?”

 

“I'm not telling you.” Chihaya said. “Two people is hard enough.” And the Ultimate Ghost went silent.

 

“Oh, that's a lot of progress, actually!” Rin said, her antenna twirling proudly. “If you're managing up to two people in the same room now, you're doing a lot better, huh?”

 

“Yeah, man, no joke!” Gavin said.

 

“Will the both of you kindly be quiet so that I may work?” Jun's hands filled the room with the sound of frantic typing. “Keep your head low, Hashizawa, we wouldn't want you passing out again.”

 

At Gavin's quizzical look, Rin said, “Oh, I get motion sick from fast computer feeds like this.” Gavin nodded in understanding. “So, um, Jun. What's up?”

 

“A direction.” Jun said. “In a literal sense, most of humankind is 'up' from here.”

 

“Aw, come on, J, that joke's so old that I think Yashiro's Nana has it in a yearbook somewhere.” Gavin said.

 

“You would really be astounded just how little I care.” Jun said. He went quiet again. This guy sometimes, Rin swore.

 

“Okay. What are you doing?” Rin rolled her eyes, and her antenna rolled, too. “Is that better?”

 

“Much.” Jun said. “I'm monitoring the brute-forcing algorithm I made to ensure that it manages to retain access to earlier UIDs and passwords while attempting to attack later ones. Since The End is almost certainly constantly monitoring this system somehow, it's a task I do need to occasionally come back and keep up.”

 

“And how's that going?” Rin said. She walked over, being sure not to look at the screen.

 

“Should be complete by the evening of Day Nineteen.” Jun said. “By then, I should have the layout of the place in its entirety, which includes whatever idiotic system Monokuma uses to get around, and once I've gotten in I might be able to take control of the Monokuma Service Elevator or find some other way to get around.”

 

“Whoa, that's even more useful than you said earlier!” Rin's antenna pointed straight upwards. “Nice job!”

 

“I'm not done yet, and why the hell are you even here?” Jun said. “Have you come to rub your victory in my face?” His voice was low and disdainful, but not surprised in the slightest.

 

“Uh, no, I actually just wanted to talk to you.” Rin said. “Honest!”

 

Jun paused. “Tch.” He clicked his tongue. “Sure you did. You and your Copernicus. You beat me, what's the point of talking to me?”

 

“I don't want to talk about the race, dude.” Rin said. Her antenna drooped. “I just wanted to make sure, like... are you doing okay?”

 

Freezing in his seat, Jun spun his chair around and spat, “What?”

 

Rin scratched at her right temple. “I mean, you seemed pretty mad when everyone was telling you you did a good job, and that was honestly kinda strange. I was just curious what was up with that.”

 

Jun was silent as he spun back to the computer screen. “Whatever. Be curious.” He said. “I don't care.”

 

“That's J's way of saying he don't get what you're asking.” Gavin said, standing on the other side of Jun, who made a frustrated noise at him.

 

Her antenna wobbled back and forth as Rin pondered how better to ask what exactly it was she was trying to ask. It took her a few seconds of looking back and forth between Gavin and Jun, darting away from the data feeds as she did, before she got it.

 

“Hey, Jun.” Rin said. “I think I got it. Why does winning mean so much to you?”

 

“Why doesn't it to you?” Jun said. “Certainly you understand that the goal of competition is coming out on top.”

 

“Well, I mean, sure.” Rin said. “But even though I even told you that if I hadn't made that risky play, you would've won, and everyone agreed that overall, you honestly did better than me, that just made you madder. And we weren't playing for anything, we were just having fun. So why does it matter if you won or not?”

 

“The only thing that matters in a competition is the results.” Jun said. His fingers were, if anything, typing even faster, now. “Simple as that. It doesn't matter how good you are if you don't win.”

 

“Yeah, it does.” Rin said. “Your skill is important. Do you think that the _second-best_ boxer in the world isn't an amazing boxer?”

 

“It means he isn't good enough to be the best.” Jun said. “So why should anyone care about the second-best? Second place is first loser, Hashizawa.”

 

Rin's fist clenched. “No, I...” She sighed. “I really don't think that's right. It doesn't matter if you win something like that, does it? Why does it make you so mad that we all think you did a good job?”

 

Jun stopped typing, and turned to Rin again, staring her down. “Can you honestly say you mean that?” He said. His face was flat. “That you actually think I did a good job, even though I lost?”

 

“Yes.” Rin said. “I think you did a great job, and you should be proud of yourself.”

 

“Hey, c'mon, just take the compliment, J.” Gavin added, patting him on the shoulder. “Ain't no reason to think she's lying, is there?”

 

“The only reason I exist is to win.” Jun returned to typing. “It's as simple as that. Don't bullshit me.”

 

“I really don't think she is, Jun.” Chihaya even piped up from wherever she was. The _only reason he exists?_ What was that supposed to mean?

 

“Uh, Rin, J...” Gavin stammered. “Well, I ain't saying I agree with him, but it ain't like he's just pulling this outta his butt.” He stopped. “Oh, I shouldn't say noth-”

 

“Perhaps someone like you, who has had one family all your life, doesn't understand,” Jun said. “Someone like you, with your darling mother, and your precious little brother. They love you unconditionally, even if you don't win, isn't that right?”

 

“Well, yeah.” Rin suddenly felt the air grow cold in a different way from her usual back-and-forth with Jun. “Um-”

 

“When I was four years old, I lost both my parents and the use of my legs in a car crash,” Jun said. “I hardly even remember my parents or what the sensation of walking, or even standing, feels like. I didn't have any relatives willing to take me in, so I was thrown about between various orphanages before landing in the foster care program.”

 

“Jun, I-” Rin said.

 

“I was notorious. A 'problem child,'” Jun continued. He was still typing as he spoke, flat and monotone. Why was it that when he got quiet, it was so disquieting? “I bounced from home to home as family after family became fed up with me, an unpleasant little gremlin of a child, too difficult to care for, too quick to anger, not sociable enough. At school, I was a curiosity--I never stayed in one place long enough to actually make any friends, and when I tried, at best, people treated me more as a pet than anything, wheeling me about for 'charity,' going, 'oh, that's so wonderful for you' when I tried my very hardest to explain why, exactly, it was that I was always on my computer. Since I hardly ever stayed anywhere long enough to establish myself, children with similarly unhappy living situations, who weren't top of their class because of me, no doubt thought that I would make an easy target since I never spoke back. When I tried, nobody listened. Nobody cared. Everyone knew I was a 'problem child,' so people would sooner believe that I had the problem.”

 

“But--but that's horrible!” Rin said, forgetting about keeping her eyes down and looking at Jun, raising her voice on instinct. “What about the people in charge of the foster system?”

 

Jun laughed, a bitter, sarcastic laugh. “Oh, that's cute. You think that just because a system is supposed to be used for good, that means that it is. No, Rin. There are corrupt individuals in any institution, no matter where you go. That's the nature of humanity. And those people?” He laughed again. “They _love_ 'problem children.' If you're paid each time you deliver a child to a new home, a child who is constantly in need of new homes like me is a great commodity--so the more you can convince parents that the problem is with the child and not them, the more you can line your pockets to buy a new sports car.”

 

At some point, Rin had started tearing up. “What? That's... That's completely horrible! Why would anyone do that? And... to _children?_ ”

 

“Who knows. Perhaps they're just doing the same thing that was done to them. I hear the cycle of abuse is quite a deadly thing indeed.” Jun said. “The only time people have ever looked at me with pride is when I started showing my talents, when I demonstrated my own infrastructure, just how much of the current internet I personally had a hand in controlling at fourteen years old, from a wheelchair. Since I'm not blessed like someone like you, who has friends, family, all that garbage, I take what I can get--the adulation of a victor.” He scoffed. “Nobody will ever care about me if I don't prove myself useful. It's a simple fact of life. Nobody has ever really wanted Jun Fukuyama around, so being the Ultimate Net Admin, a title which implies victory, is my life.”

 

There was a cold pit of sadness building inside Rin's chest, one that she didn't know exactly how to describe, or to deal with. “I'm...” She was crying. “I'm so sorry, Jun.”

 

“What are you sorry for?” Jun said. “Beating me?”

 

“I'm sorry, um...” Rin said. Her feet were turning towards each other, and her hands were clasped together, feeling pangs of guilt stab her in the chest. “I treated you really badly at first, and I don't think you deserved it. I think--I think maybe I was part of the problem, and... and I'm-”

 

“This reasoning is the same reasoning that led me to almost get the entire group killed during the first trial.” Jun said. “It's the same reasoning that led me to take advantage of Stella's challenges to, essentially, attempt to kill her. Why are you sorry?”

 

“Because you didn't deserve it!” Rin said. “I mean--I mean, I'm not gonna lie and say that was okay. It wasn't! You've done a lot of not okay stuff! But that doesn't mean... that doesn't mean I wanted to hurt you like that. I--I think I-” She sniffled. “I don't know. I'm sorry. I guess I didn't have any way of knowing, but I'm still sorry.”

 

“You make no sense.” Jun said. “Sometimes I wonder if perhaps I should cut your brain open and scan it to see how it ticks.”

 

“Jun, I-” Rin stared at the side of his head very firmly. “I want to--I want to be your friend. I really, really do. I may not know the entirety of what you've been going through, but...” She shook her head. “I mean... I _like_ you.”

 

Silence. The sound of tapping ceased. The entire room was filled with a piercing, deafening silence for several moments.

 

“You...” Jun whispered. He then got louder. “You've changed. Along with your appearance.”

 

“Huh?” Rin's antenna, despite the dark mood, curled into a question mark. “How have I changed?”

 

“You weren't this forceful before.” Jun said. “Or as acerbic, either. You're different now. The old you wasn't bad, I suppose. She was quieter, more reserved.” He chuckled. “Did losing to me really change you that much?”

 

“Does it matter?” Rin said. “I--well, right now, I have no idea how or why I lost to you at the Expo, or even what I did. I just see you, now.”

 

“Is this the same spiel you gave Stella?” Jun snorted. “Do you think I'm in pain, that you need to lend me a comforting hand?” He clicked his tongue. “Let me explain something to you. It was _my_ choice to let those two become my friends. I'm not going to break down and become a simpering little child in need of your protection.” Rin had almost forgotten Gavin was there, even, as the Ultimate Buddy rubbed the back of his head bashfully.

 

“Do you think that's what I want?” Rin said. “It's not. Stella might've had a bad period, but she and I are friends because I like her. That's all there is to it.”

 

There was a moment of quiet again. Jun began typing again. “Jun?” Rin said, finally. “I want to be on equal footing with you. You're just as good as me, is what I believe, and I think you have something really special, personally. Even if we didn't get off on the right foot, that's why I want to be your friend.”

 

After a few moments of silence, Jun spoke. “I suppose if we get out of here without you majorly pissing me off anymore, I can give that a try. I imagine most of the idiots in here wouldn't want to leave me alone, anyway.”

 

A great relief washed away Rin's cold mood as Gavin clapped her and Jun on the shoulder both. “Trip, man, Gav's heart was doing an Indy 500 there! Whoo! Glad it all worked out.” He sighed in relief. “Hey, Chi, you hear that?” He said to the room at large. “Ain't that great?”

 

“I think it is.” Chihaya said. “I'm glad these two have finally reconciled.”

 

“Aw, I think it was boiling a while anyway.” Gavin laughed. “They come a long way! Glad I can finally stop worrying.”

 

“You were worrying about me and Jun?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side. “Why?”

 

“Just a feeling I had.” Gavin said, shrugging. “I just sorta had this feeling like you two's getting all buddy-buddy was important for the vibe, yeah?”

 

“Gavin, you troglodyte,” Jun turned away from his screen to glare at Gavin. “We are not 'buddy-buddy.' Not by any stretch of the imagination. Don't get carried away. I've just made an executive decision to stop letting her presence bother me for the time being, is all.”

 

“Yeah, I get it.” Gavin smiled. “So, uh... you gonna accept that compliment now, dude?”

 

“Huh?” Jun's eyes went wide. Rin guessed he'd completely forgotten what actually started this discussion. “Right, right. Er, what was it again?” Yup, right on the money.

 

“I said you did a really good job at Pocket Circuit.” Rin said.

 

Jun smirked. “Of course I did. I'm Jun Fukuyama.” He turned back to his screen. “This doesn't mean you're right, you know. I still think you're an idiot, Hashizawa, and a goody-two-shoes, and entirely too naive for your own good.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Rin said, smiling. “But that's, like, half the reason people like me, soooo...” She shrugged. “Thanks!”

 

“Weirdo.” Jun made a waving away gesture. “I'm done talking to you now. Leave, please.”

 

Rin saluted. “Got it. I'm glad we had this talk, Jun! Bye, Gavin, Chihaya. Gotta go do my hair!” She waved to Gavin and the room at large, before turning and beginning to walk away.

 

“I'm glad you take some sort of pleasure in talking to your betters.” Jun said.

 

“That's J speak for 'I'm glad we had this talk, too.'” Gavin said.

 

“Gavin, _what_ have I told you about putting your words in my mouth?” Ah, there was good ol' Angry Jun. “You insensitive, barbaric lout, I haven't the foggiest how you've survived this far in life! Kindly choke on your own spit and let me be rid of you, you imbecile!”

 

“Aw, thanks, J!” Gavin laughed. Jun screeched.

**8:30 P.M.**

 

Shinobu's breathing was rapid as she paced about the middle of the Ballroom, her heels clacking beneath her feet, sweat beginning to run down her forehead. It wasn't hot, of course, it was perfectly temperate, but her nerves were beginning to grasp hold of her mind and squeeze tightly, tightening their hold further and further until they were less grasping and more constricting, akin to a deadly jungle snake.

 

She had no reason to be so nervous, or at any rate, not a good reason. She knew that quite well. If anyone had reason to be nervous, it was Rin, who was presumably on her way. After all, by her own admission, she was no good at dancing, and Shinobu was rather good if she did say so herself. If either of them were to screw up and make a fool of herself, it was Rin. Ah, but yet, there was something incredibly terrifying about the idea of someone coming to a room with the express purpose of dancing with you, something deeply horrifying on a primalistic level, the horror of _awkward romance._ Why was it, Shinobu cursed, that she had been been born with the sense to be embarrassed about a dance with her girlfriend? Her-

 

Aaaaagh, she shouted inwardly! Just the phrase made her want to scream! Not necessarily in a bad way, of course, but--oh good lord, she, Shinobu Koshimizu, Modern-day Mistress of Mystery, was imminently approaching not only her first dance with another person, but a dance that was explicitly as close to a _date_ as the two could manage in their current situation. At the very least, if she were ever to write another romance into her mysteries, she could much better describe the feeling of sheer awkwardness constricting her soul at the moment. It was useful experience indeed.

 

Since Rin had asked Shinobu up here, Shinobu of course decided that she wanted to dress to impress. She'd gone and found herself a violet three-piece suit to match her hair--she wasn't certain how Rin felt about pants, but hopefully it would have the desired effect. She still wore her heels, naturally, and her beret never went anywhere, but her figure was much more lithe and nimble-seeming than it had been when she was wearing on her dress, and Rin seemed like the sort of person who would like that-

 

The sound of a door opening! “Hey, Shinobu, I'm here!”

 

AAAAAAAH! Shinobu thought. AAAAAAA, AAAAAH! AAAAAAAAAAAH! “Oh, Rin, it's nice to see you!” Shinobu said, plastering a smile on her face as she spun on her heels to see--oh good lord, how in the world was she so fast that she was _already_ here at the center of the room? Whoever put her together certainly did a bang-up job of her leg muscles, that was for certain! Especially in--oh word.

 

“Hey, yeah, hi, sorry to keep you waiting.” Rin panted a bit. “Kinda had to go back to my room about half an hour ago and clean my face off, aaaand I lost track of time a bit, aaaand, y'know, stuff like that.” She chuckled. Ah, yes, she was awkward as well. That was good, at least. Was it good? It was good to know Shinobu wasn't alone. “Had a nice chat with Jun. Well, okay, it wasn't really nice, but it was productive!” She spun around. “How do I look?”

 

Where had she found _that?_ It was a short-sleeved, black, lace dress with a floral pattern, and a ruffled, tiered bottom that didn't quite reach the bottom of her legs. The see-through segments of the lace, above her chest, struck a great contrast to the pearly white skin beneath, such so that it took Shinobu a moment to realize that not only had she worn this dress, _and_ found some shiny black dress shoes somewhere--had they been in her room somewhere?--but she had also even managed to style her incredible amount of hair. Where before it had gone every which way seemingly without a care, Rin had evidently gone to great lengths to style it into an almost wind-swept frock whose tresses cascaded downwards--the phrase “a herd of cowlicks” came to mind, but it seemed a bit too unintentional to entirely describe the effect of the style. Holy shit, had she just thought that many words about her girlfriend's hair? Shut up, brain!

 

“Productive is oftentimes better than nice.” Shinobu nodded. “And, ah, you look... quite nice! Yes. Quite nice. Yes.”

 

“Is this as terrifying for you as it is for me?” Rin said. Her antenna had gone into a sort of lightning bolt shape. Ah, there was that candor. One could always count on her to say what many people would not dare to.

 

“Ka ka! Oh, indubitably!” Shinobu said. “I find my soul in the constricting grip of the jungle snake of awkward horror!” She adjusted her beret, slightly.

 

“How long have you been nursing that metaphor?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

Shinobu sputtered. “What? No, no, completely spontaneous, I assure you...” Rin's disbelieving stare withered Shinobu's resolve. “About five minutes.” She said, gritting her teeth nervously.

 

“Ooh, that's a pretty well-cooked one.” Rin smiled. Shinobu's heart skipped a beat. Damn her heart! “Not too long, not too short. Just right!”

 

“Are metaphors food?” Shinobu raised her eyebrow, chuckling a little.

 

“For a hungry brain!” Rin gave a thumbs up. The two of them laughed together.

 

There was a pause.

 

“Nice suit.” Rin said. “I like it. It looks very fetching.”

 

“Yes. Mm.” Shinobu nodded. “Ah, good... dress, where did you... where did you find that?” _And how did you manage to style your hair?_

 

“Well, I remembered that Mom had this squirreled away for a rainy day in the Tailor in case I brought anyone home on a date somehow.” Rin shrugged and looked away. “Took me a bit to find it, but I did!”

 

“So, erm...” Shinobu stammered, attempting to drive the conversation away from the pair's shift in attire. “I know you said you'd like to dance, but it usually requires some form of musical accompaniment, does it not?” She gestured widely to the Ballroom. “We find ourselves in an understaffed venue for such a thing.”

 

Rin bent her hand and smirked. “Pfft, don't worry, Shinobu. I, like most cool people of taste, think of these things. I've brought accompaniment!” She clapped. “Pianist, please!”

 

Suddenly, from below the floor a ways away, a piano rose up from the ground, and into its seat came Monokuma, who'd come into the room at some point as well. “Howdy-doo, ladies! Having a nice night?”

 

“Er, hold on a moment.” Shinobu raised her hand. “Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but your arms are quite short, and you have no fingers, Monokuma. How exactly are you to play the piano?”

 

“Eh, don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Shinobu.” Monokuma waved his hand dismissively. “It ain't worth worrying about these things. If people worried about everything they didn't understand, then nobody would ever do anything, right?”

 

Shinobu raised her eyebrow, and nodded tentatively at the bear. “A surprisingly insightful philosophy. Is it in-born or are you particularly well-read, friend?”

 

“Meh, little of Column A, little of Column B.” Monokuma said. “I spend a lot of time thinking about these sort of things while conjuring the intrepid mindscape of my artwork. When you become as meditative and zen as yours truly, you naturally become a Pro Philosopher. It's just sort of what one does!”

 

“Is that right?” Shinobu said. From her posture and facial expression, Rin didn't seem to particularly disagree with him, but kept silent for the sake of discussion. “Well, I congratulate you on your status as a Pro Philosopher. That's quite a-”

 

“You're stalling.” Monokuma said. A shock raced down Shinobu's spine as she yelped and jumped, flailing her hands around and very nearly sending her beret toppling to the ground if she did not carefully keep it in place on the downswing of her reaction. “Man, you're obvious! I'd think the Ultimate Mystery Novelist would be a bit better at hiding her emotions, but I guess perhaps it's this very openness that makes you good at writing stories about hiding things.”

 

“I have learned well from the Endless Witch Beatrice!” Shinobu exclaimed, swirling a bit as she returned to proper position.

 

“I still don't know who that is.” Rin said. Had Shinobu not explained Beatrice to her!? Disastrous! This was an unprecedented disaster! This was a subject that needed broaching! “So, um...” Rin's feet were twiddling back and forth. Oh, right right, Shinobu had come here for a reason, of course, ha ha.

 

“Mm! Quite--Quite right!” Shinobu cackled nervously. She turned towards Rin. “So, ah. Milady. Would. Would you-” She coughed.

 

“I'm all ears.” Rin stood, hands at her side. She smiled. Her antenna was pointing in a manner akin to an old-fashioned satellite dish.

 

“Aha. Well, ah-” Shinobu gulped. This was more nerve-wracking than she'd hoped it would be. “Well, we'll be performing--j-j-just follow my lead.” Ah, there was sweat... That was unladylike. Oh, dear. She extended her left hand and placed it vertically in the air.

 

“Uh, like this?” Rin came forth, and with her right hand, clasped Shinobu's left.

 

“Yes, yes, exactly! Now, you put your left hand on my shoulder here.” Shinobu gestured with her head towards her own right shoulder, and Rin obliged. “Then I place my arm... over here.” She wrapped her right arm around Rin's left side.

 

“Okay.” Rin nodded. This was a solid position to start with.

 

“Now, ah.” Shinobu now had her hand clasped in Rin's and had her arm wrapped around Rin's side. It was very touchy! In a manner that-

 

“One, two, three, FOUR!” Monokuma shouted, and then, paradoxically, began playing--oh, dear, was that Mephisto Waltz No. 1, “Dance in the Village Inn?” This began far too fast for a first!

 

“A-ah, we need to keep time!” Shinobu said. “Follow me!” She took her first step, forward with her left foot.

 

“Oh, uh, okay!” Rin seemed a bit startled, understandably, but she managed to stumblingly take a step back with her right to match Shinobu. “Um-”

 

“Step with me, Rin!” Shinobu stepped right with her right foot. “Don't worry, it will come naturally eventually!”

 

Rin stepped left to match, and the two of them simultaneously closed their feet together. Shinobu then stepped back with her right foot, and Rin stepped forward with her left--and they stepped left, and closed their feet together. “So do we just do this for a while?” Rin said. Was the light brighter or was it just Shinobu?

 

“Ah, yes, well, we should... probably just box step for some time, yes.” Shinobu said. Thankfully, the song slowed down for a time around two and a half minutes in, so Shinobu merely need keep Rin box stepping until that point--“D'oh!” She almost found herself tripping over Rin's sandals!

 

“Uh, hey, okay, watch out there.” Rin said, steady. It was certainly lucky she was the heavier of the two, Shinobu thought, as they slowly rotated, stepping a bit out of line with their original placement in the room.

 

“Well, ah...” Shinobu thought, as the movement of their basic step, through repetition, slowly became smoother and smoother. “Essentially, all waltz steps derive from this basic step, so learning the basic box step is an important part of learning to waltz.”

 

“Uh, I have a question, actually.” Rin said, stepping to the right in time. “Don't you usually dance alone? How'd you learn to do this?”

 

“Aha! Ah! Er! Um!” Shinobu stammered. “I-I-I... Self-study. Great deals of self-study.” She blushed. When Rin giggled, Shinobu blushed further and said, “It was important! What if I found myself at a ball? I can't wear these clothes without knowing how to waltz, it'd be like...” She grasped for the words. “I don't know what it'd be like, but it'd be like that!”

 

“I understand, I understand.” Rin's smile told Shinobu that she took a lot of amusement out of watching her flustered, which was both flattering and frustrating at the same time. Damn this woman and her less-refined sense of embarrassment!

 

Inwardly pouting (but not outwardly because that would be unladylike,) Shinobu began livening up her steps somewhat as a form of payback, adding more flourish and character to her movements. Rin made a noise, and her eyes widened as she hastily attempted to follow along, but she quickly remembered to just allow Shinobu to lead, and stopped attempting to fight back.

 

Shinobu began losing track of the time spent, as her body began moving automatically. It clearly took a bit more conscious effort on Rin's part to keep it up, but despite a few stumbles, she kept up to an admirable degree. It was clumsy, but nevertheless the two glid along the floor of the Ballroom, a great, high chamber reserved solely for the two of them. Shinobu tended to close her eyes as she danced, to imagine, but this time she found herself with her eyes wide open, staring into the red eyes of the larger woman dancing with her.

 

It was a transfixing feeling, being in love, and though she was keenly flustered by the idea of being in such close contact, she could not help but study every inch of Rin's face. The alabaster skin on her presumably metal skeleton was most certainly not something you often saw out in the world, but that same effect left it somewhat entrancing. Even from the first time Shinobu had seen her, it had been notable enough to set her alarm bells off--but what alarm bells could imagine a situation like this could arise in just over two weeks?

 

“Whatcha looking at?” Rin said, with a catlike grin. Argh, couldn't get anything past her--“Cause I'm looking at you.” G-gah!

 

“Well, w-what are you looking at?” Shinobu replied, attempting to regain her momentum. “Because I, too, am looking at you.”

 

“Mm, your eyes.” Rin smirked. “I like 'em.” An earnest compliment! Augh! No! “They're a good color. Methinks they well contrast mine own.”

 

“What-” She wasn't wrong, red and blue was an obvious form of duality represented in any number of cultures the world over. Shinobu would be lying if she didn't think her bright, shining colors didn't make a good pair with Rin's largely jet-black ensemble. But why was she stealing Shinobu's method of speech?! “'Methinks?' 'Mine own?!' That's what I should be saying, damn you!” She griped.

 

“I know, I know.” Rin smiled. “So, hey, I've been thinking about something that Jun told me. I told you about the Voight-Kampff Test, right?” Her antenna twirled a bit.

 

Shinobu nodded. “The metric measured by whether a machine is able to believe that it is human, yes?”

 

“Well... I mean...” Rin said, looking away a bit, still moving in time with Shinobu. “I was thinking that it seems odd. I mean, I thought I was human, yeah? Wouldn't that mean I was VK-complete?”

 

“Hm.” Shinobu pondered. “That would be what it implied to me. Why?”

 

“I mean, the way Jun presented it, being VK-complete was like, the current _goal_ of robotics.” Rin said. “So I've been thinking I must be misunderstanding what the issue is somehow, right? I mean, what are the odds of me being the one Replicant who doesn't have that problem?”

 

“I would think it quite possible.” Shinobu said. “After all, you _do_ have amnesia. That certainly seems like a secret important enough to hide, if not the only one.”

 

“But that would make me, like, a cutting-edge example of robotics, yeah?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “Is that really that likely?”

 

“Is it really that unbelievable?” Shinobu had heard answering a question with a question once described as the 'rabbinical answer.' “You seem fairly advanced to me.”

 

“Oh, you're just saying that.” Rin said. She grinned. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

 

“Flattery is the sincerest form of flattery, my dear!” Shinobu cackled. It was true, though. Shinobu was no expert in robotics, but she certainly seemed quite a high-end model if nothing else. Perhaps it seemed a bit outlandish to a more science-oriented person, but seeing her in the flesh, Shinobu had no trouble believing that Rin could be such an advancement. A lesser individual might ask, 'but Shinobu, would this not fall under the umbrella of fantasy?' But no. Magic and vampires and what have you were one thing, but science fiction ideas such as these were another realm entirely. Why, once she'd read--

 

“Mmp.”

 

It took a second for Shinobu to realize what exactly had just happened. By the time she realized she'd leaned in and placed her lips on Rin's, she was already in that position, both of them staring wide-eyed at each other...with their lips pressed together.

 

“Mmph?” Rin's antenna puffed slightly in reaction.

 

“Mm...mm.” Shinobu said. They stood there for what seemed like an eternity, stunned into kissing silence as they stared at each other.

 

“Oh, I see how it is.” Monokuma said. Oh goodness, he was still here? “If it's gonna be like that, maybe you should head to your rooms, 'cause I doubt you two are gonna have time to do that before the guards come in.”

 

“Whoa, wait, what?” Rin said, letting go of Shinobu and turning to him. “What? What?”

 

“Are you saying you don't understand my implication, or are you just in shock?” Monokuma said. Rin gasped another few 'what's.

 

“Er.” Shinobu stammered. “Ah. Um.”

 

“Ah, buh.” Rin stammered. “Herf...um... Bluh?”

 

There was a pause.

 

“My room or yours?” Shinobu said. Rin screeched, and turned bright red. Aha! So there it was!

 

**9:30 P.--**

 

**Hey. Hey, wait, where are you going? Administrator! Where are you going?! It's only 9:30! Don't you usually go to bed at 12?**

 

**Wha--what do you mean, you don't wanna see this? Come on, it was just about to get juicy! I think they're gonna boink! It's awesome!**

 

**What do you** _**mean,** _ **'voyeurism is wrong?' Come ooooon! This is an important part of the development! And I bet it'll be really fun to watch!**

 

**Well, I mean, mine too, but that doesn't mean I don't think it's important to watch! I mean, think about it. Don't you think--**

 

**Okay, fine, fine. We'll cut Day Sixteen short a bit early, then. Goodnight.**

 

**Party pooper.**

 

 


	42. Intermission, 3 ~ The First Moments are the Most Critical

 

It had only been a few days since the two of them had gotten involved in all this, and Ruri had already found a new thing to get up in arms about. She was smart and all, but she seriously needed to just take a second and tell people what she was thinking sometimes—and it was this exact trait that led to her, ah, _special_ relationship with the Ultimate Attorney.

 

And speaking of which, _that_ was a character, alright. The first time, Ruri had asked Kotone to run a few documents over to their branch of the investigation, and had told her just to 'look for someone with a half-cape and a one-winged eagle insignia ring.'

 

“Ah, hello, you must be Kotone!” She heard, coming into the Guest Wing of the Residential Building of Hope's Peak. A woman stepped through an office door with a grand flourish; fair hair in a light, fluffy ponytail, wearing a black jacket, black vest, white shirt, red tie, a frilly but rather short red skirt, and black thigh-highs that didn't do much to hide her thighs. Lastly, of course, she had a half-cape, red and gold, over her right shoulder, and the aforementioned ring on the left hand. “It's _so_ lovely to meet you, dear.”

 

Kotone blinked. Comparatively, she was pretty drab. “Um, hi.” She pulled out a folder with whatever files in it that Ruri needed her to pass along. “You're...the Ultimate Attorney, right?”

 

“Reiko Ittosai, at your service!” Reiko bowed, her cape fluttering a bit. “Lovely to meet you! I was just thinking this place was feeling a bit drab.” She clapped.

 

“Um.” Kotone stuttered, raising a finger. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

 

“Oh, anything,” Reiko said, flipping her ponytail as she grasped the folder and spun to open it. “I am an open book for anybody to read, after all.”

 

“I thought Ruri said you were a guy.” Kotone said. “Was she wrong, or...?”

 

“I'm feeling feminine today,” Reiko said, and that was the end of that. “Ah, dear, is this what Ruri thinks I needed? How presumptuous of her.” She flipped through the files in a manner that was somehow exaggeratedly low-effort.

 

That little comment was a hint towards a coming storm of the two of them not seeing eye-to-eye.

 

“Excuse me, Reiko.” Ruri said in the parking lot. “Would you kindly get your convertible out of my parking spot?”

 

“Er, your parking spot?” Reiko turned quickly, fluttering in the wind as she did so. “Why, Ruri, dear, didn't you just get here a few days ago yourself? How could you possibly have a dedicated parking spot?”

 

“As the heroine of this story, I naturally get my choice of parking, and I chose that spot.” Ruri said. “My motorcycle requires only the best conditions, you know.” Kotone, who was following behind her, just put her head in her hands and groaned.

 

Reiko cocked her eyebrow and frowned. “The heroine of this story? Oh, please.” She scoffed. The pink-haired girl still in Reiko's convertible- Natsuhi, right?- groaned. “If anyone here deserves the title of heroine, it's yours truly. I mean, come now. If you take a look at the two of us, it's obvious which of us is the more suited to the position!” She turned her head back towards Natsuhi. “Isn't that right, darling?”

 

“I don't know.” Natsuhi said, and got out of the convertible and started walking away. Reiko began stammering, attempting vainly to run after her in her heels, and not succeeding particularly well.

 

“Hm!” Ruri said. “She even has an athletic assistant who comes along with her in order to attempt to complete the 'look.'” She snorted. “Isn't that just the silliest thing you've ever seen, Kotone?” Ruri tittered.

 

“Um... I don't know?” Kotone said, grimacing a bit.

 

Of course, it wasn't just the two of their personalities. The two of them also seemed to have very different opinions about the case.

 

“...And Headmaster, would you be at all in favor of sending an envoy for Yuno Hashizawa?” Reiko said, speaking to a frighteningly realistic model skeleton in the headmaster's seat.

 

The skeleton started vibrating wildly. “Well good golly, that sure as heck ain't impossible!”

 

“Headmaster, you can't be serious.” Ruri rolled her eyes and shook her head, placing her forehead in between her index finger and her thumb. “What information could you possibly glean from _that?_ I assure you I've already constructed a full psychological profile of the woman—”

 

“Well, Ruri, unlike some of us, yours truly doesn't personally know Rin Hashizawa, and as such I need to gather information.” Reiko spun on her heels. “It's important to consider this case from as many angles as possible, you know.”

 

“If you needed information, why not simply ask me?” Ruri said. “I assure you I have all the information necessary, and in an unbiased format.” She frowned.

 

“It is not your job to determine what information is necessary or not, ma'am!” Reiko said, pointing her finger dramatically. “And for that matter, biases can often be more important than you might think.”

 

The skeleton turned and looked at Megane-sensei, who was standing to its right. “Whadd'you think, Megane?”

 

“Oh, I think that it couldn't hurt.” Megane-sensei said. Ruri sighed loudly and rolled her eyes.

 

And so on...

 

“And what is with that half-cape of yours?” Ruri said, eyeing Reiko over a cup of tea in the Headmaster's office. “Do you not have the wherewithal to wear a full cape? Seems rather half-cocked to me.”

 

“Is that so?” Reiko said, over her own cup of tea. “Personally, I think it's rather telling that you need twice the amount of cape that I do.”

 

...And so on...

 

“How exactly does one manage to become an 'Ultimate Attorney?'” Ruri scoffed. “Are you a defense lawyer, a prosecutor, a bankruptcy lawyer?”

 

“Currently, I'm a prosecutor.” Reiko said, reading through files on the class. “I have, however, studied every single form of law practiced in this country, spent some time as a general practice lawyer, worked some high-profile cases. Personally I protested just being called the 'Ultimate Attorney,' but Hope's Peak insisted based on the breadth of my successes. If a more specific attorney comes along I assure you I'll vacate the position posthaste.”

 

“I see.” Ruri didn't seem impressed. “How wishy-washy.”

 

And so on. Personally, Kotone thought that Ruri was worried about being shown up, which is why, as she and Blake sat in the room Ruri had taken as her office, Ruri had spent about forty percent of the discussion making snide shots at the absent Reiko.

 

Luna Masaki, the mother of one of the captives, had just finished watching the video of the most recent transmission from The End. She'd been studying it pretty intently. “Eto, Masaki-san, is it daijobu to strain your eyes with such force?” Blake said.

 

“No, no, I'm fine, thank you, Blake.” Luna said. “Hm... Alright, I think I might have an idea.” She stood up.

 

“Excellent!” Ruri clapped, smiling with her eyes closed. Apparently, Luna had worked in broadcasting for some time on her own, and was also the mother of the Ultimate Commentator, which frequently led to picking up quite a bit about scrutinizing camera shots. “Isn't it lovely what we can do when we work together on important projects?”

 

“Uh, okay, Ruri.” Kotone said. Wow, she was mad.

 

“Now, er...” Luna said, as she leaned down to begin sketching. “I saw this in the background, but I don't know what it is.” She sketched out a piece of machinery. It was something vaguely like an air conditioner, but...not quite? “It was high up on the wall, just behind The End's throne.”

 

“Huh.” Kotone said. She stared at it, but she was never particularly good with machinery. “What is it?”

 

“It's certainly unique.” Ruri murmured. “I don't recognize it, myself.”

 

“Oh goodness!” Blake gasped. “Ruri-chan does not wakaru? I had thinking that Ruri-chan knew of all the subete!”

 

“Unfortunately, such a thing is impossible.” Ruri giggled. “The pursuit of knowledge itself is the noblest goal, so to know everything would be to deprive myself of a purpose in life.” She flipped open her laptop and began going through her very, very large archive. “Don't worry, I should have this information in just a moment.”

 

“What are you going to do if it's a completely custom job?” Kotone said, leaning in to look at the ridiculous flow of information on Ruri's screen.

 

“There's no such thing as a _completely_ custom job.” Ruri waved her hand dismissively. “Kotone, certainly I've told you this before.”

 

Luna came up behind Kotone and tapped her on the shoulder. “Um...” She whispered into Kotone's ear. “Is she in a bad mood?” Kotone nodded, and Luna nodded in understanding.

 

“Oh!” Blake said, jumping up like the little bean he was. “What boku-tachi should be to doing is to be asking Ittosai-san-kun-chan-tachi their thinks! They very certainly have the differing points of view!”

 

“That doesn't seem particularly necessary.” Ruri said, still browsing her archive. Blake and Luna looked to Kotone, as the resident Ruri expert, and Kotone nodded at the two of them in understanding.

 

“Hey, Ruri.” Kotone said, putting on her best innocent tone. “I think Luna, Blake, and I should go check on Miki. She might still be having some trouble, since she was just in recovery when she got kidnapped and beaten. Is that cool?”

 

“Oh, certainly, certainly.” Ruri said. “Have fun.” Thankfully, Kotone's Assistant Cred meant that she had carte blanche to do this, and so she and her companions left the room. They got a fair distance away from the room, in the Administrative Wing, and began talking as they walked.

 

“She's very focused,” Luna said, wiping some sweat from her brow. “And why does she always keep it so warm in there?”

 

“I have this theory that Ruri is actually a snake person.” Kotone said, putting her hands on her hips. “Like, she's part snake in some kind of genetic experiment, and so she's cold-blooded.”

 

“But if Ruri-chan's blood is as cold as winter depths, why would she be riding the most moe of vehicles?” Blake said. “It is an impossible!”

 

Kotone mumbled a 'the most moe?' under her breath before realizing what Blake actually meant. “Oh, you mean motorcycles are hot-blooded?”

 

“Hai!” Blake nodded. He leaned in, his eyes glimmering. “Motorcycles are chooooooo kakkoi, and are ridden by only the most sugoi gangstas!”

 

Apparently, the room that Ruri had taken over was the A/V Room of the original Hope's Peak building. From out of there, it wasn't a long walk to the relatively newly-built Residential Wing (though the unseasonal April snow made it a bit colder,) the segment of the campus where students, live-in staff, guests, and others stayed. The main brunt of it was a multi-floored building full of rooms tailored to the liking of the students currently going to school here- though connected by a building bridge from its third level was part of the Medical Wing, as well. So, technically, Kotone hadn't been completely lying.

 

Reiko had set up shop in the fourth floor of the building, which was where the families of the captives, largely, were staying. Blake seemed to find some level of glee in riding the elevator upwards, as he was bouncing on his heels. Thankfully, it wasn't long to find them- they'd taken up residence just to the side of the entrance in a conference room.

 

A remarkably laid-back, white-haired guy waved to the three of them as they entered the room. “Yo.” He said. Kotone blinked. He looked vaguely familiar, but she didn't actually know who she was.

 

“Friends!” Reiko spun around from a corkboard upon which she'd pinned quite a bit of information that was written too small for Kotone to read from where she stood. “Companions! How are we today?”

 

“Hi.” Natsuhi said.

 

Kotone slunk into a seat next to Natsuhi and sighed. “Ruri's been really grumpy, so we decided to come over here. You have a weird effect on her, Reiko!”

 

“Are we certain it's me?” Reiko said, spinning on her heel again towards her corkboard. “Personally, I believe there must almost certainly be something else going on in that head of hers. Would you agree, Blake?”

 

“Hum... Ruri-chan troubled by nanika? It is the possible, desu!” Blake pounded his fist into his hand. His hat launched a little off his head as he jumped.

 

“Huh.” The white-haired guy said. “Ruri's the lady who doesn't like me, right?”

 

“Yeah, um, who are you, again?” Kotone said, giving the guy an askew glance. “She just told me about Reiko and Natsuhi.”

 

“Oh, yeah, hey, name's Saburo.” Saburo waved. “Ruri probably didn't mention me 'cause she thinks I'm useless.” He smiled, remarkably relaxed for someone who'd just declared his own perceived worthlessness.

 

Kotone sighed. “Ugh, she didn't mention someone _again?_ ” She shook her head. Ruri was prone to doing this and not explaining why sometimes, and it was one of the most frustrating things about her.

 

“Ho, Reiko-chan!” Blake called from his seat next to Luna to Reiko, at the head of the table. “Nani is the jouhou you have been to placing on the corkboard?”

 

“Ah, this, my friends, is an important timeline I have been putting together.” Reiko stood to the side. Photos of all sixteen captive students, along with one Rin Hashizawa, were present on the corkboard, as well as a few photos of locations—and in one place, a big question mark. “Natsuhi, Saburo, and I have taken care of a few interrogations already. We've corroborated Ruri's story with Mrs. Maebara, naturally we've had all the discussions we need to have with Haruhi Harada and the Harada family, and I had a particularly enlightening conversation with a Mrs. Hayashi on the phone that ended with me being told to please kindly fuck off and die.”

 

“This is about how all the students are somehow connected to this Rin, right?” Kotone said. “Ruri told me a bit about it, but she didn't think she needed to figure much else out, so she stopped talking about it.”

 

“She seems like kind of a dope.” Saburo said. Kotone grimaced on Ruri's behalf.

 

“No, I swear she's not usually this bad.” Kotone said. “She's just really focused on her own little methods right now. Once we, uh, 'get on track with her' it'll be fine.” She sighed. “Normally she keeps me in the loop, but I think because of how many people there are she's feeling a bit out of her element.”

 

“Huh.” Saburo put his head in his hands. “I see.”

 

“In any case, if I may have a moment?” Reiko slammed the desk. “Oh, sorry. Force of habit. _So,_ based on testimony in the Monokuma Theaters, we can label the following.” Next to a picture of a middle school, Reiko had placed photos of Aoto and Ruri, and stuck them with little notes reading 'A' and 'B.' Next to a photo of Rin Hashizawa, she placed an 'H.'

 

Kotone had never actually seen Rin before, so she took a look. Based on that photo, she definitely had trouble taking care of her appearance and was pretty big, but at the same time, there was a sort of fretting caring in her eyes that made her feel kind of trustworthy.

 

“Now, a bit earlier in the timeline...” Reiko placed a photo of a building above the previous one.

 

“That's the Little Ultimates Initiative.” Natsuhi said. Oh, it was a good thing she said something, Kotone was lost.

 

A photo of Wanda Morinaga; 'W.' Then there was a middle-aged guy with a shitty goatee; 'V.' That was someone named Valkana Kago—even Kotone had heard of him, even though she was in a bit of a media blackout at that point. And then- “That's, uh, Maho Okudaira, right?” Kotone said.

 

“Ah, he's been going by Kazuya lately according to his parents.” Reiko said. “This is speculation, but there's very few other candidates for the title of O.” A note that said 'O?' “He was the one who discovered the bodies of two suicide victims related to the incident, as well as the student who assisted in uncovering the secrets beneath the Little Ultimates Initiative. Other than that, he has no known connection to Rin Hashizawa whatsoever.”

 

“Poor guy.” Kotone sighed. “Seeing a pair of dead bodies can't be good for the heart.”

 

“At the moment, there's one incident I'm _very_ curious about.” Reiko said. She placed a photo of a dark Shigure trainyard. “The reported manslaughter involved in the incident that led to Minister Shigure being defamed.” Eriko Shigure, 'E.' Chizuru Inoue—or, wait, no, apparently her name was actually Chihaya? 'C.' Miria Hayashi; 'M.' “The mysterious 'Girl K.'” A blank photo. 'K.'

 

“'Girl... K?'” Luna said. “This girl was hit by a train and died?”

 

“According to the Monokuma Theater,” Reiko said. “Unfortunately, I have yet to locate details regarding her or her family. The death was covered up remarkably quickly, before Minister Shigure's illegal activities came to light. Girl K's identity remains a mystery for the time being.” She sighed. “A pity.”

 

“Eh? Honto?” Blake said. “Demo, if K-ko-chan is such a himportanto to this jiken, that seems to be very strange and odd!” He put his head on his fist. “Doushite would K-ko-chan be so hard to find?”

 

“I... Hm,” Luna said. “Er— Hm. Ah—” She paused. “Wait... Hm...”

 

“Luna?” Natsuhi said. Apparently, these two were good friends. “What's wrong?”

 

“Well, I was just thinking it's a strange coincidence,” Luna said. “A very good friend of Stella's died around that time, and was hit by a train...” She sighed. “But I don't think that could be it.”

 

“Did their name start with K?” Saburo said.

 

Luna shook her head. “No, it didn't. There weren't any K's in his name, even.”

 

“...Huh.” Saburo scratched the back of his head. “That's something, alright.”

 

“Thankfully,” Reiko said, with a musical lilt, “we have someone very important to speak to regarding this incident!” She pinned a photo of Minister Shigure to a list on the side; 'Priority of Interrogation.' He was in the top bracket.

 

Next was a picture of an elementary school. “The Harada incident,” Reiko said. Daisuke Harada; 'D.' And then... Oh good god, who the hell was that fashion disaster? Kotone looked vainly towards Natsuhi, who shrugged.

 

“Gavin?” Saburo said. Oh, that was the Ultimate Buddy. “Ah, yeah. Sounds about right for him.”

 

Reiko pinned the Sakakis up to the priority board as well. “My theory regarding Mr. Sakaki is that he is the eccentric young boy in the Monokuma Theater broadcast for Mr. Harada.” She placed a 'G?' note on him. “At the time, the two, Gavin and Ms. Hashizawa, did in fact go to the same school. Confirmation, though, is very important.” She tapped the board to accentuate her point.

 

Near the bottom of the board was a photo of Marufuji College. Jun Fukuyama, 'J?', and Claus Toranosuke, 'T.' Man, he was kinda hot. “There's no confirmed relevance here yet, I suppose, but I find it highly doubtful that the Marufuji College Tech Expo is not heavily involved, given the kidnapping of two of its participants and one of its judges,” Reiko said.

 

Yashiro Narumi, 'N?', was placed in his own category next to a photo of Okinawa. “Yashiro Narumi, and the mysterious strip of land in Okinawa where he met Rin Hashizawa,” Reiko said. “The importance here is obvious, but of course we have to discern exactly where he was before we can deduce anything further.”

 

Then, Reiko grabbed the photo of Yayoi Murasaki. “This is a curious case,” Reiko said. “According to the Monokuma Theater broadcast for her, Yayoi was in fact completely unrelated to the case as a whole. But if that's the case, why kidnap her? Was it just for the sake of completing the set?”

 

Saburo sat up in his chair. “I actually have a hunch here.” He steepled his fingers. “You guys mind if I go talk to Miki about it?”

 

“No, no, go right ahead.” Reiko nodded. “From there on, it's a matter of determining the connection between the remaining captives and Rin Hashizawa, and attempting perhaps to nail down the entire list.” She turned around towards Luna. “I don't suppose you're at all familiar with the name, Luna?”

 

Luna shook her head. “I don't think Stella's ever mentioned the name Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“And there was one other thing that bothers me greatly.” Reiko said. “The End claimed she would bring an end to a 'story of ten years.' But what ten-year-long story would that be?”

 

Saburo stood up out of his chair and began to walk out of the room. “Well, I'unno. I'm gonna go chat up some folks.”

 

“Hey, hold on!” Kotone stood up. “I'm coming with! I'm no good at these office meetings.”

 

Over his shoulder, Saburo looked back. “Why'd you come in the first place, then?”

 

“Well, uh, because it seemed better than just listening to Ruri ramble?” Kotone shrugged.

 

One thing Kotone learned very quickly about Saburo Kirihito, the Ultimate Escape Artist, was that, yes, he really was that laid-back. The niggling familiarity in the back of her mind wasn't going away any time soon, probably, so she just continued following along.

 

“Oh, Kotone-chan! Saburo-kun! Matte for me, please!” Blake came along, too. So the three of them went, or rather, Kotone and Blake followed Saburo's lead.

 

“Hey, Houdini, uh, where are we going?” Kotone said. They'd gone in the complete opposite direction of the medical wing from here.

 

“Sakakis' place.” Saburo said. “Figured I should do some talking and be useful, right?” He smiled. On the way, though, he passed another room—the, uh, Luan family, right?—and paused, scrutinizing the placard. “Huh.”

 

“Eh?” Blake said. “Nani's wrong, Saburo-kun?”

 

“Luan.” Saburo said. “I know a Luan.” He tapped his chin. “Hey, whose kid was kidnapped here?”

 

“I think his name is Yun-Fat.” Kotone said. “The Ultimate Masseuse.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Why?”

 

Saburo chuckled. “Huh! Who'da thunk it. Yun got into Hope's Peak after all, huh?” He nodded. “Good on him, good on him. Didn't realize the photo was him without the hair.”

 

“Le gasp!” Blake said, his hat bouncing. “Saburo-kun knows Luan-kun? What a wonderful world!”

 

“Yeah, we go way back.” Saburo said, turning back to walking. “Actually, y'know, that reminds me.” He said, continuing to walk. “Hey, Blake. Your family's super rich, right?”

 

“Hai!” Blake nodded. “My to-san and ka-san are very succeeding at their baito!”

 

“Why don't you just buy an automatic translator or something?” Saburo said. “I mean, they have those for rich people now, right?”

 

“Ehhhhh?!” Blake frowned, and his face scrunched up. Holy crap, was Blake actually mad? “Saburo-kun, sonna?! This accusation is baka-ish! Of course boku would not be using an 'automatic translator machine!' Pah! I am spitting on the very idea!” He clenched his fist. “As the Super High School Level Geographer, I am a fantastic scientist of the subete of the sekai! Mochiron, this includes the many culture-tachis. If I used an 'automatic translator machine' to speak the language of Nihonjin, it would be a disgrace! I would become an ignoble kisama—desukara, I must learn the languages through my own chikara!”

 

The three of them had reached the Sakakis' room some time ago, just standing outside of it. “That's pretty cool, Blake.” Saburo said. “I can respect that.”

 

“Hai!” Blake nodded.

 

Saburo knocked on the door, and quickly, a brusque, burly lady with an afro came to the door. She seemed ready to be displeased, but then her face lit up. “Well, if it isn't Saburo! And what are you doing in this neck of the woods?”

 

“Helping rescue Gavin and stuff.” Saburo shrugged. “You know me. 'Saburo's in a jam' and all. Figured I'd help out.”

 

“Well, isn't that just lovely of you.” Mrs. Sakaki ushered him in. “Bring your friends, too, the short one is adorable.” Blake beamed.

 

The room was remarkably well-furnished and homey for a temporary residence, which Saburo told the two of them was likely Mrs. Sakaki's influence. An incredibly handsome—like, movie star handsome man—sat on the couch reading a newspaper, and soon enough, Kotone found herself sandwiched between Mr. Sakaki and Saburo on the couch. Blake was on the other side of Mr. Sakaki, reading the newspaper and occasionally making excited little noises.

 

“How do you like your coffee?” Mrs. Sakaki said. “I mean you, the runner girl.”

 

“Uhhh...” Kotone hemmed and hawwed. “I kind of don't drink coffee.”

 

“Black, got it.” Mrs. Sakaki said, going off to brew the stuff.

 

Mr. Sakaki laughed amicably. “That's very brave of you, miss.” His eyebrows were really powerful, and Kotone briefly wondered if they weren't actually his real eyes. Was he intentionally smouldering, or did he just look like that? Kotone looked towards Saburo for an explanation, but the Escape Artist just shrugged.

 

A few cups of coffee later, Mrs. Sakaki, seated across from the rest of them at the coffee table, said, “So, what brings you here? Something you need or did you just want coffee?”

 

Kotone blew on her coffee mug a bit to cool it down as Saburo said, “Yeah, we actually did need something. Kind of a weird question, probably, but it might be important. You ever heard of a girl named Rin Hashizawa?”

 

There was a brief pause before Mrs. Sakaki laughed, her eyes a bit faraway. “Now that's a name I haven't heard in a dog's age.” She took a drink of her coffee. “Sure have. Used to be one of Gavin's best friends!”

 

“Hontou?!” Blake said. “What was Rin-chan like? Please to be giving us the juicy details!”

 

“Huh.” Mrs. Sakaki leaned over in thought, placing her chin on her fist. “Well, I only met her a few times, but Gavin talked about her a lot, cause at that point he didn't have too many friends. She was kinda gloomy, on account of I think she lost her pop two years or so before that. She was real bright, though. I remember, Gavin told me once, that he thought she should go into robotics, he'd been telling her for a while, and one day he came home with a little drone she'd built out of spare parts in her garage and gave him.” She grinned. “We've still got it, even. Left it at home, though.”

 

“Rin-chan's tetsujin creation occurred because of Gavin-kun?” Blake nodded intently. “Wakata, wakata. That is extremely omoshiroi!”

 

“Oh my god, listen to this guy talk, he even sounds adorable.” Mrs. Sakaki pulled Blake in. “C'mere, you little nugget, give Mama a hug. I've been lifting boxes all day.”

 

“Hai!” Blake said, being hugged very tightly.

 

“So,” Mrs. Sakaki said, hugging Blake, “what's she got to do with this? She get kidnapped too?”

 

“Or something like that, yeah.” Saburo shrugged. “We've been going around getting info about her life story on account of she's not a student and all. So Gav got her into robotics, huh?” He lazily rubbed his chin. “Neato. That's probably pretty big. Think Reiko will be into that?” Saburo's head turned towards Kotone.

 

Kotone had been busy worrying about Blake's oxygen intake, so until he was released from Mrs. Sakaki's tight grasp, she did not notice the lull in the conversation. “Huh?” She finally realized. “Oh, yeah. Definitely. That's big.” She nodded. Blake coughed a bit.

 

After some lovely coffee that wasn't bitter at all, Saburo stood up and said, “Well, been lovely seeing you two, we've got places to be, y'know? Sick kids and disgraced politicians to meet and stuff.” He waved his hand.

 

“Oh, have a nice day, kids.” Mrs. Sakaki said. “If you see the lady who kidnapped Gavin, clock her one for me, will you?” Mr. Sakaki also waved.

 

Outside the door, the three students stood. “Good work, team.” Then he began walking off again.

 

Kotone quickly followed behind him and came up beside him, the two passing various workers in the hall as they walked. (Blake was following behind, too.) “Hey, so, you're really just here to rescue your friend?” She said. “No other reason?”

 

“Well, it's looking like friend _s_ now, but yeah.” Saburo shrugged. “What about you? You just came along to help out Ruri, right?”

 

“I mean, yeah.” Kotone shrugged back. “That's kinda what I do a lot of the time when I'm not running. And, uh, a lot of the time when I am running, too, since she makes me do the runaround.”

 

“Ruri-chan must mean a dekai deal to you, Kotone-chan.” Blake said, puttering steadily behind. “Jitsu wa... Gomenasorry, but boku wa curinarumaous! How did the futatsu of you obtain such nakama-ry?”

 

“Uhh, well, it's not exactly a happy story.” Kotone said, looking away. “Where are we going first, the medical wing?”

 

“Minister Shigure's room.” Saburo said. “Miki might get a bit heavy.”

 

“Eto, is Shigure-kaicho not in mourning?” Blake said. “Would that not be very cumbersome?” He leaned in ahead of both of them, briefly coming into view before falling behind again.

 

Saburo threw his hands up lazily. “Eh, well, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.” He smiled. “After all, the heavy hitting is best left to the protagonists, not us extras, right?”

 

“I've never gotten that, honestly.” Kotone said. “The whole 'heroine' thing Ruri does.” Saburo just shrugged again in response.

 

The door was locked, and there was no response once Saburo had knocked. He knocked again, and then a third time. “Huh.” Saburo said. “You think he's out?”

 

“Or maybe he's in there and not answering?” Kotone said. She tapped her foot idly.

 

“I could crawl in through the vents or something, get in that way.” Saburo said. Breaking the law wasn't on the itinerary as far as Kotone was concerned, though, so she gave him an askew glance, and he threw up his hands. “Okay, we'll find-”

 

“Itsureshimasu!” Blake was over in the hallway, talking to a staff member. “Eto, would it be daijobu if boku asked where Shigure-taicho has hayaku'd off to?”

 

“Or he could do that.” Saburo said. “Smart guy.”

 

“Huh?” The residential wing worker looked at the small guy and cocked his eyebrow. “The guy staying in that room? Uhhh... I think he went to the roof.”

 

A cold chill ran down Kotone's spine all of a sudden, and she took off at a run, blasting off the ground at top speed. “Hey, uh, where you going?” Saburo called behind her, but she was too busy running to turn around and respond to him.

 

Kotone slammed past a few workers and into the maintenance stairwell, charging up the stairs. She didn't know exactly how many floors there were to this building, but she was the Ultimate Marathon Runner, so by god she would run a marathon if she needed to.

 

She slammed open the door to the roof, running out- without putting on her sweater- to the rooftop, awash in the light snow. This would probably be the last snow for quite some time, but it was nice while it lasted. A middle-aged man in a coat, his hair beneath a plain hat, stood near the railing, looking out. “Wait!” Kotone cried. “Hold on a second!”

 

Minister Shigure turned his head towards the new arrival. He looked haggard, and hadn't shaved in a few days. The family resemblance was subtle; he was a lot surlier, and darker than his daughter, but they had the same...cheekbones. Yeah, that was it. “Do you know who I am? Holding on a second is not and has never been my job.” He leered at Kotone. “...Aren't you cold?”

 

“A bit, but that's not important.” Kotone ran up beside him. “You're Mr. Shigure, right?”

 

“Who's asking?” Mr. Shigure said. “You can't be much older than seventeen, right? Don't you have better things to be doing than talking to washed up has-beens like me?”

 

“Uh, not really.” Kotone said, before shaking her head. “Wait, that's not the point! Um, I'm Kotone Suzukage, the Ultimate Marathon Runner, and— Agh, that's not the point either!” She frantically looked towards the edge of the building. “Why are you up here?”

 

Mr. Shigure stared curiously at Kotone, probably pretty unsure what to make of her. Then he sighed. “Contemplating my life. My prospects. Adult things. Why are _you_ up here?”

 

“Well, I had some questions to ask you, as part of the investigation...” Kotone sighed. Her breath was cold in the air. “But, uh, I get a bit touchy about people alone on roofs. Kind of a personal thing.”

 

“You're part of the investigation?” Mr. Shigure said. “Aren't you a bit young? And you seem a bit... lively for it.”

 

Kotone rubbed the back of her head. It was wet from snow. “Haha, yeah, I mean... Kinda. I can't say you're wrong. But, uh, well...” She grinned. “It's what I do. I run around and talk to people. When I'm not just running, I mean.” She looked nervously towards the edge of the roof. “When you say contemplating your life—!”

 

“I am _not_ considering suicide, Ms. Suzukage.” Mr. Shigure facepalmed and groaned.

 

“Oh thank god, I was really worried there.” Kotone let out a heavy breath, and then finally noticed that wow, it was cold! She took the sweater off of her waist and put it on her.

 

A cry of “Kotone-chaaaaaaaan!” from behind told her that Blake had arrived, and the two steps of footsteps told her that Saburo was there, too. “Kotone-chan, you are so hayai, it is muzukashii to keep up!” Blake said.

 

“What did you run off for?” Saburo said. Then he presumably saw Mr. Shigure. “Oh, hey. We were looking for you, bud.”

 

“Not just one, but multiple teenagers looking for me.” Mr. Shigure sighed. “Your concern is noted, but I fail to see what exactly I could have to offer you. You've already obtained Eriko's Monokuma Theater, no? Her and my relevance to your investigation should be over.”

 

“Sore wa wrong yo!” Blake pointed a finger dramatically. “Shigure-taicho, we are dramatically needing your tasuketance! You are the hitotsu person we can come to for the expositioning!”

 

The snow crunched underfoot as Mr. Shigure took a few steps about the roof. “Can't a man just ponder his existence in peace? I find myself without a schedule for the first time in years and now I find out I had one after all.” He then muttered 'taicho?' under his breath.

 

“Sir, um, with all due respect—” Kotone started.

 

“What due respect?” Mr. Shigure gave a weak chuckle, his head going down. “I've been disgraced. I lost my position, my clout, any power I had. My wife is long since gone, and now-” He paused for a second. “Now my daughter— Eriko, she's dead, too. And I find out it was my fault.”

 

“That's not true!” Kotone shouted, putting her hand on his shoulder. “It's The End's fault!”

 

“Well of course it is, that's trivially true.” Mr. Shigure clicked his tongue. “What do you take me for, an idiot? No— I mean the fact that Eriko committed murder. She killed Aoto Maebara, and according to that tacky broadcast, it was because of the guilt she felt over that manslaughter incident.” His fists were beginning to ball. “I already knew it had hurt her, but knowing she saw me like that— Do you understand what that's like for a father? My own daughter, the light of my life, saw me as a boogeyman she had to run away from! A boogeyman that spurred her to kill that boy!”

 

Kotone went silent as he continued. “I've known for some time; I'm the low-down scum of humanity.” Mr. Shigure said. “Not only am I a politician, which carries its own reputation, I'm also a criminal. I'd lost sight of my own morals while in office. Was I the worst there ever was, of course not, but I still wasn't the sort of man who should have ever been in a position of power.” His fists clenched harder. “But I loved Eriko. I loved her so much. Once I'd been defamed, kicked out, keeping going for her sake, to make sure she could continue living, was all that I had. And all along, she hated me. That...” He laughed bitterly. “That's the greatest indignity for a father: knowing your child never even loved you.”

 

“Iie.” Blake piped up from behind. “Gomenasorry, Shigure-taicho, but that is chigau. I know that Eriko-chan daisukid you, too, even if you also gave her a frighten and kizus.”

 

“Okay, what in the world is your accent, kid?” Mr. Shigure turned around towards him and raised his eyebrow. “German? Polish?”

 

“I am a Wales-jin, Shigure-taicho.” Blake said. He was surprisingly even. “Tonikaku, as boku was saying- Eriko-chan and I are not very differing, I don't think. I still love my jii-chan!”

 

Recognition flooded Mr. Shigure's eyes. “You don't mean to say— Don't tell me you're _Blake Mirabeau!_ ”

 

“The hitotsu and only!” Blake beamed. “Shigure-taicho, you remember the jiken in the saibans with my jii-chan, hai? I witnessed in the primary! It was... dai kowai. I kirai'd it.” He shivered- but was it because he was cold or because he was remembering? “Demo, even when Jiji was found 'guilty,' and it was proofen he was colluding with the Wales-jin yakuza family, it would never ever mean that he was not still my Jiji. I write him a letter every week, and frequently visit him in prison. Even if Jiji is a kowai zainin-san!”

 

Blake finished speaking, and Mr. Shigure blinked. “I...” He stammered. “I'm _pretty sure_ I understood that.” Kotone agreed, though she would apparently need to teach Blake how to actually say 'mafia' in Japanese.

 

“That's kinda the way things go with Blake.” Saburo shrugged.

 

Mr. Shigure sighed again, and looked back out towards the railing. “Even then, what do I do with myself now? Eriko's dead. I work at a sushi joint.” He clenched it hard. “What kind of life should I even lead at this point? What do I do with myself?”

 

Kotone thought for a moment, and then said, “Well, sir, I think that's something you need to figure out for yourself. But...” She paused, and looked down at her feet. “I think it should be something Eriko would be proud of.”

 

“I'll think about that.” Mr. Shigure said.

 

“So, what exactly did you need?” Mr. Shigure said, after the four had returned to his room. He actually had an electric fireplace in his, so he'd turned it on, on account of the snow. “Surely you didn't find me just to hear me ramble.”

 

“It's, uh...” Kotone gulped. “Well, sir, it's actually about that incident. There's something the investigation doesn't actually understand.”

 

Mr. Shigure raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And this is something I might know?”

 

“In Eriko's Monokuma Theater, there was a Girl K mentioned. The victim.” Saburo had taken center seat of the sofa, and leaned forward. “Do you know who she was? We don't. You did a damn good job of covering it up, apparently.”

 

“Not exactly.” Mr. Shigure said. “I didn't cover it up personally, and only Eriko was there- and naturally, she didn't speak much about it afterwards. I was too busy trying to keep my reputation to care about some dead kid.” He chuckled dryly. “Real politician move, right?”

 

“I mean, yeah.” Saburo shrugged. “But you said not 'exactly.' That means you know something, right?”

 

“Well, you said 'Girl K,' right?” Mr. Shigure said. “A few weeks after the incident, I had the pleasure of looking at the notes on Eriko's clipboard- she was out and I was looking for a grocery list or something. And it had the name 'Kei' written on it.”

 

“Ehhh?!” Blake's hat bounced. “Oshiete, oshiete!”

 

“Well, it was...” Mr. Shigure closed his eyes for a second. “Mm. Way I saw it, the first bits were real hasty- it was Eriko probably writing down the words the other girl there, Rin Hashizawa? The words she was saying. And it was a bunch of 'Kei, don't leave me, I'm nothing without you' kinda stuff. Started off just being the letter K, but I guess Eriko decided it was a name.”

 

“Kei, huh?” Saburo hummed. “Kei. So Girl K's name might actually be Kei. That's, uh... Hey Kotone, what's the word I'm looking for?”

 

“I'm thinking 'cheeky.'” Kotone said.

 

“Yeah, that's it. Thanks.” Saburo said.

 

“And there were a bunch of leads she was following- I guess she was trying to find out who this Kei girl was at the time.” Mr. Shigure said. “I saw a bunch of marked-out leads, I guess they were busts. She had a few names left, though. 'Sagami,' I think was one of them? 'Terada,' 'Akaba,' 'Yamazoe,' 'Sagami.' Think that was it.”

 

“Got it, got it.” Saburo was writing this information down pretty quickly. Did he have training in speed-writing? Was that a skill you needed for Escape Artistry? “This'll help quite a bit, boss. Thanks.”

 

“Mm.” Mr. Shigure said. “Good luck. And if you find that End—”

 

“Clock her one for you?” Kotone said.

 

“No.” Mr. Shigure said. “Set all her clocks a random number from thirteen to nineteen minutes fast, making sure they're not all the same number.”

 

“Oh god, that's torture!” Saburo reacted pretty strongly to that, of all things.

 

“You really chomped on that bit, huh?” Saburo said, as the three of them walked towards the medical wing. “Seems like kind of a touchy subject.”

 

“Huh?” Kotone started. “Oh, yeah. Mmhm.” She nodded. It was probably too heavy to explain to people she'd just met, but maybe some other time.

 

It was easy to find the room Miki was staying in- it was the room a lot of the younger staff were nervous about entering. “And so even though he remembers his demonic life, Kurama still feels indebted to his human mother and sacrifices his life to cure her illness!” Megane-sensei said from inside the room.

 

“That's nice of him.” Miki said. “But isn't he one of the main characters?”

 

“Oh, he gets better.” Megane said. As the door opened, Miki in bed and Megane pacing about, Megane turned towards the door and lit up. “Oh my goodness! It's Kotone, and Blake, and even Saburo! It's plain to see we're quite popular today, Miki.”

 

“Mm.” Miki nodded. She was looking a bit better than after Haruhi's foot had been bashed into her, but she still looked pretty weak. “Hi, Saburo.”

 

“Hey, Miki.” Saburo raised his hand in greeting. Oh, right, he'd rescued her from inside that locked room, hadn't he. “How's it hanging?” Miki made a little grunt and shrugged.

 

“So, what brings you to our humble abode?” Megane daintily sat down in a chair and stared towards the three of them. “Did you need something?”

 

“Saburo-kun no hunch!” Blake said. “Miki-chan has the importance in his kokoro!”

 

“That sounds really bad!” Megane's face went pale. “Saburo, she's only twelve years old!”

 

Blake blinked confusedly as Saburo said, “No, no, I just had a question. A pretty important one. It's about the investigation and all.”

 

Despite her state, Miki shot up in the bed, the flat look on her face not changing, but clearly being at attention. “I'm listen- ow!” She flinched a bit.

 

“Miki, you need to lay down.” Megane went over to her side and began trying to help her back down. “You're still injured!”

 

“I... don't care.” Miki continued pulling herself upwards, despite Megane's insistence. “If it means helping catch the bastard that killed her, I can't just lay down here.”

 

Kotone stared, a little awed by the young girl. After... Well, after Kotone thought she had lost both of her parents, she hadn't been nearly this lucid for even several days after the incident. Being willing to pull herself up after taking such a beating, compounding the loss of her sister, seemed very, very impressive to Kotone. “Miki-chan...” Blake said. “Your will is subarashii!”

 

“I don't know what you just said.” Miki said. “What's the question?”

 

“Well, this might be kind of odd-sounding.” Saburo said. “And if I'm off, I'm off, but something occurred to me. You know that broadcast said that she had nothing to do with the case, right?” He sat down on a stool by the bed.

 

“I might've heard of something like that.” Miki said. “What about it?”

 

“When did she accept her invitation to Hope's Peak?” Saburo said. Kotone raised her eyebrow. “Like, how long before the start of the school year?”

 

Miki went quiet for a bit and looked to the side, before returning her gaze to Saburo. “It was about a month.” Miki said. “Out of all the class, she said she was the last person to agree, cause she'd been on the phone with someone else who was also considering it. Some third-year. Yayoi kept saying, 'it might be your only chance, you sure you don't wanna go, lady?' but the third-year said she was fine with it, and would rather see Yayoi go.”

 

Saburo nodded. “That's about what I thought. All makes sense now, right, Kotone?”

 

“Huh?” Kotone blinked. Then, right after she did, suddenly, she understood what Saburo was driving at. “Wait. Wait, wait. You— You don't mean—?!”

 

“I do mean.” Saburo nodded again. “Miki, you wanna go see Ruri? I think she's kinda tore up about it.”

 

“The cape lady?” Miki said. “Well, if it means getting up for a bit. Hey, Megane, would you grab me a wheelchair?”

 

“Oh dear.” Megane said. “I'm not certain this is alright, but if it's that important...”

 

Blake wheeled Miki about as Kotone and Saburo headed off back to Ruri's office. When they entered, Ruri was still working on what looked like probably the exact same thing that she had been when Kotone had left. “Oh, Kotone, you're back.” She said, turning her head over her shoulder. “Ah—? Hm?” Ruri blinked. “This is a different group than what left.” She looked briefly at Saburo, and then her gaze fixed on Miki. “...Ah. I see.”

 

“I knew you were in a bad mood, but why didn't you say anything?” Kotone said, going over to her best friend and looking at her from above. “Ruri, talk to us.”

 

“Mm.” Ruri mumbled. “Well, I admit, it was a bit of an illogical move on my part to move ahead with the knowledge only I knew, of course, but I must also admit that it's a very difficult thing to admit aloud.”

 

“Eh?” Blake said, popping up a bit from behind Miki's wheelchair. “Eh? Eh?”

 

“But, if you've brought Miki to see me, no doubt you've figured it out.” Ruri turned in her chair to face the group. “Saburo Kirihito, the Ultimate Escape Artist. Perhaps I underestimated you.”

 

“Eh, I did show up under some boxes.” Saburo smiled and shrugged. “It's a fair estimation to make and all.”

 

Miki and Ruri stared at each other silently, the only noise being Blake's little noises of... something, before Ruri said, “I suppose you want an explanation, Miki.”

 

“So you're the woman that Yayoi was on the phone with then?” Miki said.

 

“Yes, indeed.” Ruri said. “At the end of recruitment, the two candidates to be the final student of the 263rd Class were myself and your sister. However, I gave up my candidacy to allow her to join the class; I thought perhaps it might help out her situation.”

 

“So...what?” Miki said, staring at her. “What does that have to do with anything?”

 

“It's a simple deduction to make, really.” Ruri said. “Exactly one captive has nothing to do with the incident, the same captive who spent most of the recruitment period in a dead heat with myself- someone who had a personal relationship with two other candidates, and was even mentioned in the Monokuma Theater?” She paused, but then sighed- a long and deep sigh, a noise that Kotone didn't hear often from her. “The truth is, Miki, that it's very likely that The End constructed this game assuming I would be there. She intended to kidnap, and murder, me, rather than your sister.”

 

Miki went silent. Ruri continued. “In other words, it was my sacrificing my place in the class, and nothing else, that doomed your sister to death. Had it not been for my actions, Yayoi would still be with us. You would still have your family.” One thing Ruri never did was cry. Ruri Bessho never cried; it would ruin her image. But she had a certain way of twitching her nose that Kotone knew by heart, that she was doing now; it was her version of crying, her tell for a deep sorrow. “All the apologies in the world could not make up for the sin I have committed towards you and your family. If you wish to blame anyone for Yayoi's death once this is over, blame not any of the captives, or Daisuke Harada. Blame me. The blame lies at my feet.”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Miki rolled her eyes. That wasn't something Ruri was used to hearing, so the look on her face turned from sorrow to open bewilderment.

 

“Er, w-what?” Ruri blinked, wide-eyed. “Did you just—”

 

“That's all a bunch of bullshit and you know it, c'mon.” Miki stared at Ruri, dead-on. “You had no way of knowing this would happen, so quit being so mopey about it and work. You're worrying your girlfriend.”

 

“Excuse me?” Ruri blinked. “My girlfriend? I'm sing—”

 

“Wait, whoa, hold on!” Kotone jumped away, whipping her head towards Miki in sudden realization. “Is that what you think we are?”

 

“Isn't it?” Miki said.

 

“What? No, no, not at all, what?” Kotone sputtered. “Ruri and I are just really good friends! The fact that she's totally gay has nothing to do with it.”

 

“Certainly not.” Ruri shook her head, frowning. “Even if I were not an eligible bachelorette, I assure you it would not be with Kotone that I commiserate a relationship. She's not my type in the slightest.”

 

Miki shook her head, and mumbled something under her breath in a language Kotone didn't understand. For some reason, Blake laughed uproariously. “Too true, Miki-chan! I cannot shinjiru it also!”

 

“Well, I'm glad we're on the same page now.” Saburo smiled. He stretched. “Cool beans, all. I'm gonna go take a nap and stuff.”

 

“Ah, well, your candor is a load off my burdens, Miki.” Ruri giggled. “You really are quite something, young lady. I will do my best to avenge Yayoi the hard way, then.” She smirked. “Now then, Kotone, do tell me what you've found out on your little sojourn. Duty calls!”

 

“Sure thing—” And then Kotone stopped. She walked over to Ruri, and leaned in, now that she was finally getting a good look at her. “Ruriiii.” Kotone frowned. “How long has it been since you slept?”

 

“Forty hours.” Ruri said. She reached into her candy bowl and grabbed a pile, shoving them into her mouth. “Don't worry, though. I've been making sure to—”

 

Kotone grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her a bit. “Sleep!” Shake. “Is key!” Shake. “To strong!” Shake. “Thought! Go to sleep, Ruri.”

 

“Amen.” Saburo said.

 

“B-but I have work to do.” Ruri frowned, looking vulnerable like she did any time she hadn't slept. “Kotone, I have work to do! Don't you see all this work?”

 

“It is now the timing to go to the Yume Zone!” Blake said, joining Kotone in giving Ruri the stinkeye. “Ruri-chan, you must 'conk out' or you will begin to hallucination and then perhaps even shindeiru!”

 

Ruri pouted. “You're both so unfair. Protagonists don't need to sleep. I'm the heroine of this story, that means I need to keep a constant vigil!”

 

A lightbulb went off in Kotone's head. “Reiko keeps a regular sleep schedule.”

 

“Well, everyone, I'll be seeing you in eight hours or so. Have a nice day.” Ruri said, power-walking off to take a nap.

 

Saburo clapped lightly. “Nice job.”

 

“Eh, I know her pretty well by this point.” Kotone smiled.

 


	43. Day 17, Part 1 - Mother

**6:30 A.M.**

 

When Rin awoke, it was slow, and drawn-out. Her eyes took multiple seconds to open, and it took a few more seconds after that to cut through the early-morning fog and remember how to think. It was a bit longer after that that she regained feeling in her face, and eventually, the rest of her body followed suit. Exerting quite a bit of effort, she rolled her head to the left to see Shinobu, still sound asleep, beret-less and probably topless, next to her under the sheets.

 

Thankfully, it turned out that Shinobu was a reasonably heavy sleeper, as Rin was able, eventually, to get out of bed without disturbing her. When she left the warmth of her covers, Rin remembered that she was clad in nothing but her underwear, idly regarding her own near-nude body in the mirror, and feeling the air on her skin. Yawning, she grabbed her usual attire out of the dresser, placed it on the bed, and then doffed her underwear and shambled over to her shower.

 

When the hot water blasted her in the face, Rin regained some of her cognitive functions, and stood facing the stream of water for several seconds before she fully remembered the process of going to sleep last night. “Huh,” she said under her breath. The showers here, to their credit, were always quite reliable, perhaps by virtue of the place being underwater. At the very least, this was a much more pleasant bathroom experience than her last, what with lacking any vomiting.

 

There were two notable things about her hair aside from the antenna. The first thing, she found, was that it was surprisingly not prone to tangling. Everything she'd heard about her mother's own hair was that it was something of a pain to take care of, so her own hair being reasonably easy to maintain upkeep for was a blessing. The second thing was that there was a lot of it, and so it was a bit difficult to _style,_ as she'd learned last night. Still, she'd managed it somehow, and as she scrubbed it down, she decided to give keeping it that way a shot.

 

Thankfully, it dried easily, so Rin was able to stand herself in front of the mirror pretty quickly. She leaned in and stared herself in the eyes, crimson as usual, before regarding her bathroom sink. The marble countertops were quite cool, and they still seemed a bit unreasonable. Thankfully, it was well-stocked, so at the very least she had good tools for it. Rin didn't remember exactly where she'd gotten this style from, but she had some vague impression that it might've been something Kojiro showed her once upon a time or something.

 

With a ring, the morning announcement rang out from the intercom just outside her bathroom. It took Rin a few more minutes to style her hair properly, but there it was, the cleaner, more windswept look. She stepped outside of her bathroom to see Shinobu, sat up in bed, face beet red, staring at her, with nary a sound. Yeah, she was topless. Without skipping a beat, Rin headed over to her clothes on the bed in the silence, and reasonably quickly clothed herself with her signature look. (Her hair, thankfully, maintained itself pretty well, too.)

 

“Good morning,” Rin said, stretching for probably the seventh time today.

 

“Mm- ah- buh- gguhm, er- hm. Huh.” Shinobu stammered, still staring. “Buh-hub-bwa-buh-huh? Hah-wha-mm-b-buh-mm-guh-hm-wah?”

 

“You sleep pretty soundly.” Rin said, sitting back down on the bed now that she was dressed, and leaning back to look at Shinobu.

 

“A-a-a-a-ah... ah, yes.” Shinobu said, raising her finger slightly to orient herself. “Yes, I- I always have, ah- yes. Verily.”

 

“So, do you think it's always that awkward?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “Like, uh, I had no idea what to do there. Did, uh... could you tell?”

 

“Yes.” Shinobu said. Then she looked down. “Well, er. Of course, it was- it's not like I have any experience myself- ah, but- yes.”

 

“Okay, good, because I could tell you didn't either.” Rin said. She smiled. “I still had a good time, though.”

 

“I'm, ah...” Shinobu gulped. “Glad. Of that. I'm very glad- that- yes.”

 

“You're gonna need to get dressed for breakfast, you know that, right?” Rin said. Shinobu looked down, presumably remembered that she was topless, and blushed harder. “I mean, not that I mind looking-” Shinobu shrieked. Rin grinned.

 

“Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-this is a- a, ah, um, er-” Shinobu was sweating. “M-m-m-m...” She stopped, took a deep breath, and continued. “This is a momentous occasion for me, you understand.”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Rin nodded. “I know.”

 

“As such I am having a difficult time processing the fact that I am now returning to whatever passes for normal here.” Shinobu said.

 

“Mmhm.” Rin nodded again. “Yup, yup. I understand.”

 

“And as such, my natural instinct is to be greatly, greatly embarrassed, especially considering what I've just done.” Shinobu said. “Er- well, ah, you see. I never really thought I would be partaking in... the act of lovemaking-”

 

“Sex?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

“Coitus.” Shinobu said. “The vertical tango, as Gavin might say.” She actually imitated his weird style of speaking for that one.

 

“Right.” Rin nodded.

 

There was a pause.

 

Shinobu stared Rin in the face. “You're remarkably fully-featured-”

 

“Nope! Nope nope nope nope nope.” Rin said, plastering herself back under the covers and hiding her head under her pillow. “Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope.”

 

**8 A.M.**

 

The breakfast meeting had begun unremarkably, with the eleven students gathering quickly in the Cafeteria. Claus was a bit messier than usual, though, as he'd rushed here right at the break of eight, when he'd woken up.

 

“Looks like we're all here.” Hansuke remarked, seated at the main table for once. “Nobody chomped at the bit, huh?”

 

“There was nary a disturbance in the night!” Yashiro said, laughing. “All of us awoke this morning, no doubt, with justice in our hearts!”

 

“Don't put words in my mouth, Strongman.” Jun spat. “I'll have justice in my heart if I damn well want to.”

 

Stella snorted and rolled her eyes. “Someone's chipper today.”

 

“I'm always in a fantastic mood!” Jun retorted, pointing his finger dramatically across the table at Stella.

 

“You seem to have a poor habit of being contrarian even in situations where it clearly does nothing but dig your hole deeper, Jun.” Shinobu said, raising an eyebrow curiously.

 

Jun stared directly at Shinobu, seeming briefly genuinely peeved before discarding that thought and crying, “Duck season, FIRE!” Rin didn't get the joke, but Claus, Kazuya, and Shinobu seemed to. Claus didn't lose it laughing uncontrollably, though, so it must not have been that funny.

 

Gavin stood up. “Aight, dudes and dudettes, Gav thinks it's time for our daily drawing. Whaddya say?”

 

“I agree.” Claus nodded. He produced ten straws, and the other students, Jun excepted, crowded around him, and each grabbed a straw in turn. This, naturally, included Rin.

 

“Eh?” Rin stared at the straw in her hand. She waved it around in front of her face a bit, digesting it. “Huh.”

 

“Looks like Lady Luck has landed, yo.” Gavin nodded sternly, his hands on his hips. “Good luck, friendo.”

 

Jun snorted. “Why don't you think of it as another new venture after your no-doubt riotous expeditions into sexual congress?”

 

“Coitus?” Rin said.

 

“The vertical tango?” Gavin said.

 

“I'm sorry, I must have lost track of this conversation.” Claus frowned. “What exactly are we talking about?”

 

“This is entirely too much for my maiden's heart!” Shinobu cried, burying her head in her hands. “Please, be off to the Kitchen before they continue!”

 

“You got it!” Rin gave a thumbs up, and ran into the Kitchen. She didn't remember ever having actually been in here before, but it was a nicely spacious room, its cabinets, baskets, drawers, and what have you stocked with everything one could need. She reached up and closed the shutter on the Kitchen's opening to the Cafeteria, too, to save Shinobu the embarrassment.

 

Picking up a ladle and putting on an apron hung on a rack to complete the look, Rin gazed around at all the light touched. Breakfasts had been eclectic while they'd all been here, on account of different people doing it each day, but for some reason she'd never actually considered what _she_ should make.

 

Rin pounded her fist into her open palm. “There's nowhere to go but up!” Then she paused. “No, no, that's the wrong saying, isn't it? Uh...” She tapped her foot. “Whatever.”

 

To be safe, she decided to go traditional. There were a lot of ways in which she could mess up breakfast, but she'd learned well how to construct, at the very least, what her mother considered a 'traditional Japanese breakfast.' First point- rice, and lots of it. Not only was steamed rice served on its own, it was also served for the sake of topping with natto, and she was feeding eleven people, so she was going to need quite a bit of it. She leaned down into a cabinet on ground level and found some rice, then looked above for some bowls and saucepans.

 

“ _You don't know, how much I hate, all the things you do~_ ” She sang, washing the rice in the bowls. Eventually, the rice ran mostly clear, and that meant it was time to place it in the saucepans. She had enough rice that she decided to use two, placing them on a stovetop on high heat. She did the same with another pan containing some soup stock.

 

“ _T-R-O, U, B, L-E, that is what you are made of~_ ” She sang, cutting up some tofu for the sake of the soup. The knives here cut nice and easily, and the cutting board was pleasantly clean. Next, she grabbed some grilled smelt, and rinsed it under the sink before placing it in an electric grill. Spinning about between various counters, she managed the smelt, the rice, and the soup, dissolving some miso in it as she went.

 

The aroma of _breakfast_ began to fill the room as the fish sat on the grill. When the rice was done, Rin swapped it out for some okra she'd just washed to go on the side, and placed the tofu to simmer, as well. The kitchen symphony began reaching a peak, as she began preparing the natto, and flipped the smelt over to grill the other side. Being a literal computer had its perks, as she was able to time everything quite well- with a resounding dinging noise, everything concluded just in time for her to be done with the last task.

 

Rin huffed proudly at the cart, containing eleven trays of rice, fermented soybeans, grilled fish, boiled okra, soy sauce, miso soup, and an assortment of pickled vegetables she'd added in for flavor. She clasped her hands toward it and bowed, saying, “You did well. I shall sing your praises to our lords.”

 

Flinging open the door, Rin cried, “Everyone, I rise! Prepare yourselves!” Then she stopped in the doorway, pushing her cart through, when she saw... Sigh. Monokuma on the table. Again. “This is three days in a row. Are you kidding me?”

 

“Oh, well, speak of the devil!” Monokuma raised a paw in greeting. “We were just talking about you.” Indeed, the gaze of the group generally seemed to be on Rin, rather than the breakfast she'd made.

 

Rin's antenna blew backwards, and she began to sweat. “Oh, god, what kind of gossip have you been telling about me? D-did you find my secret stash?!”

 

“Oh, yeah. All the gossip.” Monokuma cackled. “So much gossip! Shame you missed it with that closed shutter.”

 

“You...” Rin turned red, and her antenna began twisting itself into rectangles. “You monster! You beast! You, you... vile blackheart!” She pointed her finger at him before hiding behind her cart.

 

Claus cleared his throat. “Ah, Rin? Would you please stop hiding behind your cart? I'm... very hungry.”

 

Rin popped back up. Whatever bit of nasty gossip Monokuma had disseminated seemed to have lost its appeal, as most everyone present, Jun excepted, had stopped staring at Rin herself. “Right, right. Of course. I climbed several mountains to craft this cuisine for you all, it would be a shame to let it go to waste!” She looked down. There was a tray missing. “Quick on the draw as always, Chihaya!”

 

Quick as a wink, she served her trays, everyone, Jun excepted, thanking her in their own manner. He didn't really react much. Finally, she swirled down into her own seat, next to Shinobu and across from Stella, placed her tray on the table, and said, “So! Fill a girl in, lemme know what's up baby.”

 

“Monokuma's been in the middle of explaining a _third_ 'motive.'” Hansuke said, poking at his fish. “Huh. Didn't take you for the culinary type.” He had his notepad out.

 

“Oh, good.” Rin's antenna drooped. “I love those. What's our subject this time?”

 

Monokuma cleared his throat. “Fine, okay, make me repeat my spiel.” He pulled out a piece of paper, produced some reading glasses that fit right over his nose, and began to read. “'It has come to the mastermind's attention that two members of this group have come into some information that could give them an unfair advantage in the killing game, so I'm here to tell it to everyone else to keep things fair. Puhuhu.'”

 

“I still can't believe he has a script.” Stella rolled her eyes.

 

“So, for a second time.” Monokuma cleared his throat again. “'The information in question is that Participant #17 in this killing game is not human, but in fact, a Replicant.' End quote.”

 

Rin blinked. “Huh?”

 

“I mean, seriously, you and Shinobu figured that out and didn't let everyone else in on it?” Monokuma shrugged, and began pacing about the table. “El rude, lady. It might turn out to be important or something!”

 

Looking about, Rin's gaze fixed on Yashiro first. “To be honest, I had an inkling!” Yashiro laughed.

 

“Yeah, in retrospect it ain't that surprising.” Gavin shrugged, before returning to his breakfast. “Man, this some good smelt!”

 

“Kind of a weak excuse for a 'motive.'” Stella bit into a piece of okra. “Does anyone actually care?”

 

“It might turn out to be important, though, he's right.” Kazuya said. He delivered rice to face using his chopsticks, chewed, and swallowed. “So, er, thank you!”

 

“And here's where you came in, so allow me to continue.” Monokuma said, raising a finger and wagging it. “In the Perky spirit of the Denouement Perk, everyone will be obtaining an Anti-Replicant Perk!” Then he trailed off. “Except for Rin, because she is a Replicant, and Yashiro, because he's an invincible superman.”

 

“What is an 'Anti-Replicant Perk?'” Luan said, crossing his arms.

 

“Quite simple, friendo!” Monokuma said. “The nine of you- Shinobu, Hansuke, Claus, Gavin, Stella, Chihaya, Kazuya, Jun, and Luan- have each had a special-order item sent to your room to help even the fight against the Skynet menace. There are no restrictions on how you use your Anti-Replicant Perks, so happy hunting!”

 

“In other words...” Kazuya frowned, and the air went a bit colder. “You've introduced weapons to our arsenals? Why? You should know by now that we aren't going to kill each other.”

 

“It's not like he knows the answers.” Chihaya said. “He's just an intermediary.”

 

“Still, this is a worrying prospect.” Claus said. He adjusted his necktie. “I'm supposing you won't tell us what each Anti-Replicant Perk is right now?”

 

“Nah.” Monokuma shrugged. “Anyway, I'm sure you're getting sick of me by now, my gimmick is getting old, yadda yadda. Geez, I know I said people would riot if they didn't see me, but this is ridiculous.” He trotted up to Luan. “Hey, Lulu, would you help me down again?”

 

“Certainly.” Luan grabbed Monokuma and placed him under the table.

 

“What a nice guy.” Monokuma said, before he disappeared.

 

Silence reigned in the cafeteria for just a moment before Rin piped up, “So, uh, yeah, I'm kind of a robot. Sorry I didn't tell you guys! It took me a while to figure it out myself.”

 

“As it did for me.” Shinobu said. “And, er, we decided to keep the secret for a moment after we came to that conclusion, and then, er...” She removed her beret. “The last trial occurred just following.”

 

“Eh.” Stella shrugged, taking a bite of her fish. “Weird human, weird robot, either way you're weird so who cares?”

 

“I concur.” Claus nodded. He took a bite of natto, which he savored for several moments. “If what Jun has told us is true, we should be commending you on not knowing it yourself!” He laughed.

 

“Yeah, ain't that right, J?” Gavin turned to look at Jun, who was very quietly eating. “Uh. J, you okay there?”

 

“Huh?” Jun said, his mouth full of rice. Then he realized he was in public, presumably, and chewed his bite. “What?” He stared. His eyes were vague.

 

“You're spacing out.” Chihaya said. She'd hidden herself pretty well today.

 

“Er, ah, I'm- I'm fine.” Jun stammered. “What were we talking about?” He looked about.

 

“Rin.” Luan offered. “And her being a Replicant.”

 

“Ah, yes, of course, right, right.” Jun nodded. “I was- it just came as a surprise, is all, been taking a moment to react...” He mumbled. “This... okra is quite good, good job, Hashizawa.” He took a swig of some orange juice he'd grabbed earlier. “Excellent work.”

 

The room took on a curious air. Shinobu's jaw hung agape slightly, Gavin's eyes widened, Claus stood up out of his seat, Rin's antenna curled into a very pointy question mark, Yashiro made a very loud and shocked noise, and so on.

 

“J, is- are you- dude, you feelin' alright?” Gavin said, waving a hand in front of Jun's face. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

 

“Wha- what?” Jun's reaction to Gavin's hand was rather delayed. “Five, what are you talking about?”

 

“You just said something was good without any kind of backhanded compliment or shouting about it or having to be forced into it.” Stella said. She was leering.

 

“Did you already know this, too?” Hansuke crossed his arms and frowned. “Have you been-?”

 

“Hansuke.” Rin frowned harder at him. “Down, boy.” Hansuke let off with a sigh. “Jun, does it bother you that I'm a Replicant? I mean, I hope it doesn't-”

 

“Are you calling me a racist?” Jun snarled. “Please. Hashizawa, you troglodyte, I assure you I hate everyone that I hate equally, and that includes you, you dirty, bottom-feeding rat of a woman.” He took another bite of okra. “With a surprisingly high level of culinary skill.”

 

There was another moment of silence. “I think he's back to normal?” Kazuya said. Rin shot Gavin a look that said, 'I'm a bit worried about him, keep a close eye on him, alright?' and Gavin shot back a look that said, 'Yo dude, I'm wiggity-wacked out too, I'mma do it to it.'

 

**10 A.M.**

 

“We need to keep an eye on these Anti-Replicant Perks,” Claus said. “Can everyone bring theirs to the Cafeteria right after breakfast?”

 

Everyone had readily agreed, and though he didn't have one himself, Yashiro stayed in the Cafeteria just to ensure there was someone keeping watch. It turned out Rin had had the same idea, so the two of them were now alone, across from each other at the main table.

 

“A Replicant, eh?” Yashiro said. He really wasn't surprised. “That's certainly interesting.”

 

“Is it?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “I mean, I guess it kinda is, but is it?”

 

“Ah, don't listen to me.” Yashiro said, making a waving gesture with his hand. “Strongmen aren't paid to answer the hard questions, you know? We're born into this world to _justice!_ ”

 

Rin snorted. “Justice isn't a verb, you dork.” She pushed him a bit. It didn't do much, but they both laughed. “Besides, you're pretty sharp when you need to be. What about those strategy games of yours?”

 

“Oh, that's a very separate sort of intelligence, I assure you.” Yashiro said. “Accounting and all that- and anyway, I keep telling you you'd be aces at Fire Emblem!” He laughed. “If you ask me, it seems right up your alley!”

 

“And I keep telling you, I don't game much.” Rin retorted. “Yet.” She snorted. “Maybe once we get out of here.”

 

“Wouldn't that be lovely?” Yashiro said. “Unfortunate that the series is very infrequently multiplayer, or I would invite Shinobu over as well. Perhaps we can play Super Smash Bros., though! Now that's a series with a long, rich history!” He stood up, and began flourishing his hair like a cape to imitate some of Marth's famous poses.

 

“I'm very skilled as Solid Snake.” said Chihaya, crawling out from under the table. Yashiro yelped slightly.

 

“That was fast!” Rin said. “Got it already?”

 

“Right here.” Chihaya placed a crossbow and three arrows on the table. “These were lying on my bed. The intent was probably that I could use them to kill someone from the shadows.”

 

“How dastardly!” Yashiro said, glaring at the crossbow. “Is that all you obtained? No other methods of murder?”

 

“None.” Chihaya said. “The mastermind probably thought that that would be enough for me.” She looked back down at the crossbow. “Depending on who I targeted, she's probably not wrong.”

 

“Uh, that's a bit morbid, isn't it?” Rin said, her antenna blowing backwards a bit.

 

“Oh. Uh.” Chihaya's eyes darted around, back and forth, between Yashiro, Rin, and a multitude of chairs. “I should... go.” And, poof, she was gone.

 

“Chihaya would be a terrifying enemy to face in a combat situation.” Yashiro said. He shivered. “That incredible stealth combined with her skill in predicting movements... I shudder to think.”

 

“Yeah, no kidding.” Rin shuddered too. “Maybe she could find work as an Ultimate Assassin if she lost enough of her morals.”

 

“I should hope that she never has to do so.” Yashiro said. Then he tapped his chin. “I wonder. Has there ever _been_ an Ultimate Assassin?”

 

“Yes, actually,” said Kazuya, walking in, carrying... was that a _flail?_ “Roughly thirty years ago.” He paused. “Rin, did you do something with your hair?”

 

“Oh, well, yeah, kinda.” Rin tittered a bit. Oh, yeah, she had, hadn't she? Huh. Yashiro hadn't noticed.

 

“This is what I got for my Anti-Replicant Perk.” Kazuya said. Next to the crossbow, he placed the flail, with some effort. A spiked ball and everything. Wow. “It seems a bit excessive, don't you think?”

 

“And messy, to boot.” Rin commented.

 

“Flails are indeed not the most elegant of weapons.” Yashiro said. “And what does The End think you'll be doing with a flail, Kazuya?”

 

“I don't know.” Kazuya said, sighing and drooping. “I have no ide-”

 

The door slammed open, and Stella walked in, frowning very thoroughly, her hair completely undone, stomping up to the table. She wordlessly threw an object on the table next to the flail and crossbow, and shouted an, 'Ugh!' It took Yashiro several moments to realize that the golden stick was, in fact, what appeared to be a practice sword. Stella's hand actually had quite a bit of gold leaf on it, so it seemed the paint was rather flaky.

 

“Are you _kidding_ me?” Rin said, giving the sword a very unpleasant look. “They're kidding us, right?”

 

“Fuck!” Stella shouted to the ceiling. She stomped around a bit more before angrily throwing up her middle finger toward the ceiling, presumably towards The End. She was tearing up. “Just, fucking... god damn it!”

 

“Hey, Stella, it's okay.” Kazuya came up behind her and put his arms under hers. “It's fine. We know you're more than that, okay?” Yashiro wondered if perhaps there was context to this he was missing.

 

“Fuck you!” Stella shouted, again, to the ceiling. “You stupid asshole! I hate you! Uh-” She stopped. “Not-” She sniffled. “Not you, Kaz. Her. The End.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Kazuya nodded.

 

The moment was interrupted, though, by Rin whooping. “Kaaaazuyaaaaa, when did you start letting her call you _Kaz?_ I, for one, remember you being insistent on me not calling you that!” She stood up from the table and leaned in closely.

 

Stella and Kazuya blushed profusely, and Stella, seeming to recover a bit from her anger and sadness, mumbled an 'oh my goddd, you're the worst' under her breath. Kazuya was more erudite. “What- well, I suppose it just sort of happened?” He said.

 

Yashiro nodded sternly. “An important part of any relationship is endearing forms of address. Will 'Babe' be entering the picture any time soon?”

 

“We're leaving oh my god.” Stella grabbed Kazuya's sleeve and began dragging him out.

 

“Wha- hey, Stella?” Kazuya protested vainly under Stella's grasp.

 

“I don't want to look at that thing _or those two_ anymore.” Stella said, going through the door. In the distance, Yashiro could hear, “For a while. In their case. Never again for the sword. I hate that thing. I don't hate them.”

 

“Isn't love wonderful?” Rin sighed, a dreamy look in her face.

 

“I certainly hope Stella is alright.” Yashiro said. “Those two seem to bounce back reasonably quickly, though, so I'm sure they'll be alright.”

 

Strutting into the room next was Gavin. “Yo, dawgs!” He waved. “Rin, Simba! Gotcha two Anti-Replicant Perks fresh off the grill, ya dig?”

 

“Two?” Yashiro tilted his head to one side. “Where did the other come from?”

 

“Ah, it's J's.” Gavin scratched the back of his head. “Dude seems pretty out of it, but he let me in to take his, didn't try'n fight or anything.” He sighed. “Trip, man, Gav is feelin' wack about that whole sitch. Mondo gnarly.”

 

“Mondo gnarly.” Rin nodded in agreement. Yashiro nodded too, and added his own 'Mondo gnarly,' though he wasn't quite sure what it meant.

 

“This here's J's.” Gavin placed a revolver on the table. It gleamed in the light, silver, shining, deadly. “He gave me six bullets, too.” He placed said bullets on the table.

 

“A gun.” Yashiro said, staring it down. “Simple, yet deadly.”

 

“If they're trying to 'even the playing field,' Jun would need a strong weapon.” Rin said. “A gun would probably do the trick.” She picked it up, and waved it around a bit. “Yeah, I still don't really know anything about guns.”

 

“Hand it here.” Yashiro said. He opened the cylinder- seven unloaded chambers. “He only gave you six bullets?”

 

“Yeah, man, said that was all he got.” Gavin said. “There somethin' up with that?”

 

“Oh, this gun holds seven bullets is all.” Yashiro said, scrutinizing the six bullets on the table. “It's possible Jun kept one for himself, is it not?”

 

“But what could he do with one bullet?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “The only guns in this place are in the Firing Range, and he can't get up the stairs on his own, so... I mean, it's not like he could really make a plan to murder someone like this.”

 

“Maybe he's takin' a gander at the round, see if it's got some kinda secret clue on it or something!” Gavin said. “Y'know, all police-y-like. Maybe Ender was all, 'Yeah! I'mma make my own bullets, with my very own personal signature on 'em, and it's gon' be rad!'”

 

“Well, we can't do anything about that while he's cooped up in his room.” Rin said. “How about yours, Gavin?”

 

Gavin produced, from his vest, two objects- bladed tonfa, by the look of them. “Gav's got no clue what Ender thinks I'mma do with these, so y'all can have 'em.” He chuckled. “Tonfa! What a story!” He laughed to himself as he left the room.

 

“Four left.” Rin said, looking at the growing pile of weapons. “A crossbow, a gun, a flail, tonfa, and a sword. Geez, where did the mastermind even get all these?”

 

“Online auction?” Yashiro suggested. Rin broke out into giggles. Yashiro laughed along, deciding to not mention the fact that he'd been serious.

 

“Hello.” Luan said, coming into the room. “It took me a moment to be sure this was actually it. Are we putting them all here?” He said, coming up to the table.

 

“Yes, we are.” Yashiro said. “What are you adding to the pile, friend?”

 

“These.” Luan produced what looked to be... a set of sewing needles? “They weren't there before.”

 

“I mean...” Rin said, leaning over to stare at Luan's needles. “They could be deadly in the right hands. They can do stabbing and stuff.”

 

Yashiro leaned over and pulled Rin back into her seat. “We don't want to put our eyes out, now, do we?”

 

“That would be bad.” Luan agreed, nodding and setting down his needles. “Please be careful with them.” As he left, he passed by Hansuke, who entered the other direction. “Hello.”

 

“Hey.” The two nodded at each other, then Hansuke walked in as Luan walked out. “Hey.”

 

“Hello, friend!” Yashiro waved. “Care to add to the pile?”

 

“Yeah, here you go.” Hansuke placed a small, metal object on the table that looked not unlike an electric razor. “It's a taser. Monokuma said it could knock pretty much anyone out.”

 

“A taser?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “That seems less deadly than the others.”

 

“It puts one in a position to be more able to kill, though.” Yashiro said. “It could be quite deadly in the right hands. We should be cautious of it.”

 

“I wonder if it would even knock you out?” Rin said, turning her head to look at Yashiro. “I mean, you're really tough.”

 

“I would rather you didn't test it out!” Yashiro laughed. “Thank you for your contribution, Hansuke!”

 

“Yeah.” Hansuke mumbled. He scratched his chin. “This seems off. Why give us weapons now? This sorta thing'd make a lot more sense early on.”

 

“It does seem kinda weird.” Rin said, her antenna spinning around a bit. “Maybe the mastermind is just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks? I mean, they keep throwing things at us.”

 

“Guess that's possible.” Hansuke said. “But it doesn't seem right. I'm gonna go think about this.”

 

“You do that, pal.” Rin said, giving him a salute. “Good luck!”

 

Hansuke continued on in his usual thinking posture. He left the room, and it was a few minutes' wait before Shinobu twirled in the door, calling out, “Good morrow, friends! I return to you!”

 

“Hi, Shinobu.” Rin waved. She nudged Yashiro. “You say hi, too.”

 

“I was already going to.” Yashiro said, raising an eyebrow towards Rin. “Hello, Shinobu.”

 

“I bequeath unto you this bizarre relic.” Shinobu said, placing her Anti-Replicant Perk on the table. It looked like a sort of ceremonial dagger, red-hilted, with a sharp, jagged, slightly curved blade that seemed best used for stabbing and gouging. “Dreadful thing, really. Gives me the shivers!”

 

“Huh.” Rin picked it up and jiggled it around a bit. “This thing seems pretty weird.”

 

“It gives more credence to my demonic ritual theory!” Yashiro said, pounding his fist into his palm. He placed his hands on his waist and laughed. “I've got it all figured out!”

 

“That would vastly change the genre of this story.” Shinobu said, seeming unimpressed. “I find myself doubtful, unfortunately.”

 

Claus came in behind her. “Hello, I've come back with my Anti-Replicant Perk.” He said. Then he saw the pile. “Oh good lord, that's a lot of weapons. Was I the only one who _didn't_ get a weapon?”

 

“Yeah, seems like it.” Rin said. Her antenna pointed curiously towards Claus. “What'd you get?”

 

“Ah, well...” Claus produced from his suit pocket a few folded-up sheets of paper. “These documents.” He placed them on the table, and began unfolding them. Yashiro's eyes scanned what bits he could. 'BC particles.' 'Voight-Kampff compliance.' Several bits of it were blacked out, but nonetheless-

 

Rin jumped. “Is this, like, a guide to all things me?”

 

“It would certainly seem so!” Shinobu said, and suddenly the table was rather crowded as the four of them all looked towards the top document.

 

_The purpose of the █████████████ project is the construction of the first Voight-Kampff compliant Replicant since the Sean model in the early-mid 21 st century. The primary issues faced by most robotics scientists, as I understand them, are:_  
  
  
  
_-The need for inbuilt computing power necessary to run a Replicant AI on a single body, rather than a quantum computer._  
  
_-The difficulty for Replicants to process information in such a way that they could internalize their own nature as real beings._  
  
  
  
_In my five prior projects, I experimented with various methods using the sort of metal skeletons that Replicants in today's society generally use, an evolution of the GAULEM model constructed by Dr. Sigma Klim in the 21 st century. While I did manage to create AI for those bodies, VK-compliance was a far-off dream. Four of the five prototypes did not reach the point of attaining a sense of self, and died in their infancy. The fifth elected to leave my care shortly after being built, and I wish her well._  
  
  
  
_It occurred to me earlier this year, in 21██- why could I not take the two issues and form them into one solution? I concluded that the GAULEM model was incapable of reaching VK-compliance within my lifetime, and elected to instead ██████████████████████ for my answer._  
  
  
  
_The subject that interested me was the subject of BC particles, ██████████████_  
  
_█████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████. A single study by a collaboration between a roboticist and a parapsychologist in 21██ (contained in Miyoko Tenkawa's compilation of studies regarding BC particles, entitled “████████████”,) showed that Replicants were incapable of producing these particles. The knowledge had yet to be taken as relevant by any known roboticists, but my time ███████████ led me to consider the production of ██████████████████._  
  
  
  
_In essence, information itself is both the energy that propels my latest prototype and the building block that makes her up. Tests I ran █████████ over the past few months regarding ████████████████████ have led to several noteworthy facts being discovered-_

 

_-Given a Replicant with this sort of body believes itself to be real, the informational matter within it will alter itself upon leaving the body to appear identical to whatever human excretion fulfills that role- sweat, blood, urine, etc. The only exception is if the Replicant is completely unconscious or unable to think upon the excretion, i.e. having been forcibly knocked out by a soporific. If that is the case, it will leave the body in its natural form, as BC particles ███████████████._

 

 _-In the event that the Replicant successfully develops a sense of self, bodily development seems to be driven at least partially by the Replicant's self-image. Exact parameters currently unknown. (Addendum, August 25_ _th_ _, 21██: This is unprofessional of me, but I have to wonder how this would work with a Replicant whose gender identity was different from its coded sex. That said, I will not be the person cruel enough to intentionally test this out.)_

 

██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

 

 _Tomorrow, on September 15_ _th_ _, 21██, I will activate the prototype. As she is ████████████, I've decided to name her ██████. A bit on the nose, I'll admit- I hope she likes it anyway._

 

_\- █████████████_

 

_(I certainly hope her informational concept of hair is easier to take care of than my own.)_

 

“It's almost like a classified government document with all this redaction.” Shinobu said, frowning. “Very tacky.”

 

“The following pages seem to go on to describe behavioral and physical growth, but a vast majority of it is redacted.” Claus said. He flipped through the pages to demonstrate, and indeed, so much was blacked out that Yashiro could hardly make heads or tails of it, until the tail end, which appeared to be a personal entry by the author.

 

_I will soon be going public. I certainly hope it goes well. ███ will be there, so at the very least, I'll have a friend alongside me, even if ████████████. My children ███████ have congratulated me enough on my work that even I'm beginning to think I've really done something great- but I don't deserve all the credit. ██████ deserves it, too. She's done an amazing job growing up. Developmentally, both mentally and physically, she's hardly any younger than me by now; if you looked at the two of us side-by-side, you would probably think we were sisters, and sometimes she feels more like a younger sister than a daughter, by this point. She's such a delight to be around, and even if I am afraid, I'm also so excited to introduce her to the world._

 

_Come to think of it, she's basically a teenager, isn't she? I wonder if I could persuade the government to let her into Hope's Peak, even if ████████? If you ask me, I'd say she'd definitely deserve the title of Ultimate Replicant, or something like that. I'll have to think about that._

 

_\- ████████████, 11/09/21██_

 

Rin had picked up the document slightly, and her hands were shaking. “Mom,” she said. “Mom.”

 

“Rin-” Yashiro reached his hand out to her, but she interrupted him.

 

“This is from my mom.” Rin said, her eyes widening. “This is a report by my mom. My mom made this! Right, right! My birthday- it's September 15 th ! I remember that! And- and, and- and I remember that talk we had!” She started looking around wildly at the other three. “I asked her what would've happened if I'd turned out to be a boy, and she got this look on her face and she was like, 'oh, I hadn't thought of that, actually.' And I laughed really hard, because oh geez, Mom, that's important!” She was beginning to tear up, gripping the paper very hard. “You need to think about these things, you scatterbrain! How can you be so smart, but be so dumb sometimes? Cause like, I swear, sometimes she'll be all, 'oh, where are my keys?' and I'll say, 'Mom, they're in your hands!'”

 

Rin clutched the report tight, so tight it was almost as though the report itself was her mother. “I found her. Mom, I found you.” She said.

 

“Er, Rin?” Claus said, adjusting his necktie. “That's a piece of paper.”

 

“Well, yes, but you weren't supposed to _say_ that!” Yashiro said, frowning at him. Did he have no tact? “This is an emotional moment for Rin, come on, man!”

 

“Er, sorry.” Claus looked away awkwardly.

 

“It's metaphorically her mother.” Shinobu said, tut-tutting at Claus. “She's found something of her mother and is therefore overjoyed to have something concrete to grab onto of her, rather than her own vague memories. Come now, my boy!” She cackled.

 

“Claus, um!” Rin loosened her grip on the document and looked up at Claus, stepping closer to him. “Do, um, would you mind if I kept this, please? All these pages. I wanna figure out what they mean.” She was bouncing on her heels.

 

“Oh, certainly, go right ahead.” Claus regained his momentum and smiled. “I haven't any use for them. I have to wonder why The End gave them to me, of all people, seems like an odd choice.” He turned his gaze towards the eight other Perks. “So, we have a crossbow, a dagger, a sword, a flail, a taser, a gun, sewing needles, and bladed tonfa? Certainly a deadly array. Monokuma, what are the rules regarding these?”

 

“Rules?” Monokuma climbed out from under the table. “What kinda rules we talkin' here, Santa Claus?”

 

“I had been assuming that your master wouldn't simply let us keep these locked away or destroy them.” Claus said. “After all, that would go against the spirit of the killing game. What exactly are the parameters on these objects?”

 

“Didn't I say there were no restrictions on how you used them?” Monokuma huffed. “Well, okay, I guess maybe there's one or two. So, you're allowed to use another person's Perk if you take it somehow, but you can't bring it back to your room, only yours can go in your room- and if your Perk gets completely removed from your room, all parts of it, it'll get replaced at the break of Nighttime, thankfully automatically and not by me.”

 

“You're speaking more quickly than usual.” Yashiro commented. He raised his eyebrow curiously at Monokuma. “Is there something going on?”

 

“I've been working my ass off the past few days and I'm sooooo tireeeeed.” Monokuma slumped over. “And I can't even get a good night's sleep because the mastermind wakes me up at like three in the morning to tell me about these stupid motives! So I'm gonna go take a siesta for the rest of the day.” He put on a sleep cap and produced a pillow. “Would you guys mind keeping the Playroom clean until Nighttime so I don't have to do anything? It would really help.”

 

“That shouldn't be a problem.” Shinobu said, bowing. “We shall do our best.”

 

“Man, sometimes I love you guys.” Monokuma said, groggily stumbling back under the table. “Niiiight.” And he was gone.

 

“If we can't completely be rid of them, then that will be a problem.” Claus said. “That means guard duty will be more difficult.” He looked down at the pile, then snapped his finger. “All I need to do is take one to even the playing field!” He picked up the sword, still sheathed, and swung it around a bit. “Yes, this should do. Does anyone know where I could find, oh, some duct tape, perhaps?”

 

Shinobu leaned in and scrutinized the sword in Claus's hand. “My word, is this-?”

 

“Yup.” Rin said. She sighed. “Down to the flaky paint. Stella got it.”

 

As quickly as she'd leaned in, Shinobu recoiled. “Oh lord, that's just rude. Has the mastermind no tact? How dreadful.” She shivered. Yashiro still didn't understand the context.

 

“Do you think you'll need this, Yashiro?” Claus said, turning to face him. “I'll suggest it to Luan as well. As long as we keep it in the sheath, it should make for a good disabling weapon.”

 

“You two may use it, but I assure you, I need no weapons.” Yashiro pounded his fists together, cracked his knuckles, and roared. “I am Yashiro Narumi! The Ultimate Strongman! If I could not defeat a gun, what sort of Strongman would I be?”

 

“Alright, good to hear.” Claus said, nodding. He reached over and extended his other hand, and Yashiro grabbed on. They shook firmly, but did not exchange 'alright, mate's, because this was not awkward whatsoever. Or, rather, it wasn't awkward until Yashiro released, and Claus turned around and started wringing his hand out, making noises of pain as he did so.

 

“Er, my bad.” Yashiro said.

 

**12 P.M.**

 

Rin jumped face-first onto her bed, her eyes still plastered on her mother's reports. She couldn't help it, she was just downright giddy about it! It was her mom! If anyone would know about things like this, it would be her, and just at the right time, too, for questions to be asked about her structure.

 

The first passage that jumped out at her was the thing about the 'informational matter.' That lined up with what Kojiro had said about the 'information' that she'd vomited up during her episode a few days ago. The bizarre mass was just a mass of BC particles, the particles that existed within her body.

 

Rin's antenna puffed. “Wow, my blood is _weird._ ”

 

If these BC particles could convert themselves into human fluids and such, that lined up with her scan from the ADAM, as well. It was likely, in her reckoning, that she just had that one sort of black matter within her body, that took on multiple purposes; it hadn't seemed to be particularly a liquid when it had come out, so perhaps it was also capable of becoming her skeleton or musculature? Patting her bicep, Rin was pretty certain she felt something there. Maybe the magic of BC particles was their multi-purpose nature.

 

Of course, that did little to answer the question of what exactly that little episode had _been,_ but, well, baby steps. The next question on the line was what exactly BC particles _were,_ and how they led her to her computing power. Something in the back of her brain told her she had a decent idea of this, but it tugged a bit too hard, so instead she thought back to another passage of the report.

 

'Information itself is both the energy that propels my latest prototype, and the building block that makes her up.' The latest prototype was almost certainly her, considering she didn't know of having any younger _sisters,_ and if she was constructed of this informational matter, these 'BC particles,' that made sense for building blocks. But, as far as _energy_ went, that was a bit of a mystery. Was Mom claiming that her body was somehow self-propelling? Well, as far as Rin knew, it _was._

 

Rin fell backwards onto her bed, and stared around. It was still a nice room- _wait wait wait a second._ Just as quickly, she stood up, because she'd just had an epiphany. Pacing about the room, and eventually stopping in front of the mirror, she scrutinized herself while calling back her own thoughts from the very beginning of the incident. At that point, she'd had a bit of an odd thought process, well, odder than her own now, of course. Just after waking up with amnesia, she'd processed things completely linearly, had even known exactly how many thoughts had occurred to her since she woke up. She remembered counting the drawers of the dresser, beginning slowly and then digesting the numbers rapidly. If information was the energy that powered her-

 

“I'm a _shark_!” Rin exclaimed. Then she paused. “But... with sensing!”

 

Her baseline processes processing each piece of sensory information had to have a reason, and the reason she came to was that somehow, the sensory information she obtained was itself the sustenance that she was powered by- that the sights she saw, the scents, the sounds, the tastes, the feelings, she obtained the informational energy from it all much like a human's stomach did with nutrients from food. And then that informational energy, in its base BC particle form, would become part of her skeleton or fluids, so her body was in fact self-powering so long as her senses weren't disabled.

 

“Wait, does that mean I don't have to eat?” Rin thought aloud. Then she shook her head. “Eating is rad. It's probably pretty good for me, too. Not gonna chance it.”

 

That would also go a long way toward explaining her chronically short attention span, Rin thought, pacing about. If information itself was sustenance, and her body was constantly processing that sustenance in linear fashion, then it was a wonder her mind was able to comprehend most things at all considering the speed at which information would be obtained and discarded. She still didn't have many memories from her childhood, but she definitely did remember something of a period where she could barely pay attention at all. That was...

 

Ah, wait! Rin's antenna stood straight upwards. That was before Kojiro was born! That was right! Kojiro had always been her anchor into reality, having another important person in long-term recall to process information more slowly through. When Kojiro was born, that was when she truly began to understand what it was she experienced, rather than mindlessly processing it for sustenance, and eventually it had just become second nature to her.

 

Wait. A thought suddenly occurred to her, and it became more of a nagging question as time went on. How _old_ was she? Was she actually sixteen? No, that didn't seem likely. If she was 'basically' a teenager, that meant that she hadn't been alive for more than twelve years. If she'd been alive more than that, she _would_ be a teenager; not to mention that, at any rate, it would just seem odd for a cutting-edge Replicant prototype to physically and mentally age at exactly the same rate as an average human, no matter how human-like it was.

 

“Wait.” She said aloud, tapping on her chin. “Oh, crap, am I gonna get Shinobu in trouble?” Then she paused, and began giggling to herself. “Nahhh, of course not. I'm cutting-edge technology.”

 

Wait. Three waits. That was... odd, wasn't it? If she was 'hardly any younger' than Mom, and she thought she had been sixteen, and Jun didn't see anything odd about that, wouldn't that mean her mother was sixteen years old at this point? Certainly, her mother had been young in her memories, but to create a machine as advanced as Rin at that age?

 

A niggling feeling was beginning to take root in the back of Rin's mind, a feeling like there was something _off_ here. She was certain her memories, those images she had of her mother, were true, and yet it was like there was a bizarre disconnect between them and the facts she'd just learned. A bizarre disconnect with something.

 

And then a thought,

 

one she'd had several days ago,

 

began to creep its way back

 

into the forefront of her mind,

 

and all of a sudden-

 

Up. She stood up, and began to book it out of the door. Her chest was beginning to pound in time with her footsteps. This was- was this real? Could it even be real? Was it possible? If this was true, it would explain so much, so much of the bizarre disconnect she'd felt regarding several aspects of this whole situation.

 

Past Jun's door. Yashiro's. Shinobu's. Kazuya's. Out into the Housing Suite, and right to the Stairwell. This technically wasn't the only place she could check her theory, but it seemed by a mile the most proper to do so in it.

 

“Oh, hello.” Luan said, waving.

 

“Hi,” Rin gave, clipping it short, and climbing up the stairs, almost running. No time. She didn't have time for this. She needed to hurry. Up the stairs, up the stairs, she headed, and then into Goodhart Hall, her eyes briefly glancing over a picture of Izuru Kamukura as she went, swinging open the door into Class 2-B, and there it was, on the far wall. The drawing of Eriko's lost memory, of the Kei Sagami incident. Along with Girl E, there, too, were Girl H and Girl K. All the detail given to them was their hairstyles, but they were still recognizable at a glance.

 

Girl K had brown, frizzy hair, a bit like Makoto Naegi's. Stella really did have a type, and the look was completed by the antenna standing proud upon Girl K's head.

 

Girl H, meanwhile, had long, unkempt, black hair. It wasn't unlike her own; in fact, it was actually quite similar. But Girl H-

 

_Girl H didn't have an antenna._

 

Rin staggered backwards. She'd seen this plain as day, but its significance only now struck her, striking at her mind in waves. That was it, wasn't it? That was the answer to the disconnect. It was simple as the antenna on her own head. Girl H- the girl who Aoto had been rivals with, the girl who had loved Kei Sagami, the girl who had befriended Miria, the girl whose mother had committed suicide along with Wanda's, the girl who had been hounded out of her own home by Haruhi Harada-

 

That had never been her at all. None of those experiences were hers, and they never had been.

 

Something Kojiro had said came back to the forefront of her mind. “Rin Hashizawa is the Ultimate Roboticist.” It was simple. So plainly simple. So clearly obvious. How had she not noticed? He probably wasn't even lying, was he? He was telling the truth, just not the truth _about her._ Then that would make Rin Hashizawa-!

 

“Ghhhrk!” Rin felt an oncoming sweat, and a dizzying feeling. There was a bloating sensation in her stomach. It all felt far too familiar for comfort.

 

“Do you ever wonder what Mom gets up to all day?” Kojiro had said, one day, as they were fooling around by themselves. This time, they were in the Simulation Wing in Mandelbrot Hall, fooling around inside the airplane box. “Like, when she just disappears for days on end.”

 

“I mean, yeah, kinda.” ______ had said back, shrugging. “She's my mom, why wouldn't I?” This was relatively recent, wasn't it? Yes, she was around her current height here. “But, I mean, it's probably pretty important, right? It's Mom. She does a lot of important stuff.”

 

“You really need to learn to question things more, ______.” Kojiro had said, snorting, and beginning to ride the floor like it was a surfboard or something. “Ultimate Roboticist or not, maybe she's slacking off, or taking a trip to Albania, or something.” He laughed.

 

______ laughed too, but she was serious as she said, “Don't say that. You know Mom's also busy with high school and stuff, and she said she's been getting busier, lately, and, well, sometimes she looks so sad when I see her. I really want to help her, you know?”

 

“Well, I think so, yeah.” Kojiro had said. “It's kinda weird for a kid to help their parent though, isn't it?”

 

“Why would it be?” ______ had said, tilting her head to one side. “What's the problem with it? Mom and I are different people and all, so we have different strengths. Isn't that reasonable?”

 

“Yeah, I guess I see your point.” Kojiro had shrugged. “Maybe I should start philosophizing more frequently so I can keep up with you, you speed demon.”

 

“Aww, but I like you being an idiot I have to explain everything to.” ______ had knelt down and patted Kojiro on the head. “That's what little brothers are for!”

 

“Do not insult my intelligence!” Kojiro had shrieked, slapping her away. “Don't mock me, I could kill you easily!”

 

They had laughed. Mom didn't come home that night, either.

 

“███ghkk, gah!” Rin staggered out of Class 2-B, thoroughly sick to her stomach. She wasn't going to puke, she could tell that much, but the bloating sensation wasn't going away, and her body wasn't getting any better, as far as she could tell. The memory had suddenly overtaken her, in a way the memories usually didn't. Why did it make her feel so awful? No, no, wait- that memory had said-

 

“Argh, god damn it!” Kojiro had shouted, stomping about in the testing chamber once he'd come in. “I'm mad! ______, I'm mad!”

 

______ had leaned in in her best big-sisterly gesture. “What are you mad about, little baby?”

 

“No, I'm serious this time!” Kojiro huffed, continuing to stomp around. “Mother Dearest had another of those little tempers she's been having lately. Wound up breaking one of my canvasses. Argh! Frickin' frickety frack, ______! Those are important! I mean, that one was blank, but still!”

 

“Mother did _that?_ ” ______ had quickly leaned in and wrapped him in a hug. “That sucks, Kojiro, that's completely unfair! Why was she even in your art supplies in the first place? That's your private stuff!”

 

“Well, uh, I think it was 'cause she found out I nabbed that book from her shelf. Y'know, _The Count of Monte Cristo?_ Got in a tizzy about me 'betraying her trust' or something, god she's a pain.” Kojiro scoffed. “She's been getting way worse lately, though, it's not just me, right?”

 

“No, it's definitely not.” ______ shook her head. “Mother's been getting much moodier lately, but I think she gets like that when something important is happening or something? I don't get her.”

 

“Ugh, geez.” ______ had the impression that as he groaned, Kojiro had rolled his eyes. “______, I'm frustrated. Let's play mahjong!”

 

“What?! No!” ______ spat, leering at him. “I hate mahjong!”

 

“Well, that's the idea, I need schadenfreude!” Despite his upset state, he laughed. ______ wound up losing very soundly.

 

\--had said... had said- “Aaagh!” Rin groaned, stumbling out of Goodhart Hall. She splayed herself against the rail on the Stairwell and began to slowly slink down, praying that another memory wouldn't force itself into her mind and make her sicker as she went down. Why was this happening? Her head felt like it was going to split open, as did her stomach, and her chest. She was sweating profusely. It was hot, so hot, so very, very, hot, why was it so sweltering in here?

 

“______.”

 

“GAH!” ______ had jumped, shrieking in fear of the sudden voice from behind her. Of course, it was Kojiro. “You jerk! Don't scare me like that!” Thankfully, she'd managed to pause her anime right as she'd jumped up.

 

“Oh, I wasn't trying to scare you.” Kojiro looked down, uncharacteristically somber. “I just- can I have some company? I'm kinda lonely.”

 

Fear gave way to concern, as ______ sat down and slid over on the sofa of the A/V Room. “Yes, of course, sit down.” He did so. “What's wrong, bud?”

 

“Hey, um, so... eventually you're gonna move out, right?” Kojiro had said, looking down. “I just thought about that. I mean, you can't stay here forever, right?”

 

______ thought about that. Honestly, she hadn't given much thought to moving out just yet, for several reasons, not least of which being the fact that she had no idea how real estate worked, nor did she have a job (though she imagined her mother was quite wealthy, that didn't account for ______'s own affluence.) “Maybe. Why?”

 

“I don't want you to go!” Kojiro had actually begun to tear up, which was a very rare sight, and he clung to his older sister's leg. “I- I don't want you to go. Lately, it's been feeling so scary around here, and- and- and I don't wanna be the only kid here. I don't wanna be alone. I mean, Mom'll be here, but it just won't be the same without you!”

 

______ reached down and began petting Kojiro's head. “Hey, don't worry, don't cry, okay? Remember, I need you, too. You're my little brother.”

 

“That was a long time ago, though.” Kojiro sniffled. “You're way past that stage of your development, aren't you? You don't need me anymore.”

 

“Kojiro!” She had looked him dead in the eyes, and he looked at her, too, because of the sharp shout. “Do not say that. You're not just a developmental aid, you're my little brother! I don't have to need you to love you!”

 

“But...” Kojiro sniffled again. “I'm- you're-”

 

“If you wanted to come with me, I would bring you with me.” ______ had said, her antenna pointing right at him. “No questions. It doesn't matter how hard it would be. We'd make it work, because you and I are brother and sister. I love you, Kojiro.”

 

“And... and if you got a girlfriend?” Kojiro asked, his voice quiet.

 

“If I had a girlfriend who couldn't love you, then she wouldn't be my girlfriend anymore.” ______ had said. “No compromises.”

 

There was quiet for a moment before Kojiro began to break down. “______... _______!_ ” He cried into her leg. “I love you. You're the best big sister ever. I love you so much. Thank you for being alive. I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Kojiro.” She had smiled, bending down to curl around him. “You're the best little brother ever.”

 

“Aaaaaa, aaaaAAAAAGH!” The searing pain in her skull was only getting worse with each memory, and Rin felt like she could barely even stand. When leathery arms wrapped around her, she barely felt it, and her vision was so blurry that she hardly registered getting to the bottom of the Stairwell and then being brought through the Housing Suite.

 

“Stay awake!” A vague, faraway voice said. Kojiro? No, it was far too deep for that. And those arms were- Her vision refocused. It was Luan. Of course, he'd been there before. “It's only a bit farther!” He shouted, as he opened the door to Target Hall. “Do you have your Handbook?”

 

Rin's arm was like lead as she slapped her own thigh several times looking for her pocket. Her palms were slick with sweat, and she felt so horribly bloated she felt like she would explode, but eventually, she pulled it out. Luan carried her to her door, and she scanned it and opened the door.

 

“Get in! I'll bring you some water!” Luan said, dragging Rin in as her legs began to fail her. The last thing she managed to perceive before falling into unconsciousness was the pillow of her bed. Ah, thank goodness... She'd gotten back to her room. Thanks, Luan.

 


	44. Day 17, Part 2 - Nocturne in the Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note for all readers at the beginning. This chapter contains a depiction of violence that is further beyond the pale than any other in Operation VK. Please take care to prepare yourself accordingly.

**3 P.M.**

 

The girl's consciousness was vague, but she knew that she sensed something. This was different from waking up after a rough night. She was groggy, pangs of anguish tearing at her insides. There was something important she needed to do, though, she knew that, so she tore at the darkness keeping her unconscious.

 

“...g... ga-ah...” She croaked. It was not any of the words she wanted to say, but she made a noise nonetheless.

 

Far off in the distance, she heard a call. “Luan, hark, she regains consciousness!” A slight feeling of someone leaning in closer. “Rin? Rin, are you alright?” Rin? Why were they asking after her mother? Her mother wasn't here. She was here. If they wanted her, they should call for ______.

 

Where was her name? Why was her name gone? The girl began to feel panic in the pit of her stomach. Why was she just 'the girl?' What happened to her name? What had taken it away from her? She knew she had one, of course. Her mother had given it to her. It meant something, something 'a bit on-the-nose.' Her brother, Kojiro, he also had a name, so she had a name, too.

 

“How is she?” She heard in the distance. That was a different voice, a man's voice. The last one had been a woman, then. “She seems like she will need more water. One moment.” His voice was coarse, but calming, and his dialect was very measured, indicative of one whose first language was not Japanese. Come to think of it, that sounded familiar. Oh, yes! That was a man she knew. What was his name? Yun-Fat, wasn't it? Given name Yun-Fat, surname Luan. His Ultimate talent was being incredibly skilled at massage, and he gained the moniker 'Devil's Hand' because of it.

 

Yes, of course. The girl had an inkling that when she had fallen unconscious, he had been there. Er- ah. Well, she was unconscious. She should check her diagnostics. Willing the knowledge to come to the forefront of her mind, she checked her own status. Right, she knew who she was. She was ______ Hashizawa, the daughter of Rin Hashizawa, the Ultimate Roboticist. She and her brother Kojiro grew up together in Compound VK, a private facility owned by her mother and constructed for the purpose of providing a safe, nurturing environment for the world's first VK-compliant Replicant. Well, apparently it had a few other, smaller purposes, but the rest of the information wasn't coming; she'd probably lost it in the same way she'd lost her name.

 

Other than that, it was all coming, though. Now that she knew what she was looking for, her age came easily to her. Her initial activation was at 11:25:37 A.M., September 15th, 2194 CE. As such, she was only technically one year old, going on two; but her mother and brother had frequently joked that she was 'one going on seventeen,' or something like that, because of the accelerated mental and physical development of her body as compared to a standard human. Brief field tests, and a few accidental but fortunate interactions with her friend Yashiro showed that she was, essentially, indistinguishable from a teenage human around that age, if a bit odd.

 

That was all well and good, though, but what in the world had happened to her? Certainly there would be error reports, and error reports there were. Ah, yes, there, at 12:21:15 P.M, April 25th, 2196 CE. An odd spike in the density of the BC particles in her cerebral cortex, followed by a buffer overflow in the area that contained her name. It was classified as a critical error, one that would require immediate action; and so were the next two, occurring not even minutes after the first. A similar error had occurred three days ago. And as for the incident two days before that-

 

'Unable to generate error report.' Figured. Being a Replicant had its perks, but she didn't know what she didn't know. In any case, though, with such a problematic error, it was a wonder that she'd managed to stay conscious for as long as she had.

 

“Or, er... perhaps she is not regaining consciousness?” The woman's voice said. It was high, very affected to sound fancy. It only took a moment to remember who that was; Shinobu Koshimizu, the Ultimate Mystery Novelist, and the girl's girlfriend. It seemed that Shinobu had come to her bedside to stay with her. How sweet! She loved Shinobu.

 

“It's possible she's running some form of diagnostic.” Luan said. “Or she could just be suffering from significant sleep paralysis. I wish I'd forced her to rest more, either way.”

 

“Ah, you can't keep her down for long, you know that.” Shinobu said. In the distance, the girl could hear Shinobu's signature cackle. “Somehow, I doubt this will keep her down for _too_ much longer, either.”

 

“I hope so.” Luan said. Ah, but how the girl wished she could _see_ them, but unfortunately she had yet to regain control of her body. What to do, what to do?

 

Alright, for one thing. _____ currently found herself in a killing game in her childhood home, Compound VK. She'd found herself here with sixteen students of Hope's Peak Academy. It was the seventeenth day since the game's commencement, and she'd just realized that she was not, in fact, her mother, but herself. Now _that_ was a weird thought. Knowing what she now knew, there was a great deal of information that needed reconsideration.

 

First of all, it was highly unlikely, and in fact, she would say _impossible,_ that the six people who died; Aoto, Eriko, Miria, Wanda, Daisuke, and Yayoi; had known her. It had been her mother, Rin, who they'd known, and- Wait, hold on a second. Holy crap, her grandma committed suicide? Her mom's mom committed suicide? When her mother had been only, what, eleven, twelve, something like that? And the thing about the public harassment, and the death of Kei Sagami, whoa, there was a lot about her mother than she hadn't known before.

 

So, who here _did_ know her? It seemed like the answer had to be 'only Yashiro.' Only Yashiro knew _her,_ the girl the group had known as Rin Hashizawa. It was exceedingly unlikely that any of the other remaining students knew her. Of course, she _did_ look similar to her mother, and in Eriko's case, it seemed she'd only seen Rin from far away, so that would be difficult to recognize; and in Wanda's case, she'd only met Rin years ago, so it wasn't necessarily impossible for her appearance to have shifted, but she did comment on the difference in appearance. Calling her mom 'dumpy' was kinda rude, though!

 

Wait, hold on. Could it be? Aha, of course! That was it! That was why Jun had been acting so odd! He must've figured out that she wasn't Rin, because Rin was human! Now that she knew that he'd known her mother, and not her, there were so many questions she needed to ask him. She needed to talk to Jun. And everyone, she needed to tell everyone that she wasn't Rin! That she was, er, well, she didn't remember her name for the time being. Which was very strange. And kind of disconcerting!

 

The status of her body was a bit dire. It seemed that such rapid fluctuation of her BC particles had caused intense strain on several parts of her body and mind, so even now that she was partly conscious, many of her motor functions were disabled for some time. Thankfully, the quick responses of Shinobu and Luan had lessened the strain, and the water had helped, but she was still out of commission for longer than she'd like. At the moment, she could hardly even move her mouth. What did she have that she _could_ move, though? She needed to give Shinobu and Luan some indication of the fact that she was conscious.

 

Wait, that was it! Of course! There was one thing she knew she could control. The antenna's controls were working perfectly well, since, rather than a motor function, it operated entirely as an extension of her consciousness. Alright, but what to do? What motion would be appropriate here?

 

“Luan, her antenna is spinning wildly!” Shinobu shouted, quite concerned. Okay, maybe the rapid spinning was a bad idea. Her antenna drooped towards where she heard Shinobu's voice, and she hoped that the apologetic nature of the gesture got across. “Er. Never mind, now it's... hold on a moment.” Shinobu got closer, and far away, the girl could feel hands on her body. “Rin, can you hear me?” The girl nodded her antenna up and down. “That could just be automatic... If you can hear me, bend it at a fifty-seven-degree angle exactly!” Done! “Ah, only you would know an angle like that. You're alright!” Nod, nod. Oh, goodness, even far away she could tell that was a hug. “Thank goodness!”

 

“So, she's conscious but can't move?” Luan said. “That's curious. Are you running a diagnostic, Rin?” Antenna nod. “What seems to be the problem?” She levied him with an antenna gesture intended to communicate that she couldn't very well express the problem through _antenna language._ “Ah, of course. I'm assuming it's physical, though?” Ehh, kinda, kinda not? “I see. An issue humans probably wouldn't face?” Oh, definitely. “I see.”

 

“It's curious that you would face such a predicament so soon after the revelation of the Anti-Replicant Perk.” Shinobu said. “Perhaps it was intentional?” A question mark to indicate, 'eh, who knows?' “Yes, I suppose it is just speculation. Still, it is unfortunate to have you incapacitated this way.” Yeah, no kidding.

 

“I should go inform the group that you're alive.” Luan said. “Shinobu will be staying here with you.” Damn, if only she could move! “Er, I believe that the heart means that she loves you, Shinobu.”

 

“Argh, I can't escape!” Shinobu shrieked. “You are a deadly woman even when almost completely immobile!” Heh heh heh, victory once more.

 

**5 P.M.**

 

The crackle of the fire was the only sound present in the Parlor as Claus sat, quietly, in thought. The Anti-Replicant Perk and Rin's sudden illness had done little to ease his worries, and he'd excused himself after lunch for some alone time. Thankfully, this archive, Rin had said it belonged to her mother? It had quite a few books, and Claus was able to quiet his busy mind somewhat with, for instance, a piece on the intricacies of roller coasters.

 

The door opened, and Claus turned his head. It was Stella, looking curiously in. “Oh, hi.” She said. “I was kind of wondering where you were.”

 

“Hello, Stella. Is there something you needed?” Claus said, standing out of his chair.

 

“Not really, I just wanted to be by the fire.” Stella said. Her eyes darted away. “If that's a problem, I can-”

 

“It's not a problem at all! Go on and sit down.” Claus said. Stella sat down in another chair near him, leaned back into it, and sighed. “They are nice seats, aren't they?”

 

“Oh yeah.” Stella nodded. “Oh yeah.”

 

For a few minutes, the two of them sat in silence, as Claus continued reading about roller coasters. Really, who knew so much went into their creation? Claus had only been on one a few times as a child, but the manipulation of g-forces required was fascinating.

 

“Say, Stella.” Claus spoke up. This was a bit of an awkward subject, but Stella seemed like a good person to ask. “May I ask you a... somewhat... strange question?”

 

“Mm? Sure.” Stella said, turning her head to look at him. “What is it?”

 

“So, as you know, I am the Ultimate Principal.” Claus said, adjusting his necktie. “Naturally, this means I've been admitted to Hope's Peak based on my ability to run a student body in a fair, just, and high-quality manner. Yes?”

 

“Uh, yeah.” Stella said, raising her eyebrow. “What about it?”

 

“Now, running a student body in a fair manner means not giving greater attention to students unless they truly deserve it, not for any personal reason.” Claus said. “But sometimes I fear that perhaps I am not entirely suited for-”

 

“Oh, god, just spit it out.” Stella groaned.

 

“Is it okay for me to have crushes on girls?!” Claus shouted, louder than he meant to. He immediately turned red, and clapped his hands over his face.

 

There was silence for a few moments, and Claus looked out from between his fingers. The look on Stella's face could be best described as 'dumbfounded.' She made a few croaking noises as she attempted to find her response.

 

“Oh my god, are you serious?” Stella put her head in her hands and sighed. “You can't be serious, right?”

 

“No, I'm completely serious! It's been bothering me!” Claus said, frowning and crossing his arms. “Is it alright? Am I allowed to think that a woman is attractive while they're within my student body? Most principals are much older than their student bodies, so I don't think this is a usual issue!”

 

“You are the singular biggest dork that I have ever met.” Stella rolled her eyes and snorted. “Jesus, Claus. How do you even exist?”

 

“Well, what exactly is that supposed to mean?” Claus frowned a bit further, huffing. “I'm expressing a serious concern I have! Please don't brush me off like this.”

 

“I'm not brushing you off, god.” Stella stared him right in the face. “So, are you going to give a girl you think is cute special treatment for being cute?”

 

Perish the thought! “No, of course not!” Claus said, his eyes widening. “Being a leader means being professional. I couldn't compromise myself just because I thought someone was, well, c-cute.” Why was talking about this so awkward?!

 

“Claus, it's not embarrassing for you to get a boner.” Stella said. Claus blushed bright red and shoved his head back into his hands. Why did she have to say it that way?! “Seriously. It happens to guys your age. It's not a big deal.”

 

Hesitating, Claus began to lift himself back up again. “...Really? You're certain?”

 

“Yes, I'm certain. God.” Stella scoffed. “Weirdo. So, you have a crush on someone?”

 

“I'm... not sure.” Claus said, looking towards the fire. “I mean, I think Rin is very attractive! But I'm not certain that means being _attracted_ to her. I mean, sure, I've had a few aside glances I wasn't able to stop myself from having-” Stella began breaking down into laughter. “Why is that so funny?!”

 

“You _square,_ oh my god.” Stella giggled, having to wipe a tear from her eye. “You kill me, Claus. Why are you so scared of being attracted to people?”

 

Claus paused, and his eyes began wandering. “I- you know, I don't know, actually. Perhaps it's because I have the genes of a philanderer?”

 

Stella blinked. “You what?”

 

“Ah, well, my biological father was an American business tycoon who slept with many women, you see, it's a bit of a long story.” Claus said. “And so I suppose that perhaps I worry about my own urges because I want to honor my parents, and not turn out like him?”

 

Going silent for a moment, Stella looked down. “Oh,” she said. “That's actually a better reason than I thought. You wanna be a golden boy so your family can be proud of you?”

 

“Well, also, because I believe it's the right thing to do.” Claus said, sitting up straight and firm. “Betraying the trust of a...” He tripped over his own tongue a bit. “Of a significant other would be extremely rude of me! And I'm not sure I have the heart for, er, 'one-night stands.'”

 

Stella snorted. “Wish a guy like you had met my mom.” Claus looked quizzically at her, as he hadn't heard this story. “Oh. Uh, well, my dad cheated on my mom and divorced her all of a sudden. He stiffs us on child support payments, cause he should be paying more, and he barely ever comes to see me. He has other kids now, and I don't think he even knows I exist sometimes.”

 

“I'm so sorry, Stella.” Claus frowned, and inched in closer from his chair in sympathy. “I didn't know.”

 

“It's fine.” Stella said, her voice low and somber. “I mean, it's not fine, but it's how things are for me and Mom. I've had a long time to get used to it.” She shrugged. “I kinda envy you and your family. It's so big, and all the people there love you.”

 

“Well, yes. That's true.” Claus said. “But I really do want to be someone worthy of their love, you know? I...” He sighed. “I want, very badly, to be a good person, to be the best that I can be. Someone others can rely on, someone who can give others the push they need to do well. Someone...”

 

He trailed off, and silence reigned over the room for a moment. Some part of him didn't want to finish that statement, because it hurt his heart to say it, but he needed to. “Someone like Yayoi.” Claus said. “She wasn't perfect, but she was amazing.”

 

“Yeah.” Stella nodded. “She kinda was, wasn't she?”

 

“I wish I could have known her longer.” Claus said, his heart heavy. “She was astounding, Stella. The force she carried with her, the pride she held in her own abilities, it was so incredible. And she was kind, too; coarse, rough, opinionated, but kind, and caring, and so willing to help, so determined to save everyone.” He was quiet now, speaking lowly. “I am not the kind of man who can do that, who can force people to do his bidding, to go around loudly shouting his heart out to everyone. It's just not in my character. Even so, I wish I could have just a fragment of her strength. I wish I could have been with her for longer, to have learned from her, to have known her more. I admired her. I-”

 

A tear fell down Claus's cheek that he hadn't realized was coming. “Stella... Is it possible that I loved her? That I loved Yayoi?”

 

Stella was quiet, too. “I don't know. I think that's something you have to figure out for yourself.”

 

“Love is a curious thing, isn't it, Stella?” Claus stared into the fire. “Fleeting, ephemeral, it comes in so many forms that it's impossible to see it coming. I've seen many kinds of love blossom among my classmates, and in my family. Chihaya and Miria, Rin and Shinobu, you and Kazuya... The three pairs I've seen even here are so vastly different from each other it's incredible. But what's love for someone like me, a man whose principles have given him the title of Ultimate Principal? Can it even exist?”

 

“Wow, calm down, Shinobu.” Stella said. Oh, goodness, he was getting flowery, wasn't he? “Oh, god, I'm sorry. I know this is painful for you.”

 

“No, it's fine.” Claus chuckled. “I actually thought it was rather funny. But I simply can't deny...” He looked back down into the fire. “When my mind wanders, when I think of a lively, gregarious woman like Yayoi, or Rin, holding my hand, smiling at me, being there when I wake up in the morning, being the forward, electric energy that I'm not... My heart tightens, with both fondness and longing.” He closed his eyes. “They call me a leader. But is a leader to always lead themselves? Is the life of a leader a solitary one?”

 

“No way.” Stella said from behind him. He couldn't see her, but she sounded rather forceful. “Claus, you're... you're a really good guy. There's no way you won't find someone, somehow. I mean...” She stopped. “I did. And you're a lot... easier to love than me.” A dry, humorless chuckle. “I mean, I'm... kind of a mess.”

 

“I'm not entirely certain of the difficulty of loving you, but... thank you.” Claus said, opening his eyes again and turning back to her. “I appreciate it.”

 

“And, I mean.” Stella stammered. “You're pretty handsome, so you've got that going for you.”

 

“Ah, yes, of course.” Claus said. That comment wasn't anything new to him, but he didn't mind hearing it. “...You know, er...” He stopped.

 

“What?” Stella said.

 

“You all are the best friends I've ever had.” Claus said, gripping his necktie, but not adjusting it. “I'm very glad to have met all of you.”

 

There was a moment of silence, the fire crackling in the air. “Geez. The competition must not be very tough.” Stella snorted.

 

“I'm very serious.” Claus said. “In a way, I... it's odd, but I don't regret being kidnapped. I care greatly about all of you, and if my being your leader has caused any one of us to feel safer, more secure, then I'm glad.” He smiled. “Is that odd of me?”

 

“Oddly honest, if it's anything.” Stella said. She smiled back. “It's a wonder you're still alive with an attitude like that.”

 

“I'd rather die than compromise my way of thinking.” Claus said, earnestly shooting it forth like a bullet.

 

The two sat in silence for some time, meditating on the mood. “Thank you, Stella.” Claus said. “For listening, and for talking to me.”

 

“It's fine. Talking's about the only thing I'm good at.” Stella snorted. “You could hear more of it if you watched sports other than golf.”

 

“Golf is meditative, stoic, and elegant.” Claus said, closing his eyes and furrowing his brow sternly. “It's the thinking man's sport. It might be boring to many people, but gosh darn it I like it.”

 

“And you also think that women golfers are hot, right?” Stella snorted.

 

Wait. Hold on. Hold on hold on hold on hold on hold on hold on hold on. That women golfers were hot? Like, sexually attractive? Was she insinuating that Claus enjoyed watching golf because he liked the look of the athletes? That was ridiculous, of course, because golf was quite fun to experience, but- oh. Oh, oh goodness, was that it? Was that the answer to the question all along?!

 

Claus's eyes slowly widened as realization dawned. “Oh my god. Stella- Stella, was my mom laughing at me _because she thinks that I think that female athletes are attractive?!_ ”

 

Stella burst out laughing. “You're only now getting this?”

 

“ _Oh my god!_ ” Claus clutched his head, gripping it tightly to prevent this revelation from destroying his mind. “She's been knowingly laughing about my sexual proclivities this entire time! That's it! That's the joke! I understand the joke now!” He stood up, looking around wildly. “I understand the joke now, Stella! I get it!”

 

“Good-” Stella snorted. “Good on you, pal!”

 

A moment's hesitation led to a moment's thought, and that furthered the realization. “ _Oh my god, she's right, too!_ ” Claus shouted. “Everything is coming together all of a sudden!” He grabbed a bookcase to steady himself. “It's like I've had a revelation from on high, Stella! Everything makes sense! It all makes so much sense now! So many questions are being answered in one fell swoop!”

 

“How do you _exist?_ ” Stella cackled. She was crying now. “How does a guy this dorky _exist?_ ”

 

“ _I understand the joke now, Stella!_ ” Claus shouted, turning towards her, glee in his eyes. “Stella! Stella, I get it! I understand the joke now!” He laughed, too. “The joke makes sense now! Thank you! Thank you so much, Stella!” He ran over and gave her a hug, being sure to go under her arms. “Thank you so much!”

 

“Oh my god, Claus, it's not that big a deal, calm down.” Stella laughed under his embrace. “You dork.”

 

“You don't know how much this means to me.” Claus said. “I feel reinvigorated. I feel like a new man, Stella!” He let go. “Er, should I be-?”

 

“I don't think Kazuya will mind you hugging me, Claus.” Stella snorted. “You don't have to worry.”

 

“Oh, good.” Claus said. He picked up his book on rollercoasters and tucked it under his shoulder. “I should be off, I have things to inspect. Thank you again, Stella.”

 

“Glad I did some good, I guess.” Stella shrugged, but she was smiling. Claus walked out the door, a spring in his step.

 

**7 P.M.**

 

Hansuke pounded his fist into his desk. “ _Damn it!_ ” He cried, narrowing his eyes and glaring down at his notepad, the unwritten words there mocking him. How had he been so god damned thoughtless?! He'd been so sure of himself, so sure of his deductions, and it turned out The End had been playing him for a moron the entire time! “God _damn it!_ ” He pounded again, and then a third time.

 

'This story of ten years.' That was a phrase that The End had used in her public broadcast to the group's guardians, and Hansuke had picked it up from Gavin, who had picked it up from his parents. Of course it had taken him until now to realize what it meant. “ _Shit!_ ” He roared, grabbing his notepad and flinging it onto his bed. This wasn't the kind of mistake he usually made! What was he _doing?!_

 

In a lot of ways, his deductions hadn't been wrong. He knew that in many ways, he'd wound up being right about what was going on. But he'd gotten complacent, let his own hangups get in the way, and so he missed what was right in front of him, a sign of something horrible, a sign that The End had planted in front of him all along and he'd _missed it like a fucking idiot!_

 

Hansuke was hyperventilating now, the fear closing in on his chest like a vice grip. It was the evening of April 25th. In the worst case, he only had one day to do something about this, as the 27th was fast approaching; but the 30th wasn't far off either way, and once he was there, his number was definitely up. He sweated. Hansuke didn't know what the plan was, but he knew, he knew what 'ten years' meant. He knew-

 

He knew that ten years after his father's sin, the plan would conclude. The End would get whatever she wanted if nothing was done. Did that mean they'd all die, and it would all have been for nothing? What did she even want out of this game? What was the point? Who _was_ The End? Why did Rin Hashizawa matter so much to her? What was with this whole game, bringing together so many connected people?

 

Hansuke was in the bathroom now, leaning into the mirror and staring at himself. It was a face he'd seen many times before, but never before had he seen his own face so panicked, so fearful. He had to do something! If he didn't do something, not just him, but everyone else, all these wackos in here, they could _all_ die. He didn't know that, sure, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility at all. The End was no stranger to simple murder when it came down to it. Who was to say that even if her goals did conclude with them living, she wouldn't just murder them anyway? They could be calm and reasoned all they wanted, but the fact was that their lives were in the hands of a crazed killer, and if they kept playing by her rules, to her whims, every one of them would most likely die.

 

Right now, he had to think of something. A big play to make, a weapon he could wield against The End, a move he could make against her that would save as many people as possible. He needed something strong. They couldn't leave this area, Rin was incapacitated for who knew how long, and the deadline he'd finally seen right in front of his face was approaching far too quickly for comfort. All Hansuke ever did was ruminate, wasn't it? He just sat there and thought, thought about everything that had happened, thought as he watched the scenery go by from the side of a train car. This was it. If he couldn't think of something now, there was no way he could call himself the Ultimate Salesman. He-

 

God damn it, he didn't want to let them down. His friends, because that's what they were, wasn't it? They were his friends. They'd all been his friends. Sure, he was a bit aloof, but that didn't mean they weren't friends. And those other six, Daisuke, Yayoi, Miria, Aoto, Eriko, Wanda, they'd all died because of this bitch's plan! He had to do something to keep the rest of them from ending up like that! But what? What could one guy do, against someone with control of this massive facility, with Monokuma at her beck and call, with gatling guns everywhere ready to fill everyone full of holes? He couldn't just sit back and let it all happen! Everyone here meant too much to him to do that! He...

 

Hansuke Yasuda meant too much to himself to do that. He couldn't let himself down any longer. If his father took lives, he had to save lives, no matter what it took.

 

And that's when it hit him. The one thing that Hansuke could do. The one move that Hansuke could truly make against The End. It came to him like a flash of lightning, the idea suddenly filling his mind, as he stared at himself in the mirror, looking himself in the eyes.

 

“That's it,” he gasped. He stood up in shock. “That's it!” It was crystal clear! It was something he could do! But the question was-

 

Was Hansuke prepared to make this move? The enormity of it all suddenly struck him, the enormity of the situation, and the enormity of his idea. It was risky as all hell, and he didn't even know for certain that it would work like he thought, but he was the Ultimate Salesman. He'd find a way to make it work. That was how salesmen operated; if you didn't want something, they just had to modify the pitch until you did. Fitting a square peg into a round hole was what he was scouted for.

 

He was frightened. Petrified, even. Hansuke was shivering down to his core, but years on the road hadn't steeled him for nothing. He had to do this. He knew what he could do. He had to do this. ...No.

 

“This is _my_ answer.” Hansuke said into the mirror. “If you're listening, End... You're going down.”

 

**9 P.M.**

 

It was still dark as far as the girl could see... or rather, she couldn't see at all. The recalibration of her system after that rapid series of buffer overflows was taking longer than she'd figured. She couldn't see, but she could certainly feel; and those same hands were still here, however much later.

 

“Rin.” Shinobu said. She'd kept to her word, and stayed here the whole time. The girl wanted nothing more than to reach out and to hold her, to grab on to her from this darkness, but she couldn't. “Rin, tell me. Are you listening?” Nod. “I'm glad. I, er... Well, to be honest, this presents a bit of a unique opportunity for me. Whenever I'm speaking to you while you're awake, I get so flustered, I can hardly believe myself.” Oh geez, Shinobu, you goober. “Yes, I know, I have a keenly-honed sense of embarrassment. I know. Well, er... I thought I should take the opportunity to perhaps say something.”

 

This was curious, so the girl listened in closely. “Ah, well, first I should ask you a question, just to get it out there. I'd been thinking about it, and I found it quite odd, and I wonder what you think.” Shinobu cleared her throat. “Are you... certain that your name is Rin Hashizawa?”

 

She'd figured it out too! Oh, praise be to Robot Jesus! “Er, I'm not certain what wiggling like that means. Is your name Rin Hashizawa?” No, no! It's not! “Oh! I- I wasn't certain I was right, I-” Shinobu chuckled bashfully. “I wasn't certain what I was going to do if I was wrong. Er, so she's your... your mother, yes? Your creator?” Yes, that's right. She is. “I see. Well, I- that's an issue for when you're awake, I think. I- well, it's odd. I imagine you don't even know your own name, hm?” Nope, sure don't. “That's unfortunate for you. Very disconcerting, I'd imagine.” Oh, definitely.

 

“Mm. Well, er... For the time being, until we learn your name, should I continue calling you Rin?” Shinobu said. “Knowing how your internal monologue works, I imagine it's a bit clunky not having a name for yourself, but I'm unsure that we should rechristen you before we figure out what your real name is.”

 

Yeah, that seemed fine enough to the girl. When she woke up, she'd probably start using Rin again in her internal monologue, too, just to make things easier. She gave Shinobu the affirmative. “Alright. Well, if I may say...” Shinobu cleared her throat. “Even if I don't know your real name, I still believe I know you quite well. After all... nobody until you has followed me so persistently. For as long as you do not know yourself, I swear I will still stand by you.”

 

She made a little noise. Perhaps she was tearing up? “You are... precious to me in a way that nobody else has ever been. I've been alone for... for so long, you know. Right now, you're unresponsive, but you're there. I lost three years of my life in a void of despair, couched within my own mind, unable to speak out to anyone.”

 

There was a pause. “This is childish of me, but... you know... it wasn't just because I was afraid of vampires. The truth was, I wanted to _be_ a vampire. I wanted to be a creature of the night, flying about as a bat and living amongst the shadows. I thought, perhaps, any day now, I could awaken to my true vampiric heritage and be special, a special daughter who was above mortals like her parents. I loved them, but I... I was a callous child.”

 

This was new. The girl didn't know what she could do in this state to respond, so she just sat there. “The truth was, that when I saw my parents dead... I thought that perhaps- perhaps it had been _me._ That perhaps it had been me, turning into a monster, that had ruthlessly killed and devoured my parents. You remember I said I bit the staff in the mental hospital, yes? That was why. Some part of me thought that I was a soulless, blood-sucking monster, and that I had to feed when I could; and with my consciousness so sublimated, there was little I could do to stop myself. And- Even now, years later, that fear is still with me, the frightening mental images my psyche conjured up of tearing people open for their lifeblood. When I fall deep into the pits of fear, I can see nothing else, only myself as a beast, a beast with the uncontrollable urge to kill.”

 

No! That wasn't true! Shinobu was no monster, the girl knew that; Shinobu was a kind, caring soul who loved others. There was no way she was any kind of monster!

 

A muscle tightened. Shinobu gasped. “Rin!?” She'd flexed her hand, and gripped Shinobu's hand in hers ever so slightly tighter. No. You aren't a monster, Shinobu. I love you. Stay with me. Please.

 

Shinobu hesitated for a moment before continuing. She leaned her head down to their bound hands, and grabbed the tangle with her other. “Thank you,” she said. She was definitely crying. “Thank you so much. I... I love you. And I swear- I swear to you- I won't look away any longer. I won't be afraid of your promise. I... I have to stay alive, until the day your real name can grace my lips, and the two of us can hold each other and truly know each other. And... I can teach you about mystery, and what it is about it that I love so. I can show you so much that I've never shown anyone before. I won't-” She sniffled. “I won't let you down.”

 

Yeah, the girl thought. Me too.

 

**11 P.M.**

 

Gavin couldn't sleep. He just felt antsy for some reason, and he wasn't sure why. He'd tossed and turned in his bed for half an hour and just wasn't getting any sleep.

 

Nothing today had sat right with him. First the Anti-Replicant Perk came along, and then Rin fell unconscious. Jun hadn't left his room all day since the weapons roundup; Gavin had checked every hour on the hour until the nighttime announcement, but the door had never budged, and he hadn't responded. Gavin didn't have a way of getting in to check on the little guy, so he'd had no choice but to let it stay that way, but it all just felt so _weird._

 

“Ugh.” Gavin said to himself, walking out of Source Hall. “What's a Gav to do at a time like this?” Despite his trust in his friends, he felt oddly like there was a specter that could jump out at him at any time from any corner; some weird wad of tension had lodged itself in his mind and wouldn't leave.

 

Frankly, a lot of it probably had to do with Jun. Suddenly locking himself in his room for an entire day was a downright bizarre thing to do after he'd made such social progress in the last week or so. What was going on in his mind? It frightened Gavin to realize that he just didn't know. He didn't know what he was supposed to do at a time like this. Gavin was very much not in a state of hakuna matata.

 

The dim light of the Archive in Abilene did little to assuage his worries. He leafed through the books. “Oh, trip, man!” Deep in the back, he pulled a copy of Shinobu's _Butterfly_ off the shelf. Had that always been there? Well, he hadn't really looked very closely in here before, so he wouldn't have known. This book had haunted him for some time, so he might as well take it with him.

 

Pacing about tended to help Gavin work through his thoughts, so pace he did. He wound up heading to the Aquarium, and staring at some fish for a while. They were sure nice fish. So peaceful, too, even though their home blew up a while ago; but, well, water under the bridge... heh, water.

 

Gavin paced, and he paced, and he paced. Eventually, he wound up leaving Abilene Hall. This antsiness wasn't leaving him, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. Up the stairs he went, then. He climbed up to the second level, and then realized, hey, conversation might help.

 

“Yo, Claus.” Gavin waved up from halfway between the second and third floors. Claus was guarding the stairway further up, a sheathed, golden practice sword in his hand. “What up?”

 

“Oh, Gavin?” Claus said, turning towards Gavin and raising an eyebrow as Gavin ascended up to the third level. “What are you doing up?”

 

“Couldn't sleep, dude. Got ants in my pants.” Gavin shrugged and sighed. “Do you got, like... a bad feeling?”

 

“Well, today's been a good day for me, mostly, but yes, today has felt a bit ominous.” Claus said. “With so many people out of commission, it's been very quiet, and I'm uncertain what to make of it. Are you doing alright?”

 

“Mmnah.” Gavin shrugged, shaking his head a bit. “Gav's all wacked out. Trip, man, it's eleven and I'm up here, no way I'm doing good.” He sighed, deeper this time. “Worried about J.”

 

“He still hasn't left his room?” Claus's eyes widened. “What in the world is happening today? This is all so... _bizarre._ ” He adjusted his necktie with the hand that wasn't holding the sword.

 

“Preaching to the choir, my dude.” Gavin said, casting his eyes downward. “Preaching to the choir.”

 

“I think I might not be able to go right to sleep either.” Claus said. “It's bad of me, but I might need to sleep in a bit tonight. I think once I'm done here, I'll head to the Archive and read for a bit.”

 

“Kay. Don't stay up too late, eh, my man?” Gavin smiled. “Now, me, I'mma slide down to Campbell and sit in the Bar. Maybe take a drink or two of Dice's shochu. Man...” He sighed again. “I miss that guy.”

 

“Well, drink responsibly, and don't stay up too late yourself.” Claus said. “We wouldn't want our Ultimate Buddy to have an Ultimate Hangover!” The two of them chuckled a bit.

 

“Oh!” Gavin suddenly remembered something. “Yo, Claus, by the way, that joke about the horse? Real chain-puller! It's hecka outrageous, my dude. I'm totally bustin' it out at my next party.”

 

“Aha, I knew it was a good one!” Claus smiled proudly, one hand on his hip. “I'm glad I could help! Be safe, Gavin.”

 

“Happy travels, cowboy!” Gavin waved, and headed back towards Campbell Hall. Passing by a few forklifts who were taking a nap for the night, he headed into the Bar. The cheerful jingle of the bell, and a bit of automatic mood music in the background, belied the fact that this place was now a ghost town. Nobody had visited the Bar since Daisuke's death, and the very beginnings of dust were starting to gather. It was a damned shame.

 

Gavin sat right up at the bar, of course, seating himself and his book before going to grab a drink. As he did, though, he noticed something curious. He'd certainly _thought_ nobody had come in, but somebody had taken a single bottle, missing from the rack. Who it was, though, and why, he hadn't the foggiest. It was a mystery for the ages; who else in the group had wanted to get a bit trashed?

 

Either way, though, it was now Gavin's turn. “Cheers!” He shouted, once he had a full glass, and drank. Mm. This was good shochu. Damn shame.

 

Why _was_ he _this_ concerned about Jun, anyway? The thought occurred to him that he had barely worried about the unconscious Rin all day in favor of worrying about Jun, which seemed a bit out of character for him. After all, Gavin loved everyone. To the Ultimate Buddy, everyone was equally special, y'know?

 

 _Gavin, honey._ His mother had said to him once. _I know you're the Ultimate Buddy, but if everyone is special, doesn't that mean nobody's special?_

 

It was a weird comment, and it was weird even now. It wasn't true, either. Everyone being special meant everyone was special, in their own way. Every single one of Gavin's friends was a priceless treasure. That was just how Gavin worked. Always had been.

 

Gavin stared into his glass. His reflection stared back at him. Its eyes were strained.

 

* * *

 

**12 A.M.**

 

**The end of Day Seventeen...**

 

**...and the beginning of Eighteen.**

 

  


There was a knock on the girl's door. That was odd. Who could be coming to the door at this hour? “Ah, I'll get it.” Shinobu said. She opened the door. “Hansuke? Whatever could be the matter?”

 

“We need to talk.” Hansuke said. His voice sounded deathly serious. “Right now.”

 

“What in the world could necessitate-?” Shinobu asked.

 

“Look. When I say right now, I mean _right now._ This absolutely, positively, cannot wait, Shinobu. Come with me right now. I need to talk to you, outside.” Hansuke said. He was talking more quickly than usual. What in the world was going on? Why was he so flustered?

 

“Er... Alright.” Shinobu hesitated, but agreed. “I'll be back in just a moment, Rin.” And the door closed behind her.

 

* * *

  


And time passed.

 

* * *

  


And more time passed. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Something was almost certainly wrong. She needed to go check what was going on, right now. What did Hansuke need from Shinobu? What was going on? Why couldn't she move her body yet?! Come on! Three buffer overflows in a row wasn't that big a deal! She needed to move!

 

* * *

  


Monokuma was awoken by the sound of his smartphone, rolling out from under his covers. “Rassafrassin, sure. At least I got sleep during the day.” He flipped it on to see what the big deal was. “A Monokuma Note? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized entirely within Compound VK? Damn it, who's dying this time?”

 

He opened it, to read the stated conditions. And he read them.

 

And he re-read them, just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

 

Then he read them a third time, unable to believe what he was seeing.

 

“... _What?_ ” He said, barely even able to process it. The optic sensor behind his bat wing eye widened its viewing radius. “This is- no way.” His paws shook while holding the smartphone, and it dropped to the floor. “You've gotta be kidding me!”

 

* * *

  


Fuck whoever even thought of the idea of a buffer overflow! The warnings that she was only mostly done repairing herself could go fuck themselves, too! She had to move! This stupid piece of shit body should “just hurry up and MOVE!”

 

Rin launched out of bed, panting. It only took her a second to re-adjust to the world of sight, the lights still on in her room. She didn't have time for this. She didn't even know what time it was. She had to leave. She burst open her door, and ran immediately into Yashiro, exiting his room too. “Augh!”

 

“Oh, Rin!” Yashiro hardly even flinched. “You're awake! Whatever is-?”

 

“No, no, no, are you coming out for guard duty?!” Rin shouted, her antenna waving wildly. When Yashiro nodded, her fear only increased. That meant that it was 3:30 A.M. “There's no time for this, we have to go!” She started booking it past him.

 

“Why, what happened?” Yashiro said. Before Rin had time to explain, she'd reached the door to the Housing Suite, and she flung it open-

 

and stopped cold.

 

“W-what...?” Yashiro said from behind her. The stark white Housing Suite had been doused red with the unmistakable sight of bloodstains. A medium-sized pool of blood sat in the center of the room, to their left, and there were a few bloodstains on the door to Spare Hall, as well. “What in the world?!”

 

“Oh god, oh god, oh god...” Rin couldn't stop her teeth from chattering. “Come on, we have to hurry and find them!”

 

“Find who?!” Yashiro said, understandably panicked.

 

“Shinobu and Hansuke left my room a few hours ago and they haven't come back!” Rin said, her antenna swirling around with her towards the door to the Stairwell. “We don't have time for this! We have to go!”

 

“Right!” Yashiro said, following right behind. The two of them bolted up the Stairwell, only to be stopped cold again at the third floor. The stairs up to the fourth level were soaked, about halfway up, in a wash of wet, blue paint, with a set of footprints leading up them. On the floor, there was-

 

“ _Luan!_ ” Rin cried, running up to the Masseuse, laying flat on the floor. He was unconscious, and the golden sword was clutched tightly in his hands. She checked his pulse. “Oh, thank god, he's alive! Why is Luan unconscious?!”

 

Yashiro pointed towards something under Luan's right shoulder. It was a scorch mark on his scrubs. “It might be evidence that he was electrified.”

 

“Wha- _electrified?_ ” Rin said, her eyes widening. “Then that means-!”

 

“Hansuke's Anti-Replicant Perk.” Yashiro nodded, his voice low and grim. “He, or someone holding it, must have dodged past Luan's sword and knocked him unconscious.” He looked towards the paint. “What in the world is that, though?”

 

Rin stood up, leaving Luan for now, and looked at the footprints. The imprint left in the size were of worn loafers, reasonably large, so... “These are Hansuke's footprints. He went up here!” She gritted her teeth. Going up to the fourth floor at night could only mean-!

 

Yashiro kneeled down in front of the paint. “Use me as a stepping stool to jump past the paint! We want to be sure we maintain it in case of emergency.”

 

“Right!” Rin said, sweat pouring down her forehead, as she ran, jumped onto Yashiro's back, and jumped halfway up the staircase, past the paint. Yashiro then threw her a rope. “Pull you up with this?”

 

“Exactly!” Yashiro nodded. Bolting up the stairs, Rin did just that, sending the rope over the side and tying it to the banister. The rope was remarkably sturdy, and soon, Yashiro had gotten up, as well. “Good work!”

 

The two of them flung open the door into the Playroom of Barnsley Hall, which was in chaos. Several objects were knocked over or off-balance, and in the center of the room-

 

“ _SHINOBU!_ ” Rin shrieked, running towards her girlfriend sat smack dab in the middle of the room, face-down. She could see the beginnings of bloodstains on the side of her dress, and her heartbeat was so loud it felt like it was about to explode. No, no, no, no, no, this couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening! She knelt down and flipped Shinobu over, and gasped in shock- Shinobu's front was _soaked_ in blood, from the front of her dress to her hands to around her mouth, it was all just awash with red. “No no no no no no!” She felt like she was flying away, like nothing was real, like this was all just a bad dream-

 

“Rin, calm down!” Yashiro had run up beside her. “She's breathing, and she isn't wounded.” His voice yanked her back into reality, and beneath the blood, she saw the slight movement of Shinobu's chest, and her eyes began to slowly creak open.

 

“Hm...m?” Shinobu mumbled. “Rin? Is that... you?” Her eyes closed again, and her lack of movement told Rin she was still very out of it.

 

“Oh thank god, you're alive!” Rin put her down. “Sorry, I'll be back in a bit!” With Shinobu safe, if bloodied, Rin advanced onward, Yashiro right behind her. There was still one more person missing, the biggest wild card; Hansuke.

 

“What in the world is going on here?!” Yashiro shouted, running behind her through Barnsley Hall. “This is insane!”

 

“You're telling me!” Rin said. They looked in the Studio, the Classroom, Pocket Circuit, everywhere, wind blowing in Rin's face as she hurried, until finally, there was only one room remaining. The Chapel.

 

“If we open that door, we could be face to face with the mastermind.” Yashiro said, standing cautiously in front of the door. “This is very dangerous.”

 

“You and I both know we have to go in here.” Rin said. “It's the only place he could be at this point, and if he's not here, then he must've already taken the Denouement Perk. Ready?”

 

“Absolutely!” Yashiro nodded. He was always pretty reliable, if you asked Rin.

 

“Okay.” Rin opened the double-doors, to see-

 

Rin

 

opened

 

the double-doors

 

to see-

 

_rin opened the double-doors to see-_

 

Ding, dong, ding, dong. “A body has been discovered!” Monokuma called out. “Everyone, please head to the Chapel. Watch out for the paint on the stairs! The first to the scene set up a rope, so use it!”

 

In the center of the Chapel, right up front, beneath the visage of the archangel Michael, a dead body was laid on the ground, in between the pews. The body was pierced three times, by a javelin through the sternum, a claymore through the stomach, and a trident through the pelvis, each one running into the ground below. The skin beneath was slightly shriveled, as though it were a mummy's skin. As if that weren't enough, the body's face had been smashed in, bits of brain matter visible from inside the crushed skull, leaving the face completely unrecognizable.

 

But Rin recognized him. The coat was unmistakable, as were those brown loafers. And the biggest, strangest thing about the corpse of Hansuke Yasuda, the Ultimate Salesman-

 

was that there was hardly any blood at all.

 

From behind, there was a scream. “No... No! I'm _sorryyyyyyyyyyy!_ ” Shinobu screamed. And right behind Rin, she slumped back into unconsciousness.

 

“...what?” Rin gasped.

 

**Ten students remain.**

 


	45. Monokuma Theater 7

 

Reiko stood up in a panic. “I'm sorry, could- sir, could you repeat that?”

 

“Hm? Sure.” That was Mr. Ken Uesawa, community manager from the Oborozuka Shopping District, in the country town from which Shinobu Koshimizu hailed. “Well, Shinobu's parents died about ten years ago, on April 27th, so it'll be ten years in just a day or so. And then, a few days after that-”

 

Just a few, short minutes later, it was right there, in a record of murders from 2186. Ryotaro Hashizawa, brutally murdered and drained of his blood on April 30th, 2186, left behind a wife, Uchiko Hashizawa, and one daughter, Rin Hashizawa. His daughter was in the same first grade class as the first bereaved, Shinobu Koshimizu.

 

Her cell phone rang. “Reiko.” It was Natsuhi. “There's another Monokuma Theater.”

 

“Who?” Reiko said. Her voice was deader than she ever liked to speak, but she couldn't take her attention off of the words on the page.

 

“Hansuke Yasuda, the Ultimate Salesman.” Natsuhi said. “He's Boy Q, and the narrator says it was because he couldn't find anyone else to fit Q. And there's an Unidentified Girl X here, too.”

 

Despite herself, Reiko began laughing. “Of course,” she laughed. “Of course! Of _course_ she would be Unidentified Girl X!” 

 

It was early morning of the 26 th of April, and the 30 th wasn't far away.

 


	46. Day 18, Part 1 - Kill Command

 

Ding, dong, ding, dong. “I know I just said it, but I figure some of you are still waking up, so I'll say it again. A body has been discovered! Head to the Chapel in Barnsley Hall, everyone! Use the rope up to the third floor if you don't want to disturb some evidence, aaaand someone wake up that big lump on the stairs, would you?”

 

Was he saying this was real? That _this_ was real? It couldn't be, could it? This was so far beyond the pale it had to be some kind of joke, or perhaps Rin was seeing things. That seemed more likely.

 

Two pairs of footsteps came up behind Rin and Yashiro. “Holy crap, it's Nobe! Nobe, you alright?!” That was Gavin. “Rin, Yashiro, what's the deaaaaaaaa _aaaaaagh?!_ ” Gavin stopped cold as he saw Hansuke's body in the gap between Rin and Yashiro. “What the _hell?!_ ”

 

A horrified shudder came from Luan's mouth, and he shook. “How could this happen? Who would do such a thing?” His face scrunched up in anguish. “Hansuke, I'm sorry!”

 

As the crowd moved slowly forward into the Chapel, there was a muted lurching sound from behind. It was Chihaya, attempting to hold back some vomit at the sight of Hansuke's mutilated body. “A-ah. Ah.” Her face was a muted visage of blank horror. “Aaaaa-aaaaah. Aaaaaaaahhhh?”

 

“We're here, what's going on?!” Kazuya said, running up from behind, Stella following closely behind. “Shinobu? Han-haaaaaAAAAAAH?!” He clutched at his head. “Aaaaaaah, aaaaaaaaa, aaaaaaaagh!” His pained shrieks began echoing off of the high ceilings. Stella wasn't even able to manage that much before shrieking in fear, a primal noise of terror ripping itself from her lungs. She slumped against the wall, frantically rubbing her arms, unable to stop herself, muttering 'no, no, no, no, no' under her breath without end.

 

“Everyone, come on!” That was Yashiro, who used his massive body to shove everyone back out into Barnsley Hall, hurrying out and closing the door. “Alright. Let's all just... take a moment. Yes?” With the sight of Hansuke's mutilated corpse out of sight, Rin's brain very slowly began to function again.

 

“Yeah sure that sounds like a pretty deece suggestion.” Gavin said, without even the slightest pause. His eyes were wide and showed no signs of being able to close any time soon.

 

“Was that... real?” Chihaya said, too shocked to move at all. She was very pale, and sweating from the exertion of holding back her own vomit, her hand on her chest, her teeth gritted.

 

“I don't wanna be here, I don't wanna be here, I just wanna wake up and it's all a dream, I just wanna go home, I wanna go home!” Stella was sobbing now, tears running down her face with no sign of stopping. “I'll never be bad again, I promise, I promise, Mom, I'll tell you everything, I promise...”

 

“Stella, please, calm down, I-” Kazuya leaned in for a hug, and grasped her underarm, but soon found himself shaking violently as well. “I-I-ah-aaaah... aaaaaahhh...” He was sobbing too, now, barely able to keep hold of her. “I wanna go home too!”

 

“Everyone, please, calm down.” Luan said. He knelt down next to the two of them, and embraced the both of them, being careful to avoid agitating Stella's arms. “It's alright. It's alright. We'll get through this.”

 

“Yeah, we...” Rin's antenna twitched as she began to have feeling again. “We need to... we need to calm down. We need to calm down.” The hallway wasn't quite built to handle eight people in such close quarters, so it was a bit cramped.

 

“Did someone say _think?!_ ” Was now really the time, Monokuma? Apparently it was, as the black-and-white bear came sauntering up through the corridor. “Hey, party people! Look alive, cause I brought you presents!” He produced a tablet from somewhere or another. “It's the fourth, brand new, piping hot off the grill, Monokuma File!” He continued to saunter all the way up to Rin, and presented it to her. “One for you!”

 

Rin blinked at him, her antenna twitching again. “Huh? What?”

 

“...What?” Monokuma said. “You know, the Monokuma File. The file I hand out whenever a dead body shows up so you can have an autopsy report to refer to for the trial's sake?”

 

“The- the _trial?_ ” Gavin shouted, his shock replaced with anger as he threw his arms wide, narrowly missing the top of Chihaya's head. “You kidding me, Kuma? A trial?! Han winds up like that and you's expecting us to investigate?!”

 

“Well, no shit, Sherlock, this is a mystery story. What are you supposed to do if you don't investigate?” Monokuma affixed Gavin with his best 'are you fucking kidding me' look. “I know Shinobu isn't the most conversational right now, on account of the whole fainting thing, but that shouldn't mean you guys lose your basic-”

 

“Shut it!” Gavin stomped his foot and barged past Rin over to Monokuma. “Listen, Kuma, I dunno what The End's got goin' on inside that kooky head of hers or nothin', but that just... it ain't cool, okay?!”

 

Monokuma sighed. “I assure you, Mr. Sakaki, you're preaching to the choir, _but_ just uh, trust me here, you're gonna want to investigate this time around.” He trailed off, looking down at his feet. “Like, really.” He twiddled his paws together. “Seriously.” He looked back up, paws clasped together. “Please?”

 

“You're _asking_ us to investigate?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark. “That's just weird. Why would you do that now of all times?”

 

“Oh, I assure you that it's not not not not not not not not not not not not not not not not not my usual MK-Brand chicanery and tomfoolery. Yup, mmhm. Absolutely.” Monokuma nodded to himself. “So seriously, take the frickin' file, Rin, you're killing me here. The rest of you sadsacks, too.” Rin took hers, and so did Gavin, though he did grunt angrily as he did. The hug broke up as the three of them took theirs, and Yashiro and Chihaya were uneventful. “Alright, I'm off, then. Got places to be and all.” Monokuma said, placing a tablet on Shinobu's face.

 

“You know I could count those perfectly, right?” Rin said. “That still came out to a negative.”

 

“Poop on you!” Monokuma growled, and then fell in a hole.

 

Stella stood up using the wall to support her, and sighed out a great deal of fear through gritted teeth. “I guess- I guess we have to. I guess...” She looked around.

 

“I just don't... believe it, myself.” Kazuya said, slowly standing up as well. “How could one of us have killed Hansuke that brutally? There's no way any of us could do that.”

 

“I do not disagree, friend.” Yashiro nodded, humming. “Perhaps Monokuma's hesitance was proof that there is something different about this case.”

 

“Here's hoping.” Rin said. “I don't think any of us could've done that, either. That's way too sadistic for any of us, y'know?” She let out a heavy breath. “Still, though. Woogh.”

 

“We do need to investigate, though.” Chihaya said. “We don't know that none of us did it. It'd be nice, but we don't know that.” The tone of her voice had shifted to the same tone she'd taken during the investigation of Miria's murder.

 

“I think that's what investigation is for.” Rin said, pounding her fist into her open palm. “We've got this, guys. I believe in us!” Then she turned away from the group to look at Gavin. “Hey Gav, you alright?”

 

“Yah, man, just...” Gavin let out a growl. “This... tha's just messed up, man. Who'd do somethin' like that to Han? He didn't hurt nobody. It ain't cool.”

 

“I think this is the angriest I've ever seen Gavin.” Kazuya said, and Rin didn't disagree, with either of them. Gavin was right to be mad. Killing Hansuke was bad enough, but mutilating him to such a degree was beyond the pale.

 

It was odd to think that Hansuke was even gone. He was always such a presence in the group, and had led them to so many deductions, and had helped her on so many occasions. Even if he could be coarse, and selfish, and self-destructive, he had a good heart, and he really did care about everyone here. There was no reason, no reason at all to disrespect him in such a way. But... he'd told her, hadn't he? That he might not always be there, and that if he died, it was up to her to pick up the burden, and save her friends.

 

She would _not_ let him down.

 

**Let us investigate the night for pleasure!**

 

Without a word, seven Monokuma Files flicked on in unison. Macabre as it might've been, the group was no stranger to the process by now.

 

_The victim is Hansuke Yasuda, the Ultimate Salesman. He died during the early morning of Day Eighteen. The victim's body was found with its skull crushed in, and was impaled in three different locations by various weapons. In addition, his body was drained of large quantities of blood._

 

_A Monokuma Note was sent in regarding this death._

 

“Drained of blood?” Stella stared, mouth agape, at the Monokuma File. “They shriveled him up like a raisin? What the fuck?”

 

“Yeah, heck if that ain't wunna the sickest things Gav's ever heard.” Gavin said, grimacing at his file. “Why'd anyone do _that?_ ”

 

Rin looked up from her file, and as she did, she realized that she must be the only person who knew this information. “Uh, well... I actually can think of a connection.”

 

“What is it?” Chihaya said.

 

Rin scrunched her eyes for a moment, hoping Hansuke would forgive her for this. “Well, Hansuke's father... he was- he was a serial killer.” The reaction was about what Rin expected; looks of shock flooded the room. “They called him the Vampire Killer, and he killed his victims in really brutal ways and drained them of their blood. So, I guess maybe the culprit knew about that and killed him in a way like his father did?”

 

“I never knew...” Gavin gritted his teeth. “Han... man, izzat why his folks kicked him out?! Poor dude!” He hunched over, downcast.

 

“How do you know that, Rin?” Luan said.

 

“Ah, well, um...” Rin looked over at Shinobu's unconscious body. Oh, _really_ forgive me for this, Shinobu. “Because the memory he lost was of a girl, the daughter of his father's first victims, and they... well, they were Shinobu's parents.”

 

Chihaya squeaked, her hard visage breaking. “Oh, god, that must be why-” She quivered, looking a bit like a frightened mouse. “I should've known better! How could I do that?” She closed her eyes and knocked herself on the head a bit.

 

“I think you're fine, Chihaya. You couldn't have known.” Kazuya said, going over and patting her on the back.

 

Taking a few deep, fast breaths, Chihaya steadied herself. “Okay, I'm fine, I can apologize later.” She stood up straight again, and the ice was back. “Who knew about this?”

 

“Um, as far as I know, just me, Hansuke, and Shinobu.” Rin said. “I definitely never told anyone, and I really doubt Shinobu or Hansuke would've, either, since it was really personal.”

 

“So, you, Yashiro, and Shinobu were the first ones to discover the body, right?” Kazuya said. “And Shinobu fainted when she saw it?”

 

“Not quite, unfortunately.” Yashiro said, frowning. “As I recall, the sequence of events went like this; at 3:30, I left my room to begin guard duty, but Rin burst out of her room in a panic. The two of us left Target Hall together, and discovered bloodstains in the main hall of the Housing Suite. Ascending the stairs, we found Luan, unconscious in front of the stairs, and the stairs covered in that odd blue paint, with Hansuke's shoeprints in it. Using the real super power of teamwork, Rin and I ascended to the fourth floor, where we found Shinobu, unconscious and covered in blood, in the Playroom... and then Hansuke, dead in the chapel.”

 

“Hold on, Rin, why were you leaving your room at 3:30 in the morning?” Stella raised an eyebrow.

 

“Well...” Rin sighed, and her antenna drooped. “A bit after midnight, Hansuke came to my room while I was still unconscious- oh, but I could still hear things, so that's how I know what happened. He needed to talk to Shinobu really urgently, and so she left with him, and didn't come back. I was only able to make my body move at that point.”

 

“That's very important information.” Chihaya said, nodding her head and rubbing her chin. “So the last time Hansuke was seen alive... or heard alive, as the case may be, was roughly midnight? Nobody else here saw him?”

 

“Er, actually, I did.” Luan raised his hand. “I believe it was 12:15. Hansuke ascended the stairs to meet me, and...” He frowned, and his brow furrowed. “I... wasn't able to stop him from heading to the fourth floor. He dodged my disabling blows and struck me with his Anti-Replicant Perk, rendering me unconscious.”

 

After a moment's silence by the group, Gavin waved his hand. “Yo yo yo, hold up, Lou. Han wanted up here so bad he'd knock you out?” He sputtered a bit. “For what?”

 

“Well, probably the Denouement Perk.” Rin said, her antenna spiking. “That's the only reason I can think of.”

 

The air grew cold again as Stella said, “But doesn't that mean Hansuke was going to kill someone himself?”

 

“We don't necessarily know that as of yet.” Yashiro said. “It is definitely one possibility. The question on my mind, though, is thus; what happened to Shinobu in the time between her leaving the room, and Hansuke ascending the stairs?”

 

“There's also the paint to consider.” Chihaya said. “That stairwell is the only way up to the fourth floor. Luan, was Hansuke the one who spilled the paint?”

 

“He did have a can of paint with him.” Luan nodded. “It seems likely that he did spill it on the stairs, but I have no idea why he would do that.”

 

“So, if the paint was spilled immediately, that means that only Hansuke walked up the stairs?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “Well, I guess it means that after the paint was spilled, only Hansuke walked up the stairs, at least.”

 

“Wait, but how did Luan fall unconscious in the first place?” Stella said, frowning. “There's that rule against falling asleep-”

 

“Hi yes hello, c'est moi, c'est moi.” It was Monokuma again, sauntering down the corridor like he'd never left. “What's this? A rule clarification? Well, ain't that just what I'm good for! The rule only counts 'going to sleep.' It never says anything about being knocked unconscious by someone else. It only really matters if you zonk out on your own.”

 

“Do any of these stupid rules even matter at all when it would be important?” Stella sighed, rolling her eyes, and turned away from him.

 

“While you're here, I have a question regarding the Monokuma Note.” Chihaya said. Her gaze somehow froze over even colder when she looked at Monokuma. “You haven't been completely honest to us about its features.”

 

“Say what?” Monokuma began... sweating... and tugged on his non-existent collar. “Me? Be somewhat dishonest? Why, I never!”

 

“What do you mean, Chihaya?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark.

 

“In Miria's case, you delivered Wanda's note to me yourself, despite your not being supposed to interfere with murder trials. There's no reason you'd do that unless it was part of the Monokuma Note, especially since you were almost as mad as I was about Miria's death.” Chihaya said. “So, my assumption was that Wanda used the Monokuma Note to have you do that. Am I wrong?”

 

Monokuma whistled. “Man, you're pretty sharp. Are you sure you shouldn't be the detective here instead of Rin?”

 

Chihaya spat, and looked away to disguise a blush. “As if I could do something like that. Being in the center of attention once was bad enough, and I wasn't able to figure out Aoto or Daisuke's cases, either. Answer the question.”

 

“So, here's the thing. I wasn't technically lying, just not explaining all the technicalities of the rules.” Monokuma said. “Haha, you know me, classic killing game fare, right? Here's the deal. There's an implicit 'After the trial of yadda yadda' there, you know, specifying who exactly you kill. But if you write it yourself, you can say things like, f'rinstance, 'After the trial for the death of Miria Hayashi, which involves Chizuru Inoue being delivered a fake suicide note,' and then I'll carry that out. Nothing that actually interferes with _investigation,_ though. Once the body discovery announcement goes off, my work's done no matter what.”

 

“Hey, hold on!” Kazuya said, his eyes widening. “If that's the case, then someone could use the Monokuma Note to make an impossible-to-solve crime, couldn't they?”

 

“Nah, we're good there.” Monokuma said, waving his arms in some kind of hula gesture. “The system automatically sanity-checks itself to ensure that whatever the author is commanding me to do doesn't make the crime impossible to solve, so basically I'm just a varnish. And besides, would I do something that made the game really _unfair_ for you guys?”

 

“Lies of omission give the game master an unfair advantage.” Luan said, frowning.

 

“Eh, depends on your perspective, Monokuma shrugged.” Monokuma shrugged. “So, I know what you're going to ask next, because it's an obvious question, and the answer is...” He pulled out some drumsticks and started tapping the floor for a few moments.

 

“Dude, get on with it.” Gavin glared. “We ain't got all day!”

 

“No!” Monokuma said, splaying his arms wide in his little Olympic athlete pose. “The Monokuma Note this time didn't contain anything I needed to carry out, it was just about the status of the target.”

 

“Well, that's good to know.” Rin said. “Thanks.”

 

“No problemo, mi amigo. Anyway, I actually came around to inform y'all that our mutual friend Jun has been angrily swearing at the stairs for about five minutes now, and I think if someone doesn't come down to help him, he might hurt himself trying to get up them himself.” Monokuma said. “So, yeah.”

 

Gavin's eyes went wide, and he pushed in his Hasselhoff. “Aw, trip, man, I completely forgot about J!” He sweated. “I gotta go get him!”

 

Yashiro threw his arm in front of Gavin to stop him. “No, I believe it should be me in this case, friend. I am faster, after all!” He laughed. “I'm certain of my ability to assist Jun up the rope, as well. Be back as soon as possible!” He bolted off.

 

His brow furrowing, Gavin sighed. “Where's Claus, too? It's kinda weird he ain't here, ain't it?”

 

“He could just be asleep.” Kazuya said. “He is very sleepy.”

 

That was odd, but Rin had to inspect the body as soon as possible, so she stepped forward to the door. “I'm gonna go in and look at Hansuke. Does anyone wanna come with me?”

 

Luan stepped forward as well. “Rin, please allow me to assist with your investigation this time.”

 

Rin's antenna curled. “You wanna come along this time, Lou?”

 

“I...” The Masseuse looked downcast. “I failed in my duty as a guard. If I can make up for it by assisting you with your investigation, I would like to give my best.”

 

“Yeah, of course!” Rin nodded. “C'mon, let's go.”

 

**Chapel**

 

Opening the door was an unpleasant experience, and Rin couldn't help but have her stomach lurch as she opened it to see Hansuke's impaled body on the ground. Dead bodies were one thing, but the Salesman's body had been sadistically violated to such a degree that it was almost absurd.

 

Chihaya shot past Rin and headed to the body. “Come on. We have to inspect the body.” Rin nodded to Luan, and the three of them went over.

 

As she'd seen before, Hansuke's body was impaled thrice over; by a claymore, a javelin, and a trident. “These weapons are...” Rin tapped her chin. “The claymore's from the Parlor, and the javelin and trident are from the Rec Room.”

 

“The wounds were inflicted post-mortem, without a doubt.” Luan said. “I believe his head was crushed post-mortem, as well.” He grimaced.

 

“It's possible it was in order to disguise the cause of death.” Chihaya said, having moved over to the other side of the body. “...It's true, he has been drained of blood.”

 

Indeed it was; Hansuke's skin was shriveled and dry, and there was little blood outside of residue in the open bits of his skull and body. “Yeah, this is definitely mimicking the Vampire Killer.” Rin nodded. “I can't think of any other reason they'd do this.”

 

“The question is what they did with it.” Chihaya said. “Even if they used it somehow, they'd need to have transported it in some kind of container.”

 

Luan perked up. “There are IV's in the Infirmary, along with medical drains the culprit could have used in order to drain Hansuke's blood. I took stock just yesterday, so I can tell if there are any missing.”

 

“Good thinking, Lou!” Rin gave him a thumbs up as she scanned the space between the lines. Her antenna perked. “Hold on, what's this?” She leaned in to the space just below the sternum; there was an opening cut into Hansuke's flesh. “There's a cut in his body, like he was cut open. That's weird.”

 

“Hm.” Chihaya nodded, looking over to see it herself. “We should remove the javelin and take a look, then. It might be important.”

 

Rin grimaced. “Oh, geez, that's even worse than I was expecting.” She looked down at Hansuke's dead body. “I guess I'm probably the strongest, but... I'm sorry, Hansuke!” She gripped the hilt of the lance with both hands, and yanked straight up. It took a bit of effort, but the weapon did come cleanly out; it was bloodied, but not as bloodied as it probably should have been. Rin gingerly sat the javelin down on one of the pews, and grimaced further looking at the wide gap in Hansuke's chest. “Aw god.”

 

“I can handle this.” Luan said, leaning in to open up the incision in Hansuke's chest. Rin's face scrunched up, and so she was unable to see when Luan exclaimed in surprise. “What in the world?”

 

“What? What?” Rin leaned back in, only slightly recoiling at the sight of the inside of Hansuke's chest, the residue of his blood inside his cavities and on his ribs, and... wait. Wait a second. Something was missing from this picture. “Where...” Her antenna curled several times over itself. “Where are his _lungs?_ ”

 

“That's just vile.” Chihaya shuddered. The culprit, apparently, had entirely removed Hansuke's lungs after death, leaving his respiratory system a shambles.

 

Rin found herself unable to do anything but blink in shock. “Holy crap that's gross. Was that even necessary?”

 

“It must have been.” Luan said. “Otherwise, the culprit wouldn't have done it.”

 

“But for what?” Rin said, pondering. She rubbed her chin, and gave the body one more glance over. “Hm... I don't think I see anything else on the body.”

 

“The cause of death is still inconclusive.” Chihaya said, frowning and looking away from the body. “That's unfortunate.”

 

“Well, it's possible that it was someone's Anti-Replicant Perk, right?” Rin said, her antenna twisting into a tornado shape. “Other than the sword, and the taser, and the documents, that leaves us with five; Chihaya's crossbow, Luan's needles, Kazuya's flail, Gavin's tonfa, and Jun's gun.”

 

“Those aren't the only weapons present in the facility, though.” Luan said. “But I agree. It's likely that one of them will come into play, even if not as the direct murder weapon.”

 

“We should go canvass Barnsley and Mandelbrot, Luan.” Rin said, standing up and turning away from the body. “This definitely isn't the actual crime scene, since there's so little blood, and I don't think they could drain blood that already got places.”

 

“Alright.” Luan nodded.

 

“I'll be off as well, then.” Chihaya said. “I'm going to go check the secret passages.” And then she was gone. She sure was quick sometimes.

 

On the way out, Rin and Luan saw that the entrance to the Chapel was now empty, including Shinobu. “Huh.” Rin said. “You think somebody might've taken her?”

 

“That seems likely.” Luan said.

 

**Firing Range**

 

A quick search of Crafts turned up nothing much of interest, so Rin and Luan hurried off to the Firing Range next. Over by the rack of guns was one Kazuya Okudaira, looking them over. “Kazuya! Find anything?” Rin said.

 

“Oh, no, not really.” Kazuya said, not turning around to look at them. “Stella and I decided to go look around the fourth floor for anything out of place, since, well, I'm not sure either of us can stomach looking at the body anymore. Sorry.”

 

“That's alright.” Luan said. “It is quite gruesome.”

 

Rin went up next to him and leaned in as well, to inspect the guns. “I'm not seeing anything out of place,” she said. “Doesn't look like anything's missing.” Her lips puckered as she began feeling up an assault rifle. “These things seem kind of annoying to use.”

 

“It's actually quite easy,” Luan said, and Rin turned around and blinked at him before realizing that she really, really should not have been surprised by this point. “The most important part is dealing with recoil.”

 

“Oh, while you're here, Rin.” Kazuya said, also still feeling up some guns. “Stella and I were together most of tonight, and we both fell asleep at about ten, after Stella went to go give Claus the sword.”

 

“Claus gave you the sword, right, Lou?” Rin tilted her head to one side, over her shoulder.

 

Luan nodded. “He gave it to me once my shift began.” He raised the hand that had been holding the sword and opened it wide for her to see; it was covered in glinting gold paint. “It's very messy.”

 

“No kidding.” Rin said. “Does it wash off, or are you gonna be stuck like that for ages?”

 

“I can wash it off, but I haven't had the chance.” Luan said. Rin nodded and got back to checking guns, and Kazuya murmured something about finding that oddly inconvenient.

 

“Come to think of it, Kazuya, you and Stella have given each other alibis for like, three cases in a row.” Rin said. “If I didn't trust the two of you as much as I do, I'd find it kind of suspicious.” She giggled, and her antenna curled a bit.

 

“Well, I think that close call last time is enough involvement from me, right?” Kazuya said. He sighed, his shoulders heavy. “Honestly, I've had more than enough murder cases for one lifetime. I'm probably going to have nightmares for a while after I get home.”

 

“If there's PTSD to deal with, we can get through it together.” Rin turned her head to him and smiled. “Misery loves company, or something like that, right?”

 

Kazuya chuckled. “Personally, I think it'll help if we manage to take down The End. I, uh...” He went quiet for a moment. “Can I be frank with you?”

 

“Always.” Rin said.

 

“I've never wanted to punch someone's lights out more in my life.” Kazuya said. He gritted his teeth. “I haven't even met the woman and I want to slam her head into a wall.”

 

“You know, heck, same here.” Rin said, pumping her fist a bit in commiseration. “I'd agree about the nightmares thing, but, well...”

 

“Ah, right, this is your home, isn't it?” Kazuya said, his voice lowering. “I'm so sorry, Rin. Here I am thinking about what I'm going to do after I get home, and-”

 

“No, it's fine.” Rin said. Her antenna grew a bit spiky. “I mean, naturally, I wanna wring The End's neck, because... well, she's probably stolen my life completely, but that doesn't mean I can't keep moving forward. I wanna keep thinking that I can get past this, and find something new with all of you guys.”

 

“Even trauma such as this,” Luan piped up from behind, “can lead to new opportunities, doors opening which would not open otherwise. It's likely we will all find a new path in life that we could not have without this experience.”

 

“You know what? I like that.” Rin nodded, standing up from the wall of guns and turning back to Luan. “I'm gonna roll with that.” He inquired to her with a raise of the eyebrow, and she shook her head sadly. There was nothing, so far as she could tell, that was out of place with these guns. Even if one of them had been used, the culprit had managed to cover their tracks pretty soundly. “Ugh, that's a bunch of time lost, though.”

 

Just then, the door to the room opened, and Stella came in, calling out, “Kaz! There's something kind of... oh. Hey.” She stopped in her tracks when she saw Rin and Luan. “You come too.”

 

**Pocket Circuit**

 

It wasn't a long walk by any means, as Rin, Luan, and Kazuya all followed Stella to, of all places, the Pocket Circuit room. “What are we doing here?” Rin said, tilting her head to one side.

 

“It's back here.” Stella said, stepping past the seats and the track to get to the closet in the back. The closet was compact and dim, but very clearly delineated, with obviously marked areas on a number of shelves for specific pieces of constructing a remote-controlled car, and a storage area for already-constructed cars. Rin recognized her R-8 Copernicus in the pile; she'd put a lot of work into that thing, and the little name wordplay with the number eight, 'hachi,' and her name, 'Hashizawa,' made her grin when she came up with it. Of course, the construction of it didn't hold a candle to her masterwork, the Homunculus, which she dearly hoped The End hadn't gotten completely rid of. There was Yashiro's Grand Papillon, and Jun's Manifest Destiny, too. Three cars in total... wait a second.

 

“Where's Hansuke's?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark, counting again just to make sure. “The Dusty Highway is missing.”

 

“There aren't any highways down here that I know of.” Luan said. Then he paused. “Oh, is that the name of a car?”

 

“Yeah, Hansuke made it.” Rin said. “Its airtime is pretty weak, but it's really fast on straightaways. It's a pretty good car, honestly.”

 

“Why would it be missing, though?” Kazuya said, crossing his arms and humming. “It's... just a remote-controlled little car, right?”

 

“I'll think about it, but she usually figures these things out.” Stella said, patting Rin on the shoulder as she left the closet. Rin chuckled, feeling the pressure a bit.

 

“So, you two never left each other's sights?” Rin said, after they'd all left the closet. “Well, I mean, other than going to sleep.”

 

“Yeah.” Stella nodded. “Oh, uh, in case it's important, though, we were in my room, not his.”

 

“Why were the two of you in there?” Luan said. “You weren't feeling ill, were you, Stella?” Kazuya said 'no!' at the same time Stella said 'yes,' and then the two of them turned and stared at each other. “Um.”

 

“Withdrawal symptoms again.” Stella said. She grimaced. “Of all the times, right? I could _seriously_ go for some ice cream now. I've had a craving for _weeks._ ”

 

“Oh, yeah, I totally know that feeling!” Rin's antenna spiked, and she nodded firmly, putting her hands on her hips and going as rigid as possible. “Ice cream craving is powerful and painful, especially when you're going through a hard time. You have my greatest sympathies!”

 

Stella chuckled, but then she stopped, and looked at the group oddly. “Why are we talking about ice cream if we just saw a dead body?”

 

“That's normal.” Luan said. “In my experience, at least. We're talking like this to help keep our minds off of the fear. I'm glad we have rapport like this.” He smiled.

 

“Wait, your 'experience?'” Stella said, raising her eyebrow. “With what?”

 

“Being kidnapped and put into deadly games like this.” Luan said, completely nonchalantly, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Rin started blinking rapidly, Stella started sputtering, and Kazuya started waving his hand around to grasp at words. “What?”

 

“You- you- you-” Stella's face was a cross between shock, anger, and sympathy. “You've-”

 

“You have _experience_ with _death games?!_ ” Rin shouted, leaning in, her antenna pointing so far that it almost touched Luan's face. “ _ **What?!**_ ”

 

“Er, only one.” Luan blushed a bit and looked away. “I'm by no means an expert.”

 

“Given the situation, I think being in two makes you an expert, Luan.” Kazuya's voice was low, baffled.

 

“It was not very much like this one at all, though.” Luan said. “There were no class trials, or Monokuma, or things like that. If you're curious, I can explain later.”

 

“Uh, _yes,_ I think that we're all very curious!” Rin said. “Is- okay, this is just a guess, but did you forget something about... the... the previous death game you were in?” Luan nodded. “And you thought it wasn't related?!”

 

“Well, not to this, at any rate.” Luan said. “I forgot the name and appearance of someone who escaped the game alongside me, but nobody else brought forth any thoughts about that incident, and that person didn't have an antenna like yours. I remember that very clearly. Therefore, it could not have been you, yes?”

 

That last bit snapped something in Rin's brain, and she began laughing, first quietly, but eventually the peals of her laughter were so furious that she was no longer able to stand, pounding her fist on the floor, crying tears of mad mirth. Didn't have an antenna! That was a riot! Fantastic! That was just _great!_ “I-I'm sorry, are you okay?” Luan knelt down, his dismay clear from his open-mouthed frown and furrowed brow. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Oh, you're- ahaha, you're fine, honestly I should've seen something like this coming!” Rin said, wiping a tear from her eye. “ _Ahhhhh,_ that's a good one! Didn't have an antenna!” She stood up, and slapped her knee. “That's a real killer one!”

 

“Er, I'm sorry.” Luan was at that hesitant distance, where he clearly wanted to get closer, but felt like he shouldn't. Kazuya and Stella kept quiet, stuck between concern and complete befuddlement.

 

“Ah, it's fine. For now, I'll just say I have a good idea how it's connected, and we can talk about it later, okay?” Rin said, smiling and putting her hand on Luan's shoulder. “I'm not mad, don't worry.”

 

“Oh, thank goodness.” Luan sighed, visibly slumping in relief.

 

**Monokuma Studio**

 

Splitting off from Kazuya and Stella with a promise to all get together and chat about Luan's prior experience after the trial, Rin and Luan headed off to the rest of the fourth floor to finish their search. Rin had a hunch, and so the two of them headed to Monokuma's Studio.

 

Monokuma stood at an easel, humming a frantic tune as he painted. His hips wiggled a bit, and he muttered a few remarks under his breath about the joy of painting and 'happy little coincidences.' Rin guessed he was probably feeling pretty nervous about something or another.

 

“Uh, hey.” Rin said. In response, Monokuma shrieked, draped a white cloth over the easel, and spun around.

 

“When did you get here?!” Monokuma's eyes darted back and forth. “Wh-what are you even doing in here, anyway?!”

 

“...Investigating?” Rin tilted her head to one side. Monokuma mumbled an, 'oh right,' and sighed. “What are _you_ doing in here?”

 

“I've been commissioned.” Monokuma sighed. “Figured I'd work on it while you guys investigated. I'm real stressed out, you know, and even if the work itself goes against my morals, painting helps whisk away the metaphorical nerves from my literal chest.”

 

“What are you painting?” Luan said.

 

“Can't tell you.” Monokuma said. “Confidential. You'd be really mad if you knew, anyway... and frankly, I wish I wasn't painting it, but hey, what can you do.”

 

“Not paint it?” Rin said. Her antenna curled into a question mark.

 

“Hoo boy, I wish!” Monokuma said. “Wouldn't that be nice? I'm sure my commissioner will like it, though. They usually do.” He sighed again. “Anyway, the only bit of evidence in here is that hammer over there.” He pointed to a hammer on a rack of sculpting hammers. “It's been washed off after the culprit used it to smash Hansuke's face in.”

 

Rin blinked. “Did you just directly tell us the relevance of a piece of evidence?”

 

“Yeah.” Monokuma said. “It's not like it matters much anyway. A hammer's a hammer, ain't it? And besides, it's not gonna help you figure out who the culprit is at all. Go hog wild with that one.” Luan went over to inspect the hammer, and nodded to confirm Monokuma's truthfulness.

 

“Huh. Thanks, Monokuma.” Rin gave him a thumbs up.

 

“No prob. Keep showing enthusiasm!” Monokuma said.

 

**Playroom**

 

Opening the door to the Playroom, Rin was once again struck by the great mess. Several things were knocked over, some clay having fallen on the floor, paintbrushes scattered about, blocks somehow on their diagonals, and so on. There were some slight bloodstains on the ground, in the center space cleared out seemingly for Shinobu's sake, but they were small.

 

“I checked the Playroom as I began my guard duty.” Luan said, giving it a glance across. “It was not like this.”

 

“I'm glad you have such an eye for detail, 'cause sometimes I can hardly make heads or tails of this room.” Rin said. She took in the room as a whole. “So there's this center space, of course, but... hold on.” She stood in the center, and turned to her left, gazing upon the ground in front of her. Despite first glance, while many objects were moved about, there were only traces of things being _knocked over_ around the central space, on a roughly direct path between the doors. Bits of spilled paint, and a knocked-over... puddle? Of clay. The clay, in particular, contained what looked like four small grooves in it. “Huh.”

 

“Hm? Is something wrong?” Luan said. Rin knelt down to take a look at the clay. The tracks weren't perfectly flat; they had a sort of wheel-like pattern to them.

 

“Did... somebody drive the Dusty Highway over this clay, or something?” Rin mumbled. “Huh.” She rubbed her chin. “Curiouser and curiouser, Yun. Curiouser and curiouser.”

 

“Eh?” Luan raised his eyebrow.

 

“What?” Rin's antenna curled. “Oh, the name thing? 'Lou' is kinda Gavin's thing and I felt like I was horning in on it. Is that a problem?”

 

Luan shook his head. “Ah, no, I just have a very particular friend who calls me that.” He said. “I do have to wonder how he is right now. I hope he's doing well.”

 

“Come to think of it, why _do_ we call you your surname, anyway?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “Everyone else here is on a first-name basis, usually. Just sound better?”

 

“Ah...” Luan blushed. “When I first met Claus before the game, I thought he was American. 'Luan' is easier for Americans to pronounce. It stuck on his end.” He paused. “And there were two other people with Y names. I didn't want to intrude.”

 

“Gotcha, gotcha.” Rin scanned the room once more. “So, I think somebody definitely intentionally moved stuff in here, but I don't really know why yet. C'mon, let's investigate more.”

 

**Stairwell**

 

When the two of them left the Playroom, they were greeted with the sight of one Jun Fukuyama, staring down the stairs, hunched over in his wheelchair. “Sure you want to do that?” Jun said, to someone at the bottom of the stairs.

 

“Manual labor is a Strongman's strength!” Ah, that'd be Yashiro. “I am greatly experienced in dealing with paint!” He laughed.

 

“Hey, Jun!” Rin called, walking up to him. He didn't respond. “Jun?” He still didn't respond. “HEY, JUN!”

 

“Gah!” Jun recoiled in his chair. “There's no need to yell, I can hear you, idiot!” He snarled.

 

“Sure doesn't seem like it.” Rin leaned over and gave him a tut-tutting finger gesture. “You need to pay better attention to your surroundings, Jun!”

 

Jun scoffed. “For your information, my ears are ringing at the moment. No doubt it has something to do with the bellowing beast at the bottom of the stairs.”

 

“Hello, Rin, Luan!” Yashiro said. He was holding what looked like a trowel from Woodworking, and was scraping away the paint on the stairs. “Jun posited that perhaps a secret could be hidden under the paint! I am investigating.”

 

“Oh, like, someone laid the paint to hide something?” Rin nodded. “Good idea, good idea. Lemme know if you find anything!”

 

“Will do!” Yashiro laughed from the bottom of the stairs. That was enough Yashiro for the time being, so Rin turned back to Jun, who she hadn't seen in almost an entire day.

 

“So, uh, you doing alright, Jun?” Rin said, her antenna drooping. “Sorry, I mean, I know-”

 

“You know that a murder has just been committed and therefore no, I am not 'alright,' you mouth-breathing moron.” Jun rolled his eyes. “There's no need to concern yourself with me, Rin. Worry about yourself before you worry about me.” His voice was a bit more caustic than Rin expected, given that they'd actually become friends now, but whatever.

 

“Well, I mean, have you gone to see Gavin?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “He seemed pretty worried about you. You haven't left your room all day, and stuff, I think we were all kind of worried about you.”

 

“Oh, stuff it.” Jun glared. “Anyhow, I'm sure I'll run into Gavin at some point, since that loach of a man won't leave me be.” He clicked his tongue. “He can be as excited as he wants then.”

 

“Anyway, I've been really hoping to talk to you!” Rin's antenna puffed up again. “Yun and I have been investigating, but I thought it'd definitely be a good idea to ask you about your security readout.” She looked down. “I mean, if you have it.”

 

“There's no reason to suspect Chihaya or Yashiro at the very least.” Jun said. “Our class seems to have been busy last night. Other than those two- and myself, of course- everyone else's door opened at least once.” He leered at Rin. “I am quite curious, though, how you managed to leave your room twice without re-entering it.”

 

“Huh?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark. “What do you mean?”

 

“Your room opened from the inside around midnight, and again at 3:30.” Jun said. “Judging by what Yashiro told me, I gather that you barging out of your room like an idiot was the 3:30 exit.”

 

“Oh, wait, no, don't worry, I got it.” Rin's antenna puffed. “Around midnight was when Shinobu left my room to go talk with Hansuke. I guess since she didn't wind up coming back, Monokuma must've returned my Handbook to my room or something. I didn't really think about it while it was happening.”

 

“Typical.” Jun scoffed. “You don't do much of that, do you?” His eyes were avoiding hers.

 

“Insult aside, anything else?” Rin said. “Anything would be helpful.”

 

“Hansuke never returned to his room after leaving.” Jun said. “The rest you don't get to hear.” He glared.

 

“Wait, wait, hold on.” Rin's eyes widened, and she frowned. “Jun, what happened last time you didn't show everyone your full readout? Come on, can I see it, please?”

 

“Of course not, you imbecile.” Jun shook his head and snorted, then flipped his hair and began to wheel toward Barnsley. “I left it in my room so people couldn't see it, anyhow.”

 

Luan quickly ducked in front of the door and stood in Jun's way. “Please explain. That's unusual.”

 

Jun sighed and closed his eyes. “Based on all the testimony I've heard, Shinobu is the prime suspect, and therefore I don't trust Rin as far as I can throw her. If I were to show her my record, she could easily overpower me and steal it.”

 

“H-hey, hold on!” Rin came up beside Luan, and frowned more severely, her eyebrows raised in befuddlement. “W-what do you mean, I might overpower you and steal it? Why would I do that?!” She huffed and placed her hands on her hips.

 

“You know shoving your tits in my face is a meaningless effort, right?” Jun said, in a flat monotone. “They're completely uninteresting.”

 

Rin craned her head to look at Luan. “He's totally acting weird, right?” She said. Luan nodded. “You're totally acting weird, Jun.”

 

Jun rolled his eyes and flung his hand in an exasperated gesture. “And how, pray tell, is me openly insulting you even remotely different from usual? As far as I can tell, I'm not acting any differently at all.”

 

“You seem to be in a very poor mood.” Luan said. “You're back to how you were when we first arrived. What's wrong, Jun?”

 

“I'm exasperated that it's this early and I'm awake, and that a murder has occurred, and that you two idiots are keeping me from being able to inspect the body. Do I need anything more?” Jun growled. His brow was creased, and Rin could see some dandruff he had yet to deal with in his hair.

 

“Well, I mean, yeah. You've been in your room _all day_ , Jun.” Rin looked downcast. “We're worried about you, and now you're acting cagey. I thought we were friends now?”

 

“Get out of my way, Rin.” Jun glared. His fists balled, and he gritted his teeth. “Let me inspect the body.”

 

“Is this because of the Expo or something?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “Cause I actually figured out something about that-”

 

“God _damnit_ , you sex-crazed dyke, how many times do I have to tell you to move your fat ass out of my way before you actually remember you have legs down south, too?!” Jun roared, his eyes going wide, and his fists pounding on the arms of his wheelchair. “Get _out_ of my _way_!”

 

There was a moment of silence, as Rin croaked a bit, trying to process what she'd just heard. “Jun...” She trailed off for a second. “What the fuck, Jun?” Yashiro gasped from the bottom of the stairs, and the sound of scraping paint sped up.

 

“What, do I need to repeat myself? Did you not hear me, or is it in one ear and out the other, you braindead bimbo?” Jun snarled. Despite the tension of the situation in general, Rin felt her mind beginning to slow down, as though an icicle had just been rammed into her heart.

 

“I... dude.” She looked down, and started idly twiddling her hair for lack of something better to do with her hands. “I mean, calling me stupid, that's kinda just you, but...” She fought back tears that suddenly began to well up. “That's... that's not cool, Jun. That's really not cool.”

 

“That's completely unacceptable.” Luan said, frowning at him, with a similarly surprised look on his face. “Why would you say something like that?”

 

“Why does anyone ever say anything, idiot?” Jun rolled his eyes. “I'm not apologizing, so get the fuck out of my way. It's her own fault for thinking she had anything worth saying to begin with.”

 

“That conduct is completely unacceptable, young man!” Yashiro hollered up from the staircase. “Were I not occupied, I'd finally deliver that headlock to you!”

 

“You need to apologize, Jun.” Luan frowned, and crossed his arms. “That was awful of you to say-”

 

“No. It's fine.” Rin sighed, slumping over a bit and walking out of the way of the door. “Just let him through. It doesn't matter.” Her antenna drooped.

 

“But, Rin-!” Luan said, his eyes wide with concern.

 

“It's fine!” Rin cried, looking away. “If he wants in that bad, just let him go. I guess he doesn't wanna talk.” She leaned over the railing and looked aimlessly downward.

 

“Ugh, finally.” Jun scoffed. “It's about time.” He made a shooing gesture to Luan. “Go on, get. At least one competent person needs to investigate the body before the trial.” Luan was clearly displeased by the entire affair, but stood to the side and begrudgingly let Jun through.

 

“Are... are you alright, Rin?” Luan said, coming up behind her and putting his hand on her shoulder. “I'm... I'm sorry.”

 

“It's alright.” Rin sighed, and slumped into her arms a bit. “I just thought we were friends. I guess not.”

 

Suddenly, a loud crash indicated Yashiro's arrival on the fourth level. “I've finished my work.” Yashiro said, dusting off his trowel. “Would you return this to Woodworking on your way down, Luan? I have urgent business to take care of.” He handed it to Luan, and Luan took it, nodding.

 

“Oh. What was under the paint?” Rin said.

 

Yashiro shook his head and sighed. “Not a single thing. It seems the only matter the paint caused was making Hansuke's footprints visible. How bizarre. Why in the world would he place it there?” As he began to ponder, he then started. “Ah, right. Urgent business. I must go place Jun in a headlock.”

 

“Huh? Why?” Rin said.

 

“Well, because he insulted you so badly!” Yashiro said, throwing his arms wide. “That was deeply rude and unjust, and I won't forgive such conduct towards one of my best friends. I must berate him in a manner befitting a hero of justice!” He clenched his fist, a vein of justice throbbing in it as he did.

 

Rin sighed. “Please just don't kill him.”

 

“I would never even think of it, I assure you.” Yashiro said. And he was off.

 

“C'mon, Yun.” Rin did her best to put on a smile, and pump herself up with some quick breaths. “We've gotta go investigate! Let's go check the Parlor.”

 

“Are you certain you're alright?” Luan said, his brow furrowed.

 

“Yeah, don't worry, I'm fine, it's fine, and besides, now's not the time to worry about that. We've got places to be!” Rin said, pumping her fist and her antenna. “Oh, so, while we're here, uh. So, you got the sword from Claus at about 12, when you started guard duty, and then a while later, Hansuke showed up, right? What was he like?”

 

The wrinkling of his nose told Rin that Luan didn't quite feel satisfied leaving the prior topic, but he acquiesced. “I could sense his offensive intent very quickly. He made no intent to hide it. As he arrived to the third floor, he said that he needed to get to the fourth floor, no matter what. I stood up and brandished my sheathed blade to attack him, and he sighed and said, 'I'm sorry, but you aren't stopping me,' and brandished his taser.”

 

“And... you lost, right?” Rin said.

 

“Unfortunately.” Luan crossed his arms and shook his head. “Perhaps I should have practiced kendo more. He managed a strike to my flank, which disabled me immediately. The last thing I remember is Hansuke saying, 'Sorry about this, but I have to save you guys.' before falling unconscious.”

 

“Curiouser and curiouser.” Rin said, tilting back and forth a bit. “We should really check out his room later.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This investigation wound up very long, so expect the second half sometime in the relatively near future.


	47. Day 18, Part 2 - Open the Game!

**Rec Room**

 

Their inspection of the Parlor offered scant little other than confirmation that there was, indeed a claymore missing from one of the suits of armor. Confident she had missed nothing in the room, Rin opted to begin searching downstairs instead of worrying about further into Mandelbrot, as crossing through the Ballroom would take time, and she had faith in Chihaya's ability to check the secret passages.

 

Only one room came to mind on the third floor to inspect, though, and that one room was the Rec Room, likely source of the polearms from the crime scene. Thankfully, it wasn't a particularly far walk, and Rin and Luan wound up there pretty quickly. When they opened the door-

 

“Shinobu!” Rin cried. Shinobu was standing over by the Monokuma ride, staring blankly at it. Rin rushed over and was by her side within instants, pulling her into a tight hug. “Oh, thank god, Shinobu! I was so worried about you!” She cried. “I'm so glad you're...” She stopped. Shinobu wasn't moving, or responding at all, for that matter. “Shinobu?”

 

“Sorry, dawg.” Gavin was there too, over at the little theater, inspecting the suits of armor. “Nobe ain't movin'. Gav's been trying every which way he can think of, but even, like, goin' 'Yo! Poirot beats Marple any day!' or somethin' ain't working. Like she ain't even there, man, she just kinda followin' me when I say go. It's...” He shuddered. “It's spooky, man.”

 

The front of Shinobu's dress was still soaked in blood, but Gavin had apparently at least been nice enough to clean off her mouth and hands. Seeing Shinobu's face so utterly blank whipped up a great storm of fear inside Rin's heart, but she quelled it as best she could and turned to Gavin, across the pool table. The javelin and trident-wielding armors were now empty-handed, unsurprisingly. “What's been going on with you, Gav?” Rin said.

 

“Ahh, y'know, just... lookin'.” Gavin said. He shrugged. “Just lookin' around. Using my psycho-pop inspectigation skills to give figuring out who dropped Han a whirl, ya dig?” He paused. “You seen J?”

 

Rin paused, and flinched a little bit. “We did.” Luan said. “He's acting strangely, and was much crueler than usual. Do you have any idea why that could be?”

 

Gavin blinked, and then slumped over. “Aw, dang it. J's _relapsing?_ No, no... aaaaagh!” He grabbed at his hair a bit. “C'mon, can't _anything_ go right today? Am I right? I'm right, ain't I?”

 

“Yeah, I feel that.” Rin said, still standing by Shinobu. “Maybe... maybe you should go check on Jun. I think maybe he'd respond better to you.”

 

“You, uh, you sound hurt, Rin.” Gavin said, giving her a quizzical look. “...He that bad?”

 

“Um... well, I mean... yeah.” Rin sighed. Her antenna drooped. “I thought we were friends, and then he starts going off on me and stuff. I don't know what to do about that, Gavin.”

 

“J, J, J, J...” Gavin murmured, pacing around a bit to himself. “Ah, this ain't good, J. It's like- aaagh, it's like, yo, I mean...” He sighed. “I hope I ain't been hurtin' him all along.”

 

“I highly doubt that.” Luan said. “From what I've seen, getting to know you has done Jun a lot of good up until now.” Rin nodded in agreement.

 

“Least you guys think so.” Gavin grumbled. “Uh, tell you the truth, Gav's actually a bit drunk right now, so if'n I seem a bit off, that's why.” He said.

 

“Wait, you're drunk?” Rin perked up, her antenna pointing straight up. “Why are you drunk?”

 

“Ah, well, last night- uh, dang, only been a few hours, what a trip- Gav couldn't sleep cause I was up all night worryin' about J and stuff, yeah? So I done headed to the Bar around 11, picked up a copy o' one of Nobe's books and summa Dice's shochu and thought I'd have myself a chillaxing sesh.” Gavin said. “Good stuff, beet dubs.”

 

“Er?” Luan said, his eyes narrowing. “What?”

 

“Bee tee dubs.” Rin said. “'By the way.'” Luan made a little 'oh' noise and nodded. “So, that's why you got to the crime scene first, huh?”

 

Gavin nodded. “Yepperooni. I was hangin' in Campbell and all, so I had a head start. Trip, man, it psyched me out to see you on the floor, Lou!” He laughed. “Glad you're alright, man.”

 

Luan's eyes darted down to the floor, then back to Gavin, then at the pool table, then at the mounted stag head on the wall. He hesitantly reached into the pocket of his scrubs, pulled out a pink pen, started rapidly clicking it, and put on a falsetto, saying, “You shouldn't be drinking if you're underage! That's against the rules!”

 

There was a deafening silence in the room after he finished speaking, during which Luan's eyes darted around awkwardly, until Rin couldn't help herself from beginning to snort, which turned into laughter that was harder than she thought she could give right now. It actually began to hurt her stomach, and she bent over and grabbed onto the pool table to steady herself. Gavin was similarly debilitated, grasping tightly onto one of the suits of armor for support.

 

“Yo, was that supposed to be Shig?” Gavin laughed. “Aw, she totally would say that, wouldn't she?”

 

“Oh, oh man, your impression isn't very good!” Rin clutched the three-ball. “It's great, but it's not very good!”

 

“You two seemed rather down.” Luan said, looking down at the ground bashfully. “I thought I should lighten the mood. I, er...” He stammered. “I'm not very good at telling jokes.”

 

“Ahhh.” Gavin wiped a tear from his eye. “That weren't even that funny, but Gav needed that. Domo, my dude!” He bowed. “Namaste! Oh, oh, one more thing, dudes.” He snapped his finger repeatedly. “When I went to the Bar, there was a bottle missing, yeah? Dunno what for. Just figgered I should mention, might come in 'portant, y'know?”

 

“A... bottle, huh?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “I hope it's not related, because frankly I'm confused enough as it is.” She sighed. “I should definitely go check, though. Thanks, Gavin.”

 

“A'ight!” Gavin nodded. “Good chat. I'll take Nobe, a'ight?” He said, walking over to the catatonic Mystery Novelist. “C'mon, Nobe, we gotta go. Got places to-”

 

Gavin wasn't able to finish his statement. Shinobu, who hadn't made even a single move the entire conversation, suddenly lurched backwards and swung her arm at his grip, smacking him away, causing him to shout in pain. Before Rin could even process that, she'd launched herself at him and started grappling with him, staring intently somewhere around his head. “Y-yo!” Gavin cried.

 

“What in the world?!” Luan and Rin dashed over, and Luan began attempting to pull Shinobu off of Gavin, but her grip was remarkably tight, and the shorter woman was still able to continue attempting to pull Gavin downwards. Though she wasn't having much success, it occurred to Rin, looking at her eyes, that they still had that same glassy, distant look in them; a look that said that Shinobu wasn't really there.

 

Rin frowned in realization, and then in an instant, made her move. Instead of pulling on Shinobu, she pushed Gavin out of her grasp, and met Shinobu's advances in place of him. “Yo, yo, what the heckle is going on?!” Gavin cried from behind her, having fallen to the floor.

 

“Luan, stop pulling on her!” Rin cried. She was the closest to Shinobu's height here, especially with the heels, so it was easy for Shinobu to achieve face height; or, more accurately, neck height. Just like Rin had theorized, Shinobu's mouth came up to her neck, and- “-ghhhkkk!” Rin's face flinched, but she kept her body steady. If there was one thing that was for certain about Shinobu, it was apparently that she kept her teeth in very good shape, so this bite, which was in no way playful or restrained, actually hurt quite a lot.

 

“R-rin!” Luan's eyes went wide, and his body made several movements that resulted in no net movement, presumably because he didn't understand what was happening.

 

“Shinobu...” Rin breathed, and closed her eyes. She began slowly leading Shinobu towards the door to the Rec Room without breaking their painful embrace, which only grew worse as Shinobu's grip, and especially the force of her bite, worsened. “Shinobu is... having a PTSD attack... I think. She... told me about this. Earlier.” Rin kept her breaths slow and measured, to deal with the pain. “I'm going to... take her to her room. Yun, please... go to the Bar and Woodworking, and check the bottle and the paint.”

 

“Holy crap, man, Nobe is doin' that bad?!” Gavin's eyes went wide, and he began moving towards the two of them. “Uh, I'll come too-”

 

“No!” Rin threw up a hand briefly before returning to holding Shinobu, slowly guiding her along. She winced. The shout had drawn attention to the pain again. “No. I- I have to do this. Just... come find me if you find anything... anything weird. I'll be in...” She reached under Shinobu's beret and found her Handbook. “I'll be in Shinobu's room. Alright?”

 

“A-are you certain you should be doing that?” Luan said, his quiet face uncharacteristically loud from his concern.

 

“No.” Rin said, paying as much attention to her breathing as possible. She opened the door to the Rec Room. “I'm not, but this is what I can do for her right now.” She gave a weak grin. “Besides, I don't have real blood anyway. Better me than anyone else. C'mon, Shinobu.”

 

**Room Fourteen**

 

The walk back to Room Fourteen probably wasn't all that long, but Shinobu's teeth didn't let up for even an instant, so it felt much longer than it was, especially the process of going downstairs while someone was sucking her blood. The bite had definitely broken her skin now, and Rin could feel her blood, or, well, whatever passed for it, beginning to leave her body. Hopefully, her systems would keep Shinobu from causing a deficit.

 

They passed through the Housing Suite, Rin looking over at the bloodstains she had yet to investigate. They could wait. She had to take care of Shinobu. Thankfully, Shinobu's Handbook worked perfectly well, and the two of them were able to enter the room.

 

“Alright, Shinobu.” Rin panted. Because of the constant jostling of the bite's position, and its increasing intensity to break through her skin, it had not been something she had gotten used to, and had instead only continued to increase in pain. By now, it had graduated to agony. She felt exhaustion setting in, but this was still nothing she couldn't handle. She slowly began to lower the two of them towards the bed, and eventually lowered Shinobu completely. Now that she wasn't moving, she noticed that the rate of Shinobu's mouth movements had slowed. “Are you alright now? Is that enough?”

 

Slowly, Shinobu's clenched teeth began to loosen, and eventually let go completely. Rin's hand flew to her neck to staunch the bleeding just a little bit, and noted that thankfully, none of her arteries had actually been hit... or whatever passed for them in the body of a VK-compliant Replicant. She began looking around for something to cover her neck with. Under the sink in Shinobu's bathroom, she was lucky enough to find some bandages, and she plastered one on as lightly as she could. It was awkward to do to herself, of course, but as the pain faded and the bleeding was staunched, she felt ease of breath returning to her.

 

Grabbing some hand towels and tissues, Rin went up to Shinobu, who was still lying on the bed. This was far less messy, but she still felt the need to clean up a few minor bloodstains on Shinobu's face. A bit of her blood had dribbled down Shinobu's bottom lip, for instance. While she did, she surveyed the bloodstains. Thankfully, it looked like only Shinobu's dress was really stained, none of her undergarments, so Rin nodded to herself and began searching the drawers for another dress; Shinobu seemed very fond of this specific number, the poofy white-and-red tour dress, but there was nothing to be done if it was completely dirtied.

 

As she carefully stripped Shinobu of her dress, Rin couldn't help but wish she was in a better place to appreciate Shinobu's thin, graceful body, covered only by a bra and some smocked shorts, laying on top of a layer of her hair. Ordinarily, if she were in this situation at any other time, she would almost certainly be mostly consumed with thinking about that, but she didn't have the time to worry herself about that. Her neck twinged in pain a bit, and she grimaced. A lot of these dresses had a pretty solid amount of loud reds, and Rin really didn't think that red was a good color to pick right about now.

 

“For once, I really wish you didn't have such particular fashion sense, honey.” Rin grunted. What went well with the beret and the heels other than these white-and-red dresses? This was the problem, she thought, with wearing all black. Black kind of went with everything, but when you wore all black, you began to lose sense of what actually fit with what. Her mom had the same problem, as she recalled; the Hashizawa family was generally just very heavy on darks.

 

Rin nodded to herself, and decided to ignore the beret and the heels, which could just be construed as accents. What went well with the _hair?_ Shinobu's particular hair color was a shade of purple Rin wasn't very used to working with, since she only got _regular_ experience dealing with the more common black and brunette. What was the best move to take here?

 

She clapped. “Peacock colors.” Rooting through the dresser (and who kept dresses in dressers, anyway? That was just ridiculous,) eventually she found a nice number, a bit less frilly and poofy than her usual dress but, well, Rin was sure Shinobu would live. Blue skirt, green blouse, black and gold accents, Shinobu had mentioned a few times about a golden 'wich she was really into, so maybe she could wear it on the way to a sandwich shop or something. Nice, nice. A bit more modest than her usual fare, style-wise, but still ostentatious enough that Shinobu would probably enjoy it.

 

Slipping it on Shinobu was a bit harder than Rin might've hoped, but eventually she managed, and Shinobu was lying on the bed clothed and clean, rather than bloodstained or almost nude. Rin nodded to herself. It wasn't an awake and aware Shinobu by any means, but anything was better than keeping her in that thing.

 

Now, she was in Shinobu's room, so there were two things she absolutely needed to check. The first was lying on Shinobu's desk; that bizarre-looking ceremonial knife she'd received as her Anti-Replicant Perk. Rin picked it up by its hilt, and checked it every which way. It was completely dry, for one thing, and showed no evidence of having been washed. That was both unfortunate, because Rin would've loved to actually find the murder weapon, and fantastic, because it helped clear Shinobu.

 

The second was actually the dress itself. Even having hurried along as much as she had in an effort to deny it, Rin knew very well that Shinobu might as well have confessed to the crime; in fact, she thought with a twinge of pain, it wasn't impossible that Shinobu actually truly did believe that she did do it. Any hint otherwise was something Rin would take right now, and after a few moments searching, underneath the deepest bloodstain on the dress's front, she saw it, right near the chest; a black burn mark, similar to the one on Luan's scrubs.

 

“Yes!” Rin fist-pumped. She sighed in relief. Now she had a way to fight back against that, at least.

 

The door knocked a few times. Rin put down the dress and opened it to find Luan, frowning and looking honestly a bit terrified. “Er.” Luan said. “I checked the Bar and Woodworking. The paint and the bottle were just as we expected.”

 

“Alright,” Rin said. “I should be fine to go with you again. What's wrong?”

 

**Lounge**

 

Luan silently led her to Abilene Hall, where what was wrong immediately made itself evident. A loud banging noise was resounding through the entire room, clearly coming from the door to the Archive, which was shaking from the force. It wouldn't stop, and seemed to only be increasing in intensity, though there were brief gaps occasionally.

 

“I came to check the Infirmary,” Luan said, “and... thought I should come get you.”

 

“Um,” Rin said, beginning to sweat, and backing away a bit. “Okay, yeah, that's kind of terrifying. How did someone-?”

 

“So here's how it works,” said Monokuma, appearing from under the table. “You guys might not be able to, but each door in this facility actually runs on an electronic lock system that only individuals with access to the mainframe can manipulate.” As they all walked over to the rumbling door, he gestured to a tiny little black box on the upper-right of the door frame. “That's the lock itself. Now, I said only people with access to the mainframe can manipulate it, but the thing is that if you short out one of those little lockboxes with a powerful enough electric current, you can lock a door anyway.”

 

Rin stared at Monokuma. “Uh, I know, actually. I live here, remember?”

 

“I mean, I didn't know if you remembered or not.” Monokuma huffed, and looked away. “Geez, I'm trying to be kind here. You appreciated it, right, Luan?”

 

“Yes, it was a very good explanation.” Luan nodded. “Thank you, Monokuma.”

 

“I love this guy.” Monokuma wriggled a bit, generating some sort of gleeful radiance. “Anyway, just hit the little reset button on the lockbox to open the door.” And thus did Monokuma exeunt, disappearing back under the table.

 

The door was still there. Rin and Luan looked at each other, and then Rin took a step forward. “Alright. I'm gonna open the hell door. Stand back, anything could happen.” She crept forward, and lightly tapped a small button on the lockbox, which chimed and turned a little red glow on. The instant she did so, the door flew open from inside, and the occupant launched out.

 

“ _Freedom!_ ” cried Claus Toranosuke, the Ultimate Principal, his eyes a bit red, his body beginning to jitter. He hugged Rin and Luan together tightly. “Oh, thank goodness, Rin, Luan, thank goodness you came, I've been locked in there for hours!”

 

“Wait, what?” Rin said, wriggling out of his grasp and staring open-mouthed. “You've been stuck in the Archive?”

 

“I came here to read a touch after my guard shift, as I decided I could just sleep in, you see.” Claus said. “Ah, well, that didn't work out. As I began to read, I heard the door short out, and I've been stuck in there ever since!” He laughed. It was a weird laugh, and his eyes didn't look happy. “I thought I was going to die in there.”

 

Monokuma reappeared. “If the murder didn't wind up getting discovered until later, I was actually gonna give you a cot and declare the Archive a temporary safe zone.”

 

“Ah, thank you, well, so, I've heard that Hansuke... died quite violently.” Claus said, holding his Monokuma File up. He shuddered. “Dreadful. Really dreadful. I don't want to believe anyone did something like that... how's the investigation going?”

 

Rin and Luan looked at each other again. “Uh, to be honest, Claus?” Rin said, her antenna drooping. “I'm still kind of clueless. This one is really, really confusing.”

 

Claus's face fell. “Oh,” he said. “I...” His eyes drooped for a moment, and he stopped speaking, before starting back into being awake. “I _need coffee._ Monokuma, please tell me that the Cafeteria is open.”

 

“Cram to your heart's content, my man.” Monokuma saluted. “All the coffee you could ever want is at your fingertips.”

 

“Oh, thank you!” Claus started running off. “Sorry! I- I'll get to investigating once I'm awake, I swear!” He was booking it towards the North Wing.

 

“No, don't worry, I get it!” Rin called after him. “Do what you have to!”

 

“I'm glad we found him.” Chihaya said.

 

“Yeah, same here.” Rin nodded. Wait. Pause, rewind, turn around towards the table. “Hi, Chihaya. What's up?”

 

“I've finished my check of the secret passages.” Chihaya said. “There's evidence that they were used, but I'm not sure what it means. Monokuma, please leave.”

 

“Ah, yeah. Later.” Monokuma left... somewhere.

 

Chihaya crawled out from under the table and led them over to the door to the Darkroom, which she opened. The room was just as orange as ever, and was still very cramped; but several objects in it had been seemingly bumped around a bit, or jostled. Some were above the counters, and some were below. The most notable thing, however, was on the ground, when Chihaya turned off the light; as the light turned off, there was a glow-in-the-dark trail on the ground.

 

Rin knelt down to inspect it. It was small, and... well, heck if it didn't have the exact same wheel pattern as the tracks that had been in the clay earlier. “Huuuh.” Rin nodded. Her antenna nodded, too. “Okay, okay. So the Dusty Highway drove through the Playroom, and all the way down the secret passages. The only questions are, where is it, and why did someone use it?” She nodded again. “Finally, clues that fit together. I'm gonna crack this case yet, guys!”

 

“Good luck.” Chihaya said. “To both of us.” And then she was gone again.

 

**Infirmary**

 

“The equipment is in here,” Luan said, flinging open one cabinet or another. Rin hadn't spent much time in the Infirmary, so she definitely appreciated him having the lay of the land. True to his word, a few medical drains and several blood bags were in the cabinet, hung up in immaculate order. “Mm, yes. There's a few missing.”

 

“So, the culprit definitely used a drain to drain his blood, and then they had a bunch of blood bags.” Rin said. Her antenna started curling. “That's a problem.”

 

“Hm?” Luan said. “Why's that? Now we know that for certain, no?”

 

“Yeah, but there's two things.” Rin said. “First off, the fact that the culprit could spread blood in places means that we don't actually know where the _real_ bloodstains are, to mark the crime scene.” She sighed. “The second is, well... Where'd they leave the drain and the blood bags?”

 

“The littering rule.” Luan nodded. “I see. There's also the question of the murder weapon to consider; and for that matter, the cause of death itself. We still do not know either of those two facts.”

 

“Just for the record,” Monokuma sprung up to say, “it's not the Basin trick again. I actually sealed off that entrance after Wanda pulled that little trick, so nobody could just do the same thing again, because that would be lame-o-rama.”

 

“Really?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “But you don't get rid of... murder weapons, and stuff. I mean, the Purgatorial Stakes are still there in the secret room. What if someone just used it again?”

 

“Be realistic here.” Monokuma said. “If someone were to use the Purgatorial Stakes again, it would be obvious what they were doing! They're very recognizable just off-hand now that you know what you're looking for. Throwing things down the Basin, though, now that's just rude, and if it's overused, it means the case might be unsolvable 'cause you can't actually find any evidence because it's all gone down the shitter!”

 

“So, you prevent culprits from using prior 'tricks' such as that?” Luan said. He hummed. “That's interesting.”

 

“I couldn't make this shit up if I tried, Fatboy Slim.” Monokuma groaned. Luan's eyebrows raised. “Anyway, Mr. Monokuma's suggestion would be that you hurry your asses to the Housing Suite! The time limit's not far away.”

 

“Thanks for the heads up.” Rin nodded. “Let's rock, Luan!”

 

**Housing Suite**

 

With the time limit creeping up quickly behind them, Rin and Luan ran to the Housing Suite. The scene was just as it had been before, with bloodstains on the floor and a few on the wall. Of course, the veracity of those bloodstains was in question, so the two of them headed over to inspect them.

 

“This one on the wall is kinda questionable.” Rin said, scrutinizing it. Now that she was looking closer, the two weren't exactly aligned; the bloodstain on the floor was somewhat further into the hall than the ones on the wall. “Huh. What could have possibly happened here?” There were slight drops of blood in between the two, too, which actually implied a bit of a connection. The wall stains seemed to generally begin at just slightly below Luan's head level.

 

Luan scratched his chin, and then walked over to the bloodstain. “It's possible that he was standing here, and received a wound that went through his head, causing the blood to shoot backwards onto the wall... perhaps a gunshot, from over there?” He pointed to a far corner of the room, which did line up.

 

Rin's antenna curled into a question mark. “A gunshot? Huh.” She began to walk over to that corner. “I mean, I guess that makes some sense, but-?” She found herself tripping slightly, and after regaining her balance, looked downward. Right by her feet was something metal and gleaming, which she picked up. It was small, longer than wide, a sort of brass color, and hollow. “...This is a bullet casing.”

 

Luan jogged over to check it. He pointed to the ends. “The ends of the case are smooth, not crimped. This is the casing of a live round.”

 

Squatting in the corner, Rin held the round in her hand. “Okay, so let's assume Hansuke fell over after being shot in this scenario. Do you think that he would've fallen forwards or backwards?”

 

“My guess would be backwards.” Luan said. “If it shot him in the head, he would have had to be leaning that direction to fall forwards.”

 

“Okay, so assuming that that bloodstain on the floor is where his head hit the floor...” She squatted down, adjusting her height slightly. “Okay, here. The gun would've had to have been about _here_ to shoot him that way.” She said, squatted almost to sitting position, holding her hand out.

 

Luan blinked. “That is... a very conspicuous angle.”

 

“So, what this scene is implying is that someone either squatting in the corner or sitting on something shot Hansuke in the head from right here, and forgot about cleaning up the casing afterwards.” Rin said. “ _If_ those bloodstains are real, and this casing wasn't planted.”

 

“You don't think this crime scene is real, then?” Luan asked.

 

Rin shook her head. “It's obviously implying that Jun would be the culprit, and there's a whole lot of logistic problems with that. How would he have moved the body, for one thing? How did he get up to the fourth floor without touching the paint to place the body? How did he get up to the fourth floor _at all?_ And, you know, so on.”

 

“That's very reasonable.” Luan nodded.

 

After taking that scene in, their last stop was Room Two, in Source Hall. The door adorned with Hansuke's name and image were completely unlocked; after all, he was dead, and there was an investigation that needed doing. The colors of the room were dark, giving off the vibe of an old house one might find on the road somewhere.

 

The two of them didn't have much time, but Rin found something quickly, looking at Hansuke's bedsheets. There was, for some reason, a rectangular strip cut, seemingly by scissors, out of his sheets. It was not short, and seemed long enough to wrap around something if you particularly wanted to. “What do you think the deal is here?” Rin asked. Luan shrugged. The rest of his room offered nothing of note; even Hansuke's trusty notepad seemed blank.

 

In the bathroom, however, two more facts presented themselves. The first was that the countertop showed signs of having been dripping wet at some point; abnormally so, Rin thought, but she hadn't the foggiest how it could've come into play. The second was a crumpled-up piece of paper in his trash bin, which Rin opened up, and gasped. “Luan, c'mere!” She said.

 

“What is it?” He said, leaning over her as she unfurled it.

 

“It's...” She squinted for a second. “It looks like a note from Hansuke!” It was clearly thrown away after being torn out of his notepad, judging by the torn tops.

 

_I imagine it's gonna be Rin who winds up finding this note, so I guess I'll address it to her._

 

_Sorry I couldn't make it to the end of the game with you guys. I did what I had to._

 

_I realized something earlier tonight, on the 25th. The End played me like a fiddle. I was so busy wrapping myself up in looking for Shinobu that I never took the time to think about it, but even though I remember I met with the other kid, and I knew who they were then, I never realized that I didn't remember who they actually **were.** I was a damned fool, not bothering to think about these things. I saw that we all lost a memory, but I didn't realize that I'd lost two._

 

_It was you. No doubt about it. It'd line up with everything else; the proximity to the first victims, me and Shinobu both forgetting you, the time period, and The End saying something about a 'story of ten years.' Your pop died on April 30 th. I can't guarantee I'm right, but I'd bet the clothes on my back that something's going to happen that day. _

 

_When I figured it out, I felt lost. It was all my fault that we'd lost so much time to this. I didn't know what to do, but then I thought about what Shinobu told me. She told me not to think that my life didn't have value, or something like that._

 

_This-_

 

The ink was a bit smudged, and there were a few tear stains on the paper.

 

_This probably isn't what she meant. No, I know it isn't. But I realized, since she told me that. My life is the biggest weapon I have. If it means saving you guys, I'm ready to give my life to take her plan down. I won't lie, I'm scared shitless, but I have to do this._

 

_I might be kind of an ass, but you all have really grown on me. I've never felt this needed before, honestly. Really, I've never felt needed before at all. The fact that you guys ever relied on a bum like me is crazy, but honestly? It's not half bad, being needed._

 

_So, here's the answers to this case:_

 

_The culprit of this case is me. Don't make a mistake and go pointing fingers at people. The answer Monokuma's looking for is that Hansuke Yasuda killed himself. This is a suicide._

 

_My motive was the Denouement Perk. When I realized I'd screwed up, I knew I had to do something drastic, but there was no way I was taking down any of you guys to do it. That's when I came up with my plan. I was going to get that information to you all no matter what. Hopefully, you already have it, if things went completely according to plan. If they didn't, well... I'll figure something out, no doubt about it._

 

Ding, dong, ding, dong. “The sun's rising, everybody, and you know what that means? That means it's go time for an extreme class trial! All of you get your butts to the Lounge in Abilene, on the double!”

 

The room went silent.

 

The note was cut off at the bottom.

 

**What a horrible night to have an investigation.**

 

“I'm not certain what any of this means.” Luan said, looking down, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. “What in the world is really going on here?”

 

“I don't know.” Rin said, her voice heavy. “I think... I think maybe Hansuke's... intended suicide method... had something the culprit doesn't want us to know.”

 

“Mm.” Luan nodded.

 

Fear was setting into Rin's heart, clenching it like it had never done before in her entire time in the compound. There were so many unanswered questions, and so many little pieces of evidence that seemed to twist and bend in her mind, whirling about, yet not connecting in any logical way.

 

What was the murder weapon? What was the cause of death? Where was the crime actually committed? _When_ was the crime committed? Where was the murder weapon? How did Shinobu get up to the fourth floor? Why was Hansuke's body mutilated so brutally? Why was the case patterned after the Vampire Killings? How did the culprit even know of their relevance? Who obtained the Denouement Perk, the culprit, or Hansuke? If it was Hansuke, why did the culprit kill him? What was the motive? What was contained in the Monokuma Note?

 

Why did this case feel so utterly, utterly _wrong?_ That was it. Something about this case felt completely and utterly different from anything she had ever experienced before, and it was a slithering, insidious feeling, as though a violent, maniacal murderer hidden somewhere in the complex was laughing at her, the sheer malice bouncing off of every single wall and all hitting her antenna at once.

 

Someone was playing with her, playing with all of them. Like it was some kind of game. The culprit? The End? Who knew?

 

Hansuke was gone. He was the case's victim. Shinobu was out. She was catatonic, and if she awoke, there was a good chance that she would believe that she really was the culprit. Jun had been becoming kinder, more willing to work with her, but suddenly, he'd taken a backslide. Even Claus, the group's leader, had been left barely able to investigate.

 

“Yun?” The both of them stopped walking in front of the door to Target Hall. Rin was barely able to choke out her words.

 

“Yes?” Luan said. He turned to face her.

 

Tears began welling up in Rin's eyes. “I'm... I'm scared.” Unable to stop herself, she buried her face in his muscular chest, desperate for the warmth of someone, anyone else. “What if I can't do this? What if we all die because of me? I don't know what's going on. I don't know what's going on and I don't like it and I hate this.” She was crying. “How am I supposed to do this? I...” Sniffle. Sob. “I can't do this alone, Yun.”

 

Luan's arms had wrapped around her. “I'm scared as well.” He said. “But...” His grasp was firm. “I believe in your deductions, Rin. You're not alone. I'll do my best to assist.”

 

“Can I...” Rin shook. “Can I really do this? Can I- can I save everyone? Can I save _anyone?_ ”

 

She was pushed off of him, and Luan stared her in the eyes. “Who are you?”

 

“Huh?” Her antenna curled into a question mark.

 

“Who are you?” Luan asked again. “Please answer the question.”

 

“I'm...” Well, to be honest, she didn't actually know the answer to that question, technically, so she decided to give a technically correct answer. “I'm the world's first genuine VK-compliant Replicant.”

 

“And that means you understand what it means to be human, yes?” Luan removed his hands from her shoulders, and placed one over his chest, and smiled. “I believe in you. You are the Ultimate Replicant for a reason.”

 

“The Ultimate Replicant?” She laughed a bit. “I mean, yeah, Mom thought they could call me that, I guess.”

 

“I think it's very appropriate. You have the strength to pass this test.” Luan said. “I will stand by you, and so will everyone else who believes in you. Understanding us silly humans is your talent, after all.” He chuckled.

 

“Don't say that.” Despite herself, Rin couldn't help but crack a smile. “I'm just as silly as any of you guys, if not more.”

 

They looked at each other, and their smiles met. “That's true.” Luan said. “You are quite silly.”

 

“Geez.” Rin cocked her head to one side. “It's tough being a scientific advancement this great.”

 

“I'm sure.” Luan nodded. They nodded again at each other, and Luan went off to the Lounge. Rin wasn't far behind, but first, she had to obtain Shinobu. The Mystery Novelist was still quiet on her bed, but she was far more placid, so Rin decided to carry her piggyback instead of worrying about leading her about.

 

“R...Rin...” There was a faint whisper in her ear as she walked. “Is that you...?” Shinobu was barely audible, and her voice was clearly filled with drowsiness, but compared to taking three years, at least she was conscious.

 

“Yeah. It's me.” Rin said. “Don't worry about the ride, it's free.”

 

“I'm... I'm so sorry.” Shinobu said, her voice cracking a bit even despite her mental distance. “I broke our promise. I'm a monster. I'm sorry.”

 

“You didn't break our promise, Shinobu.” Rin said. “You didn't do anything you have to apologize for.” All she needed to do was keep walking.

 

“I killed Hansuke. I'm a vampire. I killed him and I drank his blood.” Shinobu murmured. “I couldn't control the urge to kill. I'm a monster.” From the tone of her voice, it almost sounded like she was talking in her sleep.

 

“No, that's wrong.” Rin shook her head. “You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't kill Hansuke. I'll prove it to you in the trial, so just sit tight until we get down there, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Shinobu mumbled, and then she went quiet again.

 

The Monokuma head was already raised up in the Lounge, and people were entering the elevator already; it seemed like Kazuya, Yashiro, and Luan had already boarded. “Hey.” Stella waved. “How'd it go?”

 

“I'll figure it out.” Rin said. She looked at Stella, and then at a nervous Gavin behind her, and smiled at the both of them. “That's what I always do. I've got this.”

 

“Well, isn't that fan-fucking-tastic for you.” Jun snarled. Yeah, of course he was here. “I'm glad you're getting your sexual gratification out while your psycho gal pal is still kicking, though I never took you for the beast of burden type. Meanwhile, the people who actually want to live have been over here actually making deductions.”

 

“J-” Gavin started. He seemed, for once, openly distressed.

 

“Oh, shut up.” Jun rolled his eyes. “Nobody cares. Get in the fucking elevator, Gavin.”

 

“Jesus, what crawled up your ass and died?” Stella scoffed, glaring at him. “I thought you were trying to be better?”

 

“I don't have time for you right now.” Jun said, wheeling into the elevator. When Rin looked inside, Yashiro waved, and Kazuya gave an awkward grin and a shrug, gesturing towards Jun, but Claus was nowhere to be seen.

 

Shinobu moved a little, so Rin let her down off of her back, and she slowly inched herself into the elevator. “Nobe...” Gavin clenched his fist, and groaned loudly. The elevator door closed behind him as they waited, but the elevator did not move.

 

A shout from the door to the North Wing rang out. “Ah! Wait for me, wait for me!” Claus cried, running into the room and panting somewhat. “Oh, no, am I late?!” He shouted to Rin when he saw the elevator. “I didn't keep you waiting, did I?”

 

“Only a little.” Rin smiled.

 

Claus grabbed at his head, and then started frantically adjusting his necktie. “I can't believe I wasn't able to investigate at all! I'm so sorry, Rin!” His teeth were gritted, and he was sweating.

 

“It's alright.” Rin patted him on the shoulder. “Let's go.”

 

“Ah, but, well, wait.” Claus held up a finger. “I did actually notice one thing. It wasn't much, I suppose, but there was something in the Cafeteria.”

 

Rin tilted her head to one side. “Do tell, my man.”

 

“It was Jun's Anti-Replicant Perk.” Claus said, his face stern. “The revolver, and all six bullets given to us. It was all still in the Cafeteria, and Monokuma told me that the Cafeteria had been closed off until the investigation began.”

 

Slowly nodding, Rin processed this information. “Okay.” She nodded firmly. “Thanks, Claus. I'll keep that in mind.”

 

“I really hope it helps.” Claus was blushing quite brightly, and despite his stature, his body language was clearly very embarrassed, frightened, and ashamed.

 

The two of them entered the elevator door. Monokuma, over the intercom, said, “Don't worry, I made sure to mash the button to keep it on that floor for you.”

 

Down and down and down did the students ride. The ride was longer than ever before, at roughly sixty-three seconds now. The atmosphere in the elevator was strange, and tense, but Rin shook it off. She would do this. She _would_ figure this out. There was no doubt in her mind.

 

The doors opened to the fourth trial room. In comparison to the stark colors of the last, this trial room was dark and gothic, with candles on the walls giving off a dim light, and the passages off to the lair of the metal claws seemingly lined with brick. The floor was an almost blood-red carpet, and even the mass of screens above was lined with candles.

 

Monokuma hopped up onto his throne. “Alright, alright, alright, alright. So.” He gestured broadly to the seats. “You may notice a difference.”

 

Indeed, she did. Where before, the seventeen stands sat in one large circle, now, there were only ten in the circle. The seven placards of the dead—Yayoi's red X made of the arms of cranes, and Hansuke's being a pair of pencils—sat in front of Monokuma's throne in a line. “The circle was getting pretty lop-sided, so we decided to reorganize,” Monokuma said. “Find the stand that has your name on it and get to work!”

 

With ten stands, the circle was symmetrical. On the left of the circle was Rin, and across from her, Jun. To Rin's left, Gavin, and across from him, Stella. To Gavin's left, Shinobu, and across from her, Claus. To Shinobu's left, Chihaya, and across from her, Luan. To Chihaya's left, Yashiro, and across from him, Kazuya.

 

This would be a fight unlike any other Rin had ever faced. Not only did she not even know what happened, she would have to prove to Shinobu that Shinobu herself was not the culprit. She had almost balked at the task, herself, only minutes ago.

 

Hansuke Yasuda, the Ultimate Salesman, though, would not approve of her balking. Whatever actually occurred, he had steeled himself to make the ultimate sacrifice to strike back against The End, to grasp the answers they all sought so desperately, and for his bravery, he had been turned into so much meat, in a mocking tribute to his monster of a father.

 

Rin knew- no.

 

______ Hashizawa, the Ultimate Replicant, knew that not only was this a fight for her life, but it was a fight for her beliefs. She would win this for Hansuke, to prove that his life was worthwhile. She would win this for Shinobu, to prove that she was not a monster. And, perhaps most of all, she would win this for herself, to once and for all prove what it was that made her the Ultimate Replicant.

 

Vampires did not exist, and she, once and for all, would be the morning sun that vanquished their fictional night.

 

...holy _crap_ that was lame, did she really just think that?

 


	48. The Fourth Trial, Running Wild

**Commencing the Class Trial for the Murder of Hansuke Yasuda.**

**ALL RISE!**

 

“It's a fine, crisp April morning,” Monokuma said to the smaller circle. “The countrysides are nice, and the plants are singing, and the birds and the sun is almost down from the top of the sky, so it's time for you to live up to your family names and face full.” Pause. “Life.” Pause. “Consequences.”

 

“Well, isn't that just fantastic.” Jun said, rolling his eyes. “Nobody gives a shit, because idiots like you never add anything, so kindly shut your dumbass mouth until spoken to.” Monokuma shut up.

 

“Jun, why are you being so aggressive?” Claus asked, raising his eyebrow. “This seems odd for you-”

 

“Did anyone ask you, you blithering, incompetent pantywaist?” Jun snarled. “Maybe let people who actually investigated speak, instead of filling the room with the blurted nonsense of an ineffectual nancy boy.”

 

“Wha-?” Claus's face fell, and he hunched over a bit. “I...”

 

“Hey, hold up, J, that's totally unfair!” Gavin said, glaring. “And real shitty, to boot!”

 

“And?” Jun responded, his face completely flat.

 

“And that means, yo, dude, don't insult Claus like that! He's tryin' mondo hard for us all!” Gavin responded. “What the heckle, dude?”

 

“And?” Jun responded, his face completely flat.

 

“W-whaddya mean, 'and?'” Gavin's face fell too.

 

“'And' is a conjunction, which you've probably never pronounced the third letter of in your life on account of talking like a time machine exploded into a cesspit.” Jun said. “So maybe just shut your idiot mouth instead of constantly spewing a stream of bullshit that nobody can even understand, so you can figure something out for once in your miserable life.”

 

The mood in the room was shifting towards clear anger towards Jun very quickly, so Rin loudly cleared her throat to attempt to get things back on track. “Jun, can you, um, like, can you just shut up for a bit?” When he opened his mouth, Rin corrected herself; “Actually, that wasn't a question. Shut up for a bit. Thanks.” The petulant little goblin frowned, crossed his arms, and huffed.

 

“Ah, ahem, thank you.” Claus cleared his throat as well. “As you all may know, I was, er, I was locked in the Archive for most of the night. I'm aware of the state Hansuke's body was found in, but I'm not actually entirely certain what happened. Could we begin with-?”

 

A frail voice piped up, “I'm the culprit.” Surprising most of the room, but unfortunately not Rin, it was Shinobu, who was leaning against the stand, having regained consciousness at probably the worst possible time. “It was me. I murdered Hansuke.”

 

“Uhhhh...” Kazuya blinked a few times. “Excuse me?”

 

“There's no need for you all to fight amongst yourselves.” Shinobu was shaking. “I'm the culprit. I'm a monster. I killed Hansuke and ate him.”

 

“Wha- _ate_ him?” Stella grimaced. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

 

“I tried to hold back, I tried to fight it, I swear I did.” Shinobu's eyes clenched shut, and her shaking intensified. “I tried to hold back my urge to kill, my urge to drink deep of his blood, but I couldn't hold it back any longer. I'm a monster, I've always been a monster, please, just kill me now and save yourselves!”

 

Chihaya's icy face faltered into one that told Rin that she had absolutely no idea what she was seeing. “Uh, Rin?” She said. “What is she talking about?”

 

“I betrayed Rin's promise!” Shinobu cried, leaning her head down closer into the stand and clutching it. “I let her put her faith in a monster! Why, why, why would I do this to her? Why?!”

 

“So, um...” Rin sighed. “Shinobu actually thought she was a vampire as a kid, and some part of her thinks that she killed her parents and is a vampire still.”

 

“Oh, Shinobu...” Luan fixed Shinobu with a gaze of sympathy.

 

“Agh! Don't look at me so!” Shinobu recoiled. “I am a beast! I murdered him!”

 

“This explains her loud apology from when we first discovered the body!” Yashiro cried. “Ah, but...” He turned and looked at Chihaya. “Do you believe Shinobu could do something like that?”

 

“It seems unlikely.” Chihaya said. “First off, wasn't the one who killed your parents Hansuke's father, Shinobu?”

 

Shinobu laughed a little. “Ah, no, I must've framed him... perhaps I turned him and turned him into a beast of the night, as well... ahhh, it's all my fault...”

 

Jun groaned. “Her testimony is going to be completely useless. Great, thanks for existing, Poiridiot.”

 

“Naw, man. I don't think so.” Gavin shook his head. “Yo, Nobe. Do us a solid, and... tell us how you think the thing went down, yeah?”

 

“Why in the world would you bother with that?” Jun scoffed.

 

“Well, thing is, a lot of the times when folks see somethin' that really scares 'em in a way that's all deep and psycholockical, they can kinda misremember what actually happened, yeah?” Gavin said, scratching at the back of his head. “So, we gotta try and help Nobe get back on point.”

 

Rin's antenna puffed. “Great idea, Gavin!” She looked at Shinobu. “Okay, Shinobu. I know... You remember killing him, right?” Shinobu, with tears in her eyes, nodded. “Okay. I know it's scary, but please tell us exactly how you remember it happening.”

 

“V-very well,” Shinobu shuddered. She cleared her throat a bit. “After... after keeping vigil over Rin in her unconscious state, my vampiric impulses struck, and I left the room in search of prey-”

 

“ _Hold it!_ ” Rin pointed her finger at Shinobu. “There's a contradiction in your testimony!”

 

“Well, that was fast.” Kazuya remarked. He clapped a bit. “Nice job.”

 

“I might've been immobile, but I wasn't unconscious.” Rin said, smirking a bit. “I could hear everything that was going on, and you didn't leave the room on your own. Hansuke came to the door, and asked to speak with you outside!”

 

Shinobu blew back as though she'd been physically struck, and her beret wobbled a bit on her head. “A-ah, oh dear, are you entirely certain?”

 

“One hundred percent positive. It's the entire reason I left my room in the first place.” Rin said. “If you'd left on your own, I wouldn't have thought it was odd; it was late, after all, and sleeping in a completely immobile girl's room might be a bit awkward. But I remember clearly you saying that you intended to return. You left the room because Hansuke asked you to!”

 

“Y'know, there's actually an Ultimate Attorney on the shortlist for Hope's Peak these days.” Monokuma remarked. “I bet wherever they are, they're feeling pretty left out right now.”

 

“Ah, well, er...” Shinobu twiddled a bit with her hair. “I... hm... ah, I...” Her eyes widened slightly. “He _did_ come to the door, didn't he? I-I suppose I- I'm sorry, I- my testimony was in error...”

 

“That's quite alright.” Claus said, smiling. “You only need continue with that in mind, right, Rin?”

 

“That's right.” Rin nodded. “Start your testimony over, Shinobu.”

 

Shinobu gulped. “Of course. Er, Hansuke came to the door at... roughly midnight. He stated that he wished to speak with me regarding something, so I left the room. Shortly after the door closed, though, I...” Her hands began shaking. “I had brought my Anti-Replicant Perk, and I... I still remember the feeling of cutting through his flesh, the sight of his blood flying everywhere!”

 

“ _Hold it!_ ” Rin slammed her hand on her podium. “There's several contradictions in that statement, Shinobu.”

 

“She's on a roll today.” Stella whistled.

 

“First off, absolutely no trace of bloodstains were found in Target Hall, just outside of Room Seventeen. I should know; I came out of Room Seventeen when I first started moving again, and the first bloodstains I saw were in the Housing Suite. There weren't any where you just said!”

 

“A-ah, yes, I-” Shinobu raised her finger. “I-I must've done it outside, in the main hallway, then. I was able to control my urge to kill for only a few instants longer than I thought-”

 

“ _Objection!_ ” Rin cried, pointing her finger dramatically. “I wasn't done explaining the contradictions, and that statement just digs it deeper.”

 

Shinobu threw her arms up in front of her face. “I'm- I'm sorry, Rin, I didn't mean to interrupt, really!”

 

“For this one, we can ask Jun for a bit of extra evidence.” Rin smirked. “Say, Jun. Has Shinobu ever returned to her room today after I fell unconscious?”

 

Jun, rolling his eyes and sighing like he didn't think this was actually important, lazily pulled out a sheet of paper and inspected it. “No, she hasn't. Her door hasn't been opened.”

 

“I found your Anti-Replicant Perk in your room, on your desk, Shinobu.” Rin said. “If you hadn't gotten into your room, there's no way you could've gotten it in the first place, because you gave it to the group yesterday morning!”

 

“I...” Shinobu's eyes darted, and she began to sweat. “I-I-I am... I'm a vampire, Rin! Such trivial matters as electronic locks mean nothing to one who can simply turn to mist and float through-”

 

“And said knife just so happened to be completely clean, and not even slightly wet, with no signs that it had ever been used.” Rin placed her hands on her hips and smiled. “There's no way it had anything to do with Hansuke's murder!”

 

Shinobu stopped, and looked down at her hands. “What? But... I-I... but...”

 

“Oh my god, this is going _nowhere._ ” Jun groaned. “Can we move on from the headcase and get to talking about the murder?”

 

“Shinobu has important testimony to give.” Luan said, crossing his arms and frowning at Jun. “We are talking about the murder.”

 

“Then, I... I didn't use the knife?” Shinobu's eyes darted about, staring at the lines of her palms. She clenched and unclenched her hands repeatedly. Her palms glistened with sweat. “Then I... I must have used my hands. Yes, that's right! I r-ripped... I ripped his skull open with my bare hands! I saw it, I saw his brain oozing out!” She grabbed at her head. Stella lurched a bit.

 

“ _Hold it!_ ” Rin shouted. “Hansuke's skull was crushed, not split open. And his head was only crushed in the front, not crushed completely open. And that also doesn't explain the other wounds.”

 

“I-” Shinobu began.

 

“Shinobu!” Rin threw her hand up. “Your imagination is running wild. Please start over from the beginning again, and tell us what you remember.”

 

Shinobu looked up from her hands, her posture weak, and gave Rin a pleading look. “Please. Please, no more. I don't want to remember it anymore. I don't want to remember killing him anymore.”

 

“You _didn't_ kill him.” Rin said, gazing sternly back. “All those thoughts you have in your head of that, that's just your mind playing tricks on you. Please, I want to help you.”

 

“I'm a _monster._ ” Shinobu cried.

 

“Don't say that about my girlfriend.” Rin retorted. Gavin raised his hand beside her, and the two of them shared a high-five.

 

Shinobu gulped. “I left the room... when Hansuke asked me to leave, and we headed for the Housing Suite. He...” She paused for a moment. “He had figured out something important regarding the case, and required my counsel.”

 

“What did he figure out?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

“It was... it was something regarding... his father, yes.” Shinobu went pale, and hugged herself. “I-it must have been- he must have figured out that I was the real vampire all along, and that it was my fault his father turned into a monster!”

 

“ _Hold it!_ ” Rin shouted, pointing her antenna. “'Must have been?' That sounds like conjecture to me. Do you not remember what he actually said?”

 

“I-” Shinobu clutched her head again. “The hateful look in his eyes, Rin, it was too much for me to bear! I couldn't handle it any longer!”

 

“That hate wasn't directed at you.” Rin slammed her desk. “What Hansuke actually figured out was that his father wasn't just relevant to the case because he killed _your_ parents. He'd figured out that he'd lost _two_ memories. Not just you, but he also forgot the identity of the girl who was the family of the _second_ Vampire Killing.”

 

“Wait, what?” Kazuya's eyes widened, and his mouth was a bit agape. “Two memories?!”

 

“You're saying that The End tricked him!” Yashiro clenched his fists. “That demonic succubus! How exactly did you figure that out, though, Rin?” He tilted his head to one side.

 

“I'll get to that later.” Rin said. “Anyway, I think he probably thought that the other person he forgot was one Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“How inconvenient is your amnesia going to get?” Jun scoffed. “Jesus, Rin, I know you have a brain made of Swiss cheese, but the least you could do is come in handy once in a while.”

 

“Please be quiet, Jun.” Chihaya said, crossing her arms and frowning at him.

 

“He was worried about something The End said to our families.” Rin said. “Something about ending a 'story of ten years.' I think it's possible that he thought The End was going to do something on the anniversary of the Vampire Killings.”

 

Shinobu looked down at her feet. “My parents... my parents were...” She shuddered. “...That was April 27th, wasn't it?”

 

“And the second killing was on April 30th.” Rin said. “I can't guarantee it, but I think Hansuke was really panicked. Since it was related to the Vampire Killings, though, he must've needed to talk to you.”

 

“No, you're wrong!” Shinobu cried. “He... he wanted to kill me! He wanted to kill me in vengeance for his father, for ruining his life, for being a monster!” She clutched at her beret, and began stretching it a bit on her head.

 

“Why do you think that, Shinobu?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “What makes you think Hansuke hated you?”

 

“W-when we were... discussing... discussing the information, yes, he...” Shinobu's eyes were a bit glassy. “He pulled from his coat... a-a wooden stake! To destroy me with! He reached out, and struck me, but missed my heart, and the pain awoke my bloodthirst and I began to rip him-!”

 

“ _Objection!_ ” Rin pointed her finger. “There were no wooden stakes found at the scene, and you were completely uninjured.”

 

“He- He struck me, Rin!” Shinobu cried. There were tears welling up in her eyes again. “I know it, I felt it! He launched towards me and struck me!”

 

“But why would the victim attack you, Shinobu?” Claus asked, placing his hand on his chin. “That seems like oddly non-victim behavior.”

 

“ _Got it_!” Rin nodded, her antenna nodding along with her, and snapped her fingers. “I think I'm beginning to see what actually happened in the hallway there. Shinobu's pretty certain about the being struck thing, so I don't think that's fake.”

 

“It's just all out of whack, yeah?” Gavin said. “Psychological distortion and all that nasty biz.” He grinned.

 

“Exactly.” Rin said.

 

“It's not 'distorted!' He struck me, he did!” Shinobu said, clenching her hands together. “He struck me, and I lost sight of myself-”

 

“You didn't 'lose sight of yourself.'” Rin said. “You fell unconscious, because he used a taser on you!”

 

“A...” Shinobu blinked. “A- a taser, you say? I- that's ludicrous, I- there's-”

 

“And I have proof.” Rin smirked. “If you'll look down, Shinobu, you may notice that you're in a different dress from before. That's because yours truly gave you a change of clothes while you were out, and I took the opportunity to take a look at the one you were wearing before.”

 

“Pervert.” Jun scoffed.

 

Stella turned to him and, balking at him, said, “Has anyone ever told you you are a gigantic pain in the ass?”

 

“Right around your chest, _near_ your heart, there was a black burn mark on your clothes.” Rin said. “It just so happens to be identical to the burn mark on Luan's scrubs- and guess who else Hansuke used his taser on?”

 

“But why would Hansuke attack Shinobu and knock her unconscious?” Kazuya asked. He furrowed his brow. “That doesn't make sense to me.”

 

“Well,” Rin said, raising her hand to stop Shinobu from going off again, “I think I have the answer to that, too. Hansuke called Shinobu out to tell her about his plan on what to do with his information, and you objected, right, Shinobu? You didn't approve of his plan.”

 

“I...” Shinobu's tears stopped, and she went quiet.

 

“What plan was this?” Chihaya said. “You sound like you know what it was.”

 

Rin nodded. “I do.” She reached into her pocket and produced Hansuke's note. “Luan and I... well, we found this in Hansuke's bathroom trash. It's a note from Hansuke, written before he died.”

 

“A...” Stella's face began to fall. “A note?”

 

Sighing, Rin nodded. “Yeah. It's a suicide note. Hansuke planned to kill himself.”

 

“W-w-w-w-w...” Gavin sputtered. “Say _whaaaaaaaaaat?!_ ” His hair flopped down in front of his face. “Han- Han was- Ha-ha-ha-han was _huhwhaaaaat!?_ ”

 

“Was he in that much pain!?” Yashiro cried, his face going wide. “I-”

 

“No, it wasn't like that.” Rin shook her head. “The note says that his motive was the Denouement Perk. He was going to try and sacrifice himself to get us the information in the Perk.”

 

After a moment's silence, Claus pounded his fist on his stand, and lurched over. “Damn it!” He cried. “I... I wanted to...” He gritted his teeth, sniffed loudly, and stood back up. “Okay. I'm alright now. I'm fine. Let's continue.”

 

“You're getting better at recovering.” Chihaya smiled. “Good job, Claus.”

 

“In the note, he said...” Rin looked back down at the note. “Well, he said that it was because Shinobu talked to him that he decided to do it. That because she talked to him about how his life was worthwhile, he realized it was his greatest weapon, and decided to use it that way.” She looked up at Shinobu. The room was quiet. “That's what you're _really_ guilty about, right, Shinobu? He told you that, and since you couldn't stop him, you felt like it was your fault he died.”

 

There was a deathly silence for several seconds before Shinobu began to cry again. “I... I couldn't...” She shook her head wildly, as though she were driving away all the illusions her mind had forced into her vision. “I couldn't stop him. I-” She sniffled. “I tried. I tried to show him that I wanted him to live, but instead, he took it as a way to die faster.” She clutched at her arms, and her entire body shook. “I don't remember anything after that. He... he knocked me unconscious, and... the next thing I remember is waking up in the Playroom, covered in blood.”

 

All that filled the courtroom was the sound of Shinobu's tears for a little while. Rin wanted dearly to hold her tightly, but thankfully, Gavin picked up on that, and gave Shinobu a hug himself. “I... When I saw his body, I was overcome with guilt. In an instant, my mind was filled with noise, horrible static blaring that I could have prevented his death, that I... even if I was not the killer, I still may as well have killed him.” Shinobu sobbed into Gavin's chest.

 

“Yeah.” Stella croaked. Her eyes were a bit teary, too. “I... I get that feeling.”

 

“So you had an attack of your post-traumatic stress disorder as a result,” Luan said, “and you were unable to remember the true events.” Shinobu nodded into Gavin's pecs.

 

“I cannot forgive this.” Yashiro growled. His fist clenched so tight it was a wonder it didn't explode. “Killing Hansuke in such a brutal manner, just to traumatize Shinobu further... vile! What sort of scum would do something like that?!” He pounded his fist into his stand. “Everyone, we must find the killer! They cannot be allowed to get away with this!”

 

“Yeah.” Stella said, and through her tears, her eyes contained a raging fire. “This bastard is going down.”

 

“So, in other words, Shinobu and Hansuke left Rin's room, Hansuke discussed his plan with Shinobu, and knocked her out when she fell unconscious.” Chihaya said. “By the timing, this would be just before his fight with Luan.”

 

Rin nodded. “Yeah. Claus, it was between 12 and 12:15 that you were locked in the Archive, right?”

 

“Yes, it was.” Claus nodded back. “That would fit with the time period...” He suddenly gasped. “Perhaps Hansuke used his taser to lock me in the room so that I wouldn't be able to stop him!”

 

“Wait, but how'd he know you done went to the Archive?” Gavin said, letting go of Shinobu and scratching his head. “I di'n't tell no-one.”

 

“It'd be simple if he just hid in the Stairwell and watched Claus as he came down.” Chihaya said. “We all knew the shift times, so-”

 

“So Hansuke was a sad little Salesman and wanted to off himself.” Jun rolled his eyes, making a mocking 'sad' voice as he said it. “So what? Who cares? He clearly didn't commit suicide, since he can't exactly smash in his own skull _and_ impale himself with three different weapons.”

 

“Stop talking.” Luan said, crinkling his nose at Jun.

 

“Well, here's the thing.” Rin pulled out Hansuke's note again. “At the bottom, he says he's going to give the answers to the whole case, so that we don't have to fight each other, but the note gets cut off after a bit.” She held it up and pointed to the bottom. “See? The cut's a bit uneven, so someone must've cut off the rest.”

 

“So, mayhappenin' that Han's plan had something the perp wanted to hide?” Gavin nodded slowly, and gave a thumbs up. “Okay! Nice done, my dude! We's one step closer to truthiness!”

 

“That's what I'm thinking too.” Rin smiled, and gave him a thumbs up back at him, and then the two of them spontaneously bumped their thumbs-up fists together. “Nice done!”

 

“Then, next is his attack on me, yes?” Luan said. “There is something I find confusing; what part did the paint play in his plan?”

 

“The paint did not cover anything on the stairs,” Yashiro said, “and thus I am uncertain of what role it could possibly play. Rin?”

 

“Well, based on Hansuke's note, he didn't want any of us to get confused.” Rin said. “I think that maybe it's possible he spilled the paint on the stairs to _create_ evidence.”

 

“As a way of proving that he was the only one who went up the stairs?” Chihaya crossed her arms and looked down. “That... actually sounds quite reasonable. If he wanted us to know that he was the culprit, then laying down a layer of paint to show that only his footprints going up were present _would_ make it very difficult for a culprit to get up the stairs undetected.” She paused, and looked away awkwardly. “Well, er, I might be able to do it, and maybe Rin, too.”

 

“The two of you have iron-clad alibis.” Jun rolled his eyes and sighed. “Anyway-”

 

“Is it actually important this time?” Rin asked.

 

“As a matter of fact, yes, it is.” Jun glared. “I've let you unenlightened neanderthals blither along and waste all of our time for long enough, and I believe that it's about time that I point out the contradiction in this little suicide theory of yours.”

 

“There's a contradiction?” Kazuya said. “Where?”

 

“Cast your mind back to the far reaches of two days ago.” Jun said. “I know it's a long gap for you idiots, but I'm sure you can do it if you try. When Monokuma explained the rules regarding the Denouement Perk, you may recall that he specified that the taker was not allowed to tell anyone the information contained within until they killed someone.” He paused for effect. “How, exactly, if Hansuke planned on killing _himself,_ would this plan even begin to lead to us obtaining this information? He wouldn't have the chance to tell anyone before he ended his miserable life.”

 

“Oh, huh.” Stella blinked. “That's actually kind of a good point.”

 

Rin's antenna drooped. “Uhhh, gimme a second, I'll think of a rebuttal.”

 

“Oh, give you a second, huh?” Jun stared blankly at her, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Yeah, sure, just waste all of our time while we're fighting for our lives, that's a fantastic idea, Rin. Maybe we can have a tea party in a room with a dangerous murderer about, hm? I'll go get the scones!”

 

“I'll brew the tea!” Monokuma chimed in.

 

“Geez, will you quit being such a dick for one second and let me think?” Rin spat back. She went inwards, and began to ponder, her antenna spinning about. That was a good point, actually. How exactly would Hansuke tell everyone his information?

 

“Ah, if I may interject.” Claus said. “Jun, may I make a correction?”

 

“A correction?” Jun repeated, staring at Claus. “Why? To what?”

 

“Mm, I was just thinking about Hansuke.” Claus said, crossing his arms. “He made a point of writing down all the exact words that Monokuma used to describe the rules, and I wondered if maybe we should concern ourselves with them as well. It, ah, wasn't just 'someone.' It was 'the first person they saw.'”

 

“And?” Jun responded, his face completely flat.

 

“And I just... thought I should clarify.” Claus adjusted his necktie. Wait... That would mean that in order to kill himself, Hansuke would need to see _himself._ And if that was the case-

 

“Oh! It's all coming together!” Rin gasped, her eyes widening, her hand going in front of her face. “So that's what that was... okay, okay... that's something! That's something!” She nodded to herself.

 

“Did you think of something?” Luan asked.

 

“Yeah, I did.” Rin nodded to him this time. “Remember when we were investigating Hansuke's room, and we found that little rectangular bit cut out of his sheets? I thought that was really weird at the time, but I just had an idea. What if he was using that as a _blindfold?_ ”

 

“A...” Stella blinked. “Like, to wrap around your eyes?”

 

“Symbolically, Justitia, the Roman personification of Justice, was often seen wearing a blindfold to represent the impartiality of the law.” Kazuya added.

 

“Oh, neat.” Stella said, nodding a little bit.

 

“I was thinking that maybe, he could've used it as a blindfold after he got to the Chapel, so that he could get back to his room without seeing anybody!” Rin said, her antenna puffing. “If he just had his eyes closed, then if he ran into somebody, he might just open his eyes on instinct. It'd keep him from accidentally screwing up his plan!”

 

“Aw, yeah, that's right!” Gavin said, pumping his fist and grinning. “That makes sense!”

 

“In that case, would Hansuke have used the secret passages, too?” Chihaya said. “To go downward, I mean. Walking down stairs is difficult with your eyes closed, and walking down the third floor stairs would pollute his footprints. The secret passages are ramps, so that seems easier.”

 

“That seems reasonable.” Claus nodded. “But... I heard there was clay there, yes? Why would he have left clay?”

 

“There was a knocked-over pot of clay in the Playroom.” Luan said. “Perhaps he knocked it over as he was heading through?”

 

“I agree with that!” Rin shouted. Luan smiled. “Actually, now that I know Hansuke was blindfolded, a few other things are kinda coming together now. So, think about this. Places like the Playroom have really messy floors, and if Hansuke wasn't careful, he could trip on something and hurt himself, or worse, before he got back to his room. If he was walking blind, he'd need some kind of guide, right?”

 

“Oh!” Stella's eyes widened, and she leaned into her stand. “The Dusty Highway! You're saying he used the Dusty Highway to gauge distances, right?”

 

“Exactly, my dear Stella.” Rin grinned. “Hansuke took his own remote-controlled car, and used it to guide himself back to his room through the secret passages!”

 

“That's... remarkably clever.” Claus blinked, his face going square. “I certainly couldn't think of something like that.”

 

“When we were inspecting the Playroom, I noticed that even though the culprit moved some stuff, all the _spills_ were near the center of the room in a straight path to the door.” Rin said. “If Hansuke was blindfolded and using a remote-controlled car to gauge distances, then that would explain that. He wouldn't be able to see things before his car ran into them, and so he might jostle things or knock them over, right?”

 

“So he knocked over the pot of clay with his car, and then it tracked through the same clay he knocked over.” Chihaya said. “Interesting.”

 

“That's why the clay tracked all the way down to the first floor.” Rin said. “He went through all the secret passages to get down there, so it tracked all the way down. There probably wasn't actually much clay left on them by the time they got down there, but I guess the clay must be glow-in-the-dark, huh, Monokuma?”

 

“I have no idea why, but yeah, we've got some MK-Brand Glow-in-the-dark Monopaint here!” Monokuma chimed in. “It's useful for... stuff. I'm sure.” He shrugged. “Eh, who knows.”

 

“Just to be certain, is it possible that the culprit killed Hansuke on the fourth floor, and then went through the secret passages themselves with the car to give the appearance that Hansuke descended the floors?” Yashiro said. “It would technically be possible for anyone on the fourth floor.”

 

“Mm, no, I don't think so.” Rin said, her antenna springing a bit. “I mean, nobody could've predicted that before it happened, and if someone was there in between him and the secret passage in Mandelbrot somehow, Chihaya would've noticed something in Mandelbrot Hall, right?”

 

“I noticed nothing.” Chihaya said. “And why would someone be waiting for Hansuke in Mandelbrot Hall? That makes no sense.”

 

“So, Hansuke headed down the secret passages with his car so he could get back to his room, but what did he do after that?” Kazuya said. “What was his plan?”

 

“Yes, you still have yet to actually explain how he planned to disseminate this information.” Jun said. “It's been longer than a second, Rin, so maybe you should hurry the fuck up and answer me, hm?”

 

“Stop! Geez! I'm only human, Jun!” Rin waved her hands around.

 

“Actually, no, you're not, you're a computer, so maybe you should act like one.” Jun spat. “I-”

 

“Jun, _seriously,_ what the _hell?_ ” Kazuya stared, baffled, at Jun. “This is a lot further than you usually go, is something wrong?”

 

“I'm stating facts, you fucking nancy, so please can it-” Jun started.

 

“Okay, shut the _fuck_ up!” Stella shouted, pounding her arms on her stand. “Shut your mouth right now, asshole, or I'll shut it for you! Don't you talk about him like that!” Her body was moving so frantically that it seemed like at any moment, she could leap out from behind her stand and strangle Jun.

 

“Wait!” Luan held his hand up. “We have no time to waste on Jun right now.” That was all well and good, and Rin inwardly thanked Luan for the interruption, but she was still kind of blanking-

 

“He meant to write it down.”

 

Nine heads turned to look at Shinobu, who'd been so muted it was almost inaudible. She was twiddling with a lock of her hair, still. “What was that? I couldn't hear you.” Jun said. “Speak up a bit so you can stop being useless.”

 

“If he couldn't speak it, he needed only write the important information down beforehand for us to discover alongside his suicide note.” Shinobu said. “Hansuke was always writing in his notepad... why would he do anything different when going to his death?”

 

“So, he meant to write down the info from the Denouement Perk, and then we'd find it after he killed himself?” Rin's antenna wobbled, and she began nodding. “Yeah... yeah, actually, that makes a lot of sense. Actually, I think it's kind of the _only_ thing that makes sense. Thanks, Shinobu!” She smiled.

 

Jun, instead of spouting off at the mouth, also nodded. “Hm. He meant to write it down, hm?” He smirked, and bowed in his wheelchair. “My apologies. I suppose I was wrong about Little Miss Psycho being a waste of time.”

 

That coming from Jun felt to Rin like it was a _bad_ omen, and Claus apparently agreed, as he, adjusting his necktie, asked, “Er, what do you mean, Jun?”

 

“I'm not afraid to admit when someone brings in a clue I didn't expect.” Jun leaned back, nonchalantly, in his wheelchair. “Hansuke planning to write down the information, well, I'm not surprised you idiots didn't notice, but it narrows things down quite a bit. After all, he _didn't_ write anything of that nature down, did he?”

 

“Well, we... definitely didn't find anything that would suggest he _did._ ” Rin said. Her antenna curled into a question mark. “Where are you going with this?”

 

“Simple.” Jun grinned. “The culprit cut off Hansuke's suicide note, which presumably would've explained his plan, and Hansuke didn't write any information down before he died. If you think about it logically, it all leads to one conclusion; he was murdered on the first floor, before he was able to return to his room.”

 

“Er, yeah, I guess Gav can kinda see that.” Gavin said. He scratched the back of his head. “Perp cuts off Han's suicide note so they can fake the sitch happening up in Barnsley, yeah?”

 

“Gold star, Gavin.” Jun rolled his eyes. “And, with that in mind, we can narrow down the possible crime scenes massively. The only bloodstains that could possibly be real are the mess in the Housing Suite, no?”

 

“So, you're saying the culprit ambushed Hansuke on his way back to his room, and killed him in the Housing Suite?” Chihaya said. “There's several questions that doesn't explain, though.”

 

“One thing at a time, Chihaya.” Jun said. “It's far easier to piece together a culprit's plan if you know who you're looking for, after all, so I'd like to take this opportunity to piece together the group's alibis.” He smirked. “Naturally, I already have much of this information myself, so you can go ahead and thank me for letting you in on it.”

 

“This is a class trial, Jun!” Yashiro roared. “Disseminating information is part and parcel to the proceedings!”

 

“And I am now disseminating information, no?” Jun pulled out a piece of paper. “Eh-hem. Chihaya, Yashiro, and myself, of course, did not leave their rooms during the time of the crime. Neither did Rin, if the odd result of her readout is any indication. Hansuke's door opened and closed again around 1, which I imagine was the culprit sneaking into his room to muck up his suicide note; they didn't spend much time in the room to do much else. And, naturally, the bunnies were in the same room.”

 

“The-” Kazuya flinched. “The _bunnies?_ ”

 

“Before we move on, there's one person who I find rather suspect.” Jun pointed his finger at Claus. “Tell me, Claus. Were you _really_ locked in the Archive?”

 

There was a moment of silence. “Er,” Claus stammered. “Yes. I was.” His forehead glistened with sweat. His necktie glistened too.

 

“Well, gee, Claus, why so worried?” Jun put on a mocking tone of sympathy. “All I'm saying is that it seems like a pret-ty convenient way to get out of having to do any investigative work if you lock yourself in a room the whole time, hm?” He snorted. “I mean, come on. It's obviously suspicious.”

 

“Wait, but how could he lock himself in?” Rin said. “You have to lock the doors from the side that have the lock box on them, and even if he did kill Hansuke and take his taser, Claus couldn't have locked himself inside from the outside!”

 

“And how, exactly, do you know that you can't open the door, disable the lockbox, head inside, and close the door?” Jun retorted, glaring at Rin.

 

“Uh, 'cause I _live_ here, dude.” Rin rolled her eyes right back at him. “I remember perfectly well that the lockboxes don't work that way!”

 

“Ah, yes, the 'memory' of a machine.” Jun said in a deadpan tone. “Memory that can be manipulated and altered at will because you're just a pile of code pretending like it's a person.” He snorted and chuckled. “Forgive me if I don't think that's particularly compelling evidence.”

 

“Wha- you're a fucking _programmer!_ ” Stella snarled before Rin could say anything. “If anyone should trust code, it'd be you! And besides, Rin's done so much more for us than you have it's crazy. Why should we trust _you?_ ” Her fists were balled, and she glared at Jun.

 

“Excuse me, I wasn't talking to you, because I don't like to talk to people who are so desperate for physical stimulus that they get off by cutting themselves.” Jun said.

 

Stella's face ran through several different emotions before she threw up her hands and said, “Fuck it, he did it. Nobody else would anyway.”

 

“No, we can't decide that yet!” Claus shouted. He adjusted his necktie. “Er, in any case, I believe you, Rin, but it seems like Jun might need something else in order to believe my alibi. Can you think of anything?”

 

Rin tapped her chin, taking pains to ensure she didn't show how much that 'pile of code' remark actually really hurt. Then her gaze turned to Luan, and her antenna spiked, and then she turned back to Claus, and grinned. “Got it. It's right in front of our faces.”

 

“Did I have something to do with that?” Luan asked. “Why did you look at me?”

 

“I thought about what Claus did last night, and I realized something.” Rin said. “That gold sword that Stella got as her Anti-Replicant Perk has really flaky paint, right? It flakes off at even the slightest touch, and it gets everywhere. Luan hasn't washed his hands, so it should still be on there a bit, yeah?”

 

Luan looked down at his hands, and raised the one that held the sword; indeed, there were still a few flakes of gold paint, glinting on his hands. “Now look at Claus's tie.” Rin said, pointing with both index fingers to Claus, who looked down at his own tie and noticed that it, too, was glinting gold. “He adjusts it when he's nervous, and he needs to touch it to do that. There's gold paint on it, which means he still has gold paint on his hand from when he held the sword before giving it to Luan.”

 

“Oh!” Claus pounded his fist into his open palm. “If I'd been the culprit, you're saying I would have washed my hands, yes?” Then he looked down at his fist, and frowned at the fact that now both of his hands had gold paint on them.

 

“Exactly.” Rin nodded. “And the culprit would've needed to wash their hands; they had to drain Hansuke's blood from his body, there were a bunch of bloodstains at the crime scene, and most of all, if the culprit had held the sword, we would've seen gold paint on his coat.” She waggled her finger. “But we didn't, which means Claus can't be the culprit!”

 

Jun rubbed his chin, and hummed. “I can accept that. At least you're good at some things, hm, Rin?” He smirked. Rin chose not to respond. “In any case, I didn't have as much chance to inspect the Housing Suite crime scene as I'd have liked, on account of two particular meatheads,” and at this he glared at Gavin and Yashiro, “grilling me over my bad mood instead of doing the only thing they're good for and helping me with the stairs.” He looked back at Rin. “Would you care to exposit?”

 

“Well, what Luan and I determined is that if that crime scene is real, the cause of death was probably a gunshot.” Rin said, crossing her arms and puffing her antenna. “I did some math, and it looked like they were in one specific corner, shooting up at him while squatted or sitting.” Rin said.

 

“Fascinating, fascinating.” Jun nodded. “And what about it makes it seem like a gunshot?”

 

“Well, for one thing, the angle was right, but for another thing, we, uh, well...” Rin stammered. “We kinda found a bullet casing right near where the culprit would've been if they shot him there. On the floor. It was a live round, too, according to Luan.”

 

Luan nodded. “The difference is in the tip. Blank rounds have crimps on the end, whereas live rounds are smooth-”

 

“Oh, come on!” Stella gestured angrily at Jun. “A gunshot? Who here had a fucking gun? And sitting?”

 

“You and I both know that my bullets could've been fired out of several of the guns at the Firing Range, Stella, and that the fact that they technically belonged to me means absolutely nothing, so shut your mouth and stop fouling the air with the noxious air you breathe.” Jun responded, his face completely flat.

 

“Jun, this is not okay!” Kazuya shouted. “If you keep doing that, I swear to god I'm going to-”

 

“What, beat the shit out of me?” Jun rolled his eyes. “Sure, yeah, go ahead once we're not all dead. I'm sure your fists will hurt a whooooole lot, Kazuya.” He sighed. “It does seem like this culprit might have wanted to implicate me, though. That's just distasteful. I mean, really, I can't even climb stairs normally. I don't have use of my legs. How could I have moved a dead body? What a fucking moron.”

 

“I'm sure you could've done it somehow.” Stella growled. “Bastard!”

 

“Hey, stop!” Gavin shouted, throwing up a hand to stop her. “I know J's being... a real big dick right now, but that ain't a reason to suspect him of murder, yo!”

 

“Oh?” Jun tilted his head to one side, in a gesture Rin couldn't help but think was probably a dig at her. “Is that right?”

 

“W-whatchu mean, 'is that right?'” Gavin sweated. “Course it's right, J, dude, what?”

 

“Returning to my earlier point, it's far easier to piece together a culprit's plan if you know who you're aiming for, and I have a question. Now that I know who I can trust, I have an open question.” Jun said. “With the crime scene as it is, tell me; how many of my bullets were brought to the cafeteria?”

 

“Six.” Rin said, her antenna curling into a question mark.

 

“Indeed, there were six.” Yashiro nodded.

 

“'s afraid of seven.” Gavin added.

 

“Six bullets brought to the Cafeteria, hm?” Jun said. He began chuckling lowly. “Rejoice, peons, for I, the Ultimate Net Admin, will now descend upon you and solve the case, and expose the vile murderer who slew Hansuke so brutally.” He snorted. “How's my Shinobu impression? Decent?”

 

Shinobu was still quiet, but she found the time to say, “No. I'd never say 'peons.'”

 

“Whatever. True art is never appreciated in its time.” Jun said. “Anyway, the culprit...” Jun dramatically raised his finger, and pointed it right next to Rin. “Is you! Gavin Sakaki!”

 

There was a moment of silence.

 

“Huh?” Gavin said.

 

**The Class Trial will resume momentarily.**

 


	49. The Fourth Trial, Universal Edition

**The Class Trial will now resume.**

 

“Allow me to do you all a little simple addition,” Jun said. “There are eleven people present for this case; the ten of us, and Hansuke, the victim. Now,  _ obviously, _ Hansuke can't possibly be the culprit, because zombies don't exist, and dead people don't get back up and impale themselves after they die.” He sneered. “Unless someone wants to counter me.”

 

“J, wha-” Gavin started.

 

“Can it!” Jun shrieked, whirling his head towards Gavin. “I am  _ speaking, _ you circus reject. Now, since only he said anything here, I'm going to assume there's no objections to my anti-zombie stance. Moving on.” He cleared his throat, and produced his readout, reading off it, being certain to angle it so nobody could see it and interrupt him. “Let's see. Chihaya would've been capable of easily ascending the floors, but she never left her room last night. Same with Yashiro; he only left when he ran into Rin. Speaking of Rin, the usage of her notebook proves that she didn't leave her room until then, either, since nobody re-entered to use it other than her. And, of course, I didn't leave my room either, though it's not like that matters, since I'm obviously incapable of moving the body anyhow.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Stella growled. “Prove it, asshole.”

 

“Okay,” Jun responded, his face completely flat. He pointed downwards. “I don't have use of my legs. I can't even climb the stairs  _ normally, _ and you expect me to get up to the fourth floor without leaving a single trace? Gee, care to explain how, Stella? I'm fascinated to hear.”

 

Stella, gritting her teeth, just turned away, unable to retort. She clicked her tongue. “That's what I thought,” Jun said. “Speaking of, you two have a perfect alibi as well judging from the record. Congratulations, kids! You're off the hook.” He smiled, putting on some sort of mocking game show host voice for that line. “Now, that leaves us with four.”

 

“H-hold on, J!” Gavin cried, his posture slowly getting less steady.

 

“Have you ever added anything of use to a conversation in your entire life, or have you just always been this completely and utterly useless and obnoxious, you disgusting trailer trash?” Jun snarled. “I said for you to  _ shut your goddamned mouth, _ Gavin,  _ so shut it. _ ”

 

“B-but how can I- J, how can I rebut if-?!” Gavin was sweating.

 

“You can rebut when I am  _ finished, _ Gavin.” Jun spat. “As. I. Was. Saying. Claus and Luan are both off of the hook because of the golden paint from the sword; they'd have left obvious traces all over the scene and elsewhere, and haven't cleaned themselves since picking it up, thanks to Rin's deductions, yes? And, finally, we come to Shinobu.” He leveled his gaze at the Mystery Novelist. “And I'm sure Rin isn't about to go back on saying Shinobu  _ definitely didn't do it,  _ right?”

 

“W-wait, why are you bringing me into this?” Rin raised her eyebrows. She was beginning to sweat, too.

 

“Thus have I outlined my case for why Rin  _ clearly _ must believe, as I do, that you, Gavin Sakaki, are a brutal, heartless murderer, who slaughtered Hansuke Yasuda and turned him to mulch!” Jun cackled. “And you even did so in a manner that would cause Shinobu to attempt to frame  _ herself! _ Genius plan! Too bad your alibi is nonexistent.” 

 

“B-but I-” Gavin gulped. “I'd- I wouldn't  _ do _ that, man! Y-y-y-yo, yo, y-you guys-” His eyes darted around. “You guys know me, right? I-” He leaned into his stand, his face full of more obvious dismay than Rin had ever seen on him. “ _ I wouldn't do something like that! _ ”

 

“Personally, I find it very hard to believe that Gavin would do something so heinous!” Yashiro cried. His index finger slammed itself into Jun's direction. “Your logic is fallacious!”

 

“You fucking ungrateful prick!” Stella shouted, pounding her fists on her stand. “Gavin's been the best friend you've probably  _ ever _ had and now you're accusing him of murder?! The fuck is wrong with you?!”

 

“Friend?” Jun asked, completely blank. “Well, who cares? This is a murder trial. If Gavin's the only one without an alibi, then he clearly did it. Come on now.”

 

“No, I mean, hey, j-j-j-just hold on!” Gavin cried, tears in his eyes. “J, please, I'm tellin' you I didn't kill Han!”

 

“Did anyone see you last night?” Jun said. “No, they didn't. Hm, and you didn't return to your room at all... Well gee, Gavin, it sure seems like you did it.” He tapped his finger on his chin. “Just admit it already, hm? Why don't you apologize to poor Shinobu for all that trauma you put her through, eh, Ultimate Buddy? That's the  _ friendly _ thing to do, right?”

 

“ _**I didn't do nothing!** _ ” Gavin shouted. 

 

“Well, that's as good as a confession right there, isn't it?” Jun snorted. “I-”

 

“Jun!” Claus slammed his hand on his stand. “ _ Stop  _ badgering Gavin. This is completely uncalled for. We haven't even finished discussing the case yet!”

 

“Oh? Then do you have any bright ideas, genius?” Jun snarled. “I'm all ears, I assure you!”

 

Claus stammered for only a second, and Jun was clearly about to pounce again, but Rin took that moment to interject. “Will you cool it, Jun?! And don't put your words in my mouth. I do  _ not _ think Gavin is the killer.”

 

“Ah, finally, someone worth debating with steps up to the plate.” Jun smirked. He closed his eyes, and placed his index and middle finger on the bridge of his nose as though he were pushing up invisible glasses. “If it isn't my eternal rival. I was wondering when you were going to speak up.”

 

“Does anyone have any idea what happened to Jun?” Kazuya asked to the class. “Any at all?”

 

“Unfortunately, no.” Chihaya said, looking away, and Rin could swear she saw a hint of frustration on her face.

 

“We can't decide who the killer is until we actually know how they did it, Jun.” Rin said, her antenna pointing forcefully at him, putting her arm around Gavin, who was still visibly distressed. “Just because Gavin seems like he's the only one without an alibi right now doesn't automatically make him the killer, if you can't come up with a way he could've pulled it off.”

 

“And what exactly is there left to explain?” Jun said. “Explain it for the slower folk among us. There's quite a lot of idiots here, you know.”

 

“Can you say  _ anything _ without being insulting? Geez.” Rin groaned. “And am I your eternal rival or a pile of unreliable code? Pick and choose! I can't be both!”

 

“A machine can be whatever I want it to, Rin.” Jun smirked. “I  _ am _ the Ultimate Net Admin.”

 

“ _ Anyway, _ there's still massive questions left to clean up.” Rin rolled her eyes and pulled up a hand. “Even if the culprit did murder Hansuke in the Housing Suite, there's a massive time gap there that we have to clear up, because Hansuke's body made it to the Chapel somehow  _ without _ the culprit leaving a trace on the stairs.”

 

“According to Monokuma, the stairs are the only way up that we have access to.” Luan said. “How did the culprit make that move?”

 

“Plus, the culprit cut him open, removed his lungs, smashed in his head, and all that.” Rin said. “We still don't have a reason  _ why _ any of that would happen. If the culprit just wanted to mimic the Vampire Killer, couldn't they just kill him and drain his blood, and do the impaling thing?”

 

“It's simple to explain the head, idiot.” Jun scoffed. “The culprit wanted to keep the murder weapon hidden, so they crushed Hansuke's head to keep people from investigating and finding the gunshot wound that was no doubt at the back of the head.”

 

“Er.” Rin stammered. “Wait,  _ was _ there a gunshot wound in the back of the head?”

 

“You think I checked?” Jun scoffed. “His head was crushed open so badly his brain was leaking out. It must've been, though.” He looked at Chihaya. “Right, Chihaya?”

 

“Why are you asking me?” Chihaya raised her eyebrow.

 

“It seems like you're the most comfortable around dead bodies, and several people didn't check the body whatsoever, no?” Jun said. “It seems like it was only you, Rin, Luan, and I who did, and it seems as though neither of  _ them _ did.”

 

Chihaya's eyes grew heavy, and she looked down. “Am I a 'sex-crazed dyke' too, Jun?”

 

“What? Oh, Christ.” Jun clicked his tongue, but it was a more... worried-sounding noise than usual. “We're in the middle of a murder investigation, can- don't make this about that! That wasn't even directed towards you!” He sputtered, his face full of dismay. “A-and of course you aren't! I would never-” He gulped, and then his face returned to normal. “Ugh, I don't know what you're playing at, but you can hate me all you want after the trial, just answer the damn question or we'll die.”

 

“I see.” Chihaya's face returned to ice. “I didn't check the back of the head, either. I should've, but I didn't really want to. It was disgusting.”

 

“So, nobody knows whether there was a gunshot wound in the back of the head, which means we can go ahead and assume there was because I don't see anyone else jumping to provide an alternative explanation for how in the hell someone actually killed Hansuke.” Jun said. “Am I wrong?”

 

“Well, I mean...” Rin chewed on this for a bit. “I'm... still just not sure. About the whole gun thing. It seems weird.”

 

“I, for one, am pretty certain.” Jun said. “But, alright, how's this for an explanation? One of those melee weapons was  _ actually _ the murder weapon, and the round was fired off somewhere as a way of attempting to frame me, which naturally means it was Gavin-”

 

“ _ But why, though?! _ ” Gavin cried. “J, w-what did I do wrong, man? Did I- did I hurt you someway, man? Please just talk to me, dude!”

 

“So tell me, Rin.” Jun said. “Since that bullet did have to get there  _ somehow, _ exactly how many bullets did you receive when Gavin gave you my Anti-Replicant Perk, hm?”

 

“Uh, six.” Rin said. “Six bullets.” Then the implication Jun was making sunk in. “Wait, you're-”

 

“I gave Gavin all seven bullets I was offered for my seven-shot gun.” Jun said, smirking. “Seven. Sept. Nana. Six plus one. Theeeeerefoooore, it's only natural that if you got six, the seventh bullet had to go  _ somewhere, _ yes?” He glared at Gavin. “You know, I'm disappointed, Gavin. Here I thought you were smarter than that. You had to know I'd see through your trick, no?”

 

“I  _ di'n't steal nothin'! _ ” Gavin shouted. “J, you- whatchu talkin' about, dude?! You gave me six! Six bullets! The-” He sputtered. “The perp musta taken the seventh bullet somehow! I-” He stammered. “M-maybe I miscounted, or somethin', and- and- and  _ I just dunno, okay?! _ ” He started crying again.

 

“Oh, will you quit playing for fucking sympathy, you murderer?” Jun spat. “Nobody cares!”

 

“ _ We _ care!” Kazuya placed his hand on his chest. “I'd- there's no way I'll believe that Gavin could do something like that! He's been a great friend to all of us, Jun, including you!”

 

“Really.” Jun responded, his voice completely flat. “That's a laugh. And that makes him incapable of murder? What about Eriko, or Daisuke? They were both pretty chummy before they turned to murder. I'd think you'd be more aware of that, Kazuya, seeing as you were Daisuke's intended victim.”

 

“Will you just shut up!?” A vein on Kazuya's temple began to throb. “You're really pissing me off, Jun!”

 

“Calm down, Kazuya!” Rin leaned over and weighed him down. “Seriously. Don't let him rile you up.” Thankfully, her hands were reasonably cool right now, so she tapped him on the head to try and cool him down.

 

Kazuya was breathing rapidly, but he gradually slowed down. “Fine. Alright.”

 

“Ooh, the speechwriter has fangs.” Jun said. Kazuya's muscles tensed, but Rin tensed her grip as well, and he remained calm. “Anyway, Rin, you now know my reasoning for suspecting Gavin. Do you have a rebuttal?”

 

“Why are you talking to me so much?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a very aggressive question mark.

 

Jun chuckled. “Ah, she asks why I speak to her.” He gestured widely. “Don't you see? It's because this is a battle between you and me. If you want so badly to make someone else the culprit, go right ahead, but I'll fight you every step of the way!”

 

“It's not about wanting to make someone else the culprit!” Rin said. “It's about the fact that your theory just has a ton of holes! There's a bunch of stuff it doesn't explain! You don't even know for certain that the gun was the murder weapon-”

 

“I'm not hearing any  _ other  _ suggestions.” Jun glared. Rin stopped mid-statement and stammered. “Come on, this from the one person I'll actually accept as my foe? That's pathetic, Rin!”

 

“Look, Jun did it, alright?!” Stella shouted. “Let's just vote for him already!”

 

“Aaaagh, will you all just stop talking for a second?!” Rin shouted, clutching her head. “Just stop and let me  _ think, please! _ ”

 

She wasn't expecting it to work, but the courtroom actually went silent for a moment. Rin's overheating brain began slowly to be able to function properly again, and she took several deep breaths to try and calm herself down. “Okay,” she said after a wait, “I have to admit, that  _ at the moment,  _ Gavin seems kind of suspicious.  _ But, _ that doesn't satisfy me. I don't want to run into a vote until we have a theory that answers all the questions.”

 

“I agree with Rin.” Claus said. Luan and Chihaya also nodded. “Actually, Jun, could I just be certain I have this sequence of events correct in your understanding? You're saying that Hansuke went up the stairs and spilled the paint, obtained the Denouement Perk, went downstairs blindfolded with his remote-controlled car, and then Gavin, with a gun from the Firing Range, presumably, ambushed him in the Housing Suite and killed him with a shot to the head. Correct?”

 

“That is essentially what I'm saying, yes.” Jun nodded.

 

“At that point, there are several factors remaining in the case.” Claus said. “For one thing, I have a question; where exactly would the culprit have placed the discarded blood bags, medical drain, and bullet? A bullet wasn't found in the Housing Suite, after all.”

 

“Hm. That is a good question, actually.” Jun said. “Good job, Claus, you contributed! My personal theory there is that Gavin placed all of that garbage in his room's trash.”

 

“Wouldn't that violate the littering rules?” Chihaya said. “And besides, if that bullet was part of your Anti-Replicant Perk, he couldn't take it into his room. We were barred from bringing our Anti-Replicant Perks into anyone else's rooms.”

 

Jun blinked. “Oh. Hm. That's a fair point. In that case...” He rubbed his chin in thought. “Ah, you know what you can do with a bullet? Shove it down a sink!” He snapped his fingers. “Monokuma locked off the Basin, I heard, but that doesn't stop sending it through a drain. As far as the bullet goes, there were specifically 'no restrictions,' so I'm sure Monokuma wouldn't have a problem.”

 

“I sure wouldn't!” Monokuma chimed in.

 

“As for the drain and blood bags, though, I'd think it wouldn't be impossible for someone to incinerate them, no?” Jun said. “In my own inspection of the Infirmary, I didn't notice any metal bits in either of the two. That's an easy way to dispose of them.”

 

“I didn't do nothin',” Gavin whimpered.

 

“Well?” Claus looked over to Rin. “I don't think I can deny the possibility. Can you?”

 

“This part? No, I don't think so.” Rin shook her head. “If you're assuming that the murder weapon was the gun, then this all checks out. You still haven't answered the biggest question, though, Jun.”

 

“Your question about the stairs, yes?” Jun said. “Well, for all my bluster, the truth is it's been bothering me, too. Say Gavin, how'd you do it?”

 

“I didn't do nothin'.” Gavin said. “J, please, believe me, I really, really didn't do nothin'.”

 

“Useless as ever.” Jun rolled his eyes. “In any case, the question is how he managed to move Hansuke... and I suppose Shinobu, up to the fourth floor, and frame up the crime scene thus, yes?”

 

“That is what I'm wondering, yeah.” Rin said, crossing her arms. “I don't actually know how  _ anyone _ would do that, let alone do it while carrying two bodies.”

 

“May I make a suggestion?” Yashiro raised his hand. “I have been pondering this, and may have come up with a solution.”

 

“What's that?” Chihaya said.

 

“None other than the Power Pole from the Gymnasium, of course!” Yashiro laughed. “That great platform would allow one to gain massive vertical height, no?”

 

“Oh, yeah, that thing.” Stella mumbled. “I totally forgot about it.”

 

“Wait, but hold on.” Kazuya said. “Where would you put it? Can it even be moved out of the Gym?”

 

“Also, I tested out the Power Pole myself when we were doing that case, and it only has two heights, lowered and raised.” Rin said. “You'd splatter into the ceiling. And I'm pretty sure that even if you, like, tilted it on its side, from the third floor it would still run right into the wall.”

 

Jun scratched his chin. “I'm supposing we have yet to discover another way up?”

 

“We have yet to find one.” Luan said. “And Monokuma confirmed to us that there were no other ways to ascend that-”

 

“So in other words,” Jun said, “it's just the stairs.” He levied his gaze back at Rin. “Say, Riiiiin? How exactly did you and Yashiro manage to scale the stairs, anyhow?”

 

“Yashiro got down and let me use him as a boost to jump the paint.” Rin said. “It was still pretty tight, though.”

 

“A-ain't no way I could do that, man!” Gavin said, nervously twiddling with the edge of his sweater vest. “I-I can't jump that high, dudes!”

 

“And don't go saying that Gavin could use some sort of object to give him a boost, Jun.” Yashiro said, crossing his arms and frowning at Jun. “He would have to leave the Stairwell in order to move Hansuke's corpse, and that would constitute leaving his boost and violating the littering rules!”

 

Jun scratched his chin. “That is a bit of a problem. I'll admit I can't exactly find much of a way for Gavin to...” He trailed off, and then started chuckling. “Oh... oh, I see... I  _ see! _ How interesting!” He smirked to himself, and the air immediately grew colder. “Everyone, I've come up with a solution. I was wondering how the Monokuma Note could be implemented, but I've found a way, so don't you worry.” 

 

“Oh, fuck off already and leave us alone.” Stella grumbled. “Who the hell-”

 

“You almost had me fooled, Shinobu.” Jun waggled his finger. “Tricky, tricky! Shame about your raging vagina, Rin, you didn't even see a thing.”

 

What. “What.” Rin said. Her patience with Jun was wearing thin real, real fast.

 

Shinobu, who'd been very quiet up until this point, finally raised her head to look at Jun. “I don't understand what you mean,” she said.

 

“Yashiro was on to something with the Power Pole. I realized something just now; if Gavin couldn't get to the fourth floor by himself, then clearly he needed an accomplice.” Jun snorted. “And who better than the one person who our ace detective would  _ never _ suspect?”

 

“You suspect me.” Shinobu said. It wasn't a question.

 

“Consider this,” Jun said, as Rin's antenna slowly started quivering, and her fists clenched gradually tighter. “What if Shinobu actually  _ faked _ her unconsciousness?”

 

“She was tased, you dope!” Rin threw one of her hands up. “How exactly would she fake that?”

 

“All she needs do is predict where he'll strike and pad her clothing to match so the prongs can't penetrate.” Jun said. “For instance... sayyy, a massive file of Hope's Peak Academy case files that she had full access to that you kept in your room, and I doubt you checked to see if they were still there?”

 

“Wha-?” Rin stammered.

 

“Then, Shinobu waits for Hansuke to obtain the Denouement Perk and fires upon him in the Housing Suite, and one of them has the bright idea to commit the murder in a way similar to the Vampire Killer and fake a PTSD attack so that nobody in their right mind would suspect her,” Jun continued. He smirked. “Which worked perfectly well except for me. Shame I'm such a genius.”

 

“This is absolute nonsense!” Yashiro roared.

 

“So, after this, the two of them obtain the Power Pole from the Gymnasium.” Jun says. “There's no reason that they couldn't use  _ it _ as a platform for one of them to make the jump by themselves; probably Gavin, considering. Hansuke's blood is already drained by this point, so if his corpse is injured when they use the Power Pole to raise it up to the ceiling, it doesn't leave a bloodstain on the ceiling or anything.”

 

“You're saying they used the Power Pole to raise up just the corpse?” Luan said, raising his eyebrow.

 

“So, anyway, Shinobu, on the floor, is still on the fourth floor. However, they've also obtained a pair of convenient polearms by this point; the javelin and the trident. They tie the two together with something, say, a cloth blindfold Hansuke had on him? And with assistance from the railway, Gavin is able to pull Shinobu up to the fourth floor. From there, it's a simple matter to grab the body from on top of the Power Pole.” Jun said. “Just reach down and grab it, since doubtless the Power Pole would've stopped from the impact.”

 

“This is just conjecture.” Kazuya frowned. “You don't even know the Power Pole would work like that.”

 

“I'm not hearing any better ideas!” Jun repeated for... god, he'd said that a lot. It was beginning to really piss Rin off. “So, now that they have all this on the fourth floor, the two of them move Hansuke's body to the Chapel, crush in his head to disguise the bullet wound, and impale him to both hide the implements they used to scale the Stairwell and make it a more convincing look-a-like. The blood bags they brought with them, they use to disguise Shinobu to make her look like a victim and allow her to convincingly fake her little episode earlier. Gavin returns downstairs, incinerates the needed evidence, and plants himself in the Bar.”

 

“In other words,” Jun said, clearing his throat, “the real culprit is, in fact, Shinobu, and Gavin was a willing accomplice to the crime, is my guess. Though I suppose it could be the other way around as well.”

 

The room went completely silent.

 

“...Are you going to object, Rin?” Claus said, adjusting his necktie. “To tell you the truth, I... I can't see any obvious contradictions with the facts.”

 

“Well, of- of course I'm going to object!” Rin sputtered. “I- Shinobu and Gavin would never do that, you- you think I- you think she'd  _ fake _ that?!”

 

“And I imagine she planned it all along, too.” Jun smirked. “After all, she was talking to you for how long in your room? I'm sure she had time to plant your head full of silly little ideas that would help corroborate her story. After all, I imagine the two of them planned this crime well in advance, what with Gavin stealing my bullet and all.”

 

“I... I didn't... I didn't do that, J.” Gavin was openly weeping now, his hands covering his face. “I-I-I-I didn't steal your bullet.”

 

“After all, being the object of Hansuke's lost memory and the much-vaunted Ultimate Buddy, they'd be able to manipulate him at will, I'm sure.” Jun snorted. “What an idiot.”

 

“That's  _ bullshit! _ ” Rin shouted, slamming her fists on her stand. “Shut the hell up! Shinobu and Gavin  _ wouldn't _ do that!” She started gesturing widely to the both of them, and then pointed her finger at Jun. “What- what kind of motive would they even have?”

 

“I can think of a motive for Shinobu to do this quite easily. Perhaps she'd want to escape with you, hm, Rin?” Jun grinned a crooked grin. “After all, that's the same thing Wanda wanted to do, since you are just  _ so _ desirable and all. Meanwhile, for Gavin, well, he's a miserable sycophant with no greater meaning to his life.” Gavin made a pained noise. “Perhaps he was just doing his duty as an Ultimate Buddy, hm?”

 

“J, J, why you doin' this to me, man?” Gavin sobbed. “Wha'd I do wrong, man?”

 

“Why are you so sad?” Jun responded, his face completely flat. “I seem to recall you being completely fine with being accused of murder in the  _ last _ trial. What's so different this time? Guilty conscience?”

 

“Are you seriously this much of a fucking sociopath?!” Stella shouted. “He  _ trusted _ you, you piece of shit!”

 

“Jun.” Chihaya said, cutting past Stella's cries. “What are you doing?”

 

“What do you mean, what am I doing?” Jun raised an eyebrow. “I'm doing the same thing I always do, obviously. Trying to find the killer.”

 

“There's no way you honestly believe that Gavin could do something like that.” Chihaya retorted. “You're not being completely truthful right now. What are you actually trying to do?”

 

“Find the killer, do you have any actual rebuttals, Chihaya?” Jun sighed. “Y'know, really, who even cares about things like motive? The facts are the facts, god damnit, and the facts say that I'm not hearing anyone coming up with any better ideas than what I have.” He spat. “Besides, I've never cared about Gavin one fucking  _ inch _ other than wishing he'd go throw himself off a cliff and leave me be.” He started snorting. “What next? You're going to say, oh Jun, Gavin loved you so much, he wanted to do sloppy kisses with you, Jun?”

 

Chihaya flinched a bit. “W-what?”

 

“Hey, I don't know if you know this or not, but I'm not interested in faggots like him.” Jun spat. “People like him are completely revolt-”

 

It was only Monokuma appearing to block him that prevented Yashiro, with a loud roar, from leaping up from behind his stand and launching directly at Jun. “No violence during class trials, geez!” Monokuma said.

 

“Young man, you have crossed so many lines this day that I do not even know where to begin with all the ways I find my skin crawling looking at you.” Yashiro scowled. “I thought perhaps we could be friends, but I suppose I was wrong. You've adequately shown that there is absolutely no justice in your heart.” It was the quietest Rin had ever heard Yashiro.

 

“Great, well, y'know, that's fantastic.” Jun scoffed. “I care a whole lot, Yashiro. I care so much. But  _ a-ny-way _ , Shinobu. I'm accusing you now. You have anything to say?” He stared right at her. “Well?”

 

There was a quiet before Shinobu spoke. “To tell true, Jun, I find myself at a loss for your conduct in this trial as well.” She said. Hugging herself, she looked up and stared right back at him. “I find it very, very confusing. Though I cannot necessarily disprove your assertions just yet, I wish to say that your theories... are completely heartless.” She shook her head.

 

“This is a fucking murder trial!” Jun shouted. “What do you-”

 

“Not that sort of heartless, Jun.” Shinobu shook her head. “You seem to wish dearly to ignore the motives behind this case, and I find it rather curious.”

 

“Uh, excuse me?” Jun raised his eyebrow. Shinobu, meanwhile, arched her back and regained proper posture, and placed her left hand right below her head.

 

“Dearest Jun, have you not heard? A true murder mystery does not end at 'whodunnit' and 'howdunnit.' 'Whydunnit' is also a crucial, key factor!” Shinobu cackled. “If you mean to give such a half-baked motive as that for your 'flawless theory,' surely you must be joking.”

 

“Are you going to actually-?” Jun began.

 

“Your theory may seem reasonable at first blush, but it relies on several unknown factors that wilt at further inspection.” Shinobu continued. “The method of being rid of the bullet seems quite untested, for instance. Your entire theory, in fact, relies on the idea of a wound which you have no evidence to confirm actually  _ exists, _ dear boy. Really, amateur stuff. And can you even be certain the incinerator would work on the blood bags and drain, that there is absolutely  _ no _ metal content in them?”

 

“Have you even-?” Jun sputtered.

 

“Insulting people to prevent them from paying attention to the holes in your theories is poor form, Jun, my boy, and I really do wish you'd stop.” Shinobu sighed daintily. “No matter how complex the crime, such frivolous guesswork is laughable; no real mystery case would rely on such unexplained, unforeshadowed devices! By god, man, have you never even heard of Knox's Fourth?”

 

“What the fuck is a Knox?!” Jun shouted. “You keep saying that word and I don't even know what the hell it means!”

 

“I'm certain we will need to have many words on the subject later, young man, as I can tell you are greatly in need of a lecture on the wisdom of Monsignor Knox and his ilk.” Shinobu said, leering at him. “At any rate, while I do admit that it is theoretically possible in the world of fiction that your theory of myself and Gavin being the culprits is the truth, it is a weak and flimsy truth that not only relies on several unforeshadowed devices, but ignores several pieces of evidence present in the case and utterly ignores the heart of a murder mystery.” She turned to the group as a whole. “As such, I would request that we first get to work dismantling it.”

 

Rin blinked a few times before she realized she still existed. “Oh, um.” She chuckled. She was blushing, fuuuuck. “Hi. Wow. That was- that was really- that was really cool Shinobu. Oh man.”

 

“I aim to please.” Shinobu grinned back at her. “Now, wipe those tears, Gavin, we have debate to do!” She produced a handkerchief from beneath her beret and began to wipe his tears. “Come on, pal! It's trial time, is it not?”

 

“Yeah, I guess so, huh, Nobe?” Gavin sighed, and put back on a weak smile.

 

“It's really good to have you back, Shinobu.” Kazuya already looked calmer for her presence, thank god. Seeing him so enraged had made Rin a bit uncomfortable. Stella nodded, with a 'yeah.'

 

“Salutations should wait 'til later, companions.” Shinobu decreed. She cleared her throat. “Now, the primary trick we must figure out is how the culprit managed to move Hansuke and myself up to the fourth floor, yes? After all, the idea that only Gavin and myself working together could have managed such a scheme is the cornerstone of Jun's argument.”

 

“Very true,” Claus nodded. “Alright, everyone. We need to think of a way to break past Jun's argument!”

 

“First time that's ever happened.” Stella snorted.

 

“The issue under debate is the paint on the stairs to the fourth floor,” Claus said. “Only one set of footprints was present; Hansuke's footprints, going upwards. Earlier in the trial, we did manage to determine how he managed to get back downward, but we have yet to determine exactly how the culprit managed to move his body back upwards.”

 

“Hansuke did possess the paint.” Luan said. “Yashiro scraped off the paint to reveal nothing beneath it, so the only reason I can think of for it to be present is for him to create evidence to prove his own culpability. Yes?”

 

“Makes sense to me, dawg.” Gavin said, pumping his fist. “So, a'ight, seems like the sitch has gotta be, the culprit killed Han after he came down, and got him back up somehow, yeah? They coulda been hidin' in Barnsley or Mandelbrot, but Claus and Lou both looked and didn't find nobody, yeah?”

 

Claus and Luan both nodded. “I guess we only technically have Luan's testimony that Hansuke was there,” Kazuya said, “but I think he must be telling the truth. After all, he does have the taser mark on his clothes, and he helped Rin with the investigation.”

 

“Not to mention the gold paint.” Stella added. “And if he'd let go of the gold sword and left it somewhere, that might've violated the littering rule somehow, or it might've gone back to me, or something.”

 

“He was completely unconscious at the stairs, too.” Rin said. Her antenna puffed. “You can't fall asleep of your own volition, so he must've been knocked out.”

 

“The first method I could think of would be climbing the edges of the staircases,” Chihaya said. “However, only I and Rin would perhaps be capable of that, and certainly not while carrying a dead body that was larger than me. That would be impossible.”

 

“Jun's second method requires two people in order to succeed.” Claus said. “Yashiro was in possession of the rope, yes?”

 

“Indeed!” Yashiro bellowed. “I have taken good care of that trusty piece of twine, and I assure you it has not been stolen at any point!”

 

“For that to succeed, they would absolutely need two people.” Luan nodded. “One person could not scale the Stairwell that way. But would two people cooperate in a crime this vile?”

 

“I find it likely that there is some form of third method we have not considered.” Shinobu said. “Oh, say, Monokuma? Are there any secret passages we haven't considered?” She winked at him.

 

“Not that you can access.” Monokuma said. “I can confirm that the only way up to the fourth floor that you guys have access to is that Stairwell!”

 

“When you say 'you guys,' does that mean all of us?” Rin tilted her head to one side. “Is it possible that there's a way up that some people can't use?”

 

“No comment.” Monokuma sighed. “Geez. You Ultimates.”

 

“A way up that only certain people could use, hm?” Chihaya said. She nodded. “Knowing how The End operates, I wouldn't be surprised. The question is, how would we find it?”

 

“If Chihaya doesn't know about it, who else would?” Stella said. “She hides in corners and alcoves all the time.”

 

“What about the Monokuma Service Elevator?” Kazuya said, raising his finger. “It goes to all four floors, and you could carry a body in an elevator easily, right?”

 

Luan shook his head. “Monokuma claimed that he would need to grant a student access, and that the rules the mastermind created had no openings for that.”

 

“That would be too easy, wouldn't it.” Kazuya sighed.

 

“While we consider this question, it would be good to ponder others, as well.” Shinobu said, looking upward with a quizzical expression. “For instance; How exactly did the culprit manage to hide the cause of death, if it is indeed not a gun as Jun claims? Where  _ did _ all the errant evidence from this case whisk itself off to?”

 

As the group's minds were buzzing, Jun stewing over in his time-out lair or whatever, Rin went inward. Shinobu was right. There  _ had _ to be a better answer here. If it was obvious, they would've found it long ago, so she would probably have to think pretty hard here, and make a logical leap or two. A way up to the fourth floor that  _ only certain people _ could access; that was a question she hadn't even considered, but it would solve several issues with this case. 

 

It would be easy to assume that Monokuma had assisted, knowing what they now knew about the Monokuma Note, but unfortunately, he had banned that line of thinking for this case. Monokuma had not assisted because of the Monokuma Note-

 

Wait, hold on. Hold on.

 

A flash of light appeared in Rin's brain, as a single, innocuous comment from a long while back returned to her mind. After a moment to process it, it made perfect sense, didn't it? Could that be it?

 

“Huh? Rin, what’s wrong?” Kazuya said.

 

“Yeah…” Rin mumbled to herself. She began rapidly flipping through the pages of her Handbook, before landing on the page she wanted and scanning it over and over again. Yes, based on the wording- based on the wording, that _had_ to be it! A method that existed, and that only _one_ person could use, a method that would fulfill the criteria needed perfectly!  “Yeah! Yeah, that’s…” She stopped. But… why? Why in the world? What was going on? “...Shinobu, I-”

 

“If we do not have a culprit, we cannot find their heart.” Shinobu said. “Trust yourself, my dear.” She smiled. “I trust you. You saved me just now, you know.”

 

Rin nodded. “Alright. In that case… I think I have it. I’ve figured out another way to move the body.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while since I directly called you to do so, but I'm curious to see if anyone can figure out this little trick. Who among the students is capable of moving the body, and how? Let's work hard, so that we can fulfill Hansuke's wish.


	50. The Fourth Trial, Turbulent Edition

 

“So, here's the thing about this theory.” Rin began. “Honestly, it's kind of crazy, and it boggles my mind to think of why this person would do this. It doesn't answer all the questions I have about the case, either. But...” She sighed. “Given the status of the crime scene, unless it was The End directly messing with us, this is the only way I can see that makes any sense at all.”

 

“Oh my god, get on with it, Rin.” Jun groaned.

 

“Here's what I think.” Rin said. She raised her right hand up and placed her right index finger on her left temple. “I think that the culprit actually did use the Elevator.”

 

“Er, how?” Luan blinked. “Monokuma was insistent-”

 

“That none of the rules the Mastermind made had any room for that, right?” Rin said. Luan nodded. “Remember, this is Monokuma. If there's one thing we've learned, it's that his boss loves exact wording, and forces him to operate by them at all times. When he says 'the rules the mastermind made,' he means the rules _the mastermind made._ ”

 

Shinobu's eyes widened. “Ah- what?! Are you serious, dear?!”

 

“Absolutely.” Rin nodded. “I was having trouble figuring out a loophole here, but then I thought back. Remember, Monokuma also said that nothing _in the Monokuma Note_ would've made him assist with the crime.” She turned her head to look at the bear. “He never said that he _didn't_ assist with the crime.”

 

“And exactly why, little lady, would I do such a thing?” Monokuma said, placing his paw where his chin would be. “Exactly what rule are you claiming would've forced me to intervene?”

 

“The rule that you said _you_ added. Rule Thirteen.” Rin said. “It states, and I quote, 'if a lone student is rendered incapable of performing the regular actions needed to return to their room, Monokuma will assist them to perform any actions that an average human being may perform.'”

 

The room went quiet for a moment. “Wait.” Luan said.

 

“Hold on,” Claus agreed, and then he closed his eyes for a moment. “Wait. Hold on.”

 

“Y-you're _kidding!_ ” Chihaya's face widened in open dismay.

 

“I thought about the rule for a second, and I realized that even if you meant well with the rule, you left yourself a huge blind spot by just making it on the spot, Monokuma.” Rin said. Her antenna twisted a bit. “See, no matter how you intended for it to be interpreted, you know that the rules would be interpreted literally, right?”

 

“Well, that's quite an accusation.” Monokuma said. In response, though, he hunched over and sighed. “I suppose I can't say you're wrong, though.”

 

“So, here's my question. It says that you'll assist this student with performing any actions that an average human being may perform.” Rin said. She tilted her head to one side. “But you're elementally weak to stairs. If that student couldn't climb the stairs, how would you help them go up and down floors?”

 

“Oh, that's true!” Yashiro gasped. “What folly on your... paaaaaart...” His voice slowly became a low rumble as he trailed off.

 

A sneering, derisive laugh emanated from right across from Rin. “Oh, wow.” Jun laughed. “Are you actually playing this card? You're saying that it has to be the cripple because he's crippled? You're accusing _me?_ ” He started cackling. “Oh man, this is the funniest thing I've heard all day, who says robots have no sense of humor?”

 

“I mean... I'm not joking.” Rin said. “I'm asserting that it's possible for you to have moved the body, Jun. Or, well, to have had the body moved, so to speak. After all, Monokuma is strong enough to move a dead body.”

 

“It's true, I am.” Monokuma chimed in.

 

“And Monokuma is strong enough to impale a dead body several times over.” Rin continued.

 

“It's true, I am.” Monokuma chimed in.

 

“And Monokuma is quick enough that gathering all the materials for this wouldn't be too time-consuming.” Rin continued.

 

“It's true, I am.” Monokuma chimed in.

 

Stella's teeth gritted, and her face slowly went from flat to absolutely incensed. “Oh, you son of a bitch. You son of a _fucking bitch._ ” Her hands started twitching. “Let me over there, I'll strangle this bastard.”

 

“Hey, hold on-” Rin began, but then Jun laughed again.

 

“Geez, didn't you hear? No violence during a class trial.” Jun sighed. “Plus, how am I supposed to rebut her assertions if you're strangling me, Stella? Use your brain for once instead of killing your brain cells with hair dye.”

 

“J...” Gavin was quieter than Rin had ever heard him. His eyes were wide. “J... it... t-this ain't true, right? It- c'mon, tell Rin she's wrong, dude. Trip, it- it ain't that hard, yo, right?”

 

Jun rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, if I _must_. First off, Rin, how exactly are you claiming that I forced Monokuma to help me? Citing a rule violation is all well and good, but unless you can tell me I had a method of doing so-”

 

“You did.” Rin said. Jun raised his eyebrow. “It'd actually be really easy. Just, well...” She gestured toward him. “Break your own wheelchair.”

 

“Break my wheelchair.” Jun repeated. “So you're saying that I _broke my own wheelchair_ in order to force Monokuma to assist me in moving the body, as well as Shinobu, _and myself,_ up to the fourth floor by using the Elevator. That I am the one who murdered Hansuke Yasuda and set up the scene. Right? Am I picking up what you're putting down?”

 

“That is how it would seem.” Luan murmured. His brow was creased. “Do you... have a rebuttal?”

 

“ _Do I have a rebuttal!_ ” Jun laughed, snorting a bit. “Do I have a rebuttal, the man asks me. Of course I have a rebuttal.” He shook his head derisively. “Christ, what a load of bunk. Alright, alright.” He put his hands behind his head. “So, let me get this straight. If I... broke my own wheelchair, as you're claiming, Rin, then that would imply that this wheelchair I'm currently sitting in-” He gestured downward towards it. “This one. This one right here? You're implying that this is _not_ my original wheelchair, as I would presumably have to reduce my old wheelchair to completely unusable scrap metal.”

 

Rin blinked a few times. As they debated this, Jun was clearly beginning to act even more bizarrely. Rin found it hard to believe that Jun would even do such a thing, and yet... wasn't this the only possibility? She briefly glanced at Shinobu, who looked similarly confounded, but the two of them shared a glance of commiseration. “Yes. That's what I'm saying.”

 

“Where is my old wheelchair?” Jun responded, his face completely flat.

 

Her antenna curling into a question mark, Rin tilted her head to one side. “Uh... huh?”

 

“Since it's not currently carrying my ass, please, inform the class to whence my old wheelchair has flown off to.” Jun made a grand, sweeping gesture. “If you'll recall, the rule states that the lone student; in this case, myself; must become incapable of returning to their room. If I were _in my room_ when I broke my wheelchair, that would naturally mean that I would not be valid for the rule. However, if I were to break it outside of my room, it would be subject to the littering rules, no? I couldn't exactly _leave_ it somewhere. Where are you supposing I stashed my old, broken wheelchair? And don't say in my room, because there's no way you can prove something that stupid.”

 

The room went quiet for a moment.

 

“...J, that's-” Gavin stammered, sweat beginning to roll down his forehead. “'s not the best you got, right?” His eyes widened, and began to dart about. “C-c'mon, like, uh...” He snapped his fingers a few times. “Show us your readout or somethin'! Y'know, like... give 'em the ol' Jun one-two with your fave piece o' tree, yeah?”

 

“Gee, did you all hear something?” Jun struck at his ear a bit. “I swear I heard an annoying little fly not minding its own god damned business, _because I am debating with Rin Hashizawa right now,_ _**and nobody else, SO SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH BEFORE I SHUT IT FOR YOU!** _ ” Jun went from calm to enraged within moments, a vein throbbing in his temple, spittle flying from his mouth, slamming his fists on the stand. “You _fucking_ queers. Never know when to mind your own motherfucking business.” He said through gritted teeth.

 

“J, I-” Gavin began blubbering. “J, wha-” He stammered a few times. “I-I don't understand. I thought we was cool.”

 

Kazuya turned away and clicked his tongue. “Rin, please refute his contradiction so we can be over with this already. I can't stand to look at him anymore.”

 

Rin couldn't help but hesitate. There was an obvious contradiction here, one that was so obvious she and Jun had literally been in the same room when they'd discovered it. The sinking feeling of wrongness hadn't gone away during the trial; if anything, it had only intensified now, with even Kazuya enraged by Jun's sudden outburst of slurs and hatred. Gavin was gravely wounded in a way he never showed to _anyone,_ and Jun, who clearly greatly valued his friendship, was driving the stake further and further into his heart.

 

The real question on Rin's mind was thus; _what the fuck is going on!?_

 

Still, though, she did have a contradiction to point out. She turned to look at Shinobu. “Is... is this the right thing to do?” Her antenna drooped. “I'm... Shinobu, I'm really lost here.”

 

“What is there to be lost about?” Jun rolled his eyes from across the room. “Hurry up and refute me if you're so confident-”

 

“Be quiet for a moment.” Shinobu said, and met Rin's gaze. “I'm utterly baffled as well, and not just because I spent the investigation in a daze. That said, there is oft no other way but forward. 'Can't go over it, can't go under it, can't go around it, got to go through it.' It's an American children's song.”

 

“If you say so.” Rin gulped and nodded. “Alright, well... uh, yeah, I have a rebuttal. It's pretty obvious, even, are- are you even trying?”

 

“Don't mock me.” Jun gritted his teeth and glared at her. “Hurry up. Time's a-wasting, Rin.” He snapped his fingers.

 

“The Elevator.” Rin sighed. “Monokuma told us that the Elevator doesn't count as part of the main building, so you can litter in there all you want. You could just leave your wheelchair in the Elevator, along with, well, all the other evidence. Right?”

 

Jun blinked. He gave a disbelieving chuckle. “Y-you're kidding, right?” His eyes began darting back and forth. “That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You can't prove something like that. As long as there's no evidence, you know it's all bullshit, right?”

 

“Monokuma, does the Service Elevator come down here?” Rin turned to the bear. Jun flinched.

 

“You're bluffing.” Jun gritted his teeth. Sweat began to roll down his forehead. “You're bluffing!”

 

“Sure doesn't seem like she's bluffing.” Stella sneered at him.

 

“As a matter of fact, it does!” Monokuma said. He stood up in his throne and did a few little hip gyrations. “Behold, as I summon the Monokuma Service Elevator for all to see! Eekum...” He wiggled his butt. “BOKUM!”

 

On the opposite side of the room from where the students had ridden their elevator down, the familiar sight of the Monokuma Service Elevator began to descend. “You know, if you open that up and there's nothing there, you realize that that means I'm right, right?” Jun said. He gritted his teeth. “You're wrong, you know, might as well back out now.”

 

“Oh, be quiet, you!” Yashiro cried.

 

The elevator slowly ground to a halt, the courtroom full of a deathly stillness. The creaking, mechanical noises of the machine began to come to life, as the doors gradually wrenched themselves open to reveal the innards of the machine. And inside-

 

“You _bastard!_ ” Kazuya cried.

 

It wasn't just Jun's wheelchair, destroyed and shattered into pieces, scattered all about the Elevator floor in a grand pile. There were empty blood bags on the floor, too, covering up something Rin wasn't even sure what it was underneath the stained, red plastic. A medical drain, as well, and next to it, a blood-soaked bullet, fired off of its round, lying on the floor.

 

“Wha-” Claus stammered. “But then, that means-?!”

 

A low clapping began to fill the courtroom. “That was a bit faster than I expected,” said Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin. “But congratulations, Rin. Seems like you win.”

 

Nine heads swerved to meet Jun, who was calmly smirking, and giving a nonchalant little shrug. “Guess I was found out. Shame. Here I thought fucking with Little Miss Psycho's head and framing Gavin like that would work pretty well, but I guess you finally came out on top, eh, Rin?” Jun chuckled. “Shame. I guess I made it too obvious.”

 

“You... you, you, you _son of a bitch._ ” Stella growled, and Rin could swear she was making fracture marks in her stand keeping herself from attacking him outright. “Is that all you have to say?”

 

“Why would I want to waste more words on you idiots?” Jun snorted. “Ahh, as usual, you're all completely worthless, down to a man, and it's only because of Rin that you can ever beat me.” He smirked. “I'm impressed you managed to figure out that trick with the Elevator! I was pretty proud of that one.”

 

Rin blinked a few times. “W-what? What are- huh?”

 

“You're saying you decided to mutilate Hansuke, and torture Shinobu, and betray all of our trust for... for what?!” Kazuya said. “I can't believe you!”

 

“Well, I mean, I was _trying_ to _escape._ Duh, you fucktard.” Jun spat. “Same reason the last three turned to murder. Really, you should've seen it coming earlier, I mean, who else here tries to manipulate people because of their brain problems, right, Little Miss Cutter?”

 

“I can't _believe_ I... I was actually starting to _**like** _ you!” Stella gripped harder onto her stand. “You fucking piece of shit, you goddamned garbage pile, you fucking monster!”

 

“How could I have let this go unseen!?” Yashiro cried. “Jun, say it isn't so, that you haven't been such a fiend all this time! There must be some sort of mistake!”

 

Jun rolled his eyes. “It's not my fault you morons are bad at reading people. Why did you ever trust me in the first place?” He scoffed. “Oh, wait. It's probably because of Turbo-Dumbass Numero Uno over there,” he said, looking at Gavin.

 

Gavin was completely and utterly silent, not even making a peep, or a single movement. “What's wrong, can't even move a muscle, you faggot fuckup?” Jun spat. “'Ooh, I'm Gavin and I'm so friendly, I'll be friends with people who nobody else is.' Well guess what, idiot? Turns out that's a bad idea! I've never given a single shit about you. Frankly, I wish I'd never met you. You're the most worthless, inane, idiotic, banal, frivolous, ugly, miserable waste of human flesh that this planet has ever spat out. I hope they save a special seat for you in Hell.”

 

“No,” Gavin croaked out.

 

“Hm? What was that? You say something, fuckhead?” Jun sneered. “Christ, do you ever run out of yammer?”

 

“You're lying.” Gavin said, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. “You're _lying,_ J. Why you lying? Just tell me.”

 

“Oh my god, you're so fucking desperate.” Jun sighed. “I should've killed your dumb ass, too. Anyway, I'm done with you.” He turned back to Rin. “How does it feel, Rin? Victory is such sweet nectar, no? You've finally bested me, taken back your glory after your pitiful defeat at the Marufuji College Tech Expo. Maybe now they'll finally accept you as a _real_ Ultimate.” He cackled.

 

Rin blinked some more. “I- buh- wha?”

 

“The rest of you aren't worth wasting words on.” Jun snorted. “Oh; but Chihaya, you were the least intolerable of the plebeians, so you were the target of my Monokuma Note, just for your information.”

 

“What- I don't understand.” Chihaya began sweating. “What's going on?”

 

“Are we certain- what exactly is happening?” Shinobu said, looking frantically around.

 

“In any case, Monokuma, the case is over.” Jun said. “You can go ahead and begin Voting Time now, as I'm sure they all realize I'm the culprit.” He smirked. “Hopefully the Devil will appreciate my talents.”

 

“Alright, if you say so! Everyone cool with that?” Monokuma said.

 

“Fine, fuck it, whatever.” Stella spat. “Let's-”

 

“Everyone stop _talkiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!_ ” Rin screamed. Then she added two or three more screams onto the end of that one, to make sure everyone really stopped talking. And then she added one more. By the end, she was panting, gasping, “Uh, sorry- sorry, guys, I, uh-”

 

“Actually, that seems quite useful right about now, may I scream as well?” Claus said, with a similarly flustered expression.

 

“I could partake in one as well,” said a frantic Shinobu.

 

“Oh yeah yeah, sure.” Rin nodded. “Alright, count of three we all scream at once. One, two, three!”

 

 _“““_ _**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!** _ _”””_

 

“Ahhh, thank you, that was very helpful.” Claus breathed heavily, smiling. “Good workout of the lungs.”

 

“Yeah, it comes in handy sometimes.” Rin nodded, slowly refilling her lungs, or, well, whatever passed for them, anyway, who knew. Air information. Something. “ _No,_ ” Rin preemptively chided Yashiro, who looked to be about to rev up for a scream as well.

 

The rest of the room was silent.

 

“What the fuck are you _doing?_ ” Jun stared, rolling his eyes.

 

“So, like, I donno if you guys know this, but I kinda process information like a shark, personally?” Rin said, her antenna curling into a little spring shape. “And usually that's great, but when you guys are all just talking talking talking all the time when I can't even understand what's going on it seriously freaks my mind and I can barely understand anything, so I really just needed some quiet.” She took another deep breath in. “Ahhh, silence.”

 

“I could've given you some time in the Penalty Box.” Monokuma said. “It's completely soundproof.”

 

“Uh, I don't think I ever wanna go in something called the Penalty Box.” Rin's antenna drooped. “Okay, so, uh, let's try this again, maybe without everyone screaming over each other this time.” She turned to Jun, and gestured with both her hands at him in a befuddled motion. “So, uh. Jun.”

 

“That is my name.” Jun said.

 

“Did... so you just confessed to murder. Right?” Rin's antenna curled into a question mark. “You just confessed to killing Hansuke.”

 

“Indeed.” Jun said.

 

Rin blinked. “Okay. And so you've been... congratulating me on my victory, and not even trying to rebut, because of that evidence in the Elevator.”

 

Stella revved up. “It-!”

 

“Stella, I love you, but I need you to please not talk right now.” Rin threw up a hand, and Stella retracted, stewing. “And so now you want us to go to the vote. Just... like that.”

 

“Do I need to repeat it for you again but slower?” Jun groaned. “Ugh, what century are you even from?”

 

“It would seem to be quite compelling evidence.” Shinobu hummed. “At the very least, the presence of his broken wheelchair would most certainly imply that he is the one who moved the body, as well as myself.”

 

“Alright.” Claus cleared his throat. “Everyone, I'm going to take a vote. Each of you go in turn and say whether you think we should proceed to the vote right now.” He paused. “I'm not in favor. Something seems off here, and I still have questions. Stella?”

 

“Have you heard this guy?” Stella said, gesturing at Jun. “Let's just kill the bastard. That's proof he did it anyway.”

 

“I'm also in favor of the vote.” Kazuya said, his hands tense. “Given the Elevator, I don't see any way Jun couldn't have done it.”

 

“I see.” Claus said. “Luan? Chihaya?”

 

“There's no way this is the whole story.” Chihaya shook her head. “I want to hear more.”

 

“As do I.” Luan added. “This is strange.”

 

“Alright.” Claus nodded. “Y-”

 

“I'm legally obligated to say that I'm in favor of proceeding to the vote immediately!” Monokuma chimed in. “Three to three! This race is heating up!”

 

Claus sighed. “Yashiro?”

 

“I wish... I wish to abstain from voting.” Yashiro gritted his teeth. “Though it seems right to me that Jun must be the culprit, given this evidence, something does not quite seem right... but if he is the killer, I cannot in earnest vote not to give him his just desserts. I am paralyzed.”

 

“Alright. I can't blame you.” Claus said. “Rin? Shinobu?”

 

“This is clearly weird, and I have questions that are spinning me right round, man.” Rin said, her antenna spinning.

 

“I wouldn't phrase it that way, but I agree with her.” Shinobu nodded.

 

“Oh, just hurry up and execute me already, god.” Jun grunted. “It's not that hard.”

 

“In that case, it's five to wait, four to continue.” Claus said. “...Given Monokuma, I can only imagine that if we reach a tie, he will immediately start the vote.”

 

“Good thinking, Claus!” Monokuma said. He tittered a little bit. “Oh, I'm so naughty, ain't I?”

 

Everyone in the room turned to Gavin, who had remained unnervingly quiet through the discussion so far. “Gavin?” Claus said. “In the end, the decision rests with you. Are you satisfied with this?”

 

Gavin, looking downcast, sighed. Then he looked up, and stared at everyone in the room in turn. “Yo, man, I... this ain't... 's just _wrong,_ man. Ain't no way J would do...” He gestured widely. “All'a... all'a _this._ I just got no clue what's going on, man. It don't make no sense. So...” He gave one last look at Jun. “I... still got questions. We gotta talk more about this.”

 

Jun groaned. “Oh my god shut the fuck up you are so fucking annoying holy shit.”

 

“Wait, okay, see?” Gavin said, gesturing at Jun, and looking at Rin. Rin nodded; she'd just come to the same conclusion. “This's clearly wrong, dudes! This is all bizarro and upside-down!”

 

“What is?” Kazuya said. “It's odd that Jun isn't defending himself, yes, but, well-”

 

“No, no, not that.” Rin shook his head. It'd be nice if she could appeal to some of Jun's more positive aspects, but this was most decidedly not the time. “Like... okay, so we've known Jun for two and a half weeks now, we've been living in the same place as him, we've gone through a lot of Jun. Now look at him here.” She gestured at him. “Since when has Jun ever been a _graceful loser?_ ”

 

“Er, pardon?” Yashiro tilted his head to one side.

 

“If there's one thing I've learned about Jun, it's that he cares a lot about winning.” Rin said, crossing her arms and wobbling back and forth a bit. “Like, a lot a lot. When Jun loses, he doesn't take it easy, go, 'ah, well, you were a worthy opponent' and stuff like that. He screams! He cries! He gets upset, he gets so mad he can hardly contain it! He's the biggest sore loser I've ever met! I think.”

 

“May I add?” Chihaya said. Rin nodded. “The way he acted just now, with his smug superiority, seems a lot more to me like how Jun acts when he _wins._ If he's been caught for murder, I don't believe he'd ever act like that.”

 

For the first time in the trial, Jun's nose scrunched, and he made those familiar little grunting sounds he made when he was mad. “Oh, are you serious right now. Who the hell cares?”

 

“We care, Jun.” Shinobu retorted. “My dear boy, why in the world would you be getting mad upon _slowing_ your march towards an inevitable death? It seems downright paradoxical.”

 

“I just don't feel the need to waste all of our time any longer.” Jun scoffed. “I fail to see what is so confusing about that.”

 

Rin took a moment to ponder to herself. Though this was clear to her, Jun's demeanor wasn't actual evidence. “Okay, Jun.” She nodded. “In that case, confess, from the beginning.”

 

“Hm?” Jun cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

 

“That shouldn't be a problem, should it?” Rin said. “I mean, you already confessed to the murder. Just explain to us exactly how it went down.”

 

“This seems sound to me.” Claus nodded. “I agree, Jun. Please explain your crime from the beginning.”

 

Jun sighed. “Fine, whatever. Alright.” He rolled his eyes. “So, when Hansuke left his room around midnight, I figured he was heading to go get the Denouement Perk, and that now I had my chance to ambush him and take it for myself. When I left my room, I found Shinobu unconscious on the floor, but didn't bother moving her. When Hansuke entered the room, blindfolded, following his car, I waited until I had a good angle, then fired, blasting him straight through the head.”

 

Rin's antenna perked up, and she saw Claus have a similar reaction. “Say, Jun.” She said. “What exactly did you shoot Hansuke with?”

 

Jun fixed her with a withering 'god you're a dumbass' glare. “Gee. What did I shoot him with. The fuck do you think I shot him with? Who here got a fucking gun as his Anti-Replicant Perk? Obviously, I shot him with my gun!”

 

“ _No, that's wrong!_ ” Claus slammed his stand and pointed his finger dramatically. “That was a lie, Jun. It's impossible for you to have shot Hansuke with your own gun!” He briefly broke from his stance to gaze bashfully at Rin, who just gave him a thumbs up in response.

 

Blinking, Jun scoffed. “Excuse me?” He said. “And how exactly is it impossible? A gun is a gun, Claus.”

 

“That may be true, but you didn't have access to your gun.” Claus said. “Before the trial, I headed to the Cafeteria, where we all left our Anti-Replicant Perks, and yours was still sitting there; the gun, and the six bullets you gave us. Since you kept one of your bullets, it was impossible for you to obtain your own gun!”

 

Jun clicked his tongue, and flinched. “S-so what?!” He said. “Fine, yeah, whatever. It was actually one of the guns from the Firing Range.”

 

“Objection.” Luan said. “I checked the Firing Range at midnight and there were no guns missing. If you left your room to see Shinobu on the ground, you would have had to break your wheelchair, have Monokuma grab it and take it and you to the Elevator, ride up, grab the gun, and return to the Housing Suite, without ever running into Hansuke, and beating him back to his room.”

 

“Oh, who cares how I got the fucking gun?!” Jun threw his hands up and screeched. “It doesn't matter, you troglodytes! I shot Hansuke dead, that's all that matters!”

 

“No, Jun, that sounds pretty impossible to me.” Rin shook her head. “But even if it didn't, why would you lie during your confession? That seems like pretty odd murderer behavior to me.”

 

Jun reared back to shout, but then found himself at a loss for words, and started scratching at his head, which was probably quite itchy. “F-fine. You want to prove I didn't shoot Hansuke?” He scoffed. “Then show me another explanation, idiots. I'm not seeing any.”

 

“There is quite the easy way to prove your own story, you know, Jun.” Shinobu said. “Simply show us your security readout. You are incapable of modifying it for yourself, after all, yes?”

 

Looking down suddenly at the piece of paper in his hands, Jun's hands clenched, and he no doubt would have torn the paper apart had it not been for the timely intervention of Monokuma, who swooped in and grabbed it from Jun's hands. “No destruction of evidence during the trial, c'mon, Jun.” Monokuma snorted. “That's just not classy.”

 

“You're supposed to be an impartial observer!” Jun screamed, his face turning red. “What the hell is this!?”

 

Monokuma tilted his head to one side. “Observer, sure. When did I ever say I was impartial? Of course I have stakes in this trial.” Monokuma said. “Besides, if you destroy this evidence, it makes things unfair for the rest of us, so it's only right, right? This is how an observer keeps the class trial running smoothly!”

 

“Oh, _fuck off!_ ” Jun swore, spitting at Monokuma.

 

“Allow me to read it out to you all.” Monokuma cleared his throat. “Yeah yeah yeah, yadda yadda, so, most of what Jun said was true _except_ for one little tidbit regarding Hansuke's door. It is true that it opened and closed quickly around 1, as he said during the trial. 12:50, to be exact. However, that wasn't the last time Hansuke's door moved. His room opened from the outside, then opened from the inside at 12:51, less than a minute after... and then...!”

 

“...And then?” Chihaya asked.

 

“And then...!” Monokuma shouted, slowly growing redder with intensity. “And then!”

 

“And then what?!” Gavin shouted, pushing his hair up. “Gonna gimme a hernia, Kuma!”

 

“And then, I'll tell you what happened. Hansuke's door actually opened again, from the inside, at 1:40, almost an hour later!” Monokuma said. “ _Then_ it stopped moving, and Jun returned to his room around 3, just a scant half hour before the body discovery announcement played.”

 

Stella, who had been silent for some time, blinked. “What the hell?” She mumbled.

 

“That doesn't sound to me like Hansuke was ambushed outside of his room.” Chihaya said, with an appraising gaze at Jun. “That sounds to me like he returned to his room after he left, and _then_ died.”

 

Jun clicked his tongue again, and started grunting. “What does it matter?”

 

“You would be the one who knew that, Jun.” Shinobu said. “After all, it was you who hid this information, no? Why?”

 

“It doesn't matter!” Jun screeched. “I'm the culprit, so vote for me already! I murdered Hansuke, why can't you just fucking listen already?!” He began tearing at his hair. “Who else could've possibly done it?!”

 

Rin scratched her chin, when all of a sudden, a thought occurred to her. “Well, maybe we'll find out when we inspect this new evidence.”

 

“Oh!” Kazuya's eyes widened. “The things in the Elevator, you mean?”

 

Nodding, Rin left the back of her stand and began walking over. “This is all new evidence we haven't gotten the chance to inspect yet,” she said, raising her voice to be heard. “It's clearly pretty important!”

 

“No, it's not, get behind your stand!” Jun sputtered. “You're wasting your time!”

 

“Don't you know by now that when you say that, it just makes me want to do it more?” Rin returned. Thankfully, as always, she was rather fast, so she managed to hoof it to the Elevator from across the room pretty quickly. She squatted down to take a look at the pile for herself. “Now, I tell you what, let's see here.”

 

The bits of wheelchair were obvious, as were the blood bags, but from across the room, Rin remembered vaguely seeing something under the blood bags, so she began to look through them. Her antenna curled into a question mark as she gripped something hard and glass beneath them, pulling it out. “It's... a bottle?” She tilted her head to one side.

 

“Aw, trip, man, yeah!” Gavin called from the stands. “Gav totes forgot about that little deet!”

 

That was the only thing that was immediately obvious, but something niggling at the back of Rin's mind led her to look beneath the bits of wheelchair as well. It was a messy pile, but there was indeed a reward for her search, and one that hadn't even been mentioned up to this point; a firm, stocky, melon-shaped plant, pale green, with leaves on the bottom. Rin picked up the _Florem diabolica,_ and tilted her head to one side. “What are _you_ doing here?” She said.

 

Rin blinked.

 

“Okay, so I think I just made a really massive discovery!” Rin said, having bolted back to her stand and arrived within mere moments. “Okay! Okay!”

 

“This is all completely worthless and you're wasting everyone's time.” Jun glared at her. “What the hell are you-”

 

“Stop talking.” Rin said. “Okay, so I found the _Florem diabolica,_ of all things, in the elevator.”

 

“The poisonous plant from the Greenhouse, right?” Kazuya said. He frowned. “Why would Jun have put that in the Elevator?”

 

“Say, Kazuya.” Rin said, her antenna pointing at him. “You're aware that the culprit removed Hansuke's lungs, right?”

 

“Yes, I-” Then Kazuya stopped, and his eyes slowly widened. “Wait. Oh my god. They removed _his lungs?_ ”

 

“What does that mean?” Stella tapped Claus on the shoulder. “I'm lost.” Claus shrugged in response.

 

“When we scanned Daisuke's corpse with the ADAM, it detected that he'd perished by the _Florem diabolica_ via a mass of plant matter in his lungs.” Shinobu said. She cackled lowly. “I see, I see. My little grey cells finally seem to understand the meaning behind removing the lungs!”

 

“Disguising the cause of death.” Luan said. He frowned. “But... why?”

 

“Well, think about it this way.” Rin said. “Jun's the only person who could've done that stuff to the body, right? He straight up admitted he did it, and all this stuff was in the Elevator. So, Jun drains all the blood from Hansuke's corpse and removes his lungs, and plasters a bunch of blood not only on Shinobu, but on the walls of the Housing Suite, because the _Florem diabolica_ doesn't result in a bloody crime scene. Then he plants a bullet shell at the Housing Suite, lies and says that Hansuke never returned to his room, and all that.” She paused. “What does that sound like to you guys?”

 

“Like a textbook case of framing oneself for murder, if ever such a thing could exist.” Shinobu said. “As baffling an idea as that might be.”

 

“'Framing oneself for murder.'” Jun scoffed. “Are you fucking kidding me? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.” He was sweating. “I actually... planned that... as a way to divert suspicion from myself. But I gave up. I didn't think it would help at all. And see? It didn't.” He laughed.

 

“As usual, you are a terrible liar.” Luan said. Jun growled.

 

“So, wait, wait, hold on here.” Stella waved her hands around a bit. “You're saying that Jun _isn't_ the culprit, but is _pretending_ he is.” She paused. “Why the hell would he do that?”

 

“I'm not _pretending!_ ” Jun slammed his fists on his wheelchair's arms. “When Hansuke let me into his room, I-!” He clapped a hand over his mouth and muttered an angry 'shit!' beneath it.

 

“Well, from that reaction, that's one mystery solved.” Rin stared quizzically at the very, very angry boy who just accidentally gave something away. “In that case, Hansuke must've let Jun into his room after he returned. But why?”

 

“Yo, wait, hold up a sec.” Gavin said. He waved his hand. “If Han got back to his room, why'n't he write down none'a that Day-noo-mon Perk, uh, I say it right this time? Whatevs.”

 

“If he let Jun into his room, he most certainly had already looked at himself to complete his plan.” Shinobu hummed. “He would have no reason to let someone in, unless...”

 

Rin's antenna spiked. “Unless Plan A _failed._ ”

 

“Wait, how would it have failed?” Kazuya said. Then he stopped, and turned to Monokuma. “Monokuma, how did Plan A fail?”

 

“I'm glad you asked!” Monokuma stood up in his throne. “So, when Hansuke received the Denouement Perk, he was informed of a little tidbit about it, since we already knew about his plan, of course. Namely, if you write down the information from the Denouement Perk, that written-down information becomes an extension of the Denouement Perk. This, naturally, includes all restrictions, _including_ the fact that you must kill someone before expressing the information to anyone on pain of execution!” He cackled. “Whoopsie-daisy! Seems like Hansuke's plan was dead in the water!”

 

“Maybe Hansuke let Jun in to have him help come up with a second plan.” Rin said, her antenna spinning. “I mean, Hansuke knew it had been just thinking by himself that got him into this mess, and if Jun was right there, then there's no way he'd deny the help. Right?”

 

“If that is the case, though, then why would Jun go to Hansuke's room?” Yashiro pondered. “If the visit was that late at night, and Jun assumed Hansuke had the Denouement Perk, why would he go to meet him?”

 

“T-to murder him!” Jun said. “That's right! I killed Hansuke and stole the Denouement Perk from him!”

 

“In that order?” Rin tilted her head to one side. When Jun flinched, she went ahead and assumed that he hadn't meant to make that slip-up.

 

“So, with that in mind, it seems definite.” Claus said. “The real scene of the crime must have been Hansuke's room. Correct?”

 

Rin nodded. “Definitely. When Luan and I checked Hansuke's room, I noticed that the bathroom counter was really wet. I think it's possible that that was from the culprit pouring water onto the _Florem diabolica,_ especially since Jun went out of his way to hide the bottle, too.”

 

“It's a good thing I disabled the MK-Brand Unilayer Laser Filter, or else he would've been able to get rid of the bottle in there!” Monokuma chimed in. He sighed blissfully. “I'm so smart. Go me.”

 

“Look, you're all making a mistake.” Jun was breathing heavily, and sweating profusely. “I-I-I just... did that all up to divert attention from myself. I'm the culprit. It's me.”

 

Suddenly, Luan threw his hands up and gasped. “The Monokuma Note!” He cried. “That's it!”

 

“Er, what's it?” Rin tilted her head to one side.

 

“What if Hansuke used the Monokuma Note?” Luan said. “The Monokuma Note allows you to spare a life, which breaks the rules of the killing game. He could have used it to specify a condition in the trial that would allow us to obtain that information!”

 

“Like, if his target doesn't vote correctly, we all get to learn the information in the Perk?” Rin said. Her antenna spun around a few times. “That-”

 

“Right! Yes!” Jun shouted, a mad grin suddenly on his face. “That's right! If you all vote for me, we'll get to learn what the Denouement Perk held! That's the condition!”

 

“Uh, if we all vote for you and you're not the culprit, we all _die._ ” Rin said. “If that's the plan, then who's the target of the Monokuma Note?”

 

“Who cares?!” Jun cried. “Just vote for me! Hurry up!”

 

Gavin's face fell, and he put his hands together. “J... I still dunno whatcher doin'. But I ain't gonna vote for you. You know that, yeah?”

 

“Are you...” Jun began to tremble. “Are you kidding me? You realize that there is nobody else in this room who could have mutilated Hansuke's corpse, right? I used the crime scene specifically to traumatize Shinobu and horrify all of you! What the hell do you _mean_ you won't vote for me?!”

 

“You couldn't'a stolen that bottle, J.” Gavin said. “Man, there ain't no way.”

 

“Wha- what does a fucking bottle have to do with this?!” Jun spat. “Gavin, you complete and utter moron-!”

 

“I done saw the bottle missing at 11, yo.” Gavin said, staring at Jun. “Tha's before you ever broke your wheelchair, man. You couldn't'a done it.”

 

“That must be how you learned about Hansuke's and my past, as well, no?” Shinobu said. “You learned about it from Hansuke himself, as you put together your plan to disseminate the information from the Denouement Perk.”

 

“No, I-” Jun stammered. “I learned it from reading the Denouement Perk, _before_ I killed Hansuke!”

 

“Hansuke had the Denouement Perk and knew of its powers.” Yashiro said. “How would you have obtained it from him?” Jun flinched and clicked his tongue in response.

 

“Alright, well...” Rin closed her eyes for a moment. “I think we can all agree. Even though Jun did screw up the crime scene a whole lot and make everything more complicated... I think Hansuke actually did manage to kill himself.”

 

Shinobu's face began to fall. “While I do not disagree, I cannot help but feel as though we should probe Jun's mind to discover what exactly is ailing him.”

 

“You're _wrong!_ ” Jun shouted. “I killed him! Me! I did it!”

 

“I'm so fucking lost.” Stella shook her head and put her forehead in her hand. “If Jun isn't the culprit, why the hell would he be telling us all to vote for him? If it's part of Hansuke's plan, like, Hansuke targeted Jun with the Monokuma Note, he should just be telling us from the get-go that Hansuke killed himself. Won't he die too if we all vote for him?” She groaned. “Jun's stupid as hell sometimes, but he's not that stupid.”

 

“Yeah, it's, uh, it's pretty weird.” Rin nodded. “I can guess also that all that insulting us and stuff from earlier was probably also to get us to vote for him, right?”

 

“No! Of course not!” Jun shouted. “I fucking hate people like you! You... you fucking _queers!_ ” He was trembling.

 

“Then say something bad about me.” Chihaya said. “You weren't able to before. If you really believe all this, then you should be able to say something, right?”

 

“Ah-” Jun wasn't able to move any further in his statement. His voice caught in his throat, despite his best efforts.

 

Kazuya sighed. “I'm sorry that I fell for his nonsense, everyone.” He bowed towards the room. “I let myself get too riled up.”

 

“Wha- s-shut up!” Jun shouted, making his grunting noises and pointing wildly at Kazuya. “Someone shut him up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

 

“If you're trying to be bigoted, wouldn't it be 'someone shut her up?'” Kazuya said.

 

“Ah- fuck!” Jun swore. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” His teeth were gritted, and he was sweating more profusely now, beginning to hyperventilate.

 

Claus sighed heavily. “At the very least, we've managed to solve the case itself now. Thank goodness.”

 

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” Jun muttered under his breath.

 

“Yeah, it got pretty intense there.” Rin nodded. “I can't wait to go back to sleep.”

 

“Though Hansuke's suicide is tragic, I cannot help but be relieved that it was such.” Shinobu said, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. “We have lost no more of our number today. That, in itself, is a great relief.”

 

The swearing stopped, and a low, malicious laugh began to fill the courtroom. “I've got it.” Jun said, a smile on his face. “I can prove it. Definitive proof that I am, in fact, the culprit of this case!”

 

“Oh god.” Stella sighed. “Fuck off for a second, Jun.”

 

“Say, Claus.” Jun said, turning his head to look at the Ultimate Principal, who nervously adjusted his necktie. “Remember that baking soda volcano?”

 

“Er.” Claus blinked a few times. “You mean...” Then his eyes widened. “Wait.”

 

“Storytime, everyone!” Jun gestured grandly to the room. “At the Marufuji College Tech Expo, the dean of Marufuji College was naturally present, and he brought his little daughter along because she aspires to be a scientist of some sort herself eventually. She was so enthusiastic that she, despite being just a child, put together that most rudimentary of science projects, a baking soda volcano, for everyone to see. The dean was so very proud of her that he took a photo of it, himself, her, and all the judges, including one Claus Toranosuke!” He grinned. “Isn't that right, Claus?”

 

“How...” Claus stammered. “I only remember that because I have a copy of the photo! How do _you_ know that?”

 

“How indeed?” Jun chuckled. “As you'll recall, my lost memory was of that very day, the day of the Marufuji College Tech Expo. Now, though, I remember it clear as day, the proudest day of my entire life. It's a nice feeling, you know.” He stared evilly at Rin. “Now, how exactly did I obtain this memory? Rin, could you tell the class how exactly one obtains their lost memories?”

 

“Uh-” Rin stammered, and her antenna drooped. “Wait, but- but how do-?”

 

“Fine, make me explain it.” Jun sighed, rolling his eyes. “Naturally, a culprit regains their lost memories. That is exactly what Monokuma told Hansuke while he was writing down the exact words a few days ago. As such, the fact that I have this memory...” He pointed his finger dramatically at Rin. “Unambiguously _proves_ that I am the culprit of this case!”

 

“What in the world?!” Yashiro yelled. “This is too many twists for my heart!”

 

Jun threw his head back and laughed. “It doesn't matter how many minor little contradictions you come up with! As long as I have this memory, I'm the culprit! It's me! I win! _I win!_ ” He just laughed, and laughed, and laughed. “How does it feel, Rin? Huh? How does it feel knowing I beat you? Knowing I'll _always_ beat you!” He leaned forward in his wheelchair and laughed directly at her. “That's right! Reaaaad my lips, machine! _I! Murdered! Hansuke!_ ”

 

“But- but all the evidence points to Hansuke killing himself!” Rin stammered. “There's no way you killed Hansuke!” Her face began to fall.

 

“There it is! There's that look!” Jun laughed. “You have the same look! That look of complete and utter defeat! That look of realizing that you've just had everything you've ever cared about stolen out from under your feet!” His laughter was like a hyena's, high, shrieking, and horrible. “How much I've longed to see that face one more time, cause you know what, _it means I win!_ ” And he laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

 

“J, but- what- what the heck you doin', man?!” Gavin shouted, leaning forward into his stand. “You ain't a killer, dude! You ain't that kinda guy!”

 

“Au contraire, mon frere!” Jun cackled. “Have you listened to even a singular word I've said the entire time you've known me? I'll do _anything_ to win! Victory is the sole reason I exist! For the sake of victory, I attempted to gaslight Stella into committing murder. My obsession with victory led me to very nearly kill us all in Wanda's trial. Everything I do, everything I say, everything I feel, everything I _am_ is for the sake of achieving victory as the Ultimate Net Admin!” He grinned a horrifyingly crooked grin, a glint of insanity in his eyes. “It's that same fascination that led me to murder Hansuke. That's right, I did it! I committed this crime, this crime _so horrible,_ that only someone like me, who throws away everything for the sake of victory, could do it!”

 

“That _ain't true, J!_ ” Gavin was beginning to tear up again. “You... you think that's all you is, man? You think that's all you got? That _ain't true!_ You... you my friend, man! You mighta been like that when's you first got here, but you ain't like that no more! You- you changing, man!” His hands were moving, frantically and frustratedly, about his head.

 

“Changing?” Jun repeated, then snorted, and began laughing again. “Changing. Changing! _People don't change, Gavin!_ ” He screamed, every bit of anger and hatred he could muster in his voice. “People don't _change!_ People _can't_ change! Ever since the day they're born, good people are good, and evil people are evil, and just because you're too god damned naive to understand that I'm an _evil person_ who _brutally murdered Hansuke,_ _**just for the sake of watching Rin get all miserable again when she realizes I've won, AGAIN,** _ then, you, Gavin Sakaki, are a complete and utter _fucking_ _**IDIOT!** _ ” He laughed. “Go ahead! Vote for Hansuke, see if I care! But you know what? You'll die, because I murdered him! I'm the killer! I'm the killer, because I have my lost memories, and you can't possibly refute that, _so kindly eat shit and die, morons!_ ”

 

Throughout Jun's monologue, Rin had just... thought. She'd thought, and she'd thought, and she'd thought. Jun obviously had not killed Hansuke, but here he was, proclaiming himself as the murderer. If he was not the culprit, then voting for him would get the entire group killed, including him, which seemed completely contrary to anything Jun would want, and especially contrary to everything he'd just said. When Jun had insisted Stella was a murderer, two weeks ago, he really had earnestly believed it, _believed_ in his own victory. Lying, and intentionally making a false conclusion such as this, wasn't how Jun operated. It wasn't how Jun thought. It wasn't just about 'winning,' it was about proving himself the best.

 

Nothing about this made any sense, by the rules of the killing game, by the rules of anything. What in the world was Jun's goal? What could Jun's motive be? How had Jun regained that memory if he had not killed Hansuke? If there was no method for such a thing-!

 

...No. No, that wasn't how she should think about this. There simply _had_ to be a method. A method that would explain what, exactly, Jun was trying to do, his sudden and inexplicable attack of what seemed to be complete madness.

 

“Hey, Shinobu.” She said, beneath the sound of Jun's wild laughter. “Is there a Sherlock Holmes quote for this kind of situation? It's like-”

 

“Mm.” Shinobu nodded. “Arthur Conan Doyle himself once said, 'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.' Is that about what you're looking for, dear?”

 

Rin nodded. “I think so.”

 

“Much as it pains me to say, I believe that only you can solve this, Rin.” Shinobu said, gazing earnestly at her. “Jun is... playing with you. This is a game between the two of you. But, just know that no matter what conclusion you come to, I will stand by you.” She said.

 

“Thanks.” Rin said. There _had_ to be some kind of loophole in the rule. That was what this whole case was about, was loopholes in the rules. 'A culprit regains their lost memories.' It's obvious, isn't it? Where in the world was a loophole there? What could allow Jun to squirrel past that and obtain his lost memory? And when? What had caused this massive shift in Jun's demeanor?

 

A fragment of a conversation from yesterday flew through her mind.

 

And then--

 

she knew.

 


	51. The Fourth Trial - Desire for Execution...

“Monokuma,” Rin said, over the din of Jun's laughter. She whipped her head around to look at the bear, who pressed his paw to his chin curiously.

 

“The lady has a question for me!” Monokuma said. “Let us all sacrifice to the Knowing God, Llankor Mhy, such that the Truth may be untangled, and that she might grow a full, flowing beard.”

 

“What happens if there are two culprits?” Rin said. The entire courtroom went silent, Jun included. His laughter halted dead in its tracks, dying without even a whimper.

 

“Uh, excuse me?” Monokuma said, rolling his eyes. “Well, there haven't been any double murders in this killing game so far-”

 

“Two culprits for one dead body,” Rin said, her antenna growing spikier. “What happens if there are two culprits for one dead body?”

 

“What, like, two people stabbed a guy to death at the exact same time?” Monokuma blew air out through his nose in a vaguely mocking noise. “That sounds pretty far-fetched to me, Rin.”

 

“That's not what I asked.” Rin said, her antenna spiking directly at Monokuma. “What happens if there are two culprits for one dead body? Answer the question.”

 

After a brief silence, Monokuma spoke. “Well, if there were two people designated as a 'culprit' for the exact same dead body, then by the rules of the killing game, either of them would be a valid choice,” he said. “Both of them would get the whole works; being a 'right' choice during a trial, getting their lost memory back, et cetera. The class would win if they picked either one, and only the one they chose would be executed.”

 

“And the Monokuma Note is capable of doing that.” Rin said. Monokuma jumped, with a shout of 'Xanadu!' or something along those lines. “If it can save people from death, it can designate a target as a second culprit, too. Right?”

 

“Here I thought I was done being rules-lawyered.” Monokuma said. He scoffed. “That's a pretty lofty accusation you're making there, young lady. Got any proof to back that up?”

 

Rin nodded. “I do. You were pretty sneaky about it, probably because you had to be, but you yourself used the body discovery announcement to give me my proof.”

 

“Say whaaaaaaat?” Monokuma bounced a bit in his chair in shock. The class was beginning to murmur. “How, exactly, pray tell, did I, Monokuma, the Headmaster of Compound VK, do anything even remotely resembling that?”

 

“You played it twice.” Rin said. “Once when Yashiro and I discovered the body, and then once, just seconds after, when Shinobu discovered the body.”

 

Yashiro started back in his stand. “Why, my god, you're right!”

 

“Uh, excuse me, how do you know that wasn't just a courtesy for the sleepy-heads in the audience?” Monokuma said. “Please. Don't you know how vague the rules about the body discovery announcement are?”

 

“I know that _you've_ complained a lot about them, and if you did something like that, it wasn't without reason.” Rin said. “You played the body discovery announcement twice. Once for the version of the case where Hansuke was the culprit, where Jun was the first to discover the body, and the second time, for the version of the case where Jun was the culprit, where Yashiro and I were the first to discover the body.”

 

The relative silence was broken when Jun spoke up. “H-huh?” He stammered. He was blinking. The mad grin he had worn just seconds ago was broken, replaced with a dismayed frown. “What?”

 

“You didn't kill Hansuke.” Rin said to Jun. She was quiet, and calm. “You mutilated his body with Monokuma's help, and you tried to make it seem like you did. But you didn't. Instead, you used the Monokuma Note to set yourself up as a second culprit, and now you're here-”

 

“Hey, hold the fuck on!” Jun shouted, his eyes widening, clearly tense. “If Hansuke is the culprit, how could I have used the Monokuma Note?”

 

“By being the one to suggest it, probably.” Rin said. Jun tried his hardest not to flinch, but Rin knew she was right on the money. “Plus, Hansuke had to give you his Handbook for you to get out of his room after he died.”

 

“You can't lend someone your Handbook, Rin!” Jun shouted.

 

“Who said anything about 'lending?'” Rin closed her eyes, and shook her head. “Hansuke was about to kill himself. He didn't need his Handbook anymore, so he  _gave_ it to you, without ever expecting you to give it back. You wrote the Monokuma Note according to you and Hansuke's plan, without telling him that you planned to use it to-”

 

“T-that's just... baseless fucking conjecture!” Jun spat. “You don't know any of that is true! You're pulling this out of your ass!”

 

“You had to talk to Hansuke at least long enough to learn about the Vampire Killer if you never read the Denouement Perk, Jun.” Rin said. “And you didn't. There was no way that you'd manage to get it from Hansuke before he died, and if you had taken it after he died, this would've been a double murder. Or...” She sighed. “Maybe a murder-suicide. Right, Jun?”

 

Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin, began trembling uncontrollably, curling a bit inward upon himself. In his eyes, Rin could see a certain sort of mad confidence begin to irrevocably shatter. “You're lying. She's lying. I'm the killer.” He said.

 

The room had gone silent again once she'd started making her assertions, since it hadn't taken long for everyone to understand. “What the... I...” Stella gasped. “I almost... I-I...”

 

“Jun, I...” Claus's fist was clenched, and he couldn't raise his eyes to meet the class. “I can't believe it.”

 

“Stop... stop it.” Jun mumbled. “Stop. Stop looking at me like that.”

 

“J... J, I-” Gavin halted, something caught in his throat. “J, I can't- J, I-” His hands were over his heart, clutching his sweater vest. He began to get out from behind his stand.

 

“Don't you fucking come  _near me!_ ” Jun shrieked. “You think I wouldn't do it? You think I didn't do it? I killed him and I'll do it again with you, with all of you, if you don't vote for me right now!” He chuckled madly. 

 

“I'm sorry, Jun, but you're wrong.” Rin shook her head. “You didn't kill Hansuke. All you did was frame the crime scene. Hansuke killed himself.”

 

“You don't have a fucking  _ounce_ of proof.” Jun spat. “Not a one. Not a singular, itty-bitty iota. You're flailing, you know I've won.”

 

“No.” Rin shook her head again. “You've lost, Jun. I'm not going to let you kill yourself like this.”

 

Jun went silent for a moment, and then revved up laughing again. This laughter was even louder than he had been before, even more pained and desperate, the mad gasp of someone who thought himself to be on his last legs. “You're saying- You're saying that  _I,_ Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin, the proudest of all of you god damned fools, would attempt to commit suicide by cop?” He snorted at Rin. “Oh, please. Don't you know me at all? Why would I do something like that, idiot?”

 

“I wanna know too, Rin.” Gavin said. Rin could swear she could almost hear the bleeding of Gavin's wounded heart through his voice. “I-I... I dunno what I can do, but- but I gotta do somethin'. Yeah? So...”

 

Rin sighed, and nodded one more time. “Yeah. I have a pretty good idea what drove Jun this far. It's...” She looked down, and her antenna drooped. “Well... it's me.”

 

Shinobu averted her eyes. “How in the world could you be a motive?”

 

“The Anti-Replicant Perk's purpose wasn't to give us weapons.” Rin said. “It... it was another single-target motive. This time, the target was Jun. I think he figured out what me being a Replicant meant for him-”

 

“You are completely and utterly bullshitting!” Jun screeched. “Lies! It's all lies! You're lying!”

 

“Jun.” Rin said, staring him dead in the face. “If that's true, then let me ask you something.”

 

“I'll defeat you.” Jun said, lurching forward and returning her gaze. “You can't beat me. You could never beat me.” This wasn't how she might have liked to breach this barrier, but there was nothing for it. The truth was the truth, and it would come out here, no matter what.

 

“Why did you suddenly start calling me Rin?” ______ said.

 

“H-huh?” Jun's face faltered slightly, open bewilderment in his eyes. “What? Huh?”

 

“You started calling me Rin after the body discovery announcement, when I ran into you in the Stairwell.” ______ said. “But, according to you, you had your memories back by then. And if you remembered that day...” She pointed her finger. “There's no  _way_ you would still think I was Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“ _Excuse me?!_ ” Claus shouted. Stella, Kazuya, Yashiro, Luan, Chihaya, and Gavin all made varying exclamations of surprise, as well. “What on earth do you mean?”

 

“Exactly what I said.” ______ said. “I'm... well, I'm not Rin Hashizawa. I'm not Girl H.” She looked around to the rest of the class. “That girl who loved Kei Sagami, whose father was killed by Hansuke's, whose mother committed suicide with Wanda's, the girl who went to the Marufuji Tech Expo... that's not me. That was  _never_ me.” She put on her best smile. “Actually, that's my mom. Rin Hashizawa, the Ultimate Roboticist. She's the one who wrote those memos you got, Claus.”

 

“Your- your  _mom?_ ” Stella exclaimed. “But- she was like, the same age as Kei!”

 

______ nodded. “Yeah. She made me when she was fourteen years old. Technically, in terms of actual time, my second birthday will be this September. You're fine,” she said, to Shinobu, whose face was immediately filled with a great dismay. “Seriously. I'm a robot, these things work differently.”

 

“I-if you're certain.” Shinobu said, still looking herself a bit uncertain. “A scant one and a half years, though... She certainly does deserve the title of Ultimate Roboticist if that's the case!”

 

“We're different people, of course, but we do look pretty similar.” ______ said. “Remember how Wanda said she was 'dumpier?' And, of course, Jun here also knows what I mean. He knows my mom personally.” Jun flinched. “He's mentioned before that I look different. Well, that's because that's not me, it's my mom.”

 

“How does that lead to him committing suicide, though?” Chihaya was gripping the hems of her skirt, unable to fully express her emotion.

 

“Well, think about it. He figures out that there's a VK-compliant Replicant calling herself Rin Hashizawa, who looks just line Rin Hashizawa.” ______ said. “From the very moment he figures out that I'm not Rin, he's going to figure out that Rin created me. Remember?”

 

“He didn't start acting weird today.” Gavin said, his voice quiet with realization. “Yo, he- J started actin' weird when Kuma gave us the A.R.P. Right after it! He started actin' weird right then! J, I-” He gulped. “I was out your door that whole day, man. Trip, I- I banged on your door, I- I woulda listened!”

 

“She's  _lying._ ” Jun said, a loud shudder in his voice. “That woman, right there, is Rin Hashizawa. She's full of it.”

 

“Claus, Shinobu, Yashiro.” ______ said. “Do you remember that part of Claus's Perk, the documents about me, that said Mom was going to 'go public?' That bit talked about Hope's Peak, and it mentioned that a 'friend' would be there. That friend's name was three spaces long.”

 

“Jun!” Yashiro gasped. “If your mother was friends with him, that would fit! But, er, why-?”

 

“I have no idea,” ______ said, cutting off his questions about  _their_ relationship for later. “Anyway, well... going public, Jun is there, Hope's Peak is involved, and it's after I'd 'done an amazing job growing up?' That would mean it was pretty recent.”

 

“Then that would mean that it was-?” Shinobu started.

 

“The  _Marufuji College Tech Expo!_ ” Claus shouted. “I- Rin Hashizawa's presentation there was  _you?!_ ”

 

______ smiled. “I mean, I am pretty high-tech. But, here's the question. Rin Hashizawa shows up to the Expo with me. I'm VK-compliant, the world's first VK-compliant Replicant. My mom shows up having  _solved robotics as the world currently knows it._ That's an absolutely major achievement, the kind of achievement that could change the world, right?” 

 

“...Then why wouldn't  _she_ have won,” Kazuya said. “That's what you're saying, isn't it?”

 

“Jun isn't just all about victory.” ______ said. “For him, it's always been about proving that he's the best, that his skills really are worth it. It's about validating himself. That's what Hope's Peak is to him; validation, proof that he really does deserve to be alive.”

 

“But then, his friend and rival appears with an advancement so great, it dwarfs any other possible contenders.” Shinobu said, her voice heavy. “Correct?”

 

______ nodded. “He and Mom were friends, so I'd bet that she would let him in on what she had stored before it was time to show off.”

 

“Stop it.” Jun trembled. “Stop this. Please. Please, I killed him, so just vote for me. Please.”

 

“In his position, I... I don't know what I'd do.” ______ said. “But I think Jun figured out, the instant that he heard I was a Replicant, that my mom was the rightful winner of the Marufuji College Tech Expo. He's been calling me Rin since he regained his memories because he's trying to hide it, probably hoping that I  _wouldn't_ figure it out. There's no other reason that would make sense, because out of anyone here, he would know best that I'm not, and never have been, Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“Why?” Jun shook. “Why, why, why aren't you stopping? Why?! If you vote for me, you'll all live, so it's not even a problem, so just  _vote for me already!_ ” 

 

“I'm sorry, Jun.” ______'s shoulders drooped. She didn't relish this. Jun, after all, really was her friend. She cared about him, and to save his life, she needed to do this... but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt. “But this is the truth.”

 

“What, what truth?!” Jun said. “This is just- baseless conjecture!” He spat.

 

“I'm not Rin Hashizawa.” ______ said. “And that proves-”

 

“You're  _wrong!_ ” Jun shouted.

 

“Your victory at the Marufuji College Tech Expo wasn't a fair victory.” ______ said, her antenna standing straight up. “You sabotaged my mom's exhibit.”

 

“ _**STOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!** _ ” In one furious motion, Jun launched himself to the edge of his wheelchair, gripping tightly onto his stand to keep himself steady. “You're  _ wrong, _ you're  _ wrong, you're  _ _**wrong, wrong, WRONG!** _ I've never seen someone so full of wrongness in my entire life! You're absolutely full of it, Rin! Full of  _ bullshit! _ ”

 

“My name's not Rin,” ______ said. “You know that very well, Jun.”

 

“Oh, yes it is!  _ Who _ here has their memories? Hm, is it Little Miss Amnesiac or is it me, the one who murdered Hansuke so I could return to Hope's Peak Academy and have my talents appreciated?  _ I wonder! _ ” Jun spat. “Don't you fucking  _ slander my name _ just because you're mad you lost! I'm the one who remembers Rin Hashizawa, and so I say you're Rin Hashizawa, and who the fuck are you to disagree?!”

 

“I'm the Ultimate Replicant.” ______ said. “Not the Ultimate Roboticist.”

 

“What the  _ fuck _ proof do you have that you aren't Rin Hashizawa?!” Jun shouted. “You don't have even a single, itty bitty piece of proof! You can say you're not her all you want, but without proof, that's the name on your door, that's the name Yashiro knows you by, that's the name  _ I  _ know you by because  _ you are Rin Hashizawa, god damnit! _ I don't hear you saying a name, or giving me proof!”

 

“I remember my mom very well.” ______ said. “She was Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“Oh, yes, the memory of a machine, that's real reliable!” Jun snarled. “You don't know anything that you know is real! The End could've rewritten all of your memories for all you know, all so that you could fall into the trap of not voting for me! You don't have an ounce of real, physical proof that you're not Rin Hashizawa! Show me your proof! Show me this fucking magical answer you have!”

 

“ _ It ends here! _ ” ______ said. She raised her finger, and dramatically pointed it towards her own head. “Did Rin Hashizawa have  _ this?! _ ” She wiggled her antenna.

 

“Wha-?” Jun blinked, and after going quiet again, chuckled nervously. “Aha, of course she did. What are you talking about?”

 

“No, she didn't.” ______ said. “Remember the chalkboard drawings? Rin Hashizawa, AKA Girl H, never had my antenna. She had similar hair, but it wasn't mine.”

 

“T-that's just because of the low detail!” Jun said, slowly sinking back into his chair.

 

“No, that's wrong.” ______ said. “Because Girl K, Kei Sagami,  _ did _ have an antenna. It's not just about the detail, it's the fact that my mom never had one to begin with. And you know that very well.”

 

“You're- that's-” Jun sputtered. “I'm- I- I-! I-! I...” The look on his face wasn't pride, or fear, or anger, or anything Rin had seen on him before. It was defeat. Pure and utter hopelessness, as the last vestiges of his plans crumbled before him. He began to slump over. “Wrong... you're wrong...” He continued to mutter. “I won... I'm... I'm the best... I have... to be the best...”

 

“I'm sorry, Jun.” ______ shook her head. “But this game of yours is over, and you lose.”

 

 

**So, this is how you're finishing this thought? ...Interesting.**

 

“This case began yesterday, when Monokuma revealed the Anti-Replicant Perk. When he did, the culprit realized that I wasn't Rin Hashizawa, and was instead her VK-compliant Replicant prototype. It was probably the mastermind's plan all along; it sent our culprit spiraling into the pits of self-loathing, and they didn't leave their room for the entire rest of the day. Who knows what went on in that time period... Even Gavin, the person closest to him, couldn't manage to enter the room for long; only long enough to take the culprit's Anti-Replicant Perk, a seven-shot revolver, and six of the seven bullets that came with it. I don't know whether the culprit had already decided on suicide when he kept the bullet, but... it seems like it was definitely a possibility in his mind.

 

Meanwhile, Hansuke finally realized that he'd lost two memories, and the significance of The End's 'story of ten years' comment. My grandfather, Rin Hashizawa's father, had been murdered on April 30 th , 2186, and Hansuke was sure that he needed to do something, and fast, to save the group. He decided to obtain the Denouement Perk, a guide to the entire behind-the-scenes workings of this killing game, and use his own life to get us the information inside. With his Anti-Replicant Perk, a powerful taser, he constructed a plan to implicate himself in his own suicide, and target himself with the restriction of the Denouement Perk.

 

First, he cut out a strip of cloth from his own bedsheets, to use as a blindfold, and then obtained a can of paint from Woodworking, a bottle from the Bar, and the same toxic plant that had killed Daisuke from the Greenhouse. At midnight, he locked Claus in the Archive using his taser, and went to go speak with Shinobu, who he felt obligated to tell about his plan beforehand as well. Shinobu objected very strongly, though, and so he felt there was no choice but to knock her out as well. Finally, he met up with Luan on the third level, and managed to evade his sword swings to knock him out.

 

Hansuke splashed the stairs up with blue paint, and then walked in it, to leave a trail of his own footprints. This meant that he would be the only person who could go up the stairs, so only he would be suspected; he didn't want us to have to suspect each other. He did get the Denouement Perk, but he found out that even if he wrote the information down like he'd planned, that still wouldn't work, because it would just require us to kill each other to get that information, too.

 

He decided to go forward with his plan to return to his room anyway, though, because he believed that he could manage to figure something out. Hansuke blindfolded himself, and, using his remote-control car from Pocket Circuit, guided himself back downstairs to his room. He knocked over some objects in the Playroom on accident, and drove the Dusty Highway through the clay, too, leaving a trace in the Darkroom. He couldn't go down the stairs, so he headed down the secret passages, instead.

 

Meanwhile, the culprit was monitoring the situation from his security readout. When he saw Hansuke leave his room, he probably thought that there was a good chance that Hansuke had obtained the Denouement Perk. I... don't know what, exactly, he was thinking, going out to see Hansuke. Maybe he wanted Hansuke to kill him, and not anyone else... or maybe he hoped that Hansuke could confirm his doubts about himself. Either way, though, he found Shinobu, unconscious on the floor of the Housing Suite, and eventually, Hansuke, too, walking through the place blindfolded.

 

However it all happened, eventually, the culprit came to Hansuke's room, and Hansuke, who'd looked at himself in the mirror to target himself, let the culprit in. The two of them, together, came up with a plan to use the Monokuma Note to get the Denouement Perk information to the rest of us. The culprit wrote the Monokuma Note, though, and did something else; he set himself as a secondary culprit with the Monokuma Note, which allowed him to regain his lost memory once Hansuke died, and for us all to live even if we voted for him.

 

Hansuke, though, was none the wiser. He told the culprit about his past with Shinobu, and his father, the Vampire Killer, but before long, it was time for him to say goodbye. Using the bottle he'd stolen from the Bar, Hansuke watered the  _ Florem diabolica, _ breathed in its toxic spores in his own bathroom, and died.

 

The one who killed Hansuke Yasuda, the Ultimate Salesman... was Hansuke himself. But the case didn't end there.

 

Now that he was armed with a dead body and the knowledge about the Vampire Killer, our culprit went to work framing himself for the worst, most horrible murder he could come up with. He broke his own wheelchair, forcing Monokuma to assist him because of Rule Thirteen, the rule Monokuma himself had added. He had Monokuma carry him, Shinobu, and Hansuke's body all up and down the Elevator; because Monokuma couldn't go up stairs, and neither could the culprit, that was Monokuma's only choice.

 

The culprit, using a drain and some blood bags from the Infirmary, drained Hansuke's blood. This had two benefits; one, it made the case resemble the Vampire Killer's murders, and two, it let the culprit create a fake crime scene in the Housing Suite, to frame himself. To add to the crime scene, the culprit used a gun from the Firing Range to fire off his one bullet, then placed the casing at the fake crime scene to make it seem like Hansuke had been shot; and then he crushed Hansuke's skull with a hammer from the Monokuma Studio, to use fear to deter us from looking at the back of Hansuke's head and seeing no gunshot wound.

 

If we had seen Hansuke's lungs or scanned him with the ADAM, though, we would've noticed the cause of death immediately. That's why the culprit did something even more horrifying; he used a claymore from the Parlor to slice open Hansuke's chest and remove his lungs, which were coated in plant matter, and probably burn them in the Incinerator. Then, he impaled Hansuke's corpse with the claymore, and with a javelin and trident from the Rec Room, too, to hide a tree in a forest. For theatrical value, Hansuke's drained, lung-less body was left in the Chapel, to make the crime scene even more striking.

 

The final step was to 'frame' Shinobu. Since the culprit had done something similar before with Stella, he believed that doing something similar would help solidify his case once he was discovered. He cleaned up the Playroom to make a fake fight scene, and then covered Shinobu in blood, in a way to make it look like she had turned into a vampire and eaten Hansuke. With Shinobu successfully placed as a witness against him, he returned to his room, and waited for the body discovery announcement to go off.

 

Unfortunately, there were two wrenches in his plan. The first was the body discovery announcement. It played twice, for both 'versions' of the crime, which was a tell for the fact that something was wrong about this case. The second was Claus; he badly needed coffee, so Monokuma unlocked the Cafeteria for him, and Claus was able to notice the culprit's Anti-Replicant Perk sitting there, unused.

 

Even with those in mind, though, the culprit stuck fast to his plan. This entire time, he's been belittling, insulting, and slurring us, doing things to make himself seem suspicious and despicable, because his real goal in all of this was to get us to execute him for Hansuke's murder. He remembered the mistake he made at the Marufuji College Tech Expo, and he doesn't think there's any reason for him to go on living, so he'd rather die and be remembered as a talented murderer than keep living as a cheater.

 

But that's wrong. Your life still has merit. You're our friend, Ultimate Net Admin Jun Fukuyama, and I won't let you throw your life away like that!”

 

 

 

“Huh?” Jun croaked out. By the look on his face, he was hardly even there. “Well, that's weird. I'm the winner, aren't I? I always win... so why is everyone looking at me like that?” He laughed a bit. “Hey, cut it out, guys. I'm a murderer, you're not supposed to look at me like that.”

 

“Jun, please, stop.” Chihaya said. There were tears in her eyes. “It's over. It's... it's over.”

 

“Over? What's over? I'm about to be executed, aren't I?” Jun chuckled. “Didn't we figure out I was the culprit ages ago by now? This trial has gone on way too long, if you ask me, and I'm the guy who's about to die! Crazy!”

 

“J...” Gavin's fist was clenched, and tears were streaming down his face. “J, please, listen to us! You ain't a killer!”

 

“Of course I am.” Jun smiled his mad little grin. “I killed Hansuke because I'm a talented individual. I... I killed Hansuke. I'm a murderer. So... you guys, you're...” He looked around hopefully. “You hate me, right? I'm a horrible person, so you're going to vote for me, right? I'm the scum of the earth. I'm a sickening murderer, and a hateful bigot, and a disgusting, manipulative piece of trash, so you're going to vote for me, right? It's only fair. C'mon, this is how this works. I deserve death. I killed Hansuke.”

 

“I'm gonna go ahead and enable Voting Time.” Monokuma said.

 

As he looked to each person in turn, they all looked away, pain and sadness coursing through them each in their own way. “C'mon, Stella?” Jun said. “C'mon, you remember. You hated me. I did such bad things to you. Remember? T-that's worth voting for me, right?”

 

“I can't... I can't watch this.” Stella voted, turned away, and wrapped her head in her blazer.

 

“Aw, Kazuya, c'mon, I'm- you know I'm just such an asshole, right? I said some pretty bad things to you just now, you- you have to hate me, right?” Jun pleaded to Kazuya. “You were so gung ho earlier, I- c'mon, don't chicken out now, I'm right here, just- you're gonna vote for me, right?”

 

“I can't believe I let myself be taken in by this.” Kazuya said, grasping at one of his arms. “I'm... I'm sorry, Jun.” He sent in his vote.

 

“Sorry, haha, what for, just vote for me, c'mon.” Jun said. “Ah- yeah, yeah. Yashiro. I'm pretty unjust, right? You know, haha, headlocks, why not just twist my head off with one of 'em, right? Justice! I killed Hansuke!”

 

“To kill you would be completely and utterly unjust.” Yashiro said. “I will not vote for you.” Instead, he voted for Hansuke.

 

“C-c'mon, guys, haha, what's, what's the problem? Luan? You know, I... um... y-you're gonna vote for me, right?” Jun said, beginning to sweat again.

 

“No.” Luan said. A fourth vote.

 

“Claus?” Jun gazed pleadingly at the taller boy. “Claus, buddy, pal, my man! Glorious Leader! You know I'm a threat to group cohesion, right? That I'm- that I need to die or else things won't go well, right? Right?”

 

“Jun, I... I'm so sorry. For everything.” Claus said, grasping his necktie, but not adjusting it. “I'm sorry we couldn't help sooner.” Five.

 

“S-Shinobu?” Jun's grin was growing more and more frantic, as he turned toward the Mystery Novelist. “C'mon, I... I made you think you killed somebody, I- I framed up the crime scene specifically to torture you, I- that's worth voting for me, right? Right? You're gonna vote for me, right?”

 

“I will be doing no such thing.” Shinobu shook her head. “I share some of the blame myself, for not being able to stop Hansuke. I would much rather share it with you, together, as we walk forward.” A sixth vote for Hansuke.

 

“Um, uh... R-Rin?” Jun said.

 

“That's not my name.” ______ said. “And you're my friend. I'd never let you die if I could help it.” She placed her own vote; for Hansuke, of course.

 

“Chihaya?!” Tears began to well up in Jun's eyes. “Chihaya, you know, I- I can insult you if you want! Please, please, just vote for me! Convince them all that I'm the killer! Help me! Help me, please!”

 

“Helping you means not voting for you.” Chihaya said. She placed her vote. “...But I'm sorry, Jun.”

 

There was just one person left, and Jun turned to him, tears in his eyes. “Gavin.” Jun had both hands together, pleading, sobbing. “Gavin, please. I'm begging you. You know I'm nothing without you, I have been this whole time. You're my Buddy, right? You're- you're my friend, you're the reason I've gotten this far in the first place. Please, Gavin, please. Please just kill me. I'm begging you. Just let me die. You believe me, right? You believe I killed Hansuke?”

 

After a moment's silence, Gavin shook his head. “Naw, man. I don't believe you. I believe  _ in _ you. No matter how much you's gonna say that you a garbage person, I know you ain't, man.”

 

“Aren't you the Ultimate Buddy?!” Jun screamed, his face barely even able to keep a consistent expression as his heart crumbled. “C'mon, you can do what I ask, right? You can do your friend a favor?!” He leaned in, both hands together. “Just one vote, please, Gavin. Just one. Just one vote. Please just vote for me.”

 

Gavin's face was stern, as he took a few deep breaths. “Gotta tell you somethin'. Being the Ultimate Buddy don't mean you just do what people ask you. It means knowin' what's best to do for your pals when they need you. And right now...”

 

He cast his vote. “You don't know what's best for you right now, Jun. So I gotta help you figure it out.”

 

“Ha... hahahaha, so that's it, huh?” Jun began laughing again. “So I... I'm not the culprit after all, huh? I didn't kill Hansuke? You're all going to make me  _ live? _ ” ...No. That wasn't laughter. “That's hilarious. That's really funny. It's all one big cosmic joke, isn't it. It's all just so fucking funny. I can't win. I'll never win, at anything. I'm...”

 

With trembling fingers, Jun placed his vote. “After all this time... I'm just a loser.”

 

There wasn't time to waste on the screens, so they cut to the chase. Hansuke Yasuda was the culprit of his own death. This was a suicide. Nobody would be executed today.

 

Jun was sobbing uncontrollably.

 

The trial was over.

 


	52. Day 18, End - Divulgation

 

 _After the trial for the suicide of Hansuke Yasuda, for which Jun Fukuyama is treated as a culprit for all intents and purposes, the information contained in the Denouement Perk will be given to the rest of the 263_ _rd_ _Class upon Jun Fukuyama's voting for himself to be executed. Whether Hansuke Yasuda or Jun Fukuyama is ultimately executed is irrelevant; however, the truth about Jun Fukuyama will remain known only to Jun Fukuyama._

 

“Though, of course, to all of us, it's quite relevant.” Monokuma said. “And with that said, congratulations, everybody! Hansuke Yasuda was in fact the culprit of his own suicide, no matter what certain Net Admins might say!” With his pomp and circumstance run out, he let loose a heavy sigh. “Oh thank god, I was really worried there.”

 

“Congratulations.” Jun repeated, a hollow, broken sound. He choked out another one of those ghastly sounds that were somewhere between a sob and laughter. “Sure.”

 

With the trial over, nine heads all immediately turned towards Jun, but unsurprisingly, it was Gavin who first made a move. “ _Jun!_ ” He shouted, running over towards him.

 

“Don't _touch me!_ ” Jun wheeled frantically backwards, away from Gavin's advance. “ _**Don't touch me!** _ ” Gavin stopped in his tracks from the force of Jun's scream.

 

“Jun, I- I dunno what made you feel like this, but I wanna help, man, I- c'mon, dude, talk to me!” Gavin cried. “Suicide ain't-”

 

“Look at me. Can't you see me?!” Jun said, waving his hands around frantically. “Ha, hahahahaha, I'm- I'm _disgusting!_ ” He grabbed feverishly at his own head. “I'm worthless! Worthless! Worthless! Worthless!”

 

“That ain't true.” Gavin started approaching again, more slowly this time. “Jun, you-”

 

“Why? Why did you do this to me?” Jun started crying again. “Why, why, why? Why are you still looking at me? Why didn't you kill me? Why? Why? Why?”

 

Shinobu, who came close to Gavin, placed her hands on her heart and said, “This simply isn't the answer, Jun. You may have done something wrong, but there is simply no justifying killing you for such an offense.”

 

“I'm a cheater.” Jun said. “I'm a cheater and a cheater and a cheater and a cheater and a cheater and a liar and a worthless scumbag _loser._ ” His entire body was quaking horribly. “I can't do anything. There's nothing good about me. There never has been.”

 

“No, that's wrong!” ______ cried. “Jun, you're-”

 

“Why are _you_ saying anything?” Jun sobbed. “I don't understand. I don't understand, I don't understand. I ruined your mother. I ruined _you._ This...” He shook, and trembled. “This is all my fault. All of it. All of it is all my fault. Everything, everything, everything!”

 

“How is any of this your fault?” Claus asked. “Jun, please, calm down. You're not in your right mind.”

 

“You can see it, can't you, Replicant?” Jun laughed a bit. “C'mon, it's obvious, right? This is revenge. It has to be, right? Your mother, the mastermind, she wants to take her vengeance on me for ruining her life, for stealing everything!” He was laughing harder now through his sobs. “It was the last wish of the girl she loved, and I stole it away because I'm _a monster!_ ”

 

“Wha-?!” ______ recoiled back. “Jun, I- my mom is _not_ the person behind all this!”

 

“It's all my fault. Everything is all my fault.” Jun choked. “Everything. I killed all of them, I killed Aoto, and Eriko, and Miria, and Wanda, and Daisuke, and Yayoi, and Hansuke. All of their deaths are my fault. I ruined everything. I ruined everything because I was greedy and a liar and a cheater. I should die. I should die and then maybe everything can stop.” He stared, teary-eyed, at the entire class. “Can't you all _see that?!_ What is there about me that's worth keeping alive?!”

 

Chihaya was the first to speak up. “Even if it's hurt people, I've... for a long time, I've admired your enthusiasm for your work. I gained my talent by necessity, but for you, it's genuine passion.”

 

“I'm only second-best! I don't deserve praise!” Jun sobbed. “I can't even win! What good is my enthusiasm if it doesn't amount to anything!?”

 

“If you were truly an awful monster, you would not feel so guilty about your own misdeeds, Jun.” Shinobu said, her eyes downcast. “At your core, you are in no way an evil person.”

 

“Stop.” Jun began looking around frantically. “Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop it! Stop it! I'm a loser! Why are you saying good things about me?”

 

Gavin began to step forward again. “You... you wanna know why, Jun?” He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. “It's 'cause you our friend, man. 'Cause we care about you, and we love you, dude.”

 

“Jun, I-” Stella said, from behind Gavin. “Listen, I- you and I, we- you've been... I... I think I know... where you're coming from.” She sighed. “And... I know. It sucks. It sucks really bad.”

 

“Hey, listen, man, don't run away.” Gavin knelt down in front of Jun, getting to his level. “It's just me, dude. Just Gavin. C'mere, man.” Jun probably didn't have the energy to resist anymore, so he just fell into Gavin's arms.

 

“Why?” Jun said, his face stained red and wet with tears. “Why are you doing this? Why, why, why? I'm a liar and a cheater and a loser and everything is my fault and I should just die.”

 

“Naw.” Gavin shook his head. “You just hurtin', right, J?”

 

In response, a wretched, primal scream tore itself from Jun's throat, and his cries redoubled in volume. “ _Why do I have to live?!_ It hurts! It hurts so much! The one thing I cared about in my life and it wasn't good enough! It was _never_ good enough! And now everything is my fault! I'm worthless! There's _nothing_ good about me! I _hate this!_ I hate _me!_ I hate _living!_ What's the point of life if it hurts so fucking bad, Gavin!? Why won't you just kill me?!”

 

“I know it hurts!” Gavin was crying now, too. “I know it hurts, man. It hurts a lot. But you got me, you got us, you got people now who care about you, so just...” His grip tightened. “Just stick with us, and we can get you through this, dude.”

 

“Why?” Jun sniffled. “Why won't you just leave me? Why won't you laugh at me and mock me and hate me like everyone else? I'm not even good enough to program anymore, so what's the point of me?”

 

“There ain't gotta be a point.” Gavin said. “You a person, J, and we gotta stick together cause we're pals.”

 

“Why? Why, why, why?” Jun cried. “Why? Gavin...” He gulped, and screamed again. “What's _wrong with me?!_ Why am I so _horrible?!_ Why is anything about me the way it is?! The one friend I ever made before this, and I ruined her life! I never told her- I never even knew what it meant to me!” He wrapped his arms back around Gavin, finally, and clutched them tightly. “Someone, please, God, just tell me who I'm supposed to be! I don't know! I don't understand anything!”

 

“I dunno, J. But...” Gavin squeezed in return. “I wanna find out with you, man. I wanna help you find out who you are. 's all I wanna do.”

 

“Yeah.” Stella nodded. “Me too.” Her posture was muted, sympathetic.

 

“Not knowing who you are is... really miserable.” Kazuya said, hand over his chest. “I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Jun, let's- let's start over. Okay?”

 

“You do not have to be ruled by your past mistakes.” Shinobu said, as the group slowly began to crowd closer around Jun and Gavin. “You need not throw your life away. I- no, _we_ will stand by you.”

 

“I said that I cared about you, and I'm not taking that back.” Claus said. He put his hand on Jun's shoulder, standing right by him. “Let's escape together, Jun.”

 

“I don't want to go back to that life.” Jun cried. “There's nowhere for me out there.”

 

“Then we simply need to create somewhere!” Yashiro pumped his fist, his hair waving. “We will help you carve your own life, Jun. The spirit of justice demands it!”

 

“A lot of us... a lot of us have lost a lot here.” Chihaya said, standing right by Jun and Gavin. Jun's head slightly moved to look at her. “But... we're friends. We can all find something together. Right?”

 

“We'll all help you.” ______ said. “Trust me, Jun. We all care about you, and we want you to succeed.” She smiled, as wide as she could. “Okay?” Luan nodded along with her.

 

Jun craned his head up from Gavin's shoulder, and let go. “...You.” He said. His eyes scanned ______ with a new sort of look to them, as though for the first time, he was properly seeing her. “...I didn't think I'd even see a Replicant like you in my entire lifetime. ...She really is a genius, isn't she.” He paused. “Nanako.”

 

“Huh?” Nanako blinked. Oh- wait. Hold on a second.

 

“She said your name was Nanako.” Jun said. “I never saw into the vehicle itself, but there's nobody else it could've been, right? The world's first VK-compliant Replicant, Nanako Hashizawa.” He seemed like he might've scoffed, but he clearly didn't have the energy for it. “...Incredible. The bleeding-edge pinnacle of robotics, and it's a moron like you. You're impossible.” He slumped back into Gavin’s shoulder. “I hate you.”

 

“See, _that's_ the kind of affectionate insults I expect from you these days, Jun.” Nanako's antenna puffed.

 

The group turned from Jun to Nanako, and Shinobu asked, “Well, don't hold out on us. Is he correct?”

 

Nanako nodded, and smiled. “Yeah. Fit into my inner monologue without skipping a beat. Thank you, Jun.”

 

“It's your name. What are you thanking me for?” Jun said. His voice was muted, and very, very tired.

 

Kneeling down to meet him, right next to Gavin, at whom she smiled, Nanako said, “I've been missing my name for weeks now, and you just gave it back to me. I think that's worth thanking you for. I missed it.”

 

Jun scoffed and looked away. “Whatever you say. I...” He stopped, and slowly turned back. His face twisted awkwardly. “...You're... you're welcome. That's the right thing to say here, right?”

 

Gavin's face lit up. “Jun!” He sighed in relief, leaning back into the hug. “Oh, praise Buddhas, my duddhas!” Nanako couldn't help smiling, too.

 

“I don't exactly have a choice, do I?” Jun said. “You’re all forcing me to keep living. Why are you acting like it’s such an achievement for me to go along with it? Sometimes I swear every last one of you has completely taken leave of your senses. Bunch of absolute nonsense.”

 

Chihaya couldn't help herself, and ran forward to join in the hug. “Oh, thank goodness.” She said. Gavin obligingly let her in, and the three of them hugged it out. Jun was clearly unused to hugs at all, so the group hug left him looking very confused.

 

It was almost like a miracle. A class trial, these occasions that had done nothing but rip the group apart, had finally ended in a way that was really worth _celebrating._ Nobody would be executed, Nanako had finally re-obtained her name, and though Jun had done things that he couldn't take back, the group knew better what his problems were, and could help him moving forward.

 

“Nanako.” It was a sound that was at once new, and more comforting and familiar than anything. It was the sound of her name, coming from Shinobu's lips. “I...” Her eyes were a bit teary, as well. “I want to thank you, as well. When I saw Hansuke's corpse, I-”

 

“Aw, c'mon.” Nanako giggled and lightly clonked herself on the head. “I promised you, didn't I? I'd keep you safe.”

 

“Still.” Shinobu shook her head. “An outcome like this, I couldn't have imagined.” Suddenly, Nanako felt her hand in Shinobu's hands. “You really are something special, hm? Without you, this never could have happened.” Shinobu smiled, tears of joy beginning to run down her face.

 

“I agree!” Said Yashiro, clapping his hands on both of their shoulders and barging into the conversation. “Though I'm still very confused as to why you would give me your mother's name as opposed to your own, Ri- er, Nanako.”

 

“Oh, trust me, I'm as confused as you are.” Nanako shrugged. “But I think we can tackle that later. I'm exhausted.” She slumped, and let all the fatigue rush into her shoulders.

 

“Ah, thank goodness, I'm glad it's not just me.” Claus said. “I think my coffee is beginning to wear off. Why must these trials come at such inconvenient times?” He sighed. “My circadian rhythm is going to be completely off-kilter when I get home.”

 

“You're telling me.” Stella said. “Ugh.” She turned to where Kazuya was standing next to her.. “Does this mean I have to share my ice cream with- Kaz?” Key word, ‘was.’

 

“Uh,” Kazuya said, from over on the side of the room. “I hate to be a buzzkill, guys, but... the elevator isn't opening.”

 

Everyone's heads turned to look, and indeed, their way back to their area of Compound VK was not re-opening. “Ah, geez, I was wondering when I could cut in.” Monokuma said from his throne. “I felt really bad about interrupting such a nice, touchy-feely moment, so I thought I should let it play out for a bit, you know? And I wound up accidentally sticking Kazuya with the buzzkill role instead.” He waved his hands around a bit. “Not that I'm not, like, really happy things turned out this way! I was super worried that Jun was gonna die and things were gonna get really, _really_ depressing.”

 

“What is it, Monokuma?” Luan asked.

 

“Well, there's a few matters of post-trial work to be done, y'see.” Monokuma said. His bat-wing eye began to glow. “One of them regards our good friend Jun. See, you're not getting executed, true. But you're still a culprit who lost a class trial, which means you, my friend, have been disqualified from the killing game!”

 

“'Disqualified?'” Jun repeated. “What does that even mean?”

 

“H-hey, hold up!” Gavin stood up, unconsciously getting between Jun and Monokuma. “Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Kuma? I ain't ever heard of no 'disqualification!'”

 

“It's never come up before.” Monokuma shrugged. “Thanks to the truly outrageous rules-lawyering Jun put on display, we're getting into legal territory that isn't often breached. And, besides...” With a low 'puhuhu,' he pulled out a toy remote control. “I believe there was a clause in the Monokuma Note that stated that 'the truth about Jun Fukuyama will remain known only to Jun Fukuyama.'”

 

“Huh?” Jun's eyes widened, and he immediately started sweating again, looking about frantically. “What are you talking about? T-they all already know the truth! Nanako figured it out, I didn't have a choice!”

 

“You just said 'the truth,' pal.” Monokuma said. “You shouldn't use such vague words if you don't know what they actually mean. What I'm saying here is that you get to take an all-expenses-paid trip to elsewhere in Compound VK to learn the truth about yourself! Let's Soul Searching!” Monokuma tooted on a party horn.

 

“Wha-wha-what the hell are you talking about?!” Jun said, wheeling backwards, away from Monokuma, until he hit a wall.

 

“Will you just lay off already?” Nanako said, joining Gavin in standing between the two. “We- we don't need this right now! Just have your boss leave us alone!”

 

“Oh, Nanako.” Monokuma sighed and shook his head. “I assure you, I wish I could. But, well...” He put down the remote control. “This thing doesn't actually do anything. I don't have a choice in the matter.”

 

A loud, mechanical crashing sound came from behind Nanako, and she whipped around to see everyone rushing towards the ever-familiar metal claw wrapped around Jun and his wheelchair. Jun had gone completely pale, and was struggling against his binds. “Stop! Stop!” Jun screamed, the pain back in his voice. “I don't wanna know any more! Just leave me alone!”

 

“ _Jun!_ ” Gavin started attempting to wrench the metal claw open. “S-someone help me! We gotta-” When the claw began to move backwards, Gavin was almost knocked into letting go, but kept his grip steady, somehow managing to keep Jun only moving slightly backwards. “Someone _help me!_ ”

 

Yashiro, Chihaya, and Nanako all gathered around, pulling against the claw's grip, as well. “P-please! Please, don't let go!” Jun pleaded. “I don't wanna go! I don't wanna be alone again! _Please don't let him take me!_ ”

 

“We're not letting you go!” Nanako said, pulling against the claw with every ounce of her might. “We're- we're _not!_ ”

 

“If an Ultimate Strongman cannot come to his friend's aid in their time of need, then what good is strength?” Yashiro said. Underneath his grip, the metal claw began to fracture. “You will not _best me!_ ” He began yelling.

 

Had they been able to continue, they might have saved Jun. But just as they began to make headway against the claw, four others whipped out from other hallways and gripped the four of them for just the moment the first claw needed to whisk Jun away.

 

“ _Jun!_ ” Gavin threw his arm out and called Jun's name.

 

“No, no, no, no!” Jun cried, tears falling from his eyes, as he disappeared from sight. “ _Gaviiiiiiiiiin!_ ” And then he was gone.

 

The claws let go, and Gavin slumped onto the ground, his arm still outstretched, staring blankly at the empty space where Jun had just been. “Jun,” he said. The sadness in his voice quickly turned to rage as his hand tightened into a fist, and he pounded it into the ground repeatedly. “Dammit, dammit, dammit, _dammit!_ ” He screamed. “This ain't fair. This ain't fucking fair! _Wha'd he ever do to you, huh?!_ ” He screamed toward the ceiling. “You think this is _funny?!_ This ain't some kinda joke, you sicko!”

 

The majority of the group were stunned into almost complete silence. Jun was gone. There was no execution turning on the mass of screens, either. He was simply _gone,_ off to who knew where. “He's just a kid, you psycho! We's all just kids! You think it's funny to try and hurt a poor guy like him so bad he wants to kill himself? You think that's fun, you think that's funny?!” Gavin's voice was filled with a wild rage that Rin didn't even know that the Ultimate Buddy was capable of. “You a fucking _monster!_ Why don't-” He gritted his teeth. There were tears falling from his eyes. “Why don't you just get out here so _you_ can get hurt, huh?! You a fucking coward! Get out here and look me in the eye!”

 

* * *

 

 

“Why don't you get out here so you can get hurt, huh?!” The sound of Gavin Sakaki's voice carried through the computer monitor. The person sitting at the monitor just watched as Gavin threw himself harder and harder upon the floor in his blind rage.

 

“Well, about that.” Monokuma said. “See-”

 

The Administrator stood up. Another, smaller monitor lit up, with small words that they had gotten quite used to reading.

 

**Oh, you're going already?**

 

“Yes.” They said, nodding their head. “It's time, isn't it?”

 

**You be careful out there. He seems pretty mad!**

 

“I'm aware.” They said. The Administrator slowly walked away from the seat from which they had watched the game, Monokuma's explanation slowly growing quieter as they left the screen. The elevator door opened, and they walked in.

 

It had taken a bit of deliberation to determine best how to disseminate the information from the Denouement Perk. Hansuke's ploy hadn't been completely out of the realm of possibility, but it was doubtless clever, and it was eventually determined that this would be the best way of honoring the agreement of the Monokuma Note.

 

The elevator began to move upwards. It wouldn't be long now until it was time to face the music, to look into the eyes of those so wronged by this game. What would they think upon seeing the one responsible? The Administrator wondered. Would it rally them further? Would it fill them with rage? Would they want the Administrator's head on a pike?

 

Perhaps that would be a reasonable want, they mused. Humans and Replicants alike were no stranger to vengeance, and the Administrator had stolen many of their friends already. If that was how the students felt, then the Administrator couldn't blame them.

 

The elevator made a noise to confirm its arrival.

 

* * *

 

 

“...and, as such, we've got a very special guest today.” Monokuma said. “Unfortunately, I'll have to step down in my role as the game's headmaster for the time being. I'll miss you all, I assure you. Please direct your attention to the elevator, and be snappy about it!” The fear in Nanako's heart was rapidly mounting upon itself as the group turned to look at the elevator, whose doors were sliding open.

 

Someone stepped out. “Congratulations on your victory in the class trial. You displayed impressive logic.”

 

Their voice was distorted, and their body was largely hidden under a massive, midnight-blue cloak, leaving their build immeasurable aside from hands held in metallic, clawed gloves, holding a dark scepter topped with a green orb. Their face, too, was covered, with a full-face metal mask, featureless aside from a trio of scopes arranged horizontally along its center, one with red glass, one with green, and one with blue.

 

“Who exactly are you supposed to be?” Shinobu said, raising both eyebrows, but she was interrupted by a gasp of horror from Luan. “L-Luan?”

 

The recognition in Luan's eyes was obvious, as he began to step backwards. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “It's- It's-!” He stammered.

 

“You may call me Zero,” the figure said. The room began to fill with a white smoke.

 

“Hey, what- what's going on?!” Stella cried, looking around frantically, but it wasn't long before she slumped and fell onto the floor, unconscious. Kazuya, Chihaya, Shinobu, Gavin, and Claus weren't long behind. Nanako's consciousness began to rapidly grow hazy, and she fought with all her might to remain awake.

 

“Not...” Luan muttered, flopping onto the floor. “Not this... again...” And he was out, too.

 

“You have been selected to play a game.” Zero said, their mask protecting them from the gas. “A game where you will put your life on the line.”

 

“Damn... damn you...!” Yashiro cried, clenching his fist tight, but even he succumbed before long... and if he couldn't stay awake, then there was no way Nanako could. She, too, fell unconscious, Zero's final words just barely reaching her ears.

 

**Nine students remain.**

 

“ **Welcome to the Nonary Game.”**

 


	53. Monokuma Theater 8

 

The door slammed inward, and three children finally had their chance to take a breath.

 

“I'm gonna be fucking sick,” said Saburo, angrily shaking the arm that carried the number four bracelet. “This is stupid.”

 

“I... do not think that that covers it.” In the corner of the dark storage room was a boy named Yun-Fat. He was a Chinese immigrant, working here to try and bring his parents home. It was a whole lot more work ethic than Saburo had ever had, so even in this situation, when he'd first learned this, Saburo had decided that Yun-Fat was alright in his book. He was weirdly grizzled for a twelve-year-old, but some people just looked like that. His Japanese wasn't horrible, but he probably needed some improvement.

 

The other person in their group, a girl, was shaking and crying in the center of the room. Her black hair fell all over her eyes, so Saburo wasn't certain exactly what color they were, but he could tell the girl was messy, and not used to running this much. ...It probably didn't help that she was kinda pudgy. Yun-Fat went over to comfort her. “We are still alive,” he said. “Please... calm down. Rin.”

 

“Why?” Rin sobbed. “Why, why, why? Why is this happening? What did I do wrong?!” Her face was messy with tears. Rin wasn't a graceful crier.

 

Saburo had always been bad with emotional situations like this, so he gritted his teeth. The fact that he couldn't say anything bugged him. The answer, obviously, was that she had done nothing wrong. The nine of them, by and large, had done nothing wrong. As far as he could tell, they had all been kidnapped just for the crime of being orphaned.

 

“You did... nothing wrong.” Yun-Fat said. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Please do not cry.” In response, Rin slumped over onto the floor and began crying into the cold cement beneath them. It was a bit late to not cry.

 

There had been nine of them at the beginning. Nine children, working together in the hopes of escaping from Zero, the man who had kidnapped them. It wasn't horrible. Saburo had never had many friends, on account of being a surly little bastard, so when the group began to rally to him as their leader, it made him feel oddly nice.

 

There was a girl, Miyuki. She was fourteen, which made her the eldest. She was a real athlete, and she could break things like Saburo had never seen. A boy named Hiroshi, who was a year younger than Saburo, at eleven, clearly had a pretty big crush on her, even in that situation. Despite being younger and dealing with boners, though, Hiroshi was cool, calm, and collected, and he and Miyuki were a strong pair. They were especially reassuring to the youngest, the poor eight-year-old Coco, who in their twenty-plus hours of captivity had already begun to look up to the two of them as parental figures.

 

Saburo couldn't stop himself from thinking about them. Did those three deserve to die? Of course not. When the three of them had opened an inconspicuous door and found their bodies, locked forever in writhing positions attempting to wrench the explosive collars from their necks long after those explosives had already done their work, Saburo had very nearly vomited right there on the floor.

 

He was learning something about death. The most horrible thing about death was how it turned people into _things._ They were just objects now, things that looked like his friends but that simply weren't anymore, just cold, rotting flesh. Every time he thought about them, he wanted to cry, and scream, and vomit all at the same time. This wasn't fair. 

 

“Fuck you, Zero!” Saburo shouted at the ceiling. “You hear me? Fuck you!” His mess of white hair flew in the wind as he screamed. “You're a stupid asshole and I hope you choke on your own spit and die so we can fuck you up afterwards! You piece of shit! You  _piece of shit!_ ” A wordless scream wrent itself from Saburo's throat, and he kicked at the wall. 

 

“Saburo, we... should regain calm.” Yun-Fat said. His number five bracelet shone in the low light of the room. “We should... we have. To regain calm.”

 

“Just leave me.” Rin whimpered from the floor, after some time of not speaking. “Just leave me here so I can die with them.”

 

“We aren't leaving you!” Saburo cried, rushing over and grabbing her by the shoulders, pulling her up to look at him. “I'm sick and tired of having people die!”

 

“I'm so tired.” Rin sobbed. “I'm so tired. Why is it always me?”

 

“I-” Saburo looked away, and gritted his teeth. He didn't know how to answer that. Did anyone?  _Could_ anyone? Saburo had never known his parents, but Rin had lost both in horrible ways. Why would it be, that fate would take those around her, but not her, time after time? “I don't know, okay?”

 

“I just want people to stop dying.” Rin sobbed. “I'm so tired of people dying. I hate it. I hate people dying. I hate it. I'd die if it meant I could stop watching people die.” She sniffled. “Please don't die.”

 

“We're not going to die!” Saburo said. “I'm-”

 

An image flashed in his head. A fourth boy, a thirteen-year-old named Shinji. A real jokester, one of those fuckin' 'funny guys' you see sometimes who thinks they're the funniest thing alive. He'd been the first to die. He'd walked off laughing, smiling, and then an hour later, the group found him with his stomach burst open, his intestines lining the floor, for daring to break one of Zero's stupid fucking rules. “I'm not gonna let there be a number five.” Saburo shivered. “C'mon. Rin, we have to go. We have-”

 

“I don't want to.” Rin murmured, out of tears. “People are just going to keep dying. Nobody will ever stay with me. I'm cursed. Everyone will always die around me.”

 

“That's  _not true!_ ” Saburo shouted. “We're not going to die! And- and you can-” He sputtered. “Fuck, uh, we- you can just- your family doesn't have to...” He trailed off. “You can... find new people. People who care. Right?”

 

What was he supposed to say? From the look on her face, he didn't think that was right. But was there a right thing to say? Could there ever be?

 

The three of them sat together in the low light. For the time being, all they had was each other, so as much as Saburo hated leaving it like this, he had no choice.

 

“C'mon,” he said, after what seemed like hours of sitting there. “We probably have to go solve a tangram or some stupid shit like that.”

 

The weary Rin got to her feet and said, “I'm pretty good at those.”

 

* * *

 

 

“...and, well, that's basically it.” Saburo said, finishing his recollection of the incident in which he'd met Rin Hashizawa. Reiji, and the rest of the room with him, were stunned into silence. He had never even heard of something this atrocious.

 

Ruri's jaw was agape. “And you didn't mention this until now  _why?_ ” She slammed her hands on the table. “Mr. Kirihito, I-!”

 

“First off, it could've been anyone with the name Rin Hashizawa, so just hearing the name wasn't enough for me.” Saburo shot back, with a quiet intensity. “Second, unduly complicating this investigation with talk about the Nonary Game when The End kidnapped more than nine people didn't seem like a good idea. Third, I didn't know who all had been kidnapped, so I only realized the connection when I found out that Yun had been kidnapped, and you had to take a power nap after that. I couldn't call the six of us together if you were asleep.”

 

“A nazo no jiken added to the already nazerious mystique of the Curious Case of Owari-San!” Blake shouted, his hat bouncing.

 

Reiji had already stood up to place the connections on his board. Coming only a scant few hours after his revelation regarding the Vampire Killer, Saburo's story had both shed light on a few mysterious aspects of this case and complicated it far further. “The Nonary Game,” he murmured. “What an atrocity.” He wished he had time to meditate on this, but he really, truly didn't.

 

“Mm.” Natsuhi nodded. She laid out a great spreadsheet of mechanical parts upon the table, Kotone helping to spread it out some. “Thank you.”

 

“No problem.” The two of them nodded at each other. Reiji was glad to see that at least one half of that other duo was completely reasonable.

 

“Luna, Megane-sensei, and I were able to tell a few things about the broadcast.” Natsuhi said. She crossed her arms. “The cameraman isn't human.”

 

“Nani?” Blake said, bouncing in his seat. “Doushida is cameraman-san, then? A very naughty yousei from the spirit realms!?”

 

“Probably not.” Natsuhi said, and good on her for not writing off the possibility entirely, Reiji thought. That was the kind of open thinking that made her such a wonderful partner. “We think he's a machine. The angle is unnatural, and for him to have it on a camera he could rotate it he would have to be very short.”

 

“How short are we talking?” Kotone asked.

 

Natsuhi looked at Blake, and said, “Less than half.” Kotone whistled. “Also, we know what kind of facility it is now.”

 

“Hontou?!” Blake jumped again. “Do you wakaran the true form of the Akulair of Owari-san?”

 

“There was a filtration unit in the room.” Natsuhi said. “A rare kind that isn't used often.” She pointed it out on the list. “This one. It was customized for better output, but this is the base.”

 

The unit in question was a heavy-grade air filtration unit for use in submarines, designed primarily for movement within the Pacific Ocean. “Submarines, hm?” Ruri said. “Curious, but it would have to be quite the large submarine for the captives not to lose their minds. Based on the testimony of the captive students, it also must have at least four levels.”

 

“Chotto a second, onegai!” Blake chimed in, raising his hand. “Jibun wa feeling!” He began to rustle through his various packs, pulling out his surveying tools and a blank sheet of paper. “Worry nai, minna-san. This is the job for Blake!”

 

It took Reiji a second, but he lit up. “Ah, Blake, you're saying that you've figured out what kind of facility we're looking for?”

 

“Miki-chan to boku have been having the long chats in the dark hours.” Blake said, drawing with an astoundingly steady hand and incredible speed. “Based on the concluding of the specific filterating unit and Miki-chan no blessing of Omoikane, boku-tachi have concluded the shape of the VK Compound.”

 

“In such detail?” Ruri said, cocking her eyebrow. “I would think the language barrier would make that difficult.”

 

“Ah, we are speaking in Yiddish.” Blake huffed proudly. “In such a kowaii toki, my struggle to Japanese may take the back road when it is cho necessary.”

 

“I see.” Ruri smiled lightly, nodding. “That's very impressive. Yiddish, of all things... How many languages do you speak, Blake?”

 

“Ah, hachi. When I become true Japanese samurai, that will be Q.” Blake said.

 

“This is your ninth?!” Reiji began to wilt physically as much as he felt it in his soul. “Ahh, I'm being outshone! This is a disaster! Natsuhiiiii!” He grabbed Natsuhi's shoulders and began loudly sobbing into them. “Natsuhi, Blake knows more languages than me! What am I going to dooooooo?”

 

Natsuhi blinked. “Know fewer languages than Blake.”

 

“That's very true,” Reiji said, fluttering his half-cape and returning back to his ordinary posture. “That is very, literally true. That's the candor I appreciate from you, Natsuhi!” He spun around on his heel and squealed, grabbing tightly onto Natsuhi and making affectionate noises. “I love you so much, Natsuhiiiiiii!”

 

“No you don't.” Natsuhi sighed.

 

“I dunno, Nat.” Kotone leaned back with one arm over her chair. “That's pretty lovey-dovey.”

 

“Na- na- na-  _ Nat?! _ ” Reiji launched up from Natsuhi and screeched. “ _ An affectionate nickname?! _ ” Kotone shrugged in response. “No! I am undone! Natsuhi never lets me give her affectionate nicknames!” He grabbed at his head, wailing in agony, as he spun inward upon himself, his knees locking together, and eventually, Reiji had laid himself upon the floor, still wailing. “This can't be happening to meeeeeeee!”

 

“Wow!” Blake looked up from his drawing for a moment to comment. “I cannot shinjiru that Reiji-kun is kuso'ing dead!”

 

“Pretty deep cut.” Saburo mused. “You should try chilling out more, Reiji. Your blood pressure might get too high.”

 

“Oh, please don't worry about me, Saburo, my friend.” Just like that, Reiji was back on his feet. “I am very sturdy! And even were I to fall completely ill, my dearest Natsuhi would save me!”

 

“Ah, hai!” Blake called out. “This should be daijobu!” He placed down his drawing tools, and stood up proudly.

 

The drawing he had created was of a structure that resembled an upside-down traffic cone. It was narrowest at its bottom, and slowly widened as it went upwards. In its center was an elevator shaft from the bottom up to its wider segments, and about forty percent of the way up its structure was where Blake had marked the students' area; the elevator stopped there, in the area the students had called “Abilene Hall.” From there, there were four increasingly wide levels, and then above that, a fifth level that also seemed to work as a flotation ring; it was wider than the rest of the facility by quite a degree, including the points above.

 

At the top of the facility was a drawing representing the strange tropical coast that Yashiro Narumi had found himself on, where he had met Rin Hashizawa. That, and some of the upper strata that seemed to function as an entrance and cargo loading area, were the only segments of the facility to break sea level when it was at rest; however, the facility both had a propulsion system and extending service hallways which could hook into the seabed to anchor it against any storms. In other words-

 

“An artificial, mobile island.” Natsuhi said. “And the captives are under it.”

 

“I guess it was docked in Okinawa when Yashiro went, huh?” Saburo observed. “What a story.”

 

That was it, then. Their goal. The mobile island complex, Compound VK. That was where this farce would come to an end, no matter what.

 

“We only have four days left, everyone.” Reiji said, looking around at the group. “But I believe we can do it.”

 

“For once, we're in agreement.” Ruri smirked. The six of them shared a nod of solidarity.

 

“Why would you put an island on top of an underwater facility?” Natsuhi said. The room went silent.

 

“I think rich people are like dogs and just sort of do things arbitrarily.” Saburo shrugged.

 

“Hai, it's true.” Blake said, nodding earnestly.

  
  


 

 

“Ah, wait, hold on, you two!” Rin called from behind them, coming up and leaning over to pant on her knees. “I'm- I'm really- not that fast-”

 

“I'm sorry.” Miria said. It was bright out tonight, even through the trees overhead. She looked at Kei. “Kei told me to run.”

 

“Wow, sold out that easy, huh?” Kei laughed, her antenna curling to one side. She leaned over and gave her body as support to Rin.

 

“Keiiiii,” Rin whined, “I'm bad at runniiiiing. Sooner or later I'm going to die if you keep doing this to me.”

 

“I'll take full responsibility.” Kei said. At Rin's pouting look, she laughed again. “Sorry, sorry. I was actually just really excited. I wanted to show you guys-” And she started looking around. “Chihaya?”

 

Chihaya popped in, upside-down, from a tree branch, like a monkey, her hair falling completely down in front of Kei's face. “Yes?” Kei jumped back and screeched a little.

 

“How do you  _ do _ that?!” Kei tilted her head to one side, staying on one foot in the same pose she'd jumped back in. “Sooner or later I'm going to die if you keep doing this to me!”

 

Rin came up behind Kei, placed her hand on Kei's shoulder, and smiled. “Please don't steal my words, dear.”

 

The girl with two weeks left to live put a hand behind her head and chuckled bashfully. “Okay, okay. I won't.” She looked up at the moon, past Chihaya- “Chichi, would you mind moving your head? Your hair's in the way.”

 

Chihaya let go of the branch and landed on the ground, with the same remarkable dexterity that she was known for. “Sorry. Is this alright?”

 

“Mmhm!” Kei nodded. Gazing up at the moon, she began to nod her head slowly, and then clapped her hands and began walking off in some direction or another. “This way, ladies. Watch for the underbrush!”

 

Miria quietly raised her hand. “If Chihaya and I are the physical ones, shouldn't we be telling you that?”

 

“Don't know where my senses went,” Kei said, not turning around. “You're right. Should I watch for the underbrush, Miria?”

 

“Yes.” Miria said.

 

“You heard the lady, Rin.” Kei craned her head over her shoulder and looked back. Her antenna pointed at Miria and Chihaya, who had unconsciously gotten a bit closer together. “The underbrush warning has been issued!”

 

“She's in a good mood.” Chihaya observed. She looked at Rin. “Is it your anniversary or something like that?”

 

Startled at the thought, Rin turned on one of her throwaway cell phones to check. It was almost nine. “No, that's not for another... four months or so, I don't think.”

 

“If it's that far away, did you really need to check?” Chihaya laughed a bit.

 

“Wah, er, well, I-” Rin stammered. She twiddled her fingers together. “I lose track of time easily. It's a bad habit of mine, I- I get lost in my work and all.” She chucked awkwardly. “I know, it's- it's weird.” She hiked up the skirt of the school uniform she was wearing and began to jog to try and catch up to the other two.

 

Kei was whistling a jaunty tune to herself as she walked, admiring the moon between the trees. “Ah, it's a really lovely night out, isn't it, Miria?”

 

“Yes.” Miria said.

 

“Nights like these, they kinda make you forget anything bad can happen in the world at all.” Kei said. She could hear a distant rumbling, and she felt the moisture in the air get a bit heavier. They were almost there. “I mean, obviously bad things can happen or we wouldn't all have run away, of course. But it feels far away, like it's in a completely different world.”

 

“I agree.” Miria said.

 

“Honestly, I've always liked the moon better than the sun.” Kei said. “I know that the moon just reflects light that the sun gives off, but it feels more... I guess the word would be, honest? The sun tries a bit too hard. It makes  _ everything _ happen. The sun made  _ us _ happen. And, you know, I appreciate that, but the moon just takes what it has and does it. It does its work, making our tides flow, and nobody asks anything more of it.”

 

Miria took a moment to respond. “I don't actually understand what you mean.”

 

“Well, here, lemme put it another way.” Kei said, her antenna curling into a little spring shape. “We're here because of the sun. Like, creation myths or whatever, yeah yeah, but life exists because of the sun. The sun never had a choice as to whether to make us or not, but it's still doing that without complaining, and has been for billions of years, like it doesn't mind the fact that it's got trillions upon quadrillions of living organisms depending on it for sustenance. Maybe the sun doesn't like that. Maybe the sun wishes we'd all go away. But instead of really doing anything about it, it just sort of sits there and lets us go about our business.”

 

By this point, Rin and Chihaya had caught up. “Like, the sun's rays would kill us if they were unfiltered, and you have to think, wow, maybe that's because the sun actually wishes we were gone. Maybe that's just its passive-aggressive way of telling us to buzz off.” Kei breathed in the night air, and sighed. “But the moon, well, the moon came to Earth. The moon didn't have to be here. It never had to be here. But it helps us anyway, helps our tides remain as they are, helps humans and all sorts of nocturnal organisms to survive. So, I like moonlight. The moon doesn't have to reflect this light onto us, but it does. It took up that role because it  _ could, _ not because it  _ had to. _ ”

 

Miria and Chihaya simultaneously stole a glance at Rin, whose smile and eyes showed she was clearly completely and utterly lost in listening to Kei talk. “And that's a big deal, you know. It's like, do people who  _ have _ to take care of you really care? It always kinda weirds me out. Like, if I'm paying someone for a service, sure, but if someone gets roped into it without a choice in the matter, I can't help but think, 'hey, if you'd rather not be here, then just say so and I'll let you leave.'” She raised a finger, and her antenna spiked into a straight vertical line. “Oh, like, so in some parts of the world a while ago, like, before and slightly after Ultimate Despair, so like, 2040 at the most? They didn't actually give wait staff a regular income. The customer decided how much the wait staff should be paid, so the wait staff had to always give it a hundred and ten percent so they could keep living.”

 

“Really?” Miria said.

 

“Really!” Kei nodded her head furiously. “I know, it's crazy, right? So, the wait staff, and anyone else, like a delivery person or something, they all have to constantly be on their best behavior because the customers are encouraged to study every last little thing they do and raise or dock their pay accordingly. They can't just do their job, they have to do it with a smile on their face at all times. Oh, I actually have this friend-” Her voice faltered for a bit, but then it was back to normal. “She works in the media, does sports commentary and stuff, and she always puts on a big smile and a ton of enthusiasm for the crowd, and they all eat it up. But it hurts her a lot to do that because she doesn't think she has enough worth of her own. So she winds up feeling a bit spiteful of the people who make her do that, and then she winds up angry at herself because she's feeling spiteful of the people who let her do the thing she loves to do, and it's kind of a vicious cycle like that.”

 

“That's tough.” Miria said.

 

“Definitely.” Kei nodded again. “And- well, if there's one thing I regret, it's actually having to leave her behind without saying anything.” She went a bit quieter. “Ah, right before that happened- well, you guys know I ran away 'cause of my parents, right? Well, they forced her into pulling me out of the closet. Like, she was totally hysterical on the phone when she called me before they got home, so I could hardly understand a word she was saying, but by the time I'd left I kinda pieced together what happened, and pfft, there's no way it was  _ actually _ her fault. They probably locked her in a room, threatened her mom, or something like that. And, like, I can't exactly go back because the police would drag me home and then, I don't know, maybe Dad would try to beat the girl out of me with a paddle or something, who knows.” She shrugged. “But I hope I run into her sometime soon so I can tell her that it's not her fault, and that I still wanna be friends with her.” Kei chuckled. 

 

“If it's not too personal, uh...” Chihaya said. “What exactly brought this on?”

 

The girl with two weeks left to live looked up into the trees, and through the leaves, near the moon, caught a glimpse of a few stars. “Eh, just sorta came to me.” Kei winked at the star. At the sound of a small yelp, though, she immediately turned around and dashed to catch Rin, who'd almost fallen to the ground over a particularly gnarled tree root.

 

Rin, gasping, took a moment to open her eyes and realize she wasn't falling. “H-huh?” She looked up, and saw Kei's face incredibly close to hers. “A-ah.” She turned red.

 

“Hey, be careful, alright?” Kei said, closing her eyes, brushing away a lock of Rin's hair that had fallen onto her face, and smiling brightly. “You're not at a workbench, Rin. You have to be careful. Are you hurt?”

 

Rin squeaked a bit and shook her head. “No, I-” She stood up. “I'm fine. Thank you.” Her voice was breathless, and Chihaya and Miria shared a knowing look that told the other that they had a good idea where the breath had gone.

 

They, too, lost their breath, though, when the trees cleared, and Kei threw her arms wide, with a “Ta-da!” The moonlight reflected and refracted on the water, which rained down from the cliffs above, pooling into a basin beneath their feet. The rocky earth was moist from droplets splashing against the rocks, and the falls sang without end of their own life. The moon, bright in the sky, shone down upon the waterfall, and the four girls, lighting the scene up with an ethereal filter. “Surprise! I found a waterfall!” Kei said, standing in front of it with her arms clasped behind her back, leaning over and smiling.

 

“Wow,” Miria gasped, looking up the waterfall. “It's... beautiful.”

 

“Isn't it just?” Kei grinned. “I figure, why not get ourselves some scenery for a bit? Plus we can fish if we need to. I donno about you guys, but it's been way too long since I practiced culinary ichthyology.”

 

Chihaya sat a backpack down against a tree and pulled out a fishing rod, with line. “I agree.”

 

And so the night continued to pass, a slow, quiet experience as the four girls took turns fishing, sitting quietly or occasionally making idle chatter. The sounds of nature around them were almost deafening in their purity, unsoiled by the sounds of civilization. Who knew what time it was by the time Kei pulled out her rod? She certainly didn't have a clue. She stirred from her meditative posture, and in doing so, also nudged Rin, who it turned out had leaned against her.

 

“Oh, sorry.” Kei said. “I hope I'm not boring you, I know you're not all that used to fishing. It can be a long wait.”

 

“There's a lot I wasn't used to before I met you.” Rin said, looking at their reflections in the pale water. “I don't mind. I treasure my moments with you.”

 

“Mmhm.” Kei nodded. “Me too, Rin.” She smiled again. “I bet you a lot of the fish have probably gone to sleep. It's past our bedtime, too, huh?” She chuckled, and cast her gaze across the water. “It's beautiful, isn't it?”

 

“Yes, it is,” Rin said, her eyes right on Kei's reflection.

 

This didn't escape Kei's notice, and she chuckled a bit again, closing her eyes. “C'mon, now, Rin. I know I try, but that's pretty strong language for me.”

 

“Kei, please...” Rin leaned closer into Kei, their sides touching, Rin's head leaning onto Kei's shoulder. “Don't say that.”

 

“No, no, not like that.” Kei said. “I mean, yeah, there's an element of that too, but... well, I don't think I ever really wanted to be beautiful, you know?” She returned the lean. The two of their warmth mingled with each other's. “Or all that special, or anything. I just wanted- well, I  _ want- _ to be ordinary.” Almost without thinking, she recalled her line, and put her rod down next to her, placing her hand on Rin's thigh. “That's all.”

 

“Well, you can be.” Rin said, her arm around Kei's waist. “But... well, I'm sorry, but you'll always be beautiful to me. To me, you're very extraordinary.”

 

“Yeah?” Kei said. “Thanks.”

 

The two sat together in silence for some time by the water. Chihaya and Miria, it seemed, were already asleep. “How's the project going?” Kei spoke up.

 

“Oh, the compound?” Rin said. “Mm, construction's going well. I spent a few hours directing them over the phone today. I was really surprised with how quickly they acquiesced to the island top, but apparently the ecosystem is already thriving, the service hatches and all the raw space are completely fitted, and the lower body is all but complete from the outside. It's been a long road, but we're making great progress.”

 

“Man, I never could've thought of that.” Kei laughed. “A moving, artificial island. That's an exceptional place to raise exceptional kids, huh?”

 

“The residential quarters on the first level are almost completely furnished.” Rin said. “There'll be a few rooms. Whoever's there will have to deal a bit with construction crew, but it shouldn't be a problem.” She looked up to Kei's eyes. “Kei?”

 

“Yeah?” Kei said.

 

“Let's go.” Rin said. “Together.” Her other arm wrapped around the front of Kei's waist, and Kei could feel her breath on the back of her neck. “It can be our new home.” She was heavy and warm against Kei's body.

 

Kei was quiet for a moment. “It kind of scares me, Rin.” She said. “The thought of... being out there, all alone, even if it's with you.”

 

“I don't want you to have to suffer any more.” Rin whispered. “I don't want myself to have to suffer any more, either. I just want to be with you, and have a little family all our own. That's all I really want.”

 

“But I hate seeing you so lonely, Rin.” Kei said, her cheer going down a bit. “Would it really be okay living like that, just out there, all the time?”

 

“Well, that's why there's the island, and- well, I actually already bought a helicopter.” Rin blushed. “For flying to and from the mainland, wherever it might be.”

 

“Seriously?” Kei laughed. “Geez. You rich people. No sense of scale.” Kei leaned further into Rin and nuzzled against her cheek. “I love that about you.”

 

“You do?” Rin said.

 

“Yes, of course I do, geez.” Kei said. “You have this wild imagination. I always thought scientists would be all cold and stuffy, but the ideas that come out of your head are just so  _ adventurous. _ ” She finally hugged Rin back. “Hey, Rin?”

 

“Mmhm?” Rin responded, but she was cut short when Kei's lips met hers with a hungry passion that almost sent her lying back down onto the ground. Only Rin's redoubled desire to reciprocate kept her at all upright, the two of them squeezing each other closer together than ever before. The feel of the cool night air on their skin and the water droplets pouring down onto them only intensified their desires to share in each others' warmth, their tongues dancing a wordless, ageless waltz.

 

Inwardly, they both thought about the fact that though they were asleep, Chihaya and Miria weren't far away. It would be easy, and a bit mortifying, no, a lot mortifying, if they were to wake up and see Kei and Rin locked in such a heated embrace, but breaking off from each other would be even more mortifying.

 

For Rin, it was a simple matter of how much attachment she felt to Kei. For Kei, though, there was an element of hurt pride in it; more specifically, a matter of how much it hurt Kei that, in her eyes, she could neither give Rin the embrace of a woman, nor of a man. In many ways, her own body kept her hesitant to act on the urges it sent her, the urges to drink deep of Rin's unmistakably  _ female _ form. She twitched and she yearned to do something,  _ anything _ further, but at the same time, she simply couldn't. She hadn't the tools to do what she should.

 

The both of them had something the other desperately admired, and needed. For Rin, Kei's radiance, optimism, and earnest kindness filled a great, gaping hole in her heart, and for Kei, Rin's calm, quiet assurance of her own validity, of the fact that Kei would always have someone who loved her, was, she thought, at times, the only thing keeping her sane.

 

It was not a relationship of necessity, however. It was a relationship of love; or rather, a relationship of love out of whose love was borne necessity. Rin and Kei were young, and in many ways, both could be quite foolish; but their love for each other was honest, and pure, and rather than doubt it, Kei, who had a good sense for life-altering matters such as this, was just glad to have found the love of her life at such a young age.

 

It didn't soften the blow, though. It was a soft, comfortable love for the both of them, full of kindness, and happiness, but at the same time, it filled Kei with unimaginable frustration that she hadn't the tools to go any further. All she could do was fumble awkwardly at Rin's naked breasts, great big things that Kei loved and admired and wanted all in equal measure, rubbing her hands and tongue down Rin's naked flesh to excite the young roboticist.

 

Kei didn't know how long, exactly, Rin had been without real human contact. She spoke sometimes of friends she had lost, friends who had drifted away, friends who had died, but Kei had wondered sometimes whether the reason Rin reacted so strongly to her touch was because she simply hadn't had anyone else. Rin had shook her head and said no, though. She'd loved before, even recently before they met, but it wasn't the same, according to her. Kei was-

 

“You're the only person I would ever want to make a family with.” Rin had said. “I know we're only fourteen, but... but I love you. I don't want you to ever leave me. I don't want to just be friends.”

 

“Rin-” Mamoru had gulped. The orange sun was filtering in through the classroom window, lighting up the black-and-white girl in a stunning array of color. So many emotions had been running through her head even in that short time that she wasn't even sure where to begin. “I...?”

 

“I-is something wrong?” Rin looked away, sweating. “I'm sorry, I-”

 

“You- you know... you know I'm a boy, right?” Mamoru said, adjusting the necktie on his uniform. “I mean, not- not that- I-I-I'm  _ flattered, _ really, I am.” He sputtered. “And, I... I mean-”

 

“Are you?” Rin said. Then she clasped her hands over her mouth, and through her hands said, “I'm- I'm sorry, it- it just slipped out!”

 

She knew? ...She  _ knew. _ She- Rin knew. Rin could see it? “Am I what?” Mamoru said. Her pulse was rising at an alarming rate.

 

“A boy?” Rin said, slowly lowering her hands from her mouth, wiping some sweat from her brow. “I just mean... y-you've never... seemed very comfortable, hanging out with the other boys, and... well, I-” She looked down. “I did fall in love with you. So, I thought, maybe... maybe you were...”

 

“...And, if I was...” Mamoru looked away. “...not a boy. How would you feel about that?”

 

“I'd... want very badly to help you.” Rin said. She grabbed at her own wrist, playing with a wristband she had on. “I've- I'm- I think I know... what it's like to be lonely. And I- I can't imagine something lonelier than- than not being who you look like. Than people looking at you, and not even seeing you, but someone who doesn't even exist.”

 

She couldn't help herself. Something inside her vaulted past Mamoru and began to cry. “Oh,” Mamoru said, inwardly grabbing on any shield he could to protect her. “I... well... thank you. I-” She gulped. “That means a lot to me,” Mamoru said. He didn't stand.

 

Who was supposed to answer her? She knew her parents didn't approve of 'that lesbian girl in the class next to yours.' Said that she had the reek of despair all over her, and she'd probably wind up bombing the school or something like that. If Mamoru were to date her, maybe they would finally stop saying that about her, and he could brush it off as a phase, and tell them that the girl that she had been in love with as well wasn't any kind of horrible person like that, and really was just a lonely girl. But, at the same time, wouldn't that just be lying, not just to them, but to Rin? Rin clearly _knew._ She knew that the girl behind Mamoru’s eyes  existed, and was right there, wanting to talk to her. 

 

But how could she say that out loud? How could she say out loud the words that had fractured her so badly to even  _ think?  _ How could she begin properly speaking for the first time? Even at a time this wonderful; that the girl she herself was in love with not only loved her back, but loved  _ her, _ and not Mamoru?

 

She looked down at the sheet of paper at her desk, pulled out her pen, and drew a single kanji, a character signifying a blessing. Her eyes began to tear up, but Mamoru did his best to hide it for the time being. He pointed to the character. “That's my answer.” She said. 'This is what you are to me, right now.'

 

Rin leaned over to look at it, and raised her eyebrow just slightly as she studied it. She mumbled, 'how do you read this?' to herself before looking up. “Kei?” She said. “Is that... your name?” Rin smiled. “I like it.”

 

Kei couldn't hold back her tears. She stood up, reached over, grasped the taller girl in her arms, and began to cry into her shoulder. “I love you, too.” She said.

 

The sky was dark, back in the here and now, and exhaustion was setting in. Kei and Rin lay next to each other on the rocks, listening to the sound of the waterfall. “So, when you make our first child, what do you think she'll be like?” Kei said. “Do you think she'll say 'donno?'”

 

“Of course.” Rin giggled. “Children most frequently pick up language from their parents, and it's important that I try to keep that as preserved as possible for the first prototype. That's sort of the reason for the isolation, you know, is making sure that none of them crash from taking in too much information at once in their formative stages.”

 

“Ohhhh.” Kei laughed. “And here I thought it was just because you didn't want to be around people. Silly me.”

 

“Goofball.” Rin reached over and touched Kei's cheek.

 

“Guilty as charged.” Kei smiled. “So, I bet she'll look like you, mostly. I hope so, anyway. You're the pretty one.”

 

“Really, now?” Rin looked over at Kei, disbelievingly. “Have you seen me?”

 

“Being big doesn't mean you're not the pretty one, if you ask me.” Kei said. “What we need to do is get your bangs out of your face so people can see it. Then they can all tell you that I'm right and you're the pretty one.”

 

“And I keep telling you, no, that's  _ you, _ Kei.” Rin sighed. 

 

“Uuuugh, but my shoulders are all wrooooong,” Kei whined.

 

“Being broad-shouldered doesn't mean you're not the pretty one, if you ask me.” Rin grinned.

 

“Oh, so it's okay when you steal my words, but not when I steal yours?” Kei snorted. “This is such an unequal relationship, totally unfair. Why did I ever go along with this?” They both laughed. “So, if we're both the pretty one, that means she'll probably turn out pretty well.”

 

“Without a doubt.” Rin nodded. “I just hope she winds up with more of your personality. I'm such a downer sometimes, I would hate to inflict that on her.”

 

“We're not doing the whole back-and-forth thing again.” Kei said. Rin huffed a little bit.

 

“I'm definitely giving her your little antenna, though.” Rin said. Kei's antenna twitched a bit. “Yes, that one. It's cute.”

 

“Well, so you're going to be the fussy, overprotective mom, right?” Kei said. “Does that mean that I get to be the cool mom that our kids actually like?”

 

“That's what I've always imagined,” Rin giggled.

 

“Alright, cool. I'll guard the homestead, then!” Kei pumped her fist in the air. “I mean, Mamoru would probably hate me if I didn't live up to his name.”

 

“What?” Rin said.

 

Kei turned her head to look at Rin. “Like, think about it this way. So, I'm a Mamoru who is Kei. But doesn't that mean that there's probably also a Kei who is Mamoru? And then a Mamoru who is Mamoru, and a Kei who is Kei, and, well, maybe any other combinations in the mix that I don't know about? Now, let's say that the Kei who is Mamoru, that is to say, Mamoru who belongs in  _ my _ body, somehow learns about this timeline and sees that I haven't really protected anything. He'd be mad, right? I mean, I had that strong opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons and do some great, productive wordplay, and I just didn't! And on some level, every me is still me, so I feel like he'd also want me to do this. Any me would want any other me to do this. It's my duty as Kei Sagami to  _ mamoru _ , just like you are, and I am doing myself a service by having you as, my greatest  _ kei. _ ”

 

Rin rolled her eyes. “What are you even talking about?”

 

“I donno.” Kei shrugged. “I'm just talking. What do I ever do, really?” She smiled.

 

There was a pause. “So...” Rin started.

 

“Yeah.” Kei reached over and pecked her on the cheek. “I'll come with you. You knew I was gonna say yes  _ eventually, _ c'mon.” 

 

“Looking up in the sky here...” Rin said. “It reminds me of a lot of people. A lot of people I really miss.” She gripped Kei's hand a bit tighter. “Everyone I've lost, I miss so badly, Kei. Just once... Just once, I want someone who won't leave, or be ripped away from me. I want us to be together forever, Kei. I want you to be with me forever.”

 

The girl with two weeks left to live responded, “I wouldn't have it any other way.”

 

“I love you, Kei.” Rin smiled.

 

“I love you too, Rin.” Kei smiled back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A wiser brother than I once said many, many words about a snail being responsible for the deaths of six billion people. A great tragedy, indeed; but does tragedy need be so wide? Sometimes, tragedy can be just as horrifying for one lone person.
> 
> Four days remain until the end of her story.
> 
> This ends the Fourth Case, "An Empty Tome." Despite what you might think, the Fifth Case is still next.
> 
> Thank you for reading thus far.
> 
> Update, 8/5/2018: For those of you who enjoy visual clarification, visual aids for the Intermission Ultimates, Kei, and Rin may be found at https://itsbenedict.tumblr.com/post/176605767659/so-yall-remember-those-commissions-i-did-for .


	54. Day 19, Phase 0 - Extreme Extrication

 

The first thi—

 

With a cry of “HOLY CRAP WHERE AM I,” Nanako's upper body launched out of its bed and stood straight up. This was no time for linear thinking! This was the time for seeing!

 

It wasn't a particularly large room she found herself in, a bit smaller than Room Seventeen, at the very least, but it was a lot more personal, as well. Despite her own dark styles, Nanako had always been quite fond of the lighter pastel colors as far as room décor went, and her room showed it. Despite what Kojiro claimed, she had yet to really 'grow out of' things like pink, or mauve, and so her room had a light, airy, soft feeling to its overall color composition in the walls, the carpet, and the furniture. Speaking of, her own little chair and desk, matching pastel reds, were still sat next to her bed, just the same as she'd left them. Her own small bookshelves, too, were in perfect working condition.

 

There were only two things out of place in the entire picture, really. Well, other than the fact that Nanako was waking up without having changed into pajamas first. The first was the fact that her ordinary door had been locked with some sort of bizarre apparatus that she didn't recognize, a blocky, mechanical thing of unclear origin. The second odd thing she found on herself; a red bracelet with a clear, glass screen on the top and several buttons around it. She fiddled with them, and it came to life with a small 'bing!' A blue number nine appeared on the screen, underlined by the phrase, 'N Team.'

 

“Huh,” Nanako murmured. Pushing a few more buttons gave her a bit more information. It was currently 00:15 on April 27th, in 'Phase Zero' of the Nonary Game, whatever that meant. 'Door Zero' would be opening at 5:00, whatever that was. Her current location was, naturally, her own room, labeled 'Room Nine.' She thought to herself that it would've been more appropriate had it been Room _Seven,_ considering her name, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

 

Actually, come to think of it, her room wasn't on any of the earlier floors, which naturally implied— Ah, yes, that was it. Nanako snapped her fingers. Of course her room had been on the fifth level! Where else would it be? “Amnesia is weird,” she said aloud, standing out of her bed.

 

This was Maxwell Hall, the fifth level of Compound VK. While the actual structure of the floor eluded her, she did remember that it served as a flotation ring for the facility as a whole, and as such, it was quite a bit larger than any other named hall. She wasn't certain of how long she had been out for, but it seemed likely that she'd been transported after being knocked out by that enigmatic 'Zero' character who'd suddenly appeared.

 

A thought occurred to her. “Monokuma!” Nanako cried. “Hey, Monokuma? You there?” No response. “Monokumaaaaa, I'll commission you for a self-portraiiiiiit!” Still nothing. Either the bear couldn't get in here, or he really _wasn't_ present after Zero's appearance. “...So, can I like, summon you like we could Monokuma?” She looked up at the intercom near the ceiling on the left wall. “I don't really know how this all works.” No response. “Tough crowd,” she sighed.

 

Nanako walked up to the door and began scrutinizing the locking mechanism. She discovered that it actually had a numerical keypad, and a password space that seemed to accept nine digits. Shame, then, that she couldn't use her mother's birthday; and here Nanako had thought that she was the answer to _everything_ here.

 

* * *

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

Taking mental inventory, Nanako made sure she had her ducks in a row. She was, in fact, still Nanako Hashizawa, daughter of Rin Hashizawa, sister of Kojiro Hashizawa. She and the vast majority of people she'd ever known had been thrust into a killing game held in her childhood home, Compound VK. She still didn't know what VK stood for. Now, she and a significantly smaller number of those same people had been dropped into what seemed like it might be a completely _different_ kind of death game.

 

Being that she was locked in the room, Nanako didn't see much of a choice but to start looking around the room to see if there were any clues to the lock's password. Her room wasn't particularly large, so it thankfully probably wouldn't be too long of a search. The first location she checked was her bookshelf, and she was happy to see that her organized collection of the entire literary form of the _Alien_ universe, including her particularly well-worn copy of _The Complete Aliens Omnibus: Volume 5_ , were still all neatly organized. (Though she obviously had a fondness for the original, Ripley 8 was, in Nanako's humble opinion, still pretty darn great.)

 

That aside, though, as she checked her collection, she found a book she was pretty certain that she did _not_ own, on account of the fact that she didn't think she'd be caught dead reading a book called _Wild Stallions, or: How I Learned to Love a Free-Roaming Cowboy,_ so she pulled that off the shelf. According to the copyright information on the back of the tacky-looking harlequin romance, whose cover depicted a man on a horse, his shirt half-open, holding in his arms not the reins of the horse but a strapping blonde lass, their eyes clearly full of harlequin romance feelings, it was a 2118 release, by an author she'd never heard of.

 

Opening the book, Nanako found that most of the pages had actually been hollowed out to contain a small metal box, taller than it was wide, which was a good thing, as if she'd had to actually read through _Wild Stallions,_ that would be both time-consuming and probably at least a bit painful. ...Maybe if it had been a free-roaming cow _girl._ The metal box had what looked like a little keyhole on the top, so that was another thing to add to the list of mysterious mysteries.

 

Sliding the chair out from her desk, Nanako began to inspect her desk and quickly found something out of place. Someone had locked one of its three drawers, with another keypad; this one, four digits. Nanako groaned, and opened her bottom drawer to find...a pair of sunglasses? These definitely weren't hers. They were probably part of this whole rigmarole, though, so she put them on.

 

“Whoa!” Nanako cried, stepping back a bit. As soon as she'd put on the sunglasses, she saw glowing, blue numbers appear on the walls, one per wall. There was a bright 9 on the door, the glowing paint seeming to drip as though it were wet (or, perhaps, like it were imitating a blood splatter.) By the bookshelves there was a 3. Above the desk, there was a 7. And, finally, above the head of her bed, a 2. After a moment to process, Nanako guessed that these sunglasses must have had some sort of augmented vision. Perhaps they were a forensic tool of some sort? Either way, the numbers weren't visible without them.

 

Taking the sunglasses off for a moment, Nanako looked under her bed. There was something beneath it, a bit far, like it had dropped through the cracks. She attempted to reach in to grab it, but was confronted by the fact that she was no longer able to actually fit under her bed to reach it. Her head and one arm were a tight enough fit, but attempting to reach any further than that was a fool's errand... which didn't stop her from trying for far longer than she should have, of course.

 

Taking into account her self-image as 'Rin Hashizawa's daughter,' Nanako's physique had developed in a way that was similar to her mother's, and Rin Hashizawa, as someone who didn't get much exercise and who had a habit of drowning her sorrows in food from time to time, was not, as Nanako had known her, the smallest person in the world; and unfortunately for Nanako in this exact moment, most of that happened to gather in the upper body. Eventually, Nanako did manage to eke her shoulders in the gap, but getting any further with her chest in the way was definitely not happening. She glared at the mysterious object. Such was the curse of an apple. She collapsed to the ground and sighed, shaking her fist and cursing her own attractiveness.

 

A few moments later, Nanako remembered that she had arm muscles, and so stood up and lifted her bed up. The light from above illuminated the mysterious object beneath her bed, which, it turned out, actually appeared to be a Monokuma plushie, of all things. “Here I thought you were gone,” Nanako remarked, reaching down to grab it.

 

It was certainly Monokuma, other than the fact that it had a tag that proclaimed the English phrase, 'Sewn, with love.' Upon closer inspection, though, Nanako found that Monokuma's belly actually came off, and in doing so, she found that the plushie actually doubled as what appeared to be a compass. Shrugging, she gathered her 'bear'ings; the door was to the west, the bookshelves were to the north, the bed was to the east, and the desk was to the south. Good to know, she supposed, but it seemed like a bit of an odd thing to give her.

 

Nanako crouched back down to the desk now that she was done looking around, and stared at the four-digit keypad, humming. There were four numbers she could see with her sunglasses, so that was probably a hint of some kind, but what order should they go in?

 

Her antenna spiked.

 

7-2-9-3. She punched in the numbers according to their directions; south, east, west, north. 'Sewn,' with love. She nodded and grinned, her antenna puffing, as a small click signaled the drawer unlocking. Opening it, she found a small, brass key, and when she tried it in the small box she'd found in the book... well, it didn't open at first, but then she turned it upside-down, and then it worked.

 

“Huh,” Nanako said, opening the metal box to find a container for a deck of playing cards. She opened it and, indeed, there were, in fact, playing cards in there; but on the lip flap of the container, there was a message written in red marker. 'Q62K103'. She'd basically run out of leads, so Nanako thought that this was, no doubt, the code to the lock... but her memory had not failed her when she checked, and the keypad not only took nine digits, it only took digits, and not letters. There were no 'Q' or 'K' keys present.

 

Nanako paced around for a few minutes, pondering how exactly to turn 'Q62K103' into a nine-digit number. The letter 'q' was phonetically identical to the number nine in Japanese, and K usually meant Kei Sagami, right? Of course, it was also the twelfth letter of the alphabet, and Q was the seventeenth, so Nanako tried '176212103' as a start. The lock made an unpleasant beeping noise at her. Nope. That meant there had to be some other way of turning them into numbers, probably. They didn't seem like coordinates or anything, and Nanako hadn't the foggiest of how to do encryption or anything.

 

Her eyes waved around the room, looking at the desk, the deck of playing cards in her hand, the bed, the bookshelves, a few pages of looking at Ripley 8 do her work... Her antenna spiked.

 

1-2-6-2-1-3-1-0-3. Nine digits. The value of a queen card was twelve, and the value of a king card was thirteen. With a much more chipper noise, the mechanism unlocked and dropped to the floor, leaving the door no longer barred.

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

 

* * *

 

 

Nanako gulped, beginning to sweat a bit. Now that she was about to escape her own room, the fact that she had no idea where the rest of the group was, or especially where Jun was, or really what was going on at all, hit her again in full force. What would she find outside her room? Another locked room? Any answers at all? She closed her eyes, and pulled the door open—

 

“ _Shinobu!_ ” Nanako shouted, and before she knew it, she had run over to the Mystery Novelist and begun squeezing her tightly. “Oh, thank god!” She began bouncing up and down on her heels as she clung to Shinobu, grabbing so tightly as to prevent Shinobu from being spirited away again.

 

Shinobu squeaked from being suddenly constricted from behind. “Ah, ghhk, Nanako! Yes, agh— Hello! It— Ow!”

 

Just as quickly as she'd run out, Nanako let go, stepped back, and threw her hands up. “Oh, uh, sorry.” Nanako said.

 

She found herself in a circular, dark gray room with a high ceiling. In the center, on the floor, behind a transparent glass shield, were the familiar, similar grays of the Stairwell, meaning that this was no doubt where the fifth floor met the rest of the levels. The room's walls were evenly divided by three hallways, one red, one blue, and one green, cutting the circle into thirds. Each of the thirds of wall had three doors present, including the door Nanako had just come from. Four of the doors still appeared locked.

 

“Well, it's good to see she's as spirited as ever.” Kazuya said, sitting elsewhere in the room, next to a staircase even further upwards, which didn't seem blocked. “Hello, Nanako. Good morning.”

 

“It's far too early for my taste.” Even in a room this featureless, Nanako wasn't quite able to find Chihaya.

 

“Hello.” Luan waved from on the stairs. He was a bit pale.

 

“That would make five of us,” Shinobu said, “that have escaped from our rooms. Was yours occupied previously, Nanako?”

 

“It was actually my room, believe it or not.” Nanako said. “Oh, actually, Shinobu, one thing before we keep talking.”

 

“Yes?” Shinobu said. Quick as she could, Nanako leaned in and smooched her on the lips, grinning impishly as she receded backwards, leaving Shinobu bright red.

 

“I didn't get a chance to properly congratulate you on recovering so much faster this time!” Nanako said. She leaned in again and gave Shinobu a softer hug. “I knew you had it in you.”

 

“I-i-i-i-is now _really_ the time?” Shinobu sputtered. She fidgeted under Nanako's arms. “A-a-and for that matter, I could never have done it without you by my side, assisting me. If anyone should be credited with my recovery, it should be you.”

 

“Nahhhh.” Nanako snorted. Her antenna curled, and she rubbed Shinobu's back a bit. “C'mon, Shinobu. _I_ sure didn't make you stand up to Jun there. And I don't know when I'll get the opportunity again in this brave new world! You understand, right?”

 

“Oh, if you _insist._ ” Shinobu said, still bright red under Nanako's grasp. She awkwardly, but gently, pushed Nanako away. “That's— That's enough. For now.”

 

“Righto.” Nanako nodded. She turned to look at the rest of the room again. “Okay, so, does anyone have any clue what the heck is going on?”

 

“We've been talking with Luan about it.” Kazuya came closer. “We were all locked in one of these rooms, and given one of these bracelets, and Luan says that it's similar to the last death game he was in.”

 

“Oh, yeah, that's right!” Nanako's antenna spiked. “You recognized that Zero person, right, Yun?”

 

“Yes.” Luan said. “Well, er. Somewhat.” He sighed, looking down into his own lap. “This Zero is not the same, but is similar enough that I was able to...connect the dots,” he said a bit haltingly. It must have been his first time using that phrase. “These bracelets are also very similar.”

 

“Guess we definitely know how you're connected now, huh?” Nanako tilted her head to one side. “So, this 'Nonary Game.' What exactly is it? I know Junko Enoshima ran her killing games for despair's sake or whatever, but I've never heard of this.”

 

“I don't know.” Luan shook his head. “All I know is that nine orphans, including myself, were kidnapped, and forced to solve puzzles under threat of death.” He paused. “Only five survived. The man running it called himself Zero.”

 

“Could it be the same guy?” Nanako said.

 

Luan looked up at Nanako, straight in the eyes, and said, “No. That Zero is dead. One of the survivors killed him in the facility's incinerator.”

 

“Whoa.” Nanako blinked. “That's hardcore. Like, burnt to a crisp killed him?”

 

“There were only ashes left.” Luan nodded. “Though Zero was already suffering a great deal of pain from the savage beating he dealt him.”

 

“Holy crap.” Nanako's eyes were wide.

 

“He did it to protect us.” Luan said. “I...would not still be friends with him if I did not believe it was justified, myself.”

 

Another door unlocked. “Oh, everyone!” Claus said, walking through it. “It's good to see you all.” He looked around. “Most of us, anyway.”

 

“It's good to see you're safe, Claus.” Chihaya said. “We're discussing the situation.”

 

After a bit to get Claus up to speed, the Principal nodded. “I see. So that's the nature of the Nonary Game.”

 

“If I may interject.” Shinobu cleared her throat. “As a fancier of English history, you understand, I am actually somewhat familiar with the term. Have any of you ever heard of a man by the name of Dashiell Gordain?” The response was negative. “He was an Englishman, an odd but very wealthy man who survived the crash of a cruise ship called the Titanic. There was a big to-do about it, you know.”

 

“Oh, I've read about the Titanic.” Kazuya said. “I don't think something like that would happen nowadays, but it's worth keeping in mind.”

 

“Indeed.” Shinobu nodded. “Gordain grew obsessed with the incident and began to frantically purchase all manner of subjects relating to the ship, including its sister ship, the Gigantic. The first 'Nonary Games' were held by Lord Gordain on his ship; he would round up young men in horrible debt and force them to compete in death games aboard his ship, with his millionaire friends betting on their fates. Losers were incinerated, mostly.”

 

“Good _lord!_ ” Shouted Yashiro, barging out of his door. “What a vile setup! Why, I would throw my mind backwards in time if I could and strike the man with a fist of justice!”

 

“It's pretty vile.” Chihaya agreed.

 

“Reportedly, there were also ties to some cult or another, but eventually, the games publicly ceased once pharmacist Gentarou Hongou purchased the ship from Gordain's successors.” Shinobu said. “How we get from then to now, of course, I haven't the foggiest.”

 

“Because that part didn't take place in England?” Nanako tilted her head to one side.

 

“Precisely right, my dear.” Shinobu nodded. She hadn't actually been changed out of that dress Nanako had put her in, which filled Nanako with an odd sort of pride.

 

“So, we all have these bracelets.” Kazuya said, lifting his up. “Do you guys have numbers on yours, too?” Seven arms reached out, each possessing a similar bracelet. Oh, there was Chihaya. “Alright. I'm guessing that we all have different numbers?” He turned his on. A blue number three, underlined by the similar 'N Team.'

 

“Ah, yes.” Claus turned his on. It was red; a number five, with a 'C Team' underlining.

 

“I'm nine. Blue, N Team.” Nanako said.

 

“Four,” Luan said. He reached his out. It was green. 'G Team.'

 

“Two.” Shinobu presented. Red. C Team.

 

“Eight!” Yashiro cried. Red. C Team.

 

“Six.” Chihaya said. Blue. N Team.

 

“If there's nine of us, that means that Gavin and Stella are 1 and 7, and they're the other members of G Team, right?” Nanako said. “2-5-8 is C Team, 3-6-9 is N Team.” She paused. “Actually, yeah. Gavin is 1 and Stella is 7.”

 

“Er, how exactly do you figure, Rin?” Yashiro said. Then he loudly stopped himself. “Er! Nanako? It— It was Nanako, right?” He frowned.

 

“Why did he remember your name differently, anyway?” Claus said. “Do you have any idea, Nanako?”

 

“I definitely introduced myself to him as Rin Hashizawa,” Nanako said. “I definitely remember doing that. The problem is I don't really have any idea why I did that.” She put her hand on her chin and started wobbling back and forth. “It's a mysterious mystery, to be sure.”

 

“It's a bit odd to get used to.” Luan said. “Your name, I mean. I had to practice while I was escaping.”

 

“Aww, you practiced just for little old me?” Nanako put her hand over her heart. “I'm touched, Yun. You're a sweetheart, you know that?” Shinobu looked briefly like she was going to try to one-up him, but managed to stifle it. “Anyway, the teams are C, G, and N, yeah? Chihaya's not on C Team, so it must be named after Claus, and he's 5. And N Team is N for Nanako, and I'm 9. So G Team is Gavin, 1-5-9. That leaves Stella as 7.”

 

“Hey, gang.” Gavin said, a bit droopier than usual as he came through the door. “Yo, uh...” He waved his finger at Nanako as he came out, but didn't speak any further.

 

“Use your words, Gavin.” Chihaya said.

 

“Gotta thought, but I ain't been able to figure out the right nickname for you yet.” Gavin said, putting his hands on his hips and hunching over a bit.

 

“You can just use my name,” Nanako said. “I really don't mind.” She smiled.

 

“But trip, man, _I_ mind.” Gavin grumbled. He sighed. “Uh, anyway, yo mama's room, dawg. It's kinda disasterful.”

 

“Yeah, she's always been kinda messy.” Nanako said. Her antenna curled. “It’s sort of a thing about her that you get used to.”

 

“Ah, geez, sorry, everydudes!” Gavin suddenly fell to the floor and bowed to the group. “Mondo disrespectful of Gav to let y'all see him so mad.”

 

“It's alright, Gavin.” Kazuya said. “Really. I mean...” He looked down at his feet. “I was angry, too.”

 

“About Jun, you mean?” Claus said. His posture became a bit sturdier. “I...also can't help but find myself angry.”

 

“Do you think he's alright?” Luan said. He was still seated, but he seemed to get a bit closer in towards himself. “I worry.”

 

“All we need do is find him and rescue him!” Yashiro cried, pumping his fist in the air. He barreled off towards the red hallway. “Let's go, everyone!”

 

“Wait!” Chihaya called. “The doors are—”

 

A loud banging noise rang out through the chamber as Yashiro bounced off of the door, stumbling backwards. “My goodness, those are sturdy!”

 

“The situation is as you see,” Claus explained to Gavin, who was nodding along. “I'd love to form us a plan of attack, but I don't know what our situation is to begin with.”

 

“Nothin' to do but cool our heels, eh?” Gavin cocked his head up towards the high stairwell. “Whassup there?”

 

Shinobu, who had apparently escaped first out of anyone (and Nanako couldn't be prouder,) guided the group up the long stairwell. Nanako found herself very glad of the fact that the stairs had railings several times during the walk, as Kazuya stumbled a few times. When she caught him the second time, she asked, “You doing alright there, Kazuya?”

 

“Uh, yeah, fine, fine.” Kazuya's eyes darted around. “...Can you keep a secret?” He whispered to Nanako as the rest of the group ascended further.

 

“Definitely.” Nanako said, and leaned in, her antenna leaning in as well for a conspiratorial effect.

 

“I'm actually still kind of nervous about heights like these from that incident in Physical Training.” Kazuya gulped. “Walking up these stairs and seeing the ground below us is messing with me.”

 

“Oh, no problem.” Nanako said, grasping Kazuya tight under her shoulder, carrying him under-arm, being sure that his head was tilted upward. “Be there in a jiff!”

 

“Wait, wait, that isn't what I meaaaaant!” Kazuya screamed as Nanako bolted past the rest of the group on the stairwell, hurtling at top speed towards the highest point. When the two of them reached the stark white corridor at the top of the stairs, Nanako quietly placed him back down on the ground, and he scrambled to his feet, sweating a bit. “How are you so fast?!” He wheezed.

 

Nanako wasn't paying attention, though; she was gaping at the sight of the obstacle in her way. A great, steel gate completely blocked the passage, a gate with the number zero emblazoned boldly on it. The gate also had a neon-lit timer counting down, with two and a half hours remaining. Nanako checked her bracelet, and it matched the timer on 'Door Zero.'

 

“Whoa,” Gavin gasped, as the rest of the group came up from behind. “Check this out.”

 

“What do you think might be on the other side?” Chihaya said.

 

“If we're lucky, the exit.” Claus said. He shook his head. “Unfortunately, we haven't been very lucky so far.”

 

Distantly, Nanako heard the sound of a door slamming from below, and a shriek of, “Just _fuck off_ already!” It was Stella, obviously.

 

“Stella!” Kazuya cried, as he did an about-face and ran down the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. “Stella! Stella, are you okay?!”

 

As the rest of the group ran down the stairs as well, the sound of Stella crying became louder and louder. She was knelt on the floor sobbing, occasionally pounding the ground. Kazuya ran up to her, knelt by her, and looked her in the eyes. “What's wrong, Stella?”

 

“What _isn't_ wrong?” Stella sobbed. “Fuck. Fuck, I hate crying. I hate this. I hate everything.” With a sharp intake of breath, she lurched forward onto Kazuya, and began sobbing even louder. “Why is this happening?! What did I do wrong?! Someone, please tell me what I did wrong!”

 

“You didn't do anything wrong,” Kazuya said, trying his best to soothe her. “C'mon, Stella. Stay with us.”

 

“Yeah, hey, calm down, we're all here for you.” Nanako said, coming in as close as she could without violating the Boyfriend Zone that Kazuya occupied..

 

“No you're not.” Stella choked and whimpered. “Hansuke's supposed to be sitting in the corner writing something, and Jun's supposed to be sitting there saying stupid shit because he doesn't know how to shut his mouth.” Nanako winced, and she had the feeling everyone else did, too.

 

The situation suddenly taking a turn for the even more insane had left them all without much time to mourn Hansuke's loss, but now, the thought that he was truly never coming back began to hit Nanako. Hansuke Yasuda, the eldest among them, the 'weird uncle,' the man who'd figured out the existence of so many of the mysteries about the compound, was dead. Bitterly, Nanako remembered that she couldn't even access Woodworking right now if they couldn't leave this chamber, so she couldn't make a statue for him.

 

“He...” Nanako sighed, and properly sat down on the ground. “Hansuke said a few times that he might not make it, but...” She turned, and looked at everyone as she did. There were tears in her eyes, beginning to burn her eyelids. “You know, I don't think I ever really believed it, you know? I kinda... I kinda thought he'd always be there.”

 

“He did a great deal for us.” Claus said, his legs giving way as well, sitting down cross-legged. “I...” He gulped. “Damn it.” Nanako wasn't certain she'd ever seen Claus cry before. “I— I just wanted to protect everyone.”

 

Shinobu sat down next to Nanako. “I...” She began trembling slightly, and Nanako leaned into her. She didn't have to say any more. Everyone knew how she felt.

 

The room went quiet for some time, as the silence of mourning filled everyone's ears. Ordinarily, mourning was something they could all do in private, but Zero had forced them out into the open. The weight of seven lost lives, and Jun, snatched away right as he might've begun to get help, bore down upon all of their shoulders. Only half of the group remained by this point. Nine souls, yearning for escape, in a whirlwind of madness and malice.

 

“It ain't _fair!_ ” Gavin punched the ground, allowing his anger to show once again. “It ain't fair. This is all bullshit, man. All a buncha...” He sniffled. He was crying, too. “I want J back. I want _everyone_ back.”

 

“I don't think I've ever seen you cry before.” Chihaya chuckled. It wasn't a funny, mirthful chuckle, though. It was cold and empty.

 

“Gav tries not to cry in front of peeps.” Gavin said. “S’, uh, 's kinda like... not kosher when you's the Ultimate Buddy, you dig?” He did his best to smile through his tears.

 

“You do have to cry sometimes, friend.” Yashiro said. He wasn't as loud as usual, but he, at the least, still had some fire in his voice. “Would Jun want you to hide your feelings like that if he were here?”

 

Stella looked up from her perch on the ground next to Kazuya, stared at Yashiro, and said, “Okay, listen. I'm still processing how much I actually miss that prick with him gone for the time being, but if there's one thing Jun _wasn't,_ it was emotionally honest. He's an emotional cactus, Yashiro.”

 

“Er, but certainly-?” Yashiro stammered.

 

“Yashiro.” Stella stared harder at him. “Have you ever heard that adage, 'it takes one to know one?' I'm pretty prickly myself. Trust me on this one.”

 

“You're not _that_ prickly,” Kazuya said. Stella turned to Nanako and gestured at him, with a 'can you believe this guy?' look. Nanako couldn't help herself from snorting and giggling a bit. “Hey, come on, you really aren't!”

 

A laugh rose above the conversation, a laugh Nanako hadn't really heard before. Of all people, it was Chihaya, doubled over laughing from her hiding place behind one of the open doors. “It's true!” She laughed. “Jun is a cactus!”

 

“He even has green hair.” Luan added. Chihaya started laughing harder, and fell from sitting to on the floor, rolling around, cackling. “Why is that funny?”

 

“I don't know!” Chihaya was crying from laughter. “I'm, ahahaha, oh god, this actually hurts!” There was a bit of wheezing behind her breath.

 

“And sometimes I wanna kick him in his cactuchus.” Stella rolled her eyes. Now Claus was laughing, too, which just made Chihaya laugh even harder.

 

“Ahh, geez, gang, izzis how we're goin'?” Gavin snorted. “I mean, Gav's down to lose it for a bit.”

 

“I'm very confused!” Yashiro laughed. Chihaya howled. Eventually, the sheer oddness of the situation got Nanako to crack up a little, too, and after that there was nothing keeping Shinobu from laughing, either. Not everyone laughed, but the mood in the room suddenly shifted to being significantly less dire; reserved, perhaps?

 

“We're losing it,” Chihaya said, after regaining her composure and swiftly retreating from sight. “I think we're beginning to go insane.”

 

“Who wouldn't, in a situation like this?” Kazuya said. He began tracing little patterns on the floor. “Honestly, it's a wonder we've held out this long.”

 

“Sanity is a psychological construct!” Nanako said, pounding one fist into her open palm. “Whatever we need to do to get through it, right?”

 

“How long did your Nonary Game last, Luan?” Claus asked. “Were you trapped this long?”

 

Luan shook his head. “It was less than twenty-four hours long, and when we were not trapped in puzzle rooms, we were constantly on the move.”

 

“Perhaps they're just making the finishing touches to shift us from one type of death game to the other, hence the wait?” Yashiro tilted his head to one side. “Once Door Zero opens, no doubt, we'll be back in the thick of things. It will be good for me to be able to move about once again!”

 

As though heralded by Yashiro's words, with one hour and ten minutes remaining until Door Zero opened, a familiar sight suddenly appeared from the ceiling, coming crashing down with a chorus of clashing metal. It was the mass of screens that had appeared in each of the trial rooms. Several members of the group jumped back in surprise, and all nine stared intently at the screens as they flickered on.

 

“Greetings.” It was the distorted voice, and unmistakable mask, of the individual calling themselves Zero. “I'm glad to see you all managed to escape your starting rooms.”

 

“Zero.” Claus said. His hand was against his chest, and he stood strong, proudly facing the screens. “What's the meaning of all this?”

 

“The meaning of all this is as I stated previously,” Zero said. “You have become participants in the Nonary Game. I believe Yun-Fat has already explained his prior experience in the Fourth Nonary Game to you.”

 

“Wait, fourth?” Gavin gaped. “You mean you, like... Zero the Fifth or somethin'?”

 

“That's one way you could refer to me,” Zero the Fifth said. “As this will represent a great shift in the rules compared to the prior killing game operated by Monokuma, I would ask you to allow me to explain the rules.”

 

“No,” Stella rolled her eyes. “We really just wanna not hear the rules and go in blind.”

 

After a pause, Zero tilted their mask down awkwardly, and said, “Really? If that's what you want-”

 

“Tha-tha-tha-that was sarcasm!” Nanako flailed her arms rapidly. “She was being sarcastic! We really want to hear the rules! Please explain them!”

 

“Oh, good.” Zero said, and Nanako was pretty sure she sensed a hint of relief. “You've each been assigned a bracelet on your arm. These bracelets will inform you of the current date and time, your team and number, and the time until the next Confessional Gate opens.”

 

“What an ostentatious name.” Yashiro snarled. “What would you have us confess?”

 

“A Confessional Gate will be opening, allowing you further into Confessional Hall, every six hours,” Zero said, sidestepping Yashiro's question. “Once Door Twelve opens, you will be able to reach the top of Compound VK and escape the game by exiting through Confessional Hall—”

 

' _Escape?!'_ was the general reaction from everyone, and even the quietest among them couldn't help but shout. “Surely you jest! You would willingly grant us egress?!” Shinobu cried.

 

“At 6 A.M. on April 30 th , yes.” Zero said. “There will be no further reason to keep any of you captive past that point. Surviving to that point is how one wins the Nonary Game. Should rescue not arrive immediately, several speedboats have been docked on the island atop the facility that you may commandeer, or you may make use of the communications functions here in Compound VK. Please be certain, as you leave, to obtain any personal belongings that you wish to keep with you. I can't guarantee their fate if you leave them here.”

 

“What is this, some kind of amusement park ride?” Kazuya sputtered. “You can't just say something like that after seven of our friends died!”

 

“For that matter, where's Jun?” Chihaya asked, at the back of the crowd, but visible, her eyes piercing towards Zero on the screen. “Where did you take him?”

 

“I assure you Jun Fukuyama is unharmed.” Zero said. “He is being held elsewhere in the facility. Upon the conclusion of the game, you may, if you wish, locate him before you leave. It makes no difference.”

 

“The _fuck you mean it makes no difference?!_ ” Gavin roared, stomping his foot. “What you did to him ain't fair! He our friend, he important, man, he- he makes a lotta difference!”

 

“My apologies.” Zero said, bowing their head. “Your assessment is not incorrect, but you might wish to calm down for now, Gavin. Unduly raising your blood pressure would be detrimental to your health.”

 

“Why, 'cause you gonna shoot me?” Gavin spat.

 

“No.” Zero said. “Simply because becoming overly enraged can have a multitude of impacts on one's physical health.”

 

Gavin stopped, and blinked a few times. “Uh.” He looked down at his clenched fist and calmed down slightly. “Whatever you say, I guess.” He shrugged.

 

“You've been divided into three teams,” Zero continued. “C Team consists of Claus, Shinobu, and Yashiro. G Team consists of Gavin, Yun-Fat, and Stella. N Team consists of Nanako, Kazuya, and Chihaya. Each of you will be placed in the Ward of Maxwell Hall that corresponds to your color; however, only four people will awaken during each phase of the Nonary Game.”

 

“Awaken from what, exactly?” Shinobu asked. “Are you meaning to imply we will be put to sleep?”

 

“Just so.” Zero said. “The layout of the Nonary Game is thus. Currently, it is Phase Zero. At 5 A.M., all of you will fall unconscious, on account of a sleeping drug injected into your bodies by your bracelets.” Nanako lit up and raised her finger. “Yes, even you, Nanako.” Well, there went that plan. “Upon the arrival of 6 A.M. and the opening of Door Zero, Phase One will begin. C Team will awaken in C Ward in a predetermined location, and the holder of the number one bracelet will awaken in a chamber in Confessional Hall.”

 

Swooping his head down briefly to check, Gavin frowned. “Yo, seriously, what exactly you want me to 'confess,' dude?”

 

“C Team and the holder of the number one bracelet will fall unconscious at 11 A.M, and at 12. A.M., N Team and the holder of the number two bracelet will awaken. At 5 P.M, they fall unconscious, and at 6 P.M., G Team and the holder of the number three bracelet awaken. The game will progress in this six-hour cycle until Door Twelve opens.” Zero said. “However, if you come across an unconscious player in your search, you may feel free to awaken them for the rest of the Phase.”

 

“This is kind of needlessly complicated, isn't it?” Nanako tilted her head to one side. “Why suddenly ramp up the complexity so hard?”

 

“I have not forgotten the stipulation set out by Hansuke.” Zero replied. “In each Phase, a puzzle room will be available in the wakened team's Ward. Solving these puzzle rooms will grant you some of the information held within the Denouement Perk he obtained. Solving the lot of them should, by the end of the game, grant you all the information you need to understand the reasons behind your incarceration here. I wish you good luck.”

 

There was a pause, as Zero awkwardly looked away from the screen. “Oh... I suppose I should specify. Simply because the Nonary Game has begun does not mean the Killing Game's rules are no longer in effect. Class trials will still be held for the murder of a fellow student, and should the culprit succeed in the trial, all living members of their team will be able to immediately escape. That is all. I wish you good luck.” The broadcast cut off suddenly.

 

“Hey, everybody,” Nanako said. There were only a few minutes remaining before they would all fall unconscious, so she had to do this now, with no time for it all to sink in. She stuck her hand out. “C'mere, join in.”

 

“What for?” Stella asked. She stared blankly at Nanako's hand.

 

“It's like a...friendship thing.” Nanako said, her antenna puffing. “I just really want us all to promise each other, that we'll do our best to escape together. I mean...” She laughed. “I don't know about you, but the fact that there doesn't need to be any more killing makes me pretty happy!”

 

“I can't help but agree.” Shinobu stuck her hand in the circle. “Whatever happens, if Zero speaks true, and very infrequently do our captors outright lie rather than lie by omission, our nightmare's end is not far at hand. Let us join together and rally our strengths, everyone!”

 

“I third the motion.” Claus put his hand in, too. “As your leader, I'll do my very best to keep us all safe.”

 

Chihaya's hand appeared in the circle. “I'm tired of all this.” She said. “I don't know what could be out there for me, but it's better than being in here.”

 

“Well said!” Yashiro laughed, placing his hand, which dwarfed most of the others', into the circle. “To see the sky again is my fondest desire! Let us go forth, hand-in-hand, and fight back against the tyranny of Zero!”

 

“Gav ain't gonna say no to some fresh air, dudes.” Gavin put his hand in the circle.

 

Luan leaned in and placed his hand in the circle as well, and then a second, too. At the odd looks he received, he said, “Jun can't give his hand.” He looked down bashfully. “I thought I should help.”

 

“Aw, man, wish I'd thought a' that!” Gavin leaned back and wailed as though he'd been physically struck by his own lameness.

 

“If we've gotten this far, it'd be rather weak of us to collapse right before the finish line.” Kazuya placed his hand into the circle, too. “Stella?” He looked back at her.

 

Stella gazed at the nine hands gathered, and then sighed a little, and said, “Yeah.” She nodded. Her voice was quiet. “Okay.” Nine hands became ten. “Let's do it, guys.” There wasn't much energy behind it, but there was still a certain determination.

 

Shinobu tittered a bit. “Ka ka, but this is rather quaint, is it not, Nanako? Where did you pick up such an idea as this?”

 

“Donno.” Nanako shrugged. “I just... well, I mean, I don't know when I'll get the chance to say this again, so...” She looked around at the other eight people present; the eight who she'd stuck out this nightmare with to this point. “I've...” She shook her head. Tears were beginning to fill her eyes. “I haven't really ever left this facility, that I remember, anyway. All I've ever known were my mom, Kojiro, and the people she'd invite for shows or private instruction.”

 

Memories she'd previously forgotten swam by in her mind as she spoke. “It wasn't like I was unhappy, you know, but... I was lonely. I wanted to know what it was like outside my walls. I wanted to hurry up and grow up so that I could go out and meet other people, find out how the world really was.” She sniffled a bit. “And then... Well, then I woke up in Room Seventeen, and I met you all. I mean, I know it's only been a bit over two and a half weeks since we all first met, but... it wasn't just the amnesia. You guys really were the first people I'd ever met for myself. And...”

 

Her eyes still squinted from the tears, Nanako gave the brightest smile she could. “Well, I guess what I'm saying is, I love you guys. You're all—” She sniffled harder. “Even if we're all a bunch of total weirdos, you're the best extended family a girl could ever ask for.”

 

It was only a few seconds afterwards that Nanako found herself flat on the ground, the same sinking sensation from before overtaking her consciousness. She wouldn't awaken for seven more hours.

 

* * *

 

 

_Jun?_

 

_Juuuuun._

 

_C'mon, wakey-wakey, Jun._

 

Begrudgingly, Jun opened his eyes. It didn't do much to improve visibility. The hallway he was in was almost completely pitch black, and save for the ever-familiar sensation of his wheelchair beneath him, he had no frame of reference for where he could possibly be... actually, no. There was a flashlight in his lap, and there was the soft sound of machinery.

 

He flicked on the flashlight. The hall was dark, very dark. Beneath him, a conveyor belt ran ever-so-slowly onwards, presumably to force him to keep going even if he didn't move his wheelchair on his own. On the wall, there was a message to him, in white paint. 'Reach the end to discover the truth.' Jun scoffed. “Nice wordplay.” He said to nobody.

 

_It'd be a lot funnier if you weren't in this kind of situation._

 

“Shut up.” Jun said. There wasn't any emotion in it. He didn't have much left to give. It was just an automatic response by this point, even to a voice that, he realized, was actually just coming from inside his head.

 

_You never tell Shoulder Gavin to shut up. Geez, rude._

 

Jun was no stranger to aspects of his psyche that he'd sublimated occasionally popping up in his head as little voices such as this to force him to pay attention to them. While he hadn't done it intentionally, his internal monologue occasionally becoming a bickering war between himself and himself did a lot to help him get out some of his aggression.

 

Or had it? He didn't know anymore. There was a lot about himself that Jun didn't understand. Or, was it that he didn't want to understand? He didn't even know that much.

 

_Aww, what's wrong?_

 

“What's wrong?” Jun scoffed. This was a voice he'd only heard come from inside his mind once before, but he could never forget it. It was a girl's voice, high-pitched and conversational. “What do you think is wrong? I mutilate the dead body of one of my friends because I want to kill myself, I don't get to kill myself, and I don't even get to stay there and try and figure out why I don't get to kill myself. I get stuck here instead.”

 

_Why would you want to kill yourself, though?_

 

“Because I'm a liar and a cheat. I'm scum.” Jun said. He was already out of tears, but a low, defeated chuckle did arise from his throat. “Ahh, god. That's right, that's all I've ever been. I make myself want to puke, voice. Isn't that hilarious?”

 

_Is it hilarious?_

 

“A thief you've probably never heard of from back in the relatively early years post-Despair once said, 'Unable to find a rival worthy of my genius, I was forced to create one by myself. Here I am, the tragic clown.'” Jun said. “I spent that whole time trying to turn Nanako into Rin so I could pretend I was still worth something. Sure sounds like a clown to me.”

 

_...You know, you're right, that is kind of funny._

 

“See? Told you.” Jun snorted.

 

On a wall a bit further in, as Jun rolled along, there was a photo framed. It wasn't a photo Jun had ever seen for himself, but it was obvious just looking at it what it was. A pair of green-haired adults flanked a small child, no older than three, proudly tapping away at its first calculator on the floor. Their house, the living room they were in, wasn't particularly fancy or anything, but it seemed very livable even at this improvised angle for a proud shot of parenthood.

 

 _Oh, so is that the idea?_ The voice asked. _Wow, they look really happy. Your parents were so proud of you, Jun!_

 

“Shut up.” Jun said. He continued rolling.

 

_What, you don't wanna stay and look at them for a bit? You don't even really remember your parents' faces anymore. Isn't that just sad?_

 

“It doesn't matter.” Jun said. “They're dead. What can dead people do for me?” He chuckled again. “Can they fix me? Make me worthwhile?”

 

_Can you fix you?_

 

“ _Can_ I fix me?” Jun said.

 

_Do you know what you're trying to fix?_

 

Jun scoffed. “So what, you're saying that maybe this is some kind of overblown psychotherapy session? Please. As if.” He laughed. “Everyone is gone. Nobody would even care if I died. How much further down can I possibly go?” A crooked grin came across his face. “Is that why you're here again? So I can sink even lower than I ever thought possible?”

 

_If I'm here for that, then you're here for that, aren't you?_

 

“I hate you.” Jun said. “Why did I have to wake up with you carrying my mental processes? Leave me alone.”

 

_I can't._

 

“I know.” Jun said. “But it'd be nice.”

 

It was cold. Jun continued to roll along into the darkness, with the same voice that had been in his mind at that fateful point when he learned that he was truly worthless.

 


	55. Day 19, Phase 1 - The Stagnant Man Makes a Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of my readers commissioned a series of pieces of art depicting the main cast of Operation VK! You can find them at:
> 
> https://itsbenedict.tumblr.com/post/172833724694/part-1-part-2-after-months-of-work-i-finally  
> https://itsbenedict.tumblr.com/post/172833725994/part-1-part-2-after-months-of-work-i-finally
> 
> Give them a look, they're pretty darn great.

 

The sleep Gavin went through was not very restful, if the discomfort he felt upon waking up pressed against a cold, metal floor was any indication. The exhaustion he felt wasn't quite physical, though; not the kind of exhaustion he felt in his bones, but the kind of exhaustion he felt in his soul. Gavin Sakaki was very, very tired. He was more tired than he had ever been in his entire life.

 

He made a mumbling noise as he got up off the floor. The room was dark, a vertical, metal cylinder, with just a chair in the middle, gleaming silver. Other than that, he couldn't see anything, especially not an exit.

 

Checking his bracelet, Gavin confirmed the time. It was now 6 A.M., an hour after he'd fallen unconscious. If he remembered correctly, Claus, Shinobu, and Yashiro should have currently been waking up over in the red ward. But why was he awake? What would Zero have him do?

 

A speaker crackled to life, and a light flashed on in front of the chair, revealing a second chair. Sat in that chair, with their bizarre mask, cloak, and scepter, sitting completely still, was Zero. “Gavin,” Zero said. “Please, sit down.”

 

At the flaring of Gavin's nostrils, shout of 'Zero!' and obvious intent to fight, Zero sighed. “Unfortunately, this is just an effigy that I'm broadcasting my voice through. Attacking it would do nothing. You may go right ahead if you feel the need, though.”

 

Gavin shook his head, sighed, and walked over to the chair. “Fine. Whatchu want, Zero?”

 

“To talk,” Zero said. “This is Confessional Hall, no? Ah, if you're not familiar, a 'confessional' is—”

 

“I know what a confessional is.” Gavin spat.

 

“Oh, that makes things easier, then.” Zero said. “What is most valuable to you in life, Gavin?”

 

“Eh?” Gavin blinked, and he put a hand on his chin. That was kind of a heavy question, and it wasn't exactly something he thought about. Gavin liked to think he was rather zen, after all. “Uh, trip, man, my friends?”

 

“That would make sense.” Zero said. “After all, you obtained the title 'Ultimate Buddy' for a reason. And yet, to tell you the truth, Gavin, I worry that perhaps you value your friends a bit too much.”

 

“I ain't gonna—!” Gavin reared up.

 

“I don't mean in the sense that I believe you should sacrifice the people in this complex to escape.” Zero said. “I mean, more generally, that you value the fact of friendship too high. You put the idea of friendship far too far above your own emotional needs, and it stifles you.”

 

Gavin blinked. He'd been expecting far more open malice from Zero, and yet here Zero was, apparently honestly psychoanalyzing him. “You gotta lotta nerve, Zero.” Gavin grumbled.

 

“When you were a child, you were quite lonely, no?” Zero said.

 

The words stunned him for a moment. Gavin didn't honestly like to think about his childhood much. He was very into living in the 'now,' living for the moment, so it hadn't occurred to him to honestly do so much before. After thinking a moment, though, he remembered. “Yeah, kinda.” Gavin said.

 

Gavin would never admit it aloud—to Zero, or anyone else for that matter—but for a good while, he'd been alone. He'd done a bit of reading up on his condition afterward to try and make sense of his childhood, and what he'd learned was this:

 

'Foreign accent syndrome,' in its basest state, was usually caused by traumatic brain injury. It had started when he was in a car crash at five years old. Gavin, who was born and raised in a place with hardly any deviation of accent, woke up with some horrible mangling of the Japanese language coming out of his mouth. The doctors were baffled. It was unlike any other case of the condition in recorded history. It bore some basic similarities with a certain sort of American dialect, but its linguistic rules seemed to shift and morph according to a completely arbitrary and alien ruleset. By now, at least, it was toned down enough that people were able to pass it off as a simple quirk, but beforehand...

 

“Nobody could understand what you wanted to say,” Zero said. “And so you were alone. You tried, and you tried, but to no avail.”

 

Those were dark and lonely days for Gavin. How could he communicate his need for friendship to people speaking a different language? He tried, and he tried, to learn how to tone down his accent, but no matter how many minute improvements he made, it didn't seem to make a difference.

 

“Yeah, but man, then, it was like, pow, lightbulb in my head.” Gavin said, making a little hand gesture to accompany the 'pow.' “Peeps didn't understand me, so I didn't have no friends, but how would other folks who peeps didn't understand feel?”

 

“So you tried to get to know others who were alone.” Zero said. “Tried to become a champion of the downtrodden, someone who anyone could turn to.”

 

“Ma was always like, 'yo Gav, you such a sweet kid, you know that?' so I was like, trip, why not use bein' sweet to make friends, yeah?” Gavin said. His shoulders were slumped. It was downright odd to be baring his heart in front of Zero, of all people, but it didn't seem like he had a choice. “Hey. Be legit with me.” He looked towards the floor. “Yo, I was her friend, yeah? The one in third grade. Rin Hashizawa's.”

 

“You were,” Zero said. “There's no sense in hiding that.”

 

“Was I a good friend?” Gavin said. His voice was lower than he liked to let it get. “Like... Trip, dude, if her life was all that wrongful and stuff, then... I hope I was a good friend for as long I could, man.”

 

After a pause, Zero said, “She remembered you very fondly. You were the reason, you see, that she started being interested in robotics in the first place.”

 

“Yeah?” Gavin asked.

 

“You pointed out to her how skilled she was with putting things together, and suggested that perhaps she try doing something that would let her do that.” Zero said. “The two of you played Pocket Circuit together, you know, and you were very proud of her car. A small machine naturally led to larger machines.”

 

“You know, tha'splains that drone I got on my bookshelf, man.” Gavin chuckled. “Was a gift from her, yeah? I still take it out for a spin erry now-and-again.”

 

“It hurt you very badly when she left,” Zero said. “Surely you have some trace of that emotion remaining, or else you would not have been able to even pinpoint your own lost memory, no?”

 

“Heh, yeah.” Gavin rubbed the back of his head. “Gav remembers that. It's like, this feelin' like I should be doin' _something, anything,_ but I can't, and I just lose 'em—her—and I can't do nothin' about it but cry.”

 

There was silence for a minute. “That was then, though, and this is now.” Zero said. “You're the Ultimate Buddy now. Everyone wants to be your friend. Does that make you happy?”

 

“Well... Yeah.” Gavin smiled. “I mean, other'n you lockin' me in here and all that, gotta pretty great life, if'n I do say so myself. Lotsa friends. Trip, I got into Hope's Peak! Can you believe it?” He laughed a bit. “Guy like me gets into Hope's Peak.”

 

“But it's not all you need.” Zero said. “Your life isn't exactly where it should be.”

 

“How ya figure?” Gavin raised an eyebrow.

 

“You've stagnated,” Zero said. “You've stayed in the same position so long that you've forgotten why you did so in the first place, and it's beginning to take its toll.”

 

“...The hell'zat s'posed to mean?” Gavin said. “I—”

 

“For instance, you disguise your emotions because you feel that it's your duty as the Ultimate Buddy.” Zero said. “You cry in private because you believe that if people saw you crying, even in a situation where everyone is crying, it would violate your role as the Ultimate Buddy. You were embarrassed, downright horrified, to find that you'd become openly angry in front of your friends.”

 

“Huh— Yeah, 'course!” Gavin said, his eyes widening a bit, feeling a bit of defensiveness from himself that he couldn't pin down the origin of. “It's 'cause they countin' on me, man. Everybody countin' on me to be Gavin.”

 

“Would they count on you less if they knew that you felt the same emotions as anyone?” Zero said. “Would it injure their idea of you? Those who've seen you cry don't feel any differently about you.”

 

Gavin sighed sharply. “Whatchu tryin' to say, Zero?”

 

“Ah. You want me to cut to the point.” Zero said. “Very well. Gavin, I believe you are afraid of change.”

 

Pause. “Eh?” Gavin said.

 

“Human relationships,” Zero said, “naturally wax, and wane, like the moon in the sky. You, though, seem to have forgotten that; or perhaps you're trying to deny it as strongly as you can. You cling to 'friendship,' seemingly ignoring the fact that, by nature of the fact that you are human, nothing is permanent.”

 

“The hell you—?” Gavin began to rear up again.

 

“Your first impression is everything.” Zero said. “Whether you've realized it or not, everything about your persona is designed to ensure people's impressions of you _do not change._ That you remain the same Ultimate Buddy as you ever were; because you're afraid of the idea of the dynamic between you and any of your many friends changing. You do not want to change yourself or others; instead, you encourage others down their own paths so that they may change themselves. It makes you a very good friend; openly altruistic, someone for whom friendship itself is the end goal.”

 

“...So?” Gavin scoffed. “So what?”

 

“That mindset, though, leaves you behind as people change.” Zero said. “Think, for a moment, about your friends. Consider Chihaya, who was stifled by the image of her own sister for so long that she hid out of sight to help herself not appear. You would encourage her to become her own person, no? To develop past her sister?”

 

Gavin chomped down and started grinding his teeth. Zero continued. “Or Jun, who was so shackled to his persona as the Ultimate Net Admin that he very nearly lost his life over it. Stella presented a public face to the crowds, but inwardly was full of agony. Why are these things that they may develop past, but it remains healthy for you to hide behind your character?”

 

“What the fuck right you got to tell me how to live my life?!” Gavin slammed his hands down on his legs and stood up. “What right you got?! What— I—” He stammered wildly.

 

“People don't always remain friends in the same way the entire time they know each other.” Zero said. The effigy was stoic, of course, and Zero's voice was still calm. “Trying to force a relationship to remain the exact same way is hurting you. Eventually, it will lead you to ruin.”

 

“But—?!” Gavin sniffled. When had he started crying? “But what if I cry, man, and it makes someone think I ain't good enough no more?”

 

“Gavin.” Zero said. “Someone very important to me said something once that I think you might want to hear.” They cleared their throat. “'Friendship is a two-way street.'”

 

“...What?” Gavin was still crying a bit. “Huh?”

 

“Somewhere, you forgot yourself,” Zero said. “You forgot that your friends have as much of an effect on you as you do them. You claim everyone is special to you, but must everyone remain special in the same way? Holding some in higher esteem than others is a natural human feeling. Your open compassion to so many is a wonderful trait, but if you suppress your own preferences for the sake of putting it forward, you only hurt yourself.”

 

“...So-?” Gavin began.

 

“The fear you have that they will think you aren't good enough is an irrational fear rooted in the fear you have of losing relationships. Your mind has correlated the natural flow of human interaction with a painful and horrifying thing, so you try your hardest to ignore your own desires to move past your first impressions. But aren't you human too?” Zero said. “If relationships don't change, they cannot worsen, no, but they also cannot improve.”

 

Gavin sniffled. “And—?”

 

“And if it is a change in you, then it must start with you, as well.” Zero said. “Think about it. Think about yourself. Are you truly satisfied with the way _all_ of your relationships function? Is there nobody for whom friendship chafes?”

 

“I love everybody, though!” Gavin said. “There...ain't nobody I wanna drop or nothin'. No chafin' there.”

 

“Negative isn't the only direction.” Zero said. “Put your own needs first for once, Gavin. You can't remain on the sidelines forever.”

 

The words had a clear implication, but... “I—” Gavin sighed. “This a lot to take in at once, dude. I—” He sighed again. His shoulders slumped. Gavin was tired.

 

“You may leave whenever you wish.” Zero said. “I have said all that I wish to, so please think on what I've said. I wish you good luck in your future endeavors.”

 

“Geez, dude.” Gavin shook his head. “If you wanted to chat, you coulda just asked, 'stead of kidnappin' me.” A door opened in the dark wall. Zero's effigy ceased communication. “'Friendship a two-way street,' huh, dude?” He clicked his tongue. “It ain't...ain't that easy, man. It ain't.”

 

Gavin sat in silence for some time, pondering the life advice he'd just received from the masked individual who had kidnapped him. He thought, and he thought, and he thought. Then Gavin realized that he was no good at thinking on his own, and never had been, so he stood to leave.

 

* * *

 

 

6:20 A.M. Claus's bracelet read out just as Zero had promised. Of course, the fact that all of this information was coming from Zero meant it was possible that it wasn't that time at all, but if he spent all of his time doubting those sorts of premises, Claus wouldn't be able to get any work done.

 

The loud sound of Yashiro attacking the chalkboard in Class 5-A, which depicted the sad tale of Hansuke's life, had been ringing in Claus's ears for some time, but with one last grunt, the Ultimate Strongman decided that there really was no trick to the chalkboard, and that this room had nothing to add. “My apologies, Claus.” Yashiro bowed. “It seems our search was in vain.”

 

“We aren't lacking for time, I wouldn't think.” Claus shrugged. “It would seem this isn't the room Zero meant, though.” He turned towards the door, meaning to meet up with Shinobu, who had insisted on inspecting the room the three of them had woken up in.

 

The C Ward of Maxwell Hall, as it was known, had uniformly red trimmings on its steel walls; it was not the most attractive of places, and had not been adorned much by Claus's estimate. The lighting was consistent, though, which Claus appreciated. The real frustrating thing about Maxwell Hall as compared to the rest of the facility, though, was that the rooms were not outwardly marked; one needed to enter in order to learn the name of a room, and several of the rooms in their vicinity were locked.

 

Class 5-A was across from the room that Claus, Yashiro, and Shinobu had awoken within; Compound VK's 'Legal Desk,' presumably for if Ms. Hashizawa were ever sued for this incredibly bizarre endeavor of hers. The inner wall was to Claus's left, bordering the central circle, and to the right were other doors; one down the hall leading to a room next to Class 5-A, which was locked, a door across from that, which was also locked, and another door on a closer wall, which was, shockingly, also locked. There was another hallway leading off that the three had yet to investigate.

 

Knocking on the door, Claus called out. “Shinobu?” He said. “We've finished investigating. Are you alright in there?” He opened the door to the Legal Desk to find a comically large pile of paperwork on the floor, and Shinobu reading through it at an incredible speed.

 

“Her legal prowess is astoundingly sharp!” Shinobu said, scanning through an entire paper in seemingly the time it took her to speak just one sentence. “The tropical island where Nanako and Yashiro met, you know, is a way of avoiding an obscure Japanese ruling that mobile, underwater facilities above a certain size and carrying dangerous materials must be clearly visible from above, or it's grounds to declare the facility an act of war.”

 

“Did she need to build an entire island, though?” Claus said, adjusting his necktie a bit. “That seems a bit...extraneous.”

 

“Oh, of course, not a lick of actual _sense_ there.” Shinobu rolled her eyes. “If there's one thing I've learned, Claus, my boy, it's that the rich oft times have more dollars than sense.”

 

“It was a very nice tropical island, though!” Yashiro laughed. “Her aesthetic taste is spot-on, isn't it, Shinobu?” He smirked.

 

“Why yes, yes it—” Shinobu stopped, and began turning red. “Y-Y-Yashiro!” She stood up off the ground and began sputtering. “My god, man, do you mean to slay me?!” Claus didn't get the joke.

 

It wasn't a particularly large room, but it was stacked end to end with filing cabinets full of legal cases, law books, rulings, and such. The 'desk' in the room's name sat at the far end, with a short list of attorneys that Ms. Hashizawa found noteworthy, up to and including, naturally, Ultimate Attorney Ittosai, who alternatively went by Reiji and Reiko. Claus had only briefly met the Attorney and had no idea which was their 'default' name, if either of them were, and so when discussing them in conversation, he always had difficulty figuring out how to refer to them if he didn't know how they were currently identifying.

 

The fact that Ittosai was currently a practicing _prosecutor_ seemed to have escaped Ms. Hashizawa's purview. “Anything else?” Claus asked.

 

“Unfortunately little,” Shinobu huffed. With an off-hand gesture towards the papers, she said, “Legally, it seems that the facility only has the one resident. Presumably, anyone else present was an unreported machine of some variety.”

 

“That's a great deal of construction to go essentially unreported.” Claus rubbed his chin. “Any word on how exactly she managed to construct the facility?”

 

“A great deal of private contractors, paid for partially with inheritance from her late mother and partially by a good deal of earnings Ms. Hashizawa obtained herself with her technological work as, herself, a contractor for the construction and repair of Replicants in society.” Shinobu said. “As I said, her legal prowess is actually rather remarkable. The existence, construction, and maintenance of this facility in secret is, in fact, legal, though just barely.”

 

“I find it rather strange that the facility would be completely secret by this point, though.” Yashiro chimed in. “If Rin Hashizawa went to the Marufuji College Tech Expo with the intent of unveiling her VK-compliant Replicant, certainly in the process of attempting to debunk whatever Jun did to sabotage her attempt something about it would come out, no?”

 

“And it seems as though she never told anyone else, either.” Claus said. Over by the desk, he picked up a picture frame. It depicted two women. One was Rin Hashizawa, no doubt, and the other, based on her hair, was presumably Kei Sagami. The photo depicted the two of them sitting on a beach in the afternoon, holding hands, looking towards the sun behind the camera. “Hm. You know, she actually looks about exactly how I imagined her.”

 

“Who does?” Shinobu asked, turning away from Yashiro. Yashiro also tilted his head to the side.

 

“Kei Sagami,” Claus said. “She looks about how I imagined her. Perhaps not my type, a bit... No, rather small for that, but a...” He waved his hands about. “Mm... What's the word I'm looking for...”

 

“Would you like a piece of advice from one of my fellows in the ring?” Yashiro said. “A phrase which, I believe, would accurately express what you're trying to say?”

 

“Please,” Claus said, blushing a bit.

 

“I believe the phrase you're looking for is, 'I'd hit that.'” Yashiro laughed. Claus sputtered, feeling like the air had just been knocked out of him, as Shinobu cackled.

 

“Yashiro,” Claus wheezed, “Please never say that again.” He slumped over on the desk. “In your life. I'm begging you.”

 

“Are you certain?” Yashiro chuckled heartily, reaching over and patting Claus on the back. “It seemed the right thing to say at that juncture!”

 

“I'm dying, Yashiro.” Claus hacked and coughed. “I'm dying. You're going to kill me.”

 

“Hm, I can certainly understand it,” Shinobu said, picking up the picture frame. “Not exactly Claus's type, no, but yes.” She nodded. “Though naturally, home field advantage means I must throw my lot in with Rin.”

 

Yashiro gaped a bit. “Shinobu, are you quite alright?!”

 

“What?” Shinobu raised an eyebrow.

 

“'Home field advantage?'” Yashiro repeated. “Why, that's the sort of thing I'd expect from R-” He stopped himself. “Nanako, Nanako. That's the sort of thing I'd expect to hear from Nanako!”

 

Shinobu blushed and looked away. “W-well, look, I...” She huffed. “I can say things like that if I darn well please, Yashiro! When you've... well, when you've sucked a woman's blood, you garner the right to say things like that.”

 

“So bold!” Yashiro cried, swooning in jest. “Why, I might faint from the sheer audacity on display here!”

 

“Look, it's not as though...” Shinobu sputtered. “It's...it's easier when she's not here, alright?”

 

“Shinobu.” Yashiro snickered a bit and leaned in. “I dare you to call her 'babe' when you see her next.”

 

“W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-whaaaaaaaat?!” Shinobu shrieked, hopping onto one foot. “Y-y-y-y-y-you must be joking, I- I could nev- I could _never_ , ah, buh, gah!?”

 

Yashiro laughed. “Ah, the wonders of love, friend! Certainly you know that such intimate forms of address are only a natural extension of the human desire to express affection. I'm sure Nanako would be delighted if you were to do such a thing.”

 

“Alright, Yashiro. It's time to spill the beans.” Claus stood up, having regained his composure at Shinobu's expense. “What's _your_ type?”

 

Shrugging, Yashiro chuckled. “Oh, I haven't the foggiest.”

 

“What?!” Claus gaped, his brow furrowing in defeat. “How are we supposed to get you back for this assault of yours if we can't return the favor?!” Yashiro just laughed again. “It's quite alright, Shinobu.” Claus leaned over to comfort the wailing Novelist. “Just because _certain people_ here don't know what it's like to deal with the unfortunate intersection between sexuality and social decorum doesn't mean you need to kowtow to their level.”

 

“Q-quite right,” Shinobu said, standing up—which put her at just about Claus's head level as he was hunched over. “Quite right.”

 

“Oh, I say, you two are just a delight, do you know that?” Yashiro laughed and clapped them both on the back. It actually hurt a little.

 

“We should be off,” Claus said, once both he and Shinobu had completely regained their composure from Yashiro's savage onslaught. “There's more of the Ward to investigate.” Instinctively, he placed the small picture frame in his pocket as he began to walk off.

 

Shinobu made a quizzical little noise. “Something about the picture, Claus?”

 

“Huh? No, no, not really, I just...” Claus rubbed his chin. “Mmm... I have a feeling it might do me well to have it later.”

 

“Your feelings are oftentimes rather reliable, friend.” Yashiro nodded.

 

C Team left the Legal Desk and turned off toward the hallway heading further into C Ward. A long room to the right possessed a door which, shock of all shocks, was locked. How wonderful, Claus thought. How delightful a locked door was. Past there, there was a complete wall with but a single door upon it, which was locked, because Zero hated joy. To the right, though, was quite a sight; a viewing window to the outside!

 

Rushing up to the window and basking in the underwater light, Claus looked upwards. “It doesn't seem we're too far from the surface!” He said. The sun was visible from above, high in the sky with its morning light, breaking through the water to shine down upon the shelves of the ocean. Small lives fluttered about and danced about in and around the rocks, oblivious to the atrocities occurring within the great structure hanging about them. In fact, Claus could see several creatures on the walls of Compound VK just below.

 

“We could try swimming,” Yashiro suggested. He clenched a fist. “Watch! I'm certain I could break this window!”

 

“I would rather you didn't,” Shinobu said. “After all, we don't have the guarantee that all of us know how to swim.”

 

“A good point,” Yashiro nodded. Claus was a bit more worried about water pressure, but it didn't really matter. Behind them, the hallway bent around to their left, and eventually, came to an end with two doors. One of those two doors was actually marked; it led back to the Central Hub.

 

“Unless there's something we haven't noticed, I believe that was everything.” Claus said. Giving the Central Hub door a look, it was unlocked, so they could return to the center if they wanted. “We could go see if Gavin's around.”

 

“Ah, Claus!” Shinobu called from behind him. “Why, this door appears to be open!” He turned around and, indeed, the other door at this juncture actually led somewhere.

 

“Finally!” Claus said.

C Team's apparent destination was a reasonably sized, warm and auburn room centered around a mid-sized dining table. Only three chairs were pulled up to the table, but there were a few more sat on top of it, perhaps for if there were ever any guests. A couple of cabinets full of reasonably high-quality china and whatnot sat about the room, and there was a lovely rug beneath the table, but the most striking thing was the metal safe sat atop the dining table.

 

Of course, it wouldn't be a Zero room without a locked door, and so once Yashiro entered the room, the door slammed shut and locked behind him. “Egads!” He cried.

 

“Frankly, I'm just surprised it didn't happen sooner,” Shinobu said.

 

The safe made a little chime, and a three by three entry pad flashed a few times. “My instinct is telling me that we need to open the safe in order to escape,” Claus said. He reached over and tapped one of the nine boxes, which cycled through blank, a star symbol, a moon symbol, and a sun symbol. “Let's get to work, everyone.”

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

“My first thought is to inspect the chairs.” Claus said. “Let's get to it, everyone.”

 

There were a total of seven chairs around the table. Three were currently sat at the table, and four more were placed atop it, upside-down. They were of roughly the same make, but were of different heights, and each seemed to have a distinguishing characteristic of some sort. On the left, at the head of the table, was a mid-height chair that seemed a bit worn, as though it could collapse at any moment.

 

“Aha, I do believe I've come upon something.” Shinobu, who inspected the seat to the head seat's immediate left, sat upon the table. This one was tall, violently chipped in several places, and as Shinobu had knocked upon it, it had made a hollow sound. From its bottom, though, Shinobu produced what looked like part of a length of electrical cord, with a plug on one end and a socket on another. The socket took two prongs, and the plug possessed three.

 

“An extension cord, hm?” Claus murmured. He made to look at the third chair. Touching it seemed a bit dicey; it was rather pointy aside from its seat, and looked very dangerous to the touch. “Yashiro, do you- Yashiro?” He looked around. Yashiro wasn't at the table.

 

“Over here, friend.” Yashiro said. He was at the wall, looking at something near the ceiling that Claus hadn't noticed... or rather, a _series_ of somethings. Lining the top of the walls was a series of light fixtures, which seemed to be connected largely by wires behind the walls. “If my understanding is correct, these are all meant to be connected,” Yashiro said. “Look here.” He gestured down by the now-locked door, in a corner of the room. There was an open, single-prong plug, and the nearest light fixture, up above, had a socket for two prongs.

 

“I see, I see.” Claus said. The light fixture at the next corner, at the far left of the table, possessed a two-prong plug, and the next in the series possessed a three-prong socket. Three-prong, four-prong, at the next, four-prong, five-prong, and then finishing the series, by the door on the other end, was a five-prong plug and single-prong socket. “Shinobu, hand Yashiro your cord, would you?”

 

“Naturally,” and so Shinobu did. The cord she found fit perfectly in the two-to-three juncture. “Perfect, perfect! That's certainly progress if I've ever seen progress.” She returned to the chairs. The fourth chair seemed to be the odd one out; its distinguishing characteristic was that it possessed no distinguishing characteristic at all.

 

“Four more, then?” Claus mumbled aloud to himself. This fifth chair was horribly frail. It had been taped, sewn, and screwed together several times in a haphazard attempt to keep it from shattering completely. As he moved it a bit, though, he heard a slight knocking sound inside one of the legs. He frowned a bit. “Er...” He gritted his teeth. “Oh, dear. Do you think Ms. Hashizawa would mind me destroying her furniture slightly?”

 

“I don't think we have the luxury of caring what she would mind.” Shinobu replied.

 

“Fair point,” Claus said, and detached the leg somewhat, making sure some of the tape still kept it at least slightly connected. Out of the inside of the chair's leg came sliding the five-to-one cord. “Bingo.” He said, handing it to Yashiro, who dutifully connected the cord.

 

“Three more!” Yashiro said, pumping his fist. Shinobu, meanwhile, inspected the sixth chair. This one was unfortunately flashy, with annoying amounts of glitter and decals plastered on it. Other than being something of an eyesore, though, it seemed to lack value.

 

Finally, Claus inspected the seventh and final chair. It was the smallest chair of the seven, made of metal, and had a small insignia of a wheel on each of the legs. “Curious,” he said. No cords here. He lay down on the ground to inspect under the table, and found nothing, unsurprisingly. However, it was then that he noticed a small bump underneath the rug. “Give me a moment, you two, I believe I've found something.”

 

Lifting up the rug and looking beneath, Claus found a small screen with a puzzle displayed upon it. The screen displayed six coins of equal size, roughly in the pattern of a sword; a cross shape, with one coin more at the top. Beneath was the directive, 'Equalize 1.'

 

“Enjoying yourself under the rug, Claus?” Shinobu walked up beside him.

 

“Oh, definitely.” Claus said. “I've found another of Zero's brain teasers. Let's see. 'Equalize 1,' hm?” He moved one of the coins with the touch screen to a random position on the screen, and it buzzed at him, the counter moved down to 'Equalize 0,' and the puzzle reset back to 1 and its original position. “Ah, I see. I have to 'Equalize' by moving only one coin.”

 

“Would you like any help?” Yashiro said.

 

“No, I assure you I've got this.” Claus said. He studied the coins. What exactly did 'Equalize' mean? The best guess Claus had was that he needed to make the horizontal and vertical equal, but this was naturally impossible with the layout given. No matter what position he placed the sixth coin in, it was inherently imbalancing. He pondered this quietly for a few moments, the rug above his head messing his hair a bit.

 

“We could assist you if we knew what the puzzle was, Claus.” Shinobu said. “Truly, you needn't-”

 

“I've _got_ this.” Claus repeated, more forcefully this time. “I'm sure I'll figure it out given just a moment... Oh!” He clapped his hands beneath the rug. “I understand now.” Claus moved the sixth coin directly atop the center coin, stacking it on top. The screen dinged, shut off, and the floor panel opened up to reveal the one-two cord. “Aha! Jackpot!” He came out from under the rug, proudly brandishing his prize.

 

“Good job, Claus.” Shinobu clapped lightly. “You have succeeded in your rug adventures.” She tittered.

 

“Three-four and four-five remain, yes?” Yashiro said. “Let us begin inspecting the cabinets, I should think.”

 

There were three such cabinets, and while behind the china, Claus found nothing, inside one of the drawers beneath, he found a note. Leaning in, he studied it. “'Preparing for the deathday party,'” he read aloud. “'The head is the head. The dead go in pairs across. The living get the furthest seats.' ...What?” He blinked a few times at it.

 

“How whimsically macabre,” Yashiro said. “I've found the three-four cord, friends.” He proudly lifted it up from behind a particularly nice plate.”

 

“I, on the other hand, seem to have run into a bit of difficulty,” Shinobu confessed. The three congregated around her cabinet to find a curious sight; the four by four window on the cabinet, as it turned out, was not a window, but another puzzle screen, and the cabinet itself was locked. Rather than showing the inside of the cabinet, the window appeared to show the inside of a glassware warehouse, and in the bottom left was a bull insignia, along with a great big circle.

 

“Why, it's Braxton the Insatia-bull!” Yashiro cried.

 

Claus took a moment to process what he'd just heard. “The... Excuse me?”

 

“Braxton the Insatia-bull,” Yashiro repeated.

 

“Is this a character from something?” Claus said.

 

“No, friend, it's just Braxton the Insatia-bull.” Yashiro said. “His thirst for destruction of glassware knows no bounds, and it is up to us to minimize the damages.”

 

“Is that right,” Shinobu said, nodding a little. She looked at Claus, and Claus looked back at her. They both shrugged.

 

Anyhow, the puzzle featuring... Braxton the Insatia-bull, as Yashiro had christened him, involved tracing a path along the borders of a four-by-four grid. At the bottom-left was Braxton, and at the upper-right, his goal. Braxton began at the bottom-left corner of the borders of square a1, using chess algebraic notation denoting rows as numbers bottom-up and letters left-right, and needed to reach an ending bulb at the top-right of d4. From a bit of experimentation Claus did, it seemed that he could turn at any juncture, but could not move past his own line.

 

Symbols were also present on the grid. Some were on the lines; four small red dots. One was on the bottom of c1. A second was on the top-right corner of d1; or, if you were a glass-half-empty kind of person, the bottom-right corner of d2. On the bottom-left-corner-of-a3-and/or-top-left-corner-of-a2 was a third. On the right-of-a4-or-left-of-b4, a fourth.

 

Eight other symbols, meanwhile, were on the squares themselves. On d1 was a plain, yellow box, on c3 was a magenta box, on c1 and a2 were two blue, spikier symbols, and on a4, b3, c4, and d4 were four yellow, spikier symbols. “Hm.” Claus said. “I don't suppose anyone found a note to guide us here?”

 

“Not a one.” Shinobu shook her head. “Perhaps we need figure out the rules on our own.” Claus thought to himself that he'd really like to have Hansuke's notepad right about now.

 

“Alright, then.” Claus's first thought was going directly to the goal; up four, right four. When he reached the end, it buzzed at him, and the three red dots he hadn't passed in the process, the yellow and magenta boxes, and the four spiky yellow symbols flashed red. The blue spiky symbols, however, did not. “Interesting.”

 

“My guess would be that you need to pass each of the red spots,” Yashiro offered. “After all, bulls are oftentimes attracted by red muletas in the ring! How could Braxton resist their allure?” With that in mind, Claus tried a route that would pass all four. Up four, right one, down four, right three, up four, goal. This route caused every single symbol to flash red, including the blue spiky symbols.

 

“Hold on a moment,” Shinobu said. “The blue suns did not flash when the line did not separate them, but did when the line did separate them. Is it possible that has some relevance?” With that in mind, Claus put forth a new route to test this possible property of the 'suns.' Right three, up two, left three, up two, right four, goal. This left the two blue suns, two of the yellow suns, and two yellow suns and the two boxes together. The cordoned-off suns seemed satisfied, but the other four were not.

 

“Try separating the two-colored boxes?” Yashiro said. Up two, right four, up two, goal. With a line separating them, the two colored boxes seemed satisfied. Claus then tried something; up two, right three, up two, right one, goal. One yellow sun and the yellow box were in the same 'section,' and both seemed satisfied.

 

“So, it seems to me that the rules are thus,” Claus said. “Different-colored _boxes_ can't be in the same section as each other. _Suns_ can be in the same section as a different color, but if there is at least one sun of a color in a section, there needs to be exactly two of that color represented, so every color with a sun in a section must be in pairs. I can't cross my own line, and I need to pass all the red dots in order to succeed.” He scratched his chin in thought. How to accomplish all of these in a single route?

 

“Perhaps-?” Shinobu offered.

 

“Eureka!” Claus cried. With his finger, he swiped right three, up one, right one, up one, left four, up two, right one, down one, right three, up one, goal. The line turned bright white, the screens disappeared with a roaring bull sound, and the cabinet doors opened automatically. “Thank you for your help, you two. I think that would've taken a lot longer by myself.”

 

“Ontological puzzles such as these where figuring out the rules of the puzzle is itself part of the puzzle are quite fun, but I confess I must wonder what exactly Zero is thinking.” Shinobu said. Within the doors was the final cord, the four-five cord.

 

“My time to shine!” Yashiro called, and ran to plug the cord in. The instant he did, for a brief moment, the room turned completely black, causing all three of the group to yelp. They quickly turned back on, but at a different, dimmer light, the room glowing with a pale, ghastly light, as six vague, holographic specters appeared at the table. Each of them were in a sitting position, even those who did not have chairs directly under them. There were also suddenly three chairs at the far end of the table from the head. Where in the world had those come from?

 

“We should...probably seat these...ghosts.” Claus said, sweating a bit and staring at the specters, bewildered. “What in the world is Zero doing?”

 

“That's the question on all of our minds, is it not?” Shinobu said. Yashiro was kind enough to take hold of the pointy chair, so each of the specters were quickly seated, but nothing seemed to happen. “Hm.”

 

“I found a note before that puzzle earlier,” Claus said. He pulled it out again. “'The head is the head. The dead go in pairs. The living get the furthest seats.' Perhaps we need to sit down.”

 

Thankfully, one of the chairs was big enough to accommodate Yashiro, so Claus, Shinobu, and Yashiro all sat at the furthest seats, as they were all very much alive. However, once Claus's rear was planted firmly in his chair, a buzzing noise came from the head's chair that, by now, clearly signaled that they had gotten the puzzle wrong.

 

“The only manipulable aspect of this 'deathday party' is the seats, no?” Yashiro said. The three stood up, and looked at their seats. Yashiro's was large, and had lion decals on the arms. Shinobu's possessed a butterfly decal on the back. Claus's had a star decal on the legs, the symbolism of which was lost on him.

 

“If these seats represent us, is it possible these other seats represent other people?” Shinobu said. Claus took a look again, at the frail chair, the hollow chair, the dangerous chair, the ordinary chair, the broken chair, the glamorous chair, and the metal chair. 'The dead go in pairs across. The living get the furthest seats.'

 

Looking over, Claus bent over to see the wheel insignia on the metal chair again, and snapped his fingers. “This chair must represent Jun,” he said. “It's the smallest, it's made of metal, and it has wheel symbols on the legs.”

 

“If that's the case, though, then there must be but one more living person among the other five.” Shinobu tapped her chin. “'The dead go in pairs,' after all. If there are fewer than four, it would be 'a pair.'”

 

“Four dead who 'go in pairs.'” Claus mumbled. “And one more living, to go with Jun.”

 

The three of them stood around, hemming and hawwing over this for a moment. It stood to reason that the 'head,' no doubt, was Rin Hashizawa. Who, then, were the five people aside from Jun who were present?

 

“I would not be surprised to find her parents here,” Yashiro said. In response, Shinobu made a little gasp, and walked over to the table. “Shinobu?”

 

Shinobu knocked on the hollow chair, and then nodded to herself. “This hollow chair represents her father. He was a victim of the Vampire Killer, after all, brutally killed and drained of his blood.” Seemingly afire with mystery-solving glee, Shinobu then walked over to the glamorous chair. “This chair, though, I imagine represents one Valkana Kago.”

 

“The man who ran the Little Ultimates Initiative?” Claus asked. “Why?”

 

“Ah, yes, that's right. Neither of the two of you stayed up to watch Wanda's execution to its end, did you?” Shinobu said. She shuddered a bit at the memory before continuing. “This chair bears a great deal of resemblance to the décor in the room she came to last, which, according to her, was a replica of, excuse me while I retch, 'Uncle Valky's love nest.'”

 

“Vile.” Yashiro said.

 

“Yes, quite.” Claus agreed.

 

“Indubitably.” Shinobu added.

 

“If the dead go in pairs, is it not likely that this chair which draws blood could represent that fiend known as the Vampire Killer?” Yashiro tilted his head to one side. “Mr. Hashizawa's killer could easily go in a pair with the man himself.” Then he looked at the table. “Were that the case, it would seem we need not move either of those chairs any further.”

 

Claus looked down and sighed. With a heavy heart, he said, “I believe that the broken chair could refer to Mrs. Hashizawa. After all, she...” He began adjusting his necktie. “Mm.”

 

“It is by no means an easy thought, no.” Yashiro shook his head. “Then, who might this plain chair be referring to?”

 

“Perhaps it's Kei Sagami?” Shinobu muttered. She then hummed. “But it doesn't seem as though she would fit in a pair with anyone else present...”

 

Tapping his foot, Claus paced a bit. He pondered, and he pondered, and he pondered, and then it hit him, like a bolt of lightning. “Haruhi Harada!” He pounded his fist into his hand. “Daisuke's older sister, who hated celebrities!”

 

“Oh, eureka! That must be it!” Shinobu tittered. “And she is most certainly alive, no? Unless she were to have perished in the span of the last week, we have proof she is alive.” Together, Shinobu and Claus switched Haruhi to be across from Jun, which placed Valkana in front of Rin's mother. Shinobu blinked. “...Though this does imply that Valkana is... dead, no?”

 

“That would seem to be the case.” Claus said. “He 'went missing,' according to Kazuya, but I suppose he must've died.” He shrugged and glanced across the table. Rin at the head. Rin's father and the Vampire Killer. Rin's mother and Valkana Kago. Haruhi Harada and Jun Fukuyama. C Team at the furthest end. He sat back down. “Let's check our answer.” The three sat down, and-

 

Buzz. “Damn it.” Claus clicked his tongue. “What did we get wrong?”

 

“I don't believe our assessment of the people or the pairs is wrong, though. Yashiro, do you have any thoughts?” Shinobu turned to Yashiro.

 

Yashiro stood up, looked down at his hand, and sighed. “Unfortunately.” He walked over and grabbed the broken chair, placing it at the head, and switching the frail chair to the dead seat. The implication hit Claus pretty quickly, and he winced. “Indeed.” Yashiro said.

 

“So you believe that that wreck of a chair is how Zero sees Rin Hashizawa, hm?” Shinobu said. “Not as frail, but as shattered, hardly able to pretend to even be at all together any longer?”

 

“Knowing the history of this killing game and its motives?” Yashiro nodded. “I think it's very possible.” He sat back down. A seventh specter appeared at the head of the table, in the broken chair, and a plate was lowered in front of C Team. It had a three-by-three grid on it; moon in a2, sun in c1, sun in c3.

 

The three friends stared down at the plate quietly. Claus wasn't certain what to say, and neither were the other two, apparently. “I'm just going to open the safe,” Claus said. He stood up, and entered the code. With a whir, the safe opened itself. Within, there were a few things to be found.

 

The first was a keycard to the door to the Dining Room. Claus smiled. “We've found our way out,” he told the other two. The second was a manila folder. He picked it up and looked at the front, which was marked, 'Cast List #1.' “Cast?” he murmured to himself. Flipping it open, his eyes widened.

 

“What is it, Claus?” Shinobu stood up on her toes to get a peek over her shoulder, and similarly gasped at the photo of one Aoto Maebara present on the first sheet.

 

Present in the folder was a dossier on one Aoto Maebara, also noted as 'Boy A,' detailing his family situation, talent, schooling history, and otherwise. Under 'Game Status,' he was listed as a 'Participant.' Under 'Relevance' was a record of his lost memory. “Curious.” Claus rubbed his chin. He flipped the page, and the next page was a 'Monokuma Theater Transcript,' which was, by the looks of it, a rather annoyingly-written expose on his past with Rin and Girl B. “It seems that it's a list of some of the people relevant to this killing game.”

 

Flipping the page, Claus was next greeted with a woman he'd never seen before in his life. She had a regal air about her, especially with that cape, and had a very interesting hairstyle. 'Ruri Bessho,' it said. Girl B. Talent... “Ultimate Data Analyst?” he said, raising his eyebrow. “So Girl B was an Ultimate, too.” Under 'Game Status...'

 

...Under 'Game Status,' the word 'Participant' was hastily marked out, and the word FUCK was scribbled on it next to it. “Well,” Claus said, nodding a bit. “What do you two make of this?”

 

“It seems as though she was intended to be a participant in the game.” Yashiro said. “And that those plans fell through for some reason.” This interpretation was supported when Claus turned the page to her Transcript, which was largely scribbled over in the same way, same for a written passage at the bottom.

 

_Once, Girl FUCKING B screwed everything up by giving up her position in the class to some meathead construction worker I've never even heard of! Doesn't she know how important this is!? Doesn't she?! Doesn't she?! Why doesn't she?! I'll kill her! I'll kill her!! I'll kill her!!! I'll kill her!!!! She'll pay for this, yeah, she'll pay for this AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA pay for this pay for this pay for this! I'm right! I'm right! I'm right, right?! I'm right so she'll pay because I'm right so I'll kill her because she'll pay becau_

 

A shiver went down Claus's spine. “Er,” he murmured, frowning, and putting down the folder. “Does anyone else feel like we've just...seen something we shouldn't?” He backed away slightly without waiting for their response, beginning to feel a sort of horrible, creeping malice from the folder. There was a lump in his throat.

 

“Er,” Shinobu said, shivering herself. “I...yes, er. Well.” The writing wasn't orderly in the slightest. It went past the margins of the page, frantically scribbled with the sort of intensity Claus couldn't possibly muster. It seemed to continue on down past the bottom of the page as well, too.

 

“We cannot advance if we find ourselves in fear of this folder's contents, friends.” Yashiro pumped his fist. “I'll...turn the page.” He was sweating a bit, too. Apparently, even the Ultimate Strongman wasn't completely guarded against the feeling this folder gave off. With the deathday party lighting, it became even more frightening, somehow.

 

Yashiro flipped the page away from the frantic scribblings to find a completely normal page on Chihaya, 'Girl C.' It listed her two Talents side-by-side, and discussed her relevance to the story of Kei Sagami. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.” The Strongman chuckled. He turned to the Transcript, and quickly scanned it. “This is...particularly confusingly written.” He tilted his head to one side.

 

Claus stepped forward and scanned a single passage. _Girl C hated everything, but Girl I wasn't allowed to hate it because Girl I didn't have anything to hate, so Girl C didn't have anything to hate. When people talked to Girl I, Girl C couldn't say anything. Isn't that just so sad? The saddest thing you've ever heard?_ “Ah, I see.” Claus nodded. “I would wager that Girl I is her deceased twin sister, Chizuru.”

 

“Ah, yes, that would make sense.” Yashiro said. He flipped the page to the next report, and his breath caught slightly. “Oh, lord.”

 

It was a profile on Daisuke, naturally. Boy D. It was not, however, clean; several of the margins, fields, most of the white space on the entire sheet, was full to bursting of frantic markings of the word 'idiot.' Most of his profile was actually quite difficult to read because of how choked the paper was with calling him stupid. The paper was nearly broken through in several places because of how hard the writing had borne down on it.

 

“There's no way out but through, gentlemen, so let's...” Shinobu gulped. “Let's continue.” It was a bit silly, these three people all sitting in genuine terror of a manila folder and some sheets of paper, but, well, Claus had seen sillier by now. Shinobu turned the page to Daisuke's Transcript, which...seemed to be a mostly-benign ramble about the chupacabra. “Ah. That's...who wrote this?” She blinked. “This is decent wordplay, I'd suppose.”

 

“I would imagine it would have to be the mastermind.” Claus said. They were nearing the end of the stack, with only two sheets left after this, so Claus turned the page.

 

It was a page for Girl E. Eriko Shigure. And it was cut in half. The left half of the page, which was stuck together with tape, was completely unmarked, other than the tiniest little smiley face drawn in the bottom-left corner of the margins. The right half, though, was frantically scribbled out with massive, intense, pitch-black strokes, a horrible cloud of anger and loathing emanating from the page and constricting Claus's throat. As quickly as he could, he passed the page, only to find on her Monokuma Theater Transcript that that small smiley face had been blown to massive proportions, seeping into the characters telling Eriko's story, staring back at Claus. The entire page was just one big smile.

 

Claus closed the folder. “I think that's enough. Let's...” He shivered again. “Let's be off, you two.”

 

Shinobu and Yashiro silently both nodded in agreement, and the three of them went back to the door. By simply waving the keycard in front of the door, it slid open once again.

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

 

“That was certainly...enlightening.” Yashiro said. He frowned at the folder under Claus's arm. “Did we truly learn anything from that thing?”

 

“We learned that whoever wrote it has...very intense handwriting?” Claus shrugged and tried to laugh.

 

“They presumably have some reason to despise Daisuke, Eriko, and this Ruri character, at least.” Shinobu hummed and closed her eyes as the three walked out of the Dining Room. “If they are truly this manic, though, that perhaps calls into question their mental well-being. I think it's quite likely that the author of these files was not, in fact, in their right mind.”

 

Claus nodded. “I would imagine that someone who would kidnap seventeen people and place them in a killing game wouldn't be very sane to begin with, myself.”

 

“It is the sort of decision that takes a very particular kind of person, yes.” Shinobu said. “Working out the method to this madness might be quite important to our successful egress, though.”

 

“Wait!” Yashiro chimed in. “We have this information now, but where might we leave it for the other teams to obtain it?”

 

“Oh, that's a good point.” Claus rubbed his chin. “We have it now, but there's no guarantee Zero would place it in the other teams' grasp when they woke up. Let's see...” He tapped his foot, and then his eyes swung to the Central Hub. “Ah, I've got it! Let's place it in Ms. Hashizawa's room.”

 

“Why that room specifically, if I might ask?” Shinobu said.

 

“In case the littering rule is still in effect, it would make sense to place the files in the room belonging to the owner of the facility,” Claus explained. He began walking off. “Gavin woke up in her room, so he would remember which one it was. We should go find him.”

 

Thankfully, it wasn't a long search. When they found Gavin, huddled against a wall in the Central Hub reading a book, C Team all breathed a great sigh of relief. Claus sat down on the ground himself. “Hey, gang.” Gavin waved, mellow. “Whadup?”

 

“Hey yourself.” Claus waved back, leaning against a wall. When had he gotten so tired? It had been a lot of walking, but certainly not so much so that he should be this exhausted. His shoulders slumped unwillingly. “We finished our puzzle room and obtained a file. Do you remember which room you came out of? I thought it might be a good idea to place it in Ms. Hashizawa's room.”

 

“Ah, yeah.” Gavin stood up and directed them all to the door to his left. “This 'un.”

 

Claus forced himself to stand up again. It was incredibly difficult. Yashiro supported him a bit. “Thank you,” Claus said.

 

“I know exhaustion when I see it.” Yashiro said. “Lean on me, friend. I am the Ultimate Strongman, after all! One more person's weight won't harm me!”

 

Shinobu cackled. “You certainly are a million-dollar man, Yashiro!”

 

Rin Hashizawa's room was just as Gavin described; messy. Small mechanical bits and bobs littered various shelves, full of schematics and plans and hastily scribbled schedules on how best to fit school into her schedule. Thankfully, her desk was quite clear at the moment, and Claus placed the folder atop it. “Shinobu, when you see N Team next, be certain to tell them that this is here, alright?” He said, and sat down on the bed.

 

“I most certainly will.” Shinobu said. Then she found herself yawning, and slumping over into Ms. Hashizawa's desk chair in front of Claus. “Ah, I'm... very sorry...” She yawned again.

 

“Naw, man, I feel you.” Gavin shrugged, sitting down on the bed next to Claus. “Trip, man, Gav's been too worried to be too tired, but heck.” He smiled. “Heck.” He patted Claus on the back.

 

“Heck indeed.” Said Yashiro. He sat down too. It was a good thing that the bedside was large enough to fit all three boys, especially given Yashiro's size. “Gavin, might I say that I'm very glad to see you safe?”

 

“I think that goes for all of us.” Claus smiled. “What exactly happened?”

 

“So, like... I ain't trippin', first thing, a'ight?” Gavin raised a finger and waved it around at everyone to be certain they knew he was serious. “So Zero, like, _talks_ to me, yeah? And's it. Mondo weird.”

 

“Simple conversation?” Shinobu's eyes widened. “Why, but that's certainly... odd.” C Team's eyes briefly darted towards the folder, which told Claus that they'd all had the same thought. “Was it... pleasant conversation?”

 

“Yeah, nah.” Gavin frowned a bit. “Kinda heavy, man. Uh...” He snapped his fingers. “C-can I, like, go last? Wha's in the folder, dudes?”

 

“Profiles on Aoto, Chihaya, Daisuke, Eriko, and Girl B.” Claus said. “They're... a touch frightening, though, so you can read at your own risk.” Gavin nodded in response.

 

After a while of explaining to Gavin the events that occurred in the Legal Desk and Dining Room, Gavin's face furrowed. “Man, this all gets more what the what every day.” He said. “What in all friggity-frack is happenin'?”

 

“If only we knew!” Yashiro gave a great, heaving sigh.

 

There was a silence. It didn't seem there was much else to say on that subject. It was only when he began to feel his hands tremble when Claus finally worked up the courage to say, “I'm scared.” He began to shiver again. “I'm scared, everyone.” There were tears in his eyes. When had those gotten there? “I want to go home. I...” He tried to hold himself back and retain his composure, but he couldn't stop himself. “I want to see my mother and my father and my siblings again. I want to see the sky again, not through the water, but the real sky, above the land. Why...” He threw a hand toward the folder. “Why is this happening? Why is any of this happening to us? What did I _do?_ ” He buried his face in his hands and began sobbing.

 

“I... yeah, man, I...” Gavin began to choke and sob, too. “I- I wanna go home. I wanna- I just wanna hang with my pals again. I just wanna go home.” He clung to Claus's back, and the two began to cry together.

 

“When I think about all that's happened...” Shinobu sighed, and leaned forward in her chair, her hands steepled. “I can't help but begin to tremble.” She turned her head to Yashiro, who remained composed. “What about you, Yashiro? You always seem so... well, strong.”

 

Yashiro laughed a bit. “Me? Well...haha, of course I'm scared.” His face was unusually vulnerable. “In fact, you know... I've never been more scared in my life! I've...well, I've faced down wild animals across all of the Japanese islands, performed feats of strength that most folk would balk at, but...” He chuckled.

 

“...But?” The sniffling Claus asked.

 

“I tremble at night in this place,” Yashiro admitted. “Each night, I go to sleep shaking, frightened that I might never see the sun again, or feel the wind on my skin, or hear the roaring of a crowd. It is a fear that shakes me down to my very core. I— You see, I've always believed that if I were to die relatively early, but doing what I did best, a heroic death out in the world, of true justice, and strength, that I would be satisfied, but...” He gulped. “In here, I can do nothing _._ If I were to perish, I would perish in an unjust and pointless manner. It...” He looked down at his clenched fist. “Terrifies me.”

 

Shinobu's voice began to quake a bit as she spoke. “To tell you the truth, I was actually working on a manuscript before I was kidnapped.” She sighed, crossing her legs. “It... it's minor, yes, but I cannot help but shiver in fear that I might be best remembered for my last, unfinished work. _The Mystery of Edwin Drood_ is not what I wanted to emulate with my legacy.”

 

“...'zit a good one?” Gavin asked.

 

Shinobu scoffed. “Why, Gavin, are you implying that any of my works are _not?_ Of course it's _good!_ Or at least I certainly tried my hardest. I...” She cut herself off with a yawn. “I give all of my manuscripts 100% of my effort... most of the time...”

 

Soon, the room was quiet aside from the small sounds of Shinobu sleeping. Yashiro began to reach out his hands, but Gavin put his arm on Yashiro's. “Let Nobe sleep, man.” Gavin whispered. “We been through a lot, and she up next. She... prolly gon' need the sleep.”

 

“You're right,” Claus nodded, and Yashiro nodded, as well.

 

They all moved out into the Central Hub so as not to disturb Shinobu, and the three boys sat in a circle. “So, gotta be real witcha here, yeah?” Gavin rubbed the back of his head. “Gav's gotta question for y'all. Bit embarrassin' to ask, but hey, them's the breaks.”

 

“You go right ahead, Gavin!” Yashiro said, crossing his arms and nodding sternly. “There is no need to be embarrassed. We're all friends here, after all.”

 

Claus wasn't certain why, but Gavin briefly had a wistful look on his face when Yashiro spoke, before it transitioned to being a bit more determined. “Yeah.” Gavin nodded. “Right... friends. So, uh... legit. Straight up. How's a dude s'posed to talk feelings?”

 

Blinking, Claus adjusted his necktie. “What?”

 

“Well, 's just...” Gavin's eyes darted around. “Y-y'know, Gav's— It's like— Trip, man, it's just— Like, I got this habit of tryin' to keep my feelin's as secret dealin's, yeah? An' Zero, yeah, he talked to me 'bout that. 'Bout how doin' that is...emotionally dishonest, or summat, yeah? An' I...like, uh...well, seems like...”

 

“Well, why do you do that?” Claus asked. “I have noticed it, how you try to cry in secret.”

 

“Methinks somethin' in me thinks that if peeps see me cryin', they'll think different of me.” Gavin said. “An', like...first impressions is everythin', yeah?”

 

Claus blinked. “Er. Gavin, may I interject?” He raised his hand a bit late.

 

“Oh, yeah, sure, man, go ahead.” Gavin nodded.

 

“My first impression of you was that you were completely strange, somewhat flighty, and bizarrely focused on bowling,” Claus said. “It's very different from how I think of you now. You're a very reliable, honest, and caring man. My impression of you has only _improved_ as I've come to know you.”

 

Gavin blinked. “R...really? Like...really, really?”

 

“Really, really.” Claus nodded. “If that's the worry you're having, then I don't think you realize how much people's opinions of you change for the better as they get to know you.”

 

“Frankly, I'd think it was odd if you never cried!” Yashiro laughed.

 

A look of realization was coming across Gavin's face. “Huh,” he said. “I...” He rubbed his chin a bit. “Oh, trip, you know, you _right,_ ain't you?” His eyes were far off in the land of recollection. “Tha's a real good point, Claus, thanks, my man.”

 

“Oh, come now, I was just pointing out the obvious.” Claus laughed. “It's certainly quite startling to see you get so openly angry at Zero, though, but that's because, well... You're just chill, aren't you?”

 

“Hakuna matata.” Gavin laughed back. “Eyy, and we even got Simba here for it!” He laughed, then, towards Yashiro.

 

“I can't sing!” Yashiro laughed.

 

“These are horribly extenuating circumstances, Gavin, and it's no wonder you'd feel those sorts of negative emotions, but I think Zero may have overestimated the amount that you keep inside for effect.” Claus said. “It may be an issue, but it's not one so dreadful as to dominate your personality if you simply _don't get angry very often._ Frankly, it's something of a virtue.”

 

“Well... that ain't all.” Gavin sighed. “That... that ain't...” He looked down into his lap. “That ain't all. There's...somethin' else. Somethin' I—” He gulped. “Somethin' Gav don't like to think about too often, you feel me? Cause see, I always been, y'know, errybody's pal, yeah? I'm Gav. Every friend I got is a treasure.”

 

“Indeed, indeed.” Yashiro nodded.

 

“But, see, like, trip, what if I start thinkin' someone else is more my friend than the others?” Gavin said. “I mean, yeah, I dig that I'll see more of some folks than others just 'cause that's how the world works, but like, what if I start thinkin' somebody more important than the others?”

 

This was a speech Claus actually found familiar. It sounded very, very similar to one he'd given Stella two days ago. “Gavin...” Claus hesitantly spoke. “...Are you in love?”

 

Gavin went silent, and looked up to the ceiling. “Well,” he said. “Kinda seems like it, don't it?” He laughed to himself. “Man, got my whole world rocked since I got kidnapped, and now I'm a lovesick fool, man.” His head shook. “Whatta world, right? I'm over here thinkin', yo, I'm everybody's pal, prolly a swingin' single my whole life, and hey, that's okay, but...” He put his forehead in his hand and laughed again. “...Trip, man, I... I'm in love. I'm in love with J.”

 

Claus blinked. “ With... _Jun_?”

 

Yashiro, meanwhile, laughed, and clapped. “Oh, good, I wasn't seeing things!”

 

“You're in love with _Jun,_ ” Claus repeated, feeling oddly like a fish with the way his gums were flapping. “J— Like, our Jun? Jun Fukuyama? The Ultimate Net Admin?” Gavin just shrugged in response. “I—” Claus broke out laughing. “Well, gee! How about that!”

 

“'S it really that weird?” Gavin grimaced.

 

“Well, he's certainly not the kind of person _I'd_ fall for.” Claus shrugged. “But... Well, that's great! Well.” He stammered. “Perhaps not great given the situation, I... Well. So. Tell me, er...” He leaned in. “What is it about him?”

 

“Ah, well, see, 's kinda weird, man.” Gavin said. “Feelings I got're... weird. 's weird. Like...” He sighed, and closed his eyes. “Most the time, he just my pal J, you know? Angry little programmer dude. And he just my friend. But...like...erry so often, yeah? It's like, I'll see somethin' _under_ 'im. When I see J light up 'bout some programmin' thing, or a few times I seen him laugh, really laugh, at some dumb comic. Or when I watch 'im to make sure he okay in the pool, yeah, he prolly don't think I see it, but there's this... There's this _look_ he gets in the pool sometimes, yeah? This look like finally, he can let loose. It's this beautiful, peaceful face, and...”

 

Gavin had begun tearing up without realizing it. “An' I realized that I wanna make him smile like that more. 'Cause he don't very often, I think maybe that smile's the _real_ J under all that bluster finally cuttin' a rug for once.” He was smiling brightly himself, though. “An' it's...fuckin' _beautiful,_ man.”

 

“In other words,” Yashiro said, “when we swoop in to rescue Jun from Zero's baleful clutches, we should let you burst into the room first to leave a better impression!”

 

“Aw, c'mon, man, Gav's serious here!” Gavin laughed.

 

“So am I!” Yashiro laughed back.

 

High hand, vertical swing, meet in the middle, pass. Low hand, vertical swing, meet in the middle, pass. Hand on left, horizontal swing, meet in the middle, pass. Hand on right, horizontal swing, meet in the middle, connect. Firm shake. Disconnect the palms, but keep the fingers connected, and wiggle them together a bit. Disengage fingers, and engage fist bump.

 

“Alright,” Claus said.

 

“Alright, mate.” Gavin nodded back.

 

“I don't know what that was!” Yashiro clapped.

 

* * *

 

 

He'd fallen asleep at some point, but the movement of the conveyor belt kept him going forward. When you're completely without any indication of time, it becomes barely a concept at all, so Jun wasn't certain how long he'd been down here, either.

 

 _Look there,_ said the voice. _It's another picture._

 

Actually, looking at the walls, it was multiple pictures. Pictures of Jun's classes at the end of each year of primary school, specifically. There was his first grade...and his second...and his third. All different people, in different places, with different schools, but all with the same, sullen-looking child in a wheelchair somewhere.

 

“I'd only moved to this school two months before this picture was taken.” Jun recalled, looking at the second-grade picture, lightly stroking it for reasons he didn't fully understand. “Nobody had any idea who I was, and nobody really cared. I was gone before the first term of third grade was over. I doubt anyone from there even remembers me anymore.” He laughed to himself.

 

_So, is that a bad thing, or a good thing?_

 

“I don't fucking know.” Jun said. “Who knows anymore? I don't know anything.” He went quiet again, and continued looking at the pictures on the wall. His fourth, his fifth, his sixth... Wait. He blinked. “Huh?”

 

He recognized several of the same people in those three. And even a few in the seventh. And was he... _smiling_ in his sixth grade picture? He didn't remember that.

 

 _Wow,_ said the voice. _I didn't know you got to stay somewhere for that long._

 

“I...” Jun blinked a few times, trying to process it. _Had_ he stayed somewhere for that long? For...that would've been four years, wouldn't it? Was there a home he'd stayed in for four years? All the homes had blurred together in his mind, and he wasn't certain he could even name his current guardian off the top of his head.

 

“Jun,” a memory from the back of his head tugged. “Be careful! We don't want you to hurt yourself!”

 

“Sorry, Mom.” He'd replied. He'd been trying his best to reach a high shelf without his grabber, that was it. As a paraplegic, he oftentimes found himself very jealous of those who could walk, and had a bad habit of trying to show off to himself and others how competent he could be; the same as other children trying to show off doing something with only one arm, or something like that. “You can do it if you want to, I guess.”

 

“Of course I want to do it.” That was Mrs. Okita. She was a short woman; about as tall as Jun was at sixteen, so she'd confided in him once that she shared a few similar feelings. She chided him, though, her hazel ponytail flopping over her head as she did. “I'm the mother here, aren't I? I can't let you hurt yourself!”

 

“I wasn't going to hurt myself.” Jun rolled his eyes, as Mrs. Okita managed to barely reach the high shelf with the help of a spatula. “Make sure you don't hurt yourself, Mom.” He looked around. “Where's that lazy bum of a husband of yours? He's the tall one, he should be doing this, not you!” He huffed. Dad could be so stupid sometimes, leaving things lying on the floor occasionally and other such nonsense.

 

“In his office, working on a business deal,” Mrs. Okita said. She smirked at Jun. “Not like you're much better, Mr. 'sorry, I was too busy running the internet from my room to eat dinner.'”

 

Jun looked away, blushing. “L-look, there's- there's a lot of interesting stuff on the internet, okay?”

 

“Just don't hurt yourself or anything,” Mrs. Okita said, ruffling his hair and preparing the dishes that she'd gotten from the high shelf. “You're still a growing boy, after all. Who knows what you could find on there. Dead bodies! Monsters! _Girls!_ ” She laughed.

 

“I'm not afraid of girls, geez.” Jun rolled his eyes again. “I'm pretty great, so boys and girls are both equally under my sway with the power of programming.” He puffed his chest out proudly.

 

“Great attitude!” Mrs. Okita gave him a thumbs-up.

 

—Huh?

 

Right. Right, yes. That was the time he was staying with Mr. and Mrs. Okita. How could he... How could he have forgotten?

 

_Well, memory is a fickle thing._

 

“Shut up.” Jun said. But... he remembered again, vividly. He remembered the feeling of Mrs. Okita's hand on his head, of the love he felt in that household. They'd taken him in during early fourth grade, and though he'd come in with low expectations, they seemed genuinely happy to have him, accepting of his surly temperament and physical handicap.

 

“Dad!” Jun had slammed into his father's office, startling the middle-aged, graying man from his pile of paperwork in his small, dim office.

 

“Oh, Jun.” Mr. Okita said. His eyes were the sort that always seemed to be close to closed, but he saw nevertheless. He was still in his suit from work. “D-did you need something?”

 

“Mom is in the kitchen grabbing something from a high shelf and you're not there, so I had to help!” Jun huffed. “Why aren't you helping your wife? Don't you love her at all? Geez!”

 

“Ah, well, er...” Mr. Okita rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “My bad?”

 

“Your bad? Ugh! You're so dumb sometimes, Dad.” Jun scoffed. “How would you even survive without me and Mom? You're lucky you have us!”

 

“I sure am, aren't I.” Mr. Okita mumbled, leaning under his desk. “Speaking of you, Jun. Do you know what day it is?”

 

“June 24 th  .” Jun said. “The death date of James Martin, author of _After the Internet: Alien Intelligence,_ among other books. What does that have to do with me?”

 

“Well...” Mr. Okita came back out from under his desk, with a cardboard box. “Happy birthday, Jun.”

 

There was silence. “But my birthday is—?” Jun blinked.

 

“Oh, yes, it's Christmas Eve, but wouldn't it make more sense to celebrate it now?” Mr. Okita said. “Do you really want us to celebrate your birthday at that time of year? Your mother and I put our heads together to get you this, so go ahead, take it. It's yours.” He handed the box to Jun, who placed it in his own lap.

 

“...Huh?”

 

“Oh, no, don't let him open it while I'm not there!” Called Mrs. Okita from the kitchen. She hurried over, her apron flopping in the wind, panting a bit. “Happy... Happy birthday, Jun...”

 

“Huh?” Jun said again. He numbly opened the box, in a state of disbelief. Within it was a plastic box for— “Is— Are these components to outfit my computer for _quantum RAM?_ ” His eyes went wide.

 

“Yes, they are.” Mr. Okita smiled. “We figured it might help you... Er, did we get the right thing?”

 

“I—” Jun sputtered. “Th-this must've cost a fortune!” He began excitedly shaking the box around. “This is high-grade stuff, you two! How much did this cost?! You bought this for _me?!_ What?!”

 

From behind his wheelchair, he felt Mrs. Okita's arms wrap around him in a hug. “Oh, don't worry about how much it cost. You deserve it, Jun.” She said. “Happy birthday. We love you, sweetie.”

 

“I...” He couldn't help himself. Jun began crying. “Mom... Dad!”

 

Mr. Okita came over and joined the hug as well. “I'm with her, in case there was any doubt.”

 

He was ten and a half years old that day, celebrating his eleventh birthday half a year in advance, with his mother and father's love all around him. It...

 

“It wasn't bad,” Jun said to the darkness. “It wasn't bad, was it?”

 

_Yeah, it seemed nice. A home brimming with hope._

 

“'Hope?'” Jun said. Something about the word left a bad taste in his mouth. “Yeah. Sure, voice. Whatever you say.”

 

_Why aren't you there anymore?_

 

Jun centered his flashlight on his eighth grade picture. It was a different group. In the picture, he looked unhappier than ever.

 

“I don't remember,” Jun said. And just like that, the happiness and comfort he felt was gone again. “...Fucking buzzkill. I hate you.”

 

And so he continued on down the line.

 


	56. Intermission, 4 ~ The Medical Board will be Notified

 

Tomoe Narumi's ears perked up, from her perch in the Headmaster's office. “The helicopter has taken off. Sakuya is present.”

 

“One of these days, you're going to have to tell me how exactly it is you have this soul bond with that crow of yours, oui?” The Headmaster was a skeleton again, but this was a different skeleton. This one had a beret and a little mustache, and wore a black-and-white striped shirt. Apparently, his name was 'Cadavre.' “Or don't. I do not much mind either way.”

 

“Mm.” Tomoe rumbled. Her faithful crow had ridden along with Luna and Megane in their helicopter, so that she could defend them if anything were to go wrong.

 

The helicopter was bound for two places; the manor of one Yuno Hashizawa, and the home of the Sagami family. Yuno Hashizawa had refused her summons and instead insisted that Hope's Peak come get her in her own home if they really needed to speak to her that badly, and the Sagami family was based on a hunch Luna had that she knew the identity of one 'Girl K.'

 

“So, how do you think their cases are coming along, eh?” Cadavre wondered, leaning forward in his seat. “I have not heard much from either young Mr. Ittosai or Ms. Bessho today, and I cannot help but wonder, non?”

 

“They've determined the nature and rough layout of the facility, and as far as getting there goes, they just need to find its current location to intercept it.” Tomoe said. “As for the young attorney's case, I can't say I know.”

 

“Ah, I wonder.” Cadavre leaned back in his seat and sighed forlornly. “Did I make some sort of mistake? Why would someone even want to kidnap an entire class of my students?” He paused. “You know, come to think of it, is it not rather incredible that they would all happen to be connected by this Rin Hashizawa anyhow?”

 

“We meet many folk in our lives,” Tomoe said, “briefly though they may be. It's not too implausible that a girl who had met most of them existed.” She rumbled for a moment. “Headmaster, I'm curious about something.”

 

“Eh, then speak, oui?” Cadavre shrugged. “I do a lot of sitting about, and while I sit about, what do I do with my time but let my knowledge go to waste?”

 

“What exactly is your relationship to that Megane woman?” Tomoe asked. “It's clearly more than a simple employee-employer relationship.”

 

The room took on an air of nostalgia, as even without seeing his face, Tomoe could tell the question brought back memories. “Ahh, she is my daughter, non?” Cadavre said. “Adopted, oui, but my wife and I, we care for her as though she were our own child.”

 

“I see.” Tomoe nodded. “And did she desire to work at her father's school, then?”

 

“Very badly,” Cadavre said. “She was once a student here herself, you know. The Ultimate Cosplayer! And what a bright student she was, eh? Top of her class, darling of her peers. I could not have been prouder of her. Ahhh, I still remember the cold winter night when I found that girl of no more than thirteen collapsed on my porch, frozen half to death! It gave me quite a shock, I tell you, quite a shock.”

 

“How did she get there?” Tomoe asked.

 

“Ahh, apparently, she had a scuffle with a friend, oui?” Cadavre responded. “A scuffle that turned violent. Ah, she did not remember why, that was just the 'sense she got,' oui? Anyhow, eventually she simply became part of the household.”

 

“That's remarkably generous of you.” Tomoe said.

 

“Oh, well, you know, our son, he had already gone off to do his own thing by then. We had room and it was going to waste.” Cadavre scoffed, shrugging it off. His movements with that skeleton model were quite something. “Ahh, are you not the same? You take in folk from off the street to be in your performance, non?”

 

“I suppose.” Tomoe snorted. “If she was the Ultimate Cosplayer, then I almost wish I'd found her instead. A true master of disguise would be a useful addition to the family.”

 

“Mais non, I do not think that would be the good idea.” Cadavre said. “It would...perhaps not be the best for her psyche.”

 

“Ah.” Tomoe nodded slightly. “Say no more, then.” After a moment's silence, she felt the need to ask. “What is her name, anyhow?”

 

* * *

 

 

“My name is Tsumugi Kagenui,” Megane said into the intercom at the front of Yuno Hashizawa's manor. “I'm the teacher from Hope's Peak you requested a discussion with. I have an associate with me, if that's alright.”

 

“Oh, it's you.” The woman inside sounded...not quite bored. Tired, perhaps? “You can come in, I suppose.”

 

It was a bright day, about noon, and Luna was in a part of the country she'd never imagined she'd be in, walking into the sort of house she never thought she'd even be able to get near. Were it not for the dire situation, she almost felt like she would be fainting. The garden of this woman's house was large enough to fit Luna and Stella's _entire house,_ for god's sake. The garden!

 

Luna hadn't spoken much with Megane before. She'd been busy studying the broadcasts The End had set up, and Megane had a close relationship with the young girl, Miki, who was staying in the medical ward near her. Every so often, Megane checked her phone and lit up when she saw a message from Miki. It was honestly rather adorable to see someone Luna's age- or, at least Luna assumed, anyhow- be so earnestly enthusiastic about texting with a friend.

 

Still, though, when Megane insisted on coming out to be the one to meet Ms. Hashizawa, the headmaster insisted that she be given an escort, and Natsuhi urged her to volunteer. 'You don't get out of town enough,' she'd said. 'Go fly around.'

 

Megane, though, was just walking straight ahead, and not looking around. Luna had a sneaking suspicion, and said, “Megane, turn and look at me, please.” When Megane turned around, Luna sighed. “You got too close to the intercom, your glasses are all fogged up.”

 

“Oh, are they?” Megane, whose eyes were almost invisible, said. “I didn't even notice.”

 

Luna put her hands on her hips and sighed. “Hand them here, please.” She removed a glasses cleaning cloth from her pocket. “I'll clean them. You can't go in looking like that.”

 

“I'm so glad I have you around, Luna. You're very attentive about these sorts of things.” Megane said. The teacher had admitted that she was 'as blind as a bat' without her glasses, but each time Luna looked into her eyes without them, there was something a bit unnerving about them that she couldn't put her finger on. The first time it had happened, Megane had claimed that the glasses disguised her true form. Luna wasn't sure what that meant.

 

“You need to be more attentive about these sorts of things. You're a teacher.” Luna finished unfogging the glasses and put them back on Megane's face. “How do you think your students would feel if you walked into class with your glasses completely fogged up and bumped into your desk or something?”

 

“Oh, I have.” Megane giggled. “They laughed. 'Oh, that's Sensei for you!' Sometimes I'm rather clumsy, you know.” Plainly finished with her statement, she started actually looking around. “It's plain to see that there's a lot here, isn't it?” She sighed, looking around at the picturesque garden, grasses and flowers coming together to form a visual rainbow, trees standing proudly, even a small creek that happened to run through. “This must be prime real estate. How do you think the Hashizawas got their money, anyway?”

 

“Old money, I think?” Luna said. She sighed. “It all goes back to the Togami clan eventually, when you're in Japan. Sometimes I wish that the original had just left well enough alone.”

 

“Byakuya Togami I, you mean?” Megane said. “Ah, but the Ultimate Affluent Progeny couldn't leave well enough alone. Without his financial acumen, you know, Hope's Peak would've never gotten off the ground again. We owed the Togami clan a great debt once because of it.”

 

“Owed, past tense?” Luna asked.

 

“Headmaster Kagenui doesn't believe in letting debts go unpaid, especially to 'a bunch of sorry, money-grubbing bastards like that,' in his exact words.” Megane replied. She giggled again. “You wouldn't believe how many times we've been elbowed by certain groups to pull in another Ultimate Affluent Progeny from the Togamis!”

 

“...And a Detective from the Kirigiris?” Luna said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Well, in that case, it's because they genuinely have talent.” Megane leaned in to faux-whisper in Luna's ear. “Just between you and me, though, I've actually had my eye on a young fellow from outside the Kirigiri clan to be our next Ultimate Detective. He's a first-year in high school now, works in his uncle's agency. Brilliant boy, but lacks confidence. Wouldn't it be great to see him grow?”

 

“Is that your teacher's instinct speaking?” Luna laughed.

 

“Probably!” Megane shrugged. “But, yes, you know, to hear those certain groups talk, we should really have a Lucky Student, a Detective, an Affluent Progeny, a Swimmer, a Clairvoyant, and a Writing Prodigy every single year, like it's all some grand journey to quest to the Hopebringers. There's only so many teen authors per year, you know!”

 

“Isn't there one in this year?” Luna said. “Shinobu Koshimizu, the Ultimate Mystery Novelist? Do you think she's enough to satisfy them?”

 

Megane giggled again. “I doubt it. Though, come to think of it, we've got pretty close, don't we?” She tapped her cheek. “If Rin Hashizawa had actually gotten in, she could've filled in the Affluent Progeny role, and we could've grabbed Natsuhi for the Swimmer role. Maybe Ruri or Reiko for the Detective role?” Then she laughed again. “Oh, but it wouldn't be enough, those people wouldn't be satisfied unless they had the survivors of the 78 th  class back in the flesh.”

 

“Don't I know it.” Luna laughed too, but there was a tinge of sadness in her laugh. Then a thought occurred. “Do you think that includes the serial killer?”

 

“They like to forget the serial killer,” Megane said. Then they both laughed a bit more honestly.

 

'Hope.' It was a word that Luna had actually heard quite a bit over a certain period of her life, not too long ago. 'Despair' came part and parcel, too, and you heard them in quite the opposite tones, but either one signaled the same thing, really. But what did they actually _mean?_ Luna had never been certain.

 

They finally reached the door at the end of the entirely too-long garden, which was pretty darned tall. Luna looked up at its heights and asked, “What in the world could you need a door this large for?”

 

“Showing off?” Megane said.

 

The door opened somewhat; one half of it did, anyhow. A woman leaned against the door, flicking her long, red nails about as she twiddled a silver disc in between her fingers. “Exactly how long did you ladies plan to keep me waiting?” The raven-haired, red-eyed mistress of the manor said. She was very lithe, Luna noticed, her pixie cut and tight, black top and leggings giving her a particularly intimidating vibe. “I don't have all day to wait for you to sightsee.”

 

“Ah, our apologies, Ms. Hashizawa.” Megane bowed. Luna took a moment before remembering she should probably keep up appearances and bow as well to the vampiric woman in front of them. “It's plain to see you take a great deal of pride in your garden.”

 

Yuno Hashizawa just grunted and turned back inside, and Luna and Megane followed her into a sitting room, the early afternoon sun streaming in through the windows to alight on the light furniture and walls; probably to contrast the natural darkness of the family. “So, what, exactly, did you want to see me about?” Yuno had fallen into a great red chair, slouching to the side, still twiddling her disc, one leg arched over the other. “And who is this?” She levied her disc in Luna's direction.

 

“This is Luna Masaki, another of the bereaved of the incident.” Megane explained. “Her daughter was kidnapped, you see.”

 

“Masaki?” Yuno repeated, her eyes widening slightly. “As in, the Ultimate Commentator, Stella Masaki?”

 

“Oh, you know her?” Luna said, her eyes widening in response.

 

“Who doesn't, ma'am?” Yuno smiled a bit. “Why, there's nobody who makes hockey games more exciting to watch. She has a genuine talent, you know, and she seems like an engaging child.”

 

“Ah, well, yes, we're— We're quite fond of each other...” Luna stammered. If there was one thing she hadn't expected, it was having Ms. Hashizawa start openly complimenting Stella. “Hockey?”

 

“My favorite sport.” Yuno explained. “There's something elegant about the way the players glide along the ice, is all. Makes for good watching.”

 

“If I recall correctly, you're a broadcasting mogul, yes, Ms. Hashizawa?” Megane said. “You do television things?”

 

“That's an inelegant way of putting it, but yes.” Yuno said, twiddling a bit more with her silver disc. “I have a meeting later on to discuss the syndication of some idiotic new reality show that'll last two, maybe three years and then everyone will forget about it.” She sighed. “It never ends, you know. The cycle of media.” She shook her head. “But I digress. My earlier question stands: What exactly did you ladies want to speak to me about?”

 

“It's Rin, ma'am.” Megane said. Immediately, Yuno was out of her slouch. “We wanted to discuss—”

 

“Is she dead?!” Yuno's eyes were wide, and she'd gone a bit pale.

 

“No, no, no, she's- as far as we know, she's still alive.” Megane waved her hands to disperse the tension. “Nothing like that! Apparently, she's made very good friends with Stella, actually.”

 

“Oh.” Yuno blinked, and sighed, her shoulders slumping a bit. “That's a relief.”

 

“What exactly is your relationship to her?” Luna said. Agh, that wasn't quite the way she'd meant to word that question. That was obvious.

 

“I'm currently her legal guardian, biologically her maternal aunt.” Yuno said, cocking a finely-tuned eyebrow. “I haven't the foggiest about her family on her father's side, you know. It seems they weren't overly fond of my sister, so I've heard nothing.”

 

“In other words, you're about the only family she has.” Luna said. She frowned a bit. “I...see.”

 

“That wasn't quite what Luna meant to ask, I don't think.” Megane giggled a bit. Luna was tense, but Megane was cool as a cucumber in comparison. “We meant to ask you what your relationship with her was _like._ How do you feel about Rin?”

 

“How do I feel about her,” Yuno repeated. “Mm. Well, I think she's a bright child and that she'll go quite far in life. I respect her passions, as well, though I can't say I see the appeal in fiddling about with nuts and bolts. Why?”

 

Something inside of Luna twitched. “Is that it?”

 

“Should it not be?” Yuno asked. “She seems to be doing well for herself. It was unfortunate what happened at Marufuji College, but I'm glad she seems to have made at least a bit of a name for herself. It's a bit concerning to lose your mother at that young age, you know.” She sighed. “Forgive me for digressing again, but Uchiko really was a wonderful woman, and I miss her every day, I really do. A lot of people seem to think that upper-crust siblings are always horribly bitter towards each other, and I assure you that's not the case. Rin's mother and I were each other's best friends growing up.”

 

“Ah, that'd probably be because of the Togami family and their reputation.” Megane tittered. “They do have a way of having their reputation precede themselves.”

 

“Very true.” Yuno said. She played with her silver disc some more. She stared at Luna. “Ms. Masaki, I appreciate that you're attempting to remain quiet, but I can see it written plain on your face that you want very badly to say something and it would be better for all of us if you just said it.”

 

“My understanding was that you and she spoke infrequently.” Luna said. “Extremely. And that's why you didn't report her missing for so long.”

 

“Hm? Well, yes. She spends great deals of time out of the house, and it's a big house anyhow, so the two of us rarely see each other even if we're both around.” Yuno said, her eyes a bit befuddled. “She's told me it was for her work, so—”

 

“You're her _guardian,_ ” Luna said, a harsh rumble in her voice. “That's complete nonsense.”

 

After a moment of awkward silence, Yuno said, “I'm afraid I don't follow.”

 

“What do you mean, you're 'afraid you don't follow?'” Luna grimaced. “That's— That's just disgraceful!”

 

“What is?” Yuno said.

 

Oh. Oh, it was worse than she thought. Luna sighed, rubbed her temples a bit, and sat down. “I—”

 

“Please, allow me, Luna.” Megane said. “Ms. Hashizawa, I assure you it pains me to say this, but we're investigating the possibility of Rin herself being the perpetrator behind this incident, and the nature of the parental neglect she suffered under your hands might have some correlation.”

 

“Wait, hold on a second here.” Yuno twiddled with her silver disc some more, putting her head on her other hand. “Parental neglect?” The displeasure on her face was surprisingly evident. She shook her head. “But that's not possible. All her basic needs are supplied for when she's here, aren't they? It's not as though there isn't enough food, or water. How could she be being neglected?”

 

“Humans are social animals, Ms. Hashizawa.” Megane said, pushing up her glasses. “You know, it's very difficult for growing children, especially those under emotional duress, to flourish when completely alone.”

 

Yuno blinked as though she was having trouble comprehending this idea. “What are you talking about?”

 

“What are _you_ talking about?” Megane replied.

 

Leaning over and steepling her hands together, Yuno sighed. “Let me explain something to you ladies.” She rubbed her forehead a bit. “All I've been doing for the past few years is giving Rin the same space my parents gave me. How is that a bad thing?”

 

“You never—” Luna sputtered. “You never once thought to speak to your own child?” The pretense of being polite was quickly disappearing from her voice.

 

“Well, of course I thought to!” Yuno seemed to be following suit. “My sister left her to _me_ in her last message and you think I never once _thought_ to speak? I—!” She gritted her teeth, and breathed out, quickly and sharply. “Listen. Maybe you don't get this, but I don't have any children of my own and had never planned to have any. Everything I know about raising a child, I learned from my parents, and everything I learned from them and everything they've _told_ me is that it's best if I stay out of Rin's way. Are you just going to walk in here and tell me that I've been wrong to listen to my parents?”

 

“Yes.” Luna said.

 

“Well. That's just fucking great, isn't it.” Yuno snarled. “So you're telling me that my niece, the girl my dead sister used her _last wishes_ to entrust to _me_ might have kidnapped and murdered several of her prospective classmates, and it might be _my_ fault.”

 

“That is basically what I'm saying, yes.” Luna nodded.

 

Yuno leaned back in her chair again, dropped her silver disc in her lap, pressed her hand to her forehead to stem the tide of sweat on her brow, and said, “Well, shit, then I've really gone and screwed the pooch, haven't I?”

 

“Basically.” Luna said.

 

“Well, that wasn't quite as politely as I'd put it, but she got across a good amount,” Megane chuckled. “So, Ms. Hashizawa, we've come to inform you of the fact that there's a good chance you'll be facing criminal charges for mistreatment of your charge, whether or not she turns out to be the culprit of the incident or not. In fact, based on several facets of the case, there's a good case to be made that your neglect of your charge is directly responsible for the deaths of at least seven Hope's Peak Academy students whether she turns out to be the culprit or not.”

 

“Fuck,” Yuno breathed, her head covered by her hands. “Damn it.”

 

“Calling a good lawyer, if you'd like to contest the charges, would probably be a good idea in the very near future.” Megane said. “Especially if—”

 

“At least let me tell her I'm sorry.” Yuno said. At Megane's blank stare, she continued, “Rin. I— If I really have been screwing up all this time, then I won't contest your charges, but at least let me apologize to her.”

 

“I believe that's up to her, Ms. Hashizawa.” Megane said. “I'll be sure to see what she wants once we've delivered her from the facility.”

 

“...Please leave me be.” Yuno said, her head resting on joined hands. “I need to process this.”

 

“Of course, ma'am. Let's be off, Luna.” Megane said. Luna had more she wanted to say, personally, but at Megane's beckoning, it seemed the discussion was over. The two of them left the same way they came, and Luna could swear she heard a small sound of crying from behind her before the doors closed again. “Something wrong?” Megane asked, as they walked back the long way out of the garden.

 

“Ah, no, no, nothing— Hm?” Luna said. Quick as a wink, a small stick had been produced in front of her face. Pocky?

 

“A favored food of con-goers everywhere, you know!” Megane said, chipper as ever. “Please, take it. I insist.” 'Insisting' apparently meant turning her intensity up to about ten times normal, as Luna suddenly felt like Megane was a lot more intimidating than before.

 

“Um, certainly. Alright.” Luna said, taking the stick of pocky. She stuck it in her mouth. Strawberry.

 

“Yay, I'm helping~” Megane skipped a little. Her intensity was back down to normal. This woman was just downright odd, no matter what way you sliced it.

 

* * *

 

 

“Doctor?”

 

Doctor Ijuuin Morinaga looked up from his place at Miki's bedside, the young girl having just fallen asleep. “You all realize that I don't actually work here, yes? That was the only operation I'm doing _pro bono._ You can't simply have me do anything else without paying me.”

 

The man who opened the door was slight, and it looked as though he hadn't been eating as well as he should have. He actually looked vaguely familiar. He'd probably been one of the crowd of faces in the Headmaster's office. He had a head of mid-length, straight, but frazzled, orange hair, in a patient's gown. “Ah, it's... Well, not actually about anything medical.” He fidgeted. “I wanted to...speak with you. Personally.”

 

“Why?” Ijuuin said. “I've never been that much for conversation.” At the man's sorrowful gaze, Ijuuin sighed. “About what?”

 

“Well, fatherhood, Doctor.” The man said

 

Ijuuin stared at him. “Why me? You recognize there are much cheerier fathers here, yes? That Sakaki fellow, for instance, or Toranosuke. Very proud fathers, those.”

 

“Because you seemed like the type who might judge me.” The man said. “I've... I've done something horrible to my daughter. Something absolutely abominable.” He shuddered. “I... I've been such a god damned fool.”

 

“I'm sure you have.” Ijuuin said. “May I know to whom, exactly, I'm speaking?”

 

“Ah, I'm— My apologies.” The man stammered a bit. “My name is— Well, Inoue, sir. Satoshi Inoue.” Inoue twiddled his fingers a bit.

 

“Inoue, hm?” That was a name that could certainly only bring good tidings. “The father of Chizuru Inoue?”

 

“No!” Inoue shouted. “No, er, well, yes. I mean, I was, but not in the way you mean it. Or, well, am, I—” He panted. His eyes were unfocused, and he was sweating.

 

“Sit down.” Ijuuin pulled up a chair. The man was clearly distressed, and while it was certainly a bother to be put upon like this, he wasn't about to leave someone in need alone. “Do you need anything?”

 

“Could you lock the door, please?” Inoue said. “I— A-and I could use some water. Once you've locked the door.”

 

Once they'd done so, the two men sat down together, Ijuuin with his early afternoon coffee and Inoue with his water. “Is there a particular reason you wanted me to lock the door?” Ijuuin said. “Police after you?”

 

“No, no, not at all, I—” Inoue gulped. “My parents, you see, they, mm... They might not...be so happy about me coming to see you like this, I...”

 

“Your parents?” Ijuuin scoffed. “How old are you, and you're still worried about your parents' approval?”

 

“It's really not... Ah, we've had a rather...serious disagreement.” Inoue said. “A very...a very serious disagreement. About my daughter. And...and me. And I've—” He gulped. “You see, I— Well, doctor, I— I'm not... I haven't been...well, _well?_ For...ah, quite some time.”

 

“Oh?” Ijuuin sipped his coffee and raised an eyebrow.

 

“And my parents had one way about how to treat my illness, and... Well, I— Because of the nature of my illness, I only a few days ago realized exactly what they were doing, you see.” Inoue said. “And they, er...”

 

“So you've had a serious mental disorder for some time and haven't been treated for it because of your parents.” Ijuuin said. “Is that what you're telling me?”

 

“Yes!” Inoue nodded. “Yes, that's... That's it. At least, I think so. I— I certainly— Well, perhaps it's not— Ah—”

 

“The sort of mental disorder where you were unable to control your own actions or recognize you were, in fact, unwell.” Ijuuin continued.

 

“Mm, ah, yes.” Inoue said. “That's very much... Ah, yes, that's a correct way of looking about it...” The man's eyes were darting about every which way, almost as though he were the one drinking the coffee. He moaned and rubbed his head. “I'm sorry, I have a horrible headache.”

 

“If you're this bad, shouldn't you be in bed?” Ijuuin said. His doctor's instinct was beginning to kick in.

 

“No!” Inoue shouted. “No, I... I have to tell someone. If— I-I—” He shuddered. “Doctor, you don't understand. I'm terrified.” His entire body was shaking. “I'm finally seeing clearly for the first time in... God, in a decade and— And what if it slips away once I go back to sleep? What if it goes away, Doctor? What if this clarity just vanishes and I go back to...to ruining my daughter's life more?” There were tears in his eyes. The fact that Ijuuin was a practicing _surgeon,_ not a _psychotherapist,_ seemed to have evaded Inoue's purview.

 

“Well—” Ijuuin began.

 

“God, I...” The look of horror in Inoue's eyes was palpable. “It might've been the last chance I ever had to speak to her and the only thing I could do was deny she was even there!” He was fully crying now, grasping at his head, clutching tightly, which probably didn't help the headache. “She— She's all alone in that horrible place, where she could die at any time, and I, disgrace of a father that I am, I—!” He gasped. “I _saw_ her, Doctor, I saw her for the first time in all these years, right as she was leaving, and I couldn't call out to her! I— I had to just _let her go!_ ”

 

Ijuuin was beginning to get some idea of what exactly Inoue's problem was, but it was still rather vague. “No kind words exchanged, then?”

 

“She's...” Inoue sniffled. “She's grown up so much. She's...she's become a beautiful young woman.” He was smiling a bit through the tears. “And she's still alive so far, even though all that horror, I-I couldn't be prouder. I just...” He bit back a few more gasps. “She probably hates me, and— And I can't— I can't even say that she's wrong. She has the right to hate me. I'm a disgrace. But I just— I just want to tell her I'm _sorry,_ Doctor. I want to tell Chihaya that I'm sorry that her father is such a wreck. That I'm sorry I ruined her life.”

 

Chi...'haya?' Huh. “...Do you think she's going to hate you?” Ijuuin asked.

 

“How could she not?” Inoue said, his voice hoarse. He took another swig of his water. “All this time, she's been hiding herself because of me, for _my_ sake. I stole ten years of her life away, Doctor. Ten years! The— Such an important time in her life, and it all vanished because of _me!_ Because I was— Because I was too weak to—!” He gritted his teeth, and began crying again.

 

“Calm down.” Ijuuin reached out and put his hand on his shoulder. “You can't tell me what you need to tell me if you can't say it.”

 

“Doctor, I—” Inoue gasped, staring Ijuuin straight in the face. His face was red and wet with tears. “I have to tell you something very, very important. It's so— It's— If I do anything in my life, it's that I need to tell someone this. Someone who isn't working for my father, someone who isn't being paid to try to placate me.”

 

“Speak.” Ijuuin said.

 

“Chizuru Inoue—my daughter—is dead.” Inoue said. He went cold. “She died ten years ago. For the past ten years, her twin sister, Chihaya, has been pretending to be Chizuru so as not to upset my mental state, on request from my parents. She's done all she could to keep me from breaking down completely.” He gave a shuddering gasp. “For the past ten years, I've genuinely believed her to be her dead sister, and forced her to remain in the act as all of her peers grew up around her. I've inflicted irreparable damage upon... God, I...!” He gritted his teeth again. “My own daughter, and I stole her life!”

 

Ijuuin looked down at his coffee, then back up at Inoue. He weighed his own opinions on the matter. This was, of course, a ridiculously heavy thing to just drop in a stranger's lap, but it was that same outside perspective that Inoue was looking for. “Is that the extent of your message?” Ijuuin said.

 

Inoue sighed. “Yes, Doctor, I—” He closed his eyes. “I think it is.”

 

“Well, we in the business have a term for situations like that,” Ijuuin said. “'Right fucked.'”

 

“Ah—?” Inoue's breath caught in his throat. “Um, Doctor—?” Maybe Miki was awake.

 

“She's heard worse.” Ijuuin said. “Now, I can give you two opinions. My opinion as a doctor, and my opinion as a father. Which do you want first?”

 

“Er, doctor's opinion, please.” Inoue said.

 

“This is clearly causing you significant physical and mental strain, and you may have already seriously hurt yourself by coming to see me, if your symptoms are that bad.” Ijuuin said. “After this conversation, go back to bed, _immediately._ You are unwell and need bed rest. All the clarity in the world won't do you much good if you give yourself an aneurysm trying to keep it up.”

 

“But I—!” Inoue began.

 

“Think about your daughter, for god's sake.” Ijuuin spat. “Do you think she'd be happy to get out of that hell alive only to find her father had keeled over before he could even give her the first 'hello' he's given her in ten years? Whether she forgives you or hates your guts, it doesn't mean shit if she doesn't get the chance to tell you that.”

 

Inoue was silent as Ijuuin continued. “Do you really know how she's felt these past ten years? How she really feels about you? No, you don't, because you haven't seen her a single time. If you really want to stop being such a disgrace of a father, my opinion, as a father, is don't worry about whether or not you'll keep your clarity. If you've come out here to tell me, then somehow I doubt you'll be losing it again. So, get the hell out there when they rescue the kids and you be the first person to greet her. You tell her how much you've missed her, and listen to her chew your ass out for being psychologically infirm for ten years, if it comes to that. And both of you can chew out your parents, if it comes to that! If anyone deserves it, it's probably them!”

 

“...Do you...” Inoue huddled into his arms. “Do you really think...that Chihaya will want to see me?”

 

“Frankly?” Ijuuin snorted. “I think there's probably nobody in the world she'd rather see.”

 

After a moment, though he was still shaking, Inoue nodded. “Ah... Yes, you're...you're probably right.” He tapped his head. “Oh, my— My headache has gone down a bit, thank you, Doctor.” The frantic man did his best to smile. “I— I should be off, then. Um. Good night, Doctor.”

 

“Good night,” Ijuuin said back, a bit sardonically. That was quite a guy, he thought, as Inoue left out the door he'd come in through.

 

“I hope he and his daughter get to see each other again.” Miki said. “Please shut up. I'm trying to sleep.”

 

“Of course.” Ijuuin said.

 

* * *

 

 

“Whoahoho, trip, dude, now that’s fancy footwork if Gav’s ever seen some!”

 

Saburo spit out a bit of blood, and flung some off his hand, too. Whether it was his own blood or someone else’s, he wasn’t quite sure. It could’ve been. It could’ve also been one of the eight bastards he’d just laid out on the — Wait. Eight? There had been—

 

“Watch out!” Saburo shouted, turning on his heel towards the oddly-dressed boy who’d come into the alley, and leaping past him to plant a fist directly into the face of the punk who was coming up behind him. The cracking of the punk’s nose and teeth, beneath the raw stinging of bare flesh striking bone, told Saburo that his aim was as good as ever. Hopefully, none of these idiots were dead. He panted, a bit more blood splattering his face now. Nine guys was still a lot.

 

“The way you launched outta that dude’s clutch hold like it was a stick’a butter?!” The weirdo said. Why was he talking like that? “Freakin’ bananas, dude!” He flung his arms wide.

 

“You realize they could’ve killed you, right?” Saburo said. He rolled his eyes. This guy was clearly an incredibly massive idiot.

 

“Bro! Bro! Dude! Man!” The weirdo continued hollering. “Yo, white hair, kinda stripey, surly as heck, dude, you the one they call the Raging Wolf of Minami? Uhhh, Saburo Kirihito, yeah?” He stuck his hand out. “Dude, good to meetcha! Name’s Gavin! Gavin Sakaki.”

 

Saburo looked down at Gavin’s outstretched hand, and immediately readied himself to continue the fight. “Gavin, huh? Fine. Let’s go.”

 

“Huh?” Gavin said, scratching his head. “Whatchu talkin’ bout, my dude? I don’t wanna fight, man.” He chuckled. “For real, dude, Gav’s actually back here lookin’ for his dog, yeah? Ruff Ruffhouseman—” This guy named his dog _what?_ “—ran off cause he saw a UFO or somethin’, yeah? An’ like, can’t go back to the hotel without him, dude. We’s on vacay, see, and— Y’know?”

 

Staring blankly, Saburo began to lower his stance. “So you’re not here for a fight.”

 

“Trip, man, you’d kick my butt!” Gavin laughed. “Even if Gav weren’t a lover-notta-fighter, what kinda dope would pick a fight with you after you took on all those dudes like that?”

 

“...Alright.” Saburo lowered his fists. “I can help you look for your dog, I guess. I know the backstreets here pretty well.”

 

After searching for a few hours, Saburo learned that this was a mistake. Gavin Sakaki, as it turned out, was a very chatty man. In between telling wild tales about how his dog, who apparently spoke Russian, had once defeated a bear in straight combat, he was annoyingly insistent on trying to learn more about Saburo. “So, the Raging Wolf of Minami, eh?” Gavin said, as they walked in the maze between the buildings. The clouds were pretty heavy, so it was possible it would rain soon, and Ruff Ruffhouseman might be left out.

 

“I’ve heard people call me that.” Saburo said.

 

“Number one street fighter in alla Japan, they say.” Gavin said. “Never lost a fight! Can’t find a hold he can’t break! Prolly killed a dozen people!”

 

“I’ve only killed one person intentionally.” Saburo said, gritting his teeth. “Stupid bastards blowing everything out of proportion.”

 

“He deserve it?” Gavin asked.

 

“Killed four children, tried to kill me and four others,” Saburo said. His entire body shook at the memory of Zero’s bloody body beneath his fists.

 

“Sounds like he deserved it.” Gavin nodded.

 

Saburo had always been a surly little bastard, but after the Nonary Game, when his complete lack of a family had been thrown into the spotlight, the anger he held within himself exploded. While his friend Yun was working towards obtaining an apartment of his own, it was a far way off, and Saburo didn’t nearly have his discipline. He didn’t feel right bumming off of anyone else’s relatives, either, so he just naturally wound up on the streets.

 

People with poor attitudes found each other on the street, was how it always worked out. It wasn’t like Saburo liked to fight, but as a few brawls got underway, eventually, people picked up word of the kid they called the Raging Wolf of Minami. It was true that Saburo had an incredible talent for escape, or something like that, but god, it pissed him off how much people just loved to plant their faces right into his fists.

 

“...And so I take the pins— Don’t talk much, eh, dude?” Gavin asked, patting Saburo on the back. Saburo flinched. “Ah, sorry-dorry, my dude.” Gavin threw up his hands. “My bad!”

 

“Does it not bother you that I’ve still got blood all over my clothes?” Saburo leered at him. “Your parents will probably wonder what the hell happened to you.”

 

Gavin shrugged. “No big. You mean-muggin’ me is way scarier, dawg!” He laughed.

 

The odd boy who looked like he’d stepped out of a Hollywood disaster had just happened to wander into the middle of the brawl, with either no concern for his own safety or actually being too distracted looking for his dog for him to notice. Having never had a pet, Saburo didn’t exactly get the appeal. “Seriously. Do you not have any nose for danger?” Saburo scowled. “You’re a real idiot.”

 

“Naw, dude, Gav just had a feelin’ like he needed to come this way’s all.” Gavin said. “Like, a new pal was waitin’ to be made- and here you are, bro! And you saved my life outta the goodness of your heart. Ain’t no better way to bond, am I right? I’m right.”

 

That sort of chill was something Saburo couldn’t help but admire, though he’d never say it aloud. He’d had a raging fire burning in him for so long, he wasn’t sure how to quell it at all. Sometimes he wondered how soon he would burn out.

 

“Oh!” Gavin pointed at a car in yet another alleyway, where a goofy-looking schnauzer was sitting in the back seat, silently barking at the two boys through the back window. “It’s him! Ruff Ruffhouseman!” The two ran up to the car, to find it locked. “How’d you even get in there, doggo?” He was sweating, and his eyes were darting about. “Aw, trip, man, uh, what we do?”

 

“All that matters is we need to get him out, right?” Saburo said. He closed his eyes, and began to breathe. This was simple. Just a car. Of course, he wasn’t exactly sure how to communicate how to escape to a dog. “Can he follow orders?”

 

Gavin jumped, and his eyes widened. “Aw, yeah, man, just tell me! Gav speaks dog.” Gavin said. _What?_ “C’mon, dude, let’s do it!”

 

A few harrowing minutes later, Gavin, who did in fact speak dog, had managed to convey Saburo’s instructions to Ruff Ruffhouseman, who had escaped the car. The dog was now in Gavin’s arms, as Saburo and Gavin, under an umbrella, walked back to Gavin’s hotel. “Trip, dude, you got quite the chill.” Gavin said. “Gav was kinda wiggin’ there, but you held it together, my dude.”

 

“Chill? Me?” Saburo scoffed. He was holding the umbrella, of course. “As if. I’ve never had a chill bone in my body.” He rolled his eyes.

 

“‘S not what I see, man.” Gavin said. “Trip, that buggin’ you or somethin’? You was ice cold when we was gettin’ Ruff Ruffhouseman outta that car.” The dog helpfully barked. “He done saw it, too!”

 

“So what?” Saburo shrugged. “I’ve got a bit of a history with escaping locked rooms and shit like that. I can’t always be escaping.” He shook his head. Why was he talking so much to this idiot?

 

“Huh,” Gavin said. “Always seems to me like there a lotta stuff you can escape from in life. Ain’t parkourists escapin’ from goin’ slow?”

 

The two were sitting on a bench now in the rain, beneath the umbrella.

 

“What good does that do me?” Saburo said. “I’m pissed off. It’s not like I can help it. People keep going up to me and wanting me to kick their asses. It’s not like I have a home I can go to.”

 

“No?” Gavin said. He crossed his arms, while Saburo held the umbrella. “Trip, man, that’s rough. How long you been on the street?”

 

“Two years now.” Saburo said. “I was in an orphanage before that, but I can’t stay in an orphanage if I’ve killed a guy, no matter how much he deserves it.”

 

“Trip,” Gavin sighed. “Kid our age on the street that long? Tha’s wack, man.” Then, he lit up. “Yo, Saburo. You pretty good at escapin’, yeah?”

 

“I suppose.” Saburo said. “Why?” He turned his head, to find Gavin on his cell phone.

 

Gavin held up a finger to silence Saburo, and spoke. “Yo. Yo, yo, Otoichi, my dude! My magic man! My mystical bro! Act goin’ alright?” Pause. “Aw, yeah, them’s the big bucks. Listen, I mighta found you someone to help your act, man.” Pause. “Yeah, no foolin’! We just met today, but he’s a good dude, bit of an anger issue but he can get past it, just a teen boy’s indiscretion and whatnot, yeah? Guy by the name ‘a Saburo Kirihito.” Pause. “Yeah, dude, he opened a locked car from the outside, dude can break outta any hold— Yo Saburo, can you like, untie yourself?”

 

“What am I tied with?” Saburo said. “Ropes? Chains? The answer is probably yes.”

 

“Dude is real good at untying himself and stuff, I betcha he’d make a great escape artist for your circle, dude!” Pause. “Mm, same age as me, I think.” Pause. “Dude’s living off the street, man.” Pause. “A’ight, cool, one sec.” He looked back at Saburo. “Whassa good address to reach you at, dude?”

 

“What are you doing?” Saburo raised an eyebrow.

 

“Gettin’ you a job interview to escape professionally, man!” Gavin laughed. “Uh, see, this dude’s like, an up-and-comin’ magician leading a little circle, yeah, but escape artistry is their big weakness. Figured, hey! Put one and one together!”

 

“...You just happen to know a magician who’s looking for an escape artist?” Saburo said, his eyes widening. Gavin shrugged and grinned goofily. “Um... In front of the Kasadera Kannon, I guess.”

 

“Kasadera Kannon, my man. In Minami. Nagoya.” Gavin said back into the phone. Pause. “Coo’, coo’! I’ll come too, man, so’s I can introduce you.” Pause. “Lates! Hope it works out!” He hung up. “So, let’s jet, my dude!”

 

“Jet?” Saburo blinked, still a bit baffled. “To where?”

 

“Uhh, to my hotel, dude.” Gavin said. “I’ll spot you a room, I gotta bitta extra scratch.”

 

“We just met _today._ ” Saburo gaped. “And you’re offering to give me a room for the night, and you’ve just landed me a job offer to put my talents to constructive use that isn’t constantly having to beat the shit out of people.” A vein in his temple throbbed. “What is your _deal?_ ”

 

Gavin shrugged. “You saved my hide, kept me company, and helped out me and Ruff, yeah?” He smiled again. “Friend’s a friend! Now, c’mon, gotta introduce you to my folks.” He stood up, but then his head ran into the umbrella. “Uh, you gotta stand up, Saburo.”

 

“Uh... Right.” Saburo said.

 

* * *

 

 

“...buro? Saburo!”

 

Waking up to a nice young lady like Kotone staring at him from above was probably something that would excite people who were a bit more excitable than Saburo was these days. “Oh,” Saburo said, slowly opening his eyes from his noon nap. “Hey, Kotone. What is it?”

 

“So, I’ve been feeling like I thought you looked familiar.” Kotone said. “So I asked Ruri, and... You’re totally the Shining Otoichi’s assistant, aren’t you?!” Her eyes were glowing as Saburo sat up.

 

“Hm? Old man Otoichi? Yeah.” Saburo shrugged. “Why?”

 

“Dude!” Kotone grabbed onto his hand. “You know I love stuff like magic and the circus and all that, and you didn’t even tell me?!” She shook it intensely.

 

“Huh?” Saburo blinked. “Oh... You do?” He yawned. “Sorry. Musta slipped my mind or something. You never struck me as the magic sorta girl.”

 

“No, seriously, it’s always been a hobby of mine.” Kotone said, sitting down at the coffee table in Reiko’s office. The Attorney, no doubt, was probably off comparing notes with Ruri. “I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you until now! I’m getting sloppy!”

 

“What, do you, like...” Saburo chuckled. “Have trading cards or something?” He looked around, and decided to make sure. “Where’s everyone else?”

 

“Blake, Ruri, Natsuhi, and Reiji are off triangulating the positions of the radio towers The End is using now that we have another one to deal it with... or something.” Kotone shrugged. “The technical aspects of the whole investigation thing have never really been my strong suit.”

 

“Ah.” Saburo nodded. He stood up. “Well, I probably won’t be much help either.” He sniffed a bit, and looked around. “Hm.”

 

“Something up?” Kotone said.

 

“Trying to decide what I’m in the mood for,” Saburo said. He rubbed his chin, and then snapped his fingers. “Ice cream. Gonna go get myself some ice cream.”

 

“Oh, you’re gonna leave?” Kotone asked. She stood up, too, and quickly pulled out her phone and hammered out a text message. “Can I come with?”

 

Saburo shrugged. “I don’t see why not. The more the merrier, right?” He tapped his foot a bit. To use the door, or use the window? ...Wait, this was the fourth floor. Probably safer to use the door, then, if someone else was tagging along.

 

After a bit of a walk, Saburo and Kotone stepped off of the Hope’s Peak campus and into Rokumei City proper. There were cars buzzing about; it was the middle of the day, after all. Saburo had looked around here a bit on his way in, and seemed to remember finding an ice cream place somewhere nearby. It had been noon when he’d last passed that ice cream place, a reasonably straight shot to Hope’s Peak, and by the time he’d reached Hope’s Peak, the sun was in front of him, which meant that it waaaas... “That way.” He clapped, and started walking off.

 

“Uh, that’s pretty vague, where exactly are we going?” Kotone walked slightly ahead of him, occasionally slowing herself down to keep pace with him.

 

“The ice cream place I passed on the way in,” Saburo said. He leaned against a crosswalk, waiting for the signal to go. “It’s this way.”

 

“What, you just remember that?” Kotone said, her eyes a bit wide.

 

“Yeah.” Saburo shrugged. “People tell me I’m good at keeping maps in my head or something. I just think I know where I’m going.”

 

Kotone chuckled, blushing a bit. “When I’m going unfamiliar places, I’m way too reliant on my GPS. I’m not too great at going off the beaten path.”

 

“Because you’re used to running on the beaten path?” Saburo chuckled.

 

“Yeah, basically.” Kotone shrugged. “I’m not the super genius of our little power duo, so if I need to get somewhere, usually I can just ask Ruri if I really need to.”

 

“Friends are nice.” Saburo said. They passed a few people on the street as they walked. The unseasonal April snow a bit ago had left the ground still a bit wet, but it was nothing terrible. “Turn here.” He turned left.

 

“Oh, whoa, hold on!” Kotone had gotten a bit ahead of him, and had to turn on her heels to catch up. “Am I fast or are you slow? Seriously.”

 

“You’re fast.” Saburo said. “You run.”

 

“You could also be slow, though.” Kotone said. “I mean, you’re like a monolith sometimes, man. I have no idea how someone gets to be as chill as you.”

 

Saburo shrugged. “I wasn’t always. Personally, though, I like myself better this way.” He smiled. “Feels nicer not being so mad.”

 

“You? Mad?” Kotone scoffed. She looked him up and down. “I can barely imagine you being seriously mad.”

 

“Eh, well.” Saburo shrugged again. He smiled at her. “I was actually dreaming about my old street fight days. You ever feel the sting of flesh on flesh?” He waved his hands at her. “It made me feel aliiiiiive, Kotone. I liiiived for the _rush_ of combat.”

 

“Yeah, sure thing, tough guy.” Kotone rolled her eyes and smiled.

 

A few minutes later, they were seated outside said local ice cream place, whose name Saburo hadn’t actually registered. Saburo wasn’t much for cones, so he’d just gotten his ice cream in a bowl, and it seemed like Kotone either agreed or felt like conforming, as she had, too. She’d gotten mint chocolate chip. Saburo, on the other hand, had a taste for peach. Thankfully, the area didn’t seem to be particularly interested in on listening in on their conversation.

 

“So.” Kotone said. “You’ve been kidnapped before and put into a death game.”

 

“Yup.” Saburo said, then placed place his spoon into his mouth. Mm. Cold.

 

“That’s pretty messed up.” Kotone said. She took a spoonful of her own ice cream. “Oh man, this hits the spot. So what happened to the guy who did it?”

 

“He’s dead.” Saburo said.

 

“Mm.” Kotone nodded. “You know, there’s something I’ve been wondering about, Saburo. Might be kind of personal, though. You mind?”

 

“Nah.” Saburo shrugged. “Shoot.”

 

“So, I know this wound up turning out to be related to you.” Kotone said, waving her spoon about a bit as she spoke. “But you came here at first just trying to rescue one of your friends, right?”

 

“Yup.” Saburo said.

 

“What kind of guy is this Gavin that you’d come this far for him?” Kotone said. She crossed her arms. “I mean, I came out here for Ruri, so I can understand, but I’m curious.”

 

“Well, I’m curious why you’d come all the way out here for Ruri.” Saburo grinned. “You never answered me and Blake while we were out investigating.”

 

Kotone’s eyes widened briefly, and then she looked down into her bowl. “Oh, um... Well...”

 

“Did she save you?” Saburo said. Kotone’s reaction told him that he was right on the mark. “Because Gavin saved me. That’s why he’s important to me.”

 

“Well, you know...” Kotone stammered. “I just...”

 

“I think I’ve gathered a decent gist of it,” Saburo said. “You stop me if you want me to quit talking, okay? I just figure, since we’re friends and all in a dangerous situation, might help to talk about these things... or something.” He shrugged. “So, it’s pretty easy to tell from how you reacted to Mr. Shigure’s situation. Was it the earthquake?”

 

Kotone was a native of Okinawa, and five years ago, a massive earthquake had struck the southern half of Okinawa. These two facts fit neatly together. She nodded, confirming his suspicions. From there, it was an easy leap to assume that Kotone had probably lost quite a bit in the earthquake. “Another orphan?” Saburo said.

 

“When the earthquake hit, I pretty much lost everything.” Kotone said, taking a bite of her ice cream. There was a distant look in her eyes. “All my family, most of my friends, the whole town I grew up in, you can hardly even find it on a map anymore. So-”

 

“You ran.” Saburo said.

 

“All across Okinawa.” Kotone affirmed. “I didn’t know where to go, so I just kept running and running and running. I think I made the news a few times. But no matter how far I ran, I couldn’t see anyone anymore. I really just... felt completely hopeless, you know?”

 

“Yeah, I think I know the feeling.” Saburo nodded.

 

“I was at the top of a building when it happened.” Kotone said. “I spent a few months just running and running all around Okinawa, but eventually I stopped, and looked around, and there was nothing. Just a bunch of rubble and broken buildings everywhere. Not a person in sight. I think it was an area that had gotten hit really hard by the earthquake, and they hadn’t managed to reconstruct it yet. And, you know, for a second, I thought, maybe it would be better if I were dead, too. Why did I live while everyone else died?”

 

“A lot of people might think that there’s a sort of ‘destiny’ behind things like that.” Saburo leaned back, and took another bite of his ice cream. “Like, the reason you didn’t die is because there was something left you had to do.”

 

“Do you think that?” Kotone asked.

 

Saburo tapped his chin with his spoon and then shrugged. “I donno, probably just random chance. Happens.”

 

“So, then, when I was at my lowest, when I was about to end it all...” Kotone said. “Well, then Ruri showed up on the top of that same building. I heard the click-clack of footsteps behind me and I turned around and saw one of the strangest people I’d ever seen. She had this ridiculous hair, was wearing a cape and had a parasol out when it was cloudy, and it was specifically a parasol, too, it couldn’t possibly block rain. And she says, ‘What are you doing out here? Don’t you know it’s going to rain?’”

 

“And, before you know it, you’re wrapped up in this weirdo’s world, and the strangest thing is you like it, right?” Saburo said.

 

“I’m pretty average in most ways, y’know.” Kotone said. “I mean, I can run, but other than that, there’s not really much special about me. But it’s like Ruri is so special that she needs someone to _be_ average to keep her from floating off into space, and so I stay grounded keeping her grounded, you know?” She shrugged. “I mean, I’ve gotten back on my feet. I had relatives from outside Okinawa, so I’m living with them now. And I couldn’t have done it without Ruri there to give me something to live for for a while, you know?”

 

“What was _she_ doing out in Okinawa, anyhow?” Saburo asked.

 

“You know what? I have no idea!” Kotone smiled and shrugged. “I’ve never asked, she’s never told me. Neither has her father.” She took another bite of her ice cream. “It’s just one of those things I might never know. So, what about you? What kind of guy is this Gavin?”

 

“Well, Gavin’s the kind of guy who loves pretty much everyone.” Saburo said. “He has the biggest heart you’ve ever seen, but it makes him act pretty stupid sometimes. You have no idea how many times I’ve been wrapped up in some harebrained shenanigans because of that guy.” He looked up towards the sky. “The sorta thing I think he’d need, not that you asked, but, I think the guy needs someone to help him remember that he wants things, too.”

 

“Ohh, a chronic good samaritan?” Kotone nodded in understanding. “That’s tough.”

 

“Yeah. It’s tough.” Saburo said. “Idiot that he is, I think he doesn’t realize how much he can worry the people around him sometimes. Or maybe it’s just me.” He sighed, and his shoulders slumped a bit. “But he’s also stubborn as a mule. He won’t go looking for someone who’ll help him remember that he wants things, it’ll just happen. And I wanna make sure that he doesn’t kick the bucket before it does.”

 

“Good stuff!” Kotone nodded. “So what did he save you from?”

 

“The endless, lonely road of street combat and the perils of homelessness.” Saburo said.

 

“Wait.” Kotone blinked. “Seriously? You? A street fighter? That wasn't a joke?”

 

“And pretty tough if I do say so myself.” Saburo said. He smirked a little. “I could still probably beat you in a fight if I wanted to.”

 

“Eh-heh, let’s not try.” Kotone leaned back a bit. “I’m a runner, not a fighter.”

 

“And these days, I’m a sleeper.” Saburo agreed. Mm. Man, ice cream ruled.

 


	57. Day 19, Phase 2 - A Cowardly Woman Gets an A for Effort

 

“Guilt.”

 

Shinobu and Zero sat, back to back, in a dark room, its walls a sickly orange. “In many ways, guilt is what has long driven you, Shinobu.” Zero said.

 

“Zero.” Shinobu said.

 

“Perceived guilt over the death of your parents, for instance.” Zero said. “In many ways, you believe your own character to be something built out of guilt, guilt which drives you to isolate yourself despite your obviously social nature. You live alone by choice, but weep at your own inability to give a good first impression.”

 

A spotlight, from above, lit up a doll on the ground, in front of Shinobu... Or rather, a doll _of_ Shinobu, her purple locks and the tour dress she was no longer able to wear, at the moment, unmistakable. It lay on the ground, prone. “But is this doll truly you? Is the character of Shinobu Koshimizu a woman pretending to be this person to isolate herself, or isolating herself despite the fact that she is that person?”

 

“Meaning?” Shinobu asked.

 

“What do you love most in life, Shinobu?” Zero asked.

 

“That's simple.” Shinobu said. “My fondest passion in life is, and always will be, the art of mystery.” She chuckled. “The art of the most noble game one can play with one's readers. You own a few of my works, no? Certainly you've read them. What did you think?”

 

“Wonderful works.” Zero said. “Despite your youth, you are an author unparalleled, with an understanding of your craft that goes beyond your surface-level homage to the era of the Victorian.” There was a pause. “Tell me, Shinobu. Are you who you are because you love mystery, or do you love mystery because of who you are?”

 

Without skipping a beat, Shinobu spoke. “This question has no answer. It's a cyclical question, a snake eating its own tail. Mystery is my life.”

 

“And you love that life, yes?” Zero said. “You love this world of ours. You have a passion for others that, even when isolating yourself, drives an entire community to love you, the public to enjoy the zest of your works, to clamor for more whether they win or lose against you.”

 

“Other people are mysteries in and of themselves,” Shinobu said. “It's a somewhat reductionist phrasing of the idea, but what are people, but games a soul puts forth to the world and asks to be solved? Mystery, in a sense, is a microcosm of the human condition. The desire to know more about another is the same as the desire to know whodunit. How can one write a mystery if they do not love? A mystery born not of love, but of hate, or worse, ambivalence, would be very poor indeed.”

 

“Then why do you still remain alone?” Zero said. “If you love people so much, why would you isolate yourself?”

 

“If you have been watching this entire game, as I am certain you have, then you know very well,” Shinobu said. “I am afraid of losing those close to me again, in a similarly brutal method.”

 

“But is that all there is to it?” Zero said. “Is there nothing else?”

 

“I understand myself very well, thank you.” Shinobu said, gritting her teeth. “You may have felt the need to yammer on at Gavin, but I'll have you know that I'm aware of my own problems.”

 

“What are you going to do after the game is over?” Zero said.

 

Shinobu went quiet. “I suppose, return to my apartment and finish my manuscript.”

 

“And nothing else?” Zero said. “There's nothing else you wish to do? No ways in which you want to improve your life?”

 

“Will you spit out exactly what it is you're trying to say already, for god's sake?” Shinobu hissed. “Say something instead of asking questions.”

 

“The thing you are most afraid of, Shinobu,” Zero said, “is responsibility.”

 

The room went quiet for a moment. “Hm. Interesting.” Shinobu said. “How do you figure?”

 

“What do you do to yourself?” Zero said. “You claim responsibility only when it is something that justifies peoples' image of you as an eccentric hermit. You took responsibility for the death of your parents, but credit your recovery not to yourself, but to Sherlock Holmes. You claim responsibility for your own isolation, that it was a defense mechanism- and yet you never say just how hard you no doubt had to work in order to live alone at your age, the untold hours of strife you gave to carve out your niche. It was a life choice you, yourself, made, but you would rather wave it away and make it seem as though you simply hid in a hole to keep your problems away.”

 

“So... You're saying I should give myself more credit.” Shinobu said. “Fascinating.”

 

“I'm not done yet.” Zero said. “You also do not claim responsibility for your poor first impressions. You know very well that you come across as far too aggressive, but have you truly made an effort to combat this, or is it something you would rather use so that the responsibility of a relationship is on the other, to see past your front? Is it fair to ask others to solve you if you do not give them an honest picture of the rules?”

 

“I—” Shinobu began.

 

“You weren't telling her the truth.” Zero said. “You lied to Nanako. Why?”

 

“...When exactly do you mean?” Shinobu said.

 

“You had always intended to confess your love that night,” Zero said. “That had been your plan the entire time. The alcohol had nothing to do with it.”

 

The room went quiet again. “So you knew,” Shinobu said. “Perceptive.”

 

“The shochu was an excuse,” Zero continued. “You drank not to give yourself that courage, but to absolve yourself of responsibility. You selfishly placed the responsibility in your relationship on Nanako, made her responsible for you, because you were afraid of openly taking the reins. A relationship with such an outgoing girl would certainly get you out of your own shell, but you never take responsibility for your own agency, so naturally, she needed to lead you by the hand, rather than the two of you walking together equally.”

 

“...It's frightening,” Shinobu said. “When I see her smile, every time, I feel pangs of guilt. I've _lied_ to her. Our relationship is built on a false pretense.” She laughed to herself. “I must seem rather pathetic. For all my bluster, I can't even work up the courage to be honest when I tell a girl I love her.”

 

“Indeed,” Zero said. “And as you did, it led her to make a promise that she should not be making in good faith.”

 

“Well...” Shinobu grasped at her hair. “I did... That wasn't the promise I asked her to make. She said that, not me!”

 

“Under false pretenses.” Zero said. “False pretenses that would leave her unaware that she was not making that promise in good faith. Did you really try to stop her?”

 

There was a pause.

 

“And?” Shinobu said. “What would you have me do?”

 

“What would you have yourself do?” Zero said. “You face, as always, a choice, Shinobu. A choice to accept your responsibility, or to dodge it once more. But what do you believe your responsibility is?”

 

“If it is all as you say...” Shinobu sighed. “Then I believe I know. I have no doubt you would rather I say it out loud, though.”

 

“You understand correctly.” Zero said.

 

“When I made that decision, that was under the impression that Nanako, too, was sixteen years old, a person of equal or perhaps better worldliness to myself.” Shinobu said. “But... I've come to realize that I've made a mistake. Though I was unsure at the time, I forced the responsibility of tearing me out of my shell onto one who has never left her own home.” She was tearing up now, and there wasn't any stopping that. “Zero?” Shinobu awkwardly grabbed at her own arm.

 

“Yes?” Zero said.

 

“I truly do love her.” Shinobu said. “At least, I believe so. For one such as me, and in such a short time, it is hard to fully understand my own feelings. In a sense, I...” She chuckled. “I envy Nanako her ability to simply accept her own. She's the sort of girl who lives in the moment, isn't she?”

 

“There's no doubt of that.” Zero said. “Far different from all of us cerebral types, who can't help but think for too long to say how we feel. As a result, though, sometimes she charges on without considering the implications.”

 

“I know.” Shinobu nodded. “If I wish for our relationship to truly be equal, I cannot allow her to take on the burden of the anchor. I have...” She shuddered slightly. “I have to tell her that I can't let her keep her promise. That she can't know that she won't find someone else, out there in the world that she's never seen. That as much as it meant to me that she went that far, our relationship can't be like that.”

 

“Be honest with her,” Zero said. “Be honest about your fears. Don't let her lead you along, charging blindly ahead to a future she can't see. If you truly want to vanquish the Vampire Killer once and for all, then take her hand and guide her forward to a bright future.”

 

“You say it as though it's so easy.” Shinobu said. “I must admit, though, I do find it quite curious that you'd be so invested in this. What runs through your mind, I wonder?”

 

“It isn't too long now until the game is over.” Zero said. “If you wish, you may know then. Until then, help your friends as best you can. Become the responsible adult I'm sure you can be.”

 

Shinobu stood up, and turned around. Zero was gone. There was a door out of the room, leading to Confessional Hall. Shinobu took a step forward, and then couldn't help herself from taking a moment to hyperventilate about the upcoming conversation.

 

* * *

 

 

There was a tap on her shoulder, and Nanako flung off the ground, looking around rapidly, her antenna twitching, as she scanned for threats. “Alright, who's there? You wanna fight? You wanna fight?!” A minor bloating sensation and some lingering physical malaise had activated her fight or flight response, evidently.

 

“What are you doing?” Kazuya said, staring at her, clearly very unimpressed.

 

Nanako blinked, and then actually looked around such that she registered what she was actually seeing. Kazuya was there, and the two of them were both inside a small, dim, square room, carpeted, but without much in it. She looked down at her bracelet and clicked to be sure. 12:03. Chihaya was under a small table—the only piece of furniture in the room—holding a notepad.

 

“Uh, just making sure I was ready when I got up.” Nanako shrugged. “Could've been that I had to fight off evil... Nonary Demons or something. I don't know how this all works. Whatcha doin', Chihaya?”

 

Chihaya turned her head to face her from under the table. “I've decided it might be a good idea to put together a list of all the questions we're currently facing. You have a good memory, so help.”

 

“Righto, boss.” Nanako pumped her fist. “As the leader of N Team, it's my duty to assist my subordinates, yeah?”

 

“Do we really need a leader in a group of three people?” Kazuya asked.

 

“Group's got my first initial in the name, that means I'm the leader.” Nanako shrugged. “I don't make the rules, Kazuya.”

 

_1 - Who is The End?_

 

“Are we really any closer to figuring that out than we started?” Kazuya said. He sighed, crossing his arms, as the three of them sat in a circle. “She still seems like just one big question mark to me.”

 

“We can make a few assumptions.” Chihaya said. “Obviously, Rin Hashizawa holds some great relevance to her. There's no way that this is all just a coincidence.” She turned to Nanako. “Nanako, do you know anyone who would have it out for your mother?”

 

“For Mom?” Nanako crossed her arms, and her antenna twitched. “Umm...” She rubbed at her head a bit. “For _Mom._ I'm coming up blank, but I can't say whether that's because there aren't any or because I've lost those memories.” She gritted her teeth a bit and pondered. “Have it out for Mom. Have it out for Mom. Have it out for Mom...?” Eventually, she slumped and sighed. “No, I really don't. I feel like I should, but I don't.”

 

“Could it be that The End took your memories because you knew who they were?” Kazuya said. “After all, you're her daughter, and you live here. You probably had some idea of what all was going on, right?”

 

“Well, there was a period where Mom didn't tell me much about what was going on,” Nanako said. Her antenna leaned to the side. “I think that was pretty recent. Something off was definitely going on around Compound VK, but I'm not sure what.”

 

_2 – Who is Zero? (Are they the same person?)_

 

“That's the million-dollar question right now, isn't it?” Kazuya said. He frowned, and leaned back. “If they're not the same person, then who could Zero be? Is this a two-person job?”

 

“It's possible.” Nanako said.

 

“Whoever Zero is, they clearly had knowledge of the Nonary Game that Luan and Rin participated in.” Chihaya said. “My first guess would be one of the four survivors of that game aside from Luan, but it's possible that the prior three Nonary Games might have something to do with it if this is the Fifth.”

 

“Do we know anything about those Nonary Games?” Nanako said. Chihaya shook her head. “Yeah, I thought not.”

 

“All we know is what Shinobu said about that 'Lord Gordain' character.” Kazuya said. “How he ran them on that old cruise ship—”

 

Nanako's antenna spiked. “Wait. Right, she did say that, didn't she?” Her eyes started darting around again. “Yeah... What the heck? A cruise ship, right? Like, one that would have a wheel like in the Navigation Room, right?”

 

“From the sound of it, yes. Why?” Kazuya asked.

 

Pausing, her antenna drooping, Nanako said, “Well, uh, okay, you guys might not believe me when I say this—”

 

“Of course we're going to believe you, we've been in this situation for how many days?” Chihaya scoffed. “Just say it.”

 

“So, I've been having this recurring nightmare.” Nanako said. Chihaya's eyebrow raised. “I wake up on a cruise ship. It's really foggy, and all of us except me are dead. The first few times I had the nightmare, I didn't recognize Yashiro, but he still looked right. The navigation room in the cruise ship looked exactly like the Navigation Room here, even when I didn't remember what that looked like, either. There's a note on Yashiro's body that says something like... 'Only these seventeen people have ever been on this boat, all the deaths you've seen were murders, solve the riddle, loser.'”

 

“A recurring nightmare with that level of metaphorical significance?” Kazuya said. “Well, that can't be a coincidence.” When Nanako and Chihaya looked at him funny, he said, “Well, think about it. The cruise ship is clearly a metaphor for Compound VK itself.”

 

“Who exactly were the seventeen people, by the way?” Chihaya said.

 

“Oh, us seventeen—” Nanako stopped herself. “Wait. No, no, actually... Okay, so after I learned what your actual name was, it changed, Chihaya, so it said your name, but it did say 'Rin Hashizawa,' not 'Nanako Hashizawa.' Which is weird! That's weird, right?”

 

“Well, what's the definition of 'people?'” Kazuya said. “Is it a humanist viewpoint, so you don't count?”

 

“It could be implying that Rin, as the one person not immediately obviously present, is the culprit.” Chihaya said. “After all, you never saw her body. It's possible, in that scenario—”

 

“My mom didn't kill anyone, Chihaya!” Nanako's reaction was automatic, but it was still pretty strong. She'd barged forward in the circle, but looking around bashfully, she receded. “She's... she's not the kind of person who would do that.”

 

“You don't know that.” Chihaya said, staring Nanako dead in the eye. “You have amnesia. For all the happy memories you might have of your mother, there might be more that hide—”

 

“She's your _friend,_ isn't she, Chihaya?” Nanako pleaded.

 

After a pause, Chihaya sighed, and looked down at her crossed legs. “I'm sorry. I'm... I'm just really on edge right now.” Chihaya marked down a few details of Nanako's nightmare, and added, 'What's the nature of Nanako's nightmare?' as the third question.

 

“It's— It's fine, I... I am too, actually.” Nanako chuckled nervously. “Um, like... A lot. Actually.” The niggling reminder of those memories that had torn at her psyche from right after she'd remembered that Rin was her mother, those memories of Kojiro in tears and pain over the actions of their mother, weren't helping. No matter how much Nanako's instinct said that Rin Hashizawa wasn't that kind of person, logic seemed to be blocking her.

 

_4 – Where is Jun?_

 

Mom aside, though, there was this to consider. “I guess we haven't left this room, so we wouldn't know, but I think it's safe to assume that nobody else has found him yet.” Nanako said.

 

“I still can't believe he's gone.” Kazuya said. “I know he's not dead, but... He really is supposed to be here, isn't he?”

 

“Yeah.” Chihaya sighed. “I miss him.”

 

“'Disqualified,' though?” Nanako said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “I've never heard about this in any past killing game. What does being 'disqualified' even mean?”

 

“Jun did create a very unique scenario,” Chihaya said, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. “It might've been an improvised interpretation of the rules.”

 

“My question is, why?” Kazuya said. “Why would the mastermind need to kidnap Jun after that? Just to keep it nine-themed?” He hummed. “But then, there are more than nine gates—”

 

“Nine-themed?” Nanako asked. “What?”

 

“Oh, that's what Nonary means.” Kazuya explained. “Unary, binary, trinary, quaternary, quinary, senary, septenary, octal, nonary.”

 

“That raises the question of why the mastermind feels the need to follow their own rules, though.” Chihaya said, frowning. “There's a ridiculous number of the rules, but instead of outright breaking them, the mastermind ducks and weaves around them to make their plays.”

 

“'Plays' is an interesting way of putting that.” Kazuya said.

 

“It's true, isn't it?” Chihaya spat. “To the mastermind, this is a game, and they're playing to win. The rules clearly have some greater symbolic meaning to them if this game isn't being openly broadcast.”

 

“Ah, yeah.” Nanako nodded. “It's like... Junko Enoshima broadcast her killing game because she wanted to prove that, uh... 'Despair was better than hope...' Whatever that means.”

 

“Exactly.” Chihaya said. “One doesn't simply run an outright killing game without some meaning, without something to prove. They even had Monokuma present to give the game a bit more of a semblance of fairness and open administration. Enoshima wanted to prove her own ideology correct, so what does our mastermind want?”

 

“At the same time, though, it's clearly a rigged game.” Kazuya said. “The mastermind presents us motives that seem generic, but actually target specific people... so I guess they want to break us themselves, but make it seem like it wasn't their fault?”

 

“There's some reason they feel they have to make it a game,” Chihaya said. “They're trying to win, but we don't know who they're trying to win against, or what the stakes of the game are. Breaking us is the point of the game, but I doubt they actually care about anyone other than whoever they're trying to win against.”

 

“Well, doesn't that just make a girl feel special!” Nanako huffed.

 

“One thing is for certain: Rin Hashizawa is incredibly important to this game.” Chihaya said. “Whether she's the mastermind—and it _is_ a possibility,” she said to Nanako, who averted her gaze, “or another victim, or something else entirely, this entire game up to this point has been about her.”

 

“It doesn't really seem like a game where they're trying to beat _her,_ though.” Nanako pondered. “That doesn't feel right. You know?”

 

“I do.” Chihaya nodded. “It doesn't seem like Rin would be the mastermind's opponent...and for that matter.”

 

_5 – Where are Rin and Kojiro Hashizawa?_

 

“It does raise that question.” Kazuya hummed. “Rin is obviously strange, but... Say, Nanako. What do you remember about Kojiro?”

 

“Hmm...” Nanako rubbed her chin. “He's my younger brother, and he was constructed as a developmental aid for me a few months after I was born. He's a lot shorter than me, and I get the feeling we don't actually look much alike. Umm... Well, his personality is... It's kinda... “ Her vision went a bit vague as she recalled him. “Well, he's kind of a little stinker, you know? Very, uh... Likes pulling pranks. Harmless pranks, but pranks. He's also kind of bad at openly showing his emotions, likes to make jokes to hide them. He's really good at mahjong, I remember that, and he's a really fast typist... Actually, he's just fast in general. And...” She hummed, pulling back a few things “Oh, yeah. In one of the memories I got back, he mentioned 'important canvasses.'”

 

“As in, a canvas for drawing?” Kazuya blinked. Nanako nodded. Kazuya looked at Chihaya, who also nodded, her eyes a bit wide. “So, uh... Nanako. Can I reiterate this? Kojiro is shorter than you, doesn't much resemble you, is extremely agile, makes jokes to hide his emotions, likes pulling pranks, and highly values art supplies.”

 

“Yeah, that's about...” Nanako blinked. Wait. Wait. “Wait. Are—” She waved her hand a bit. “Are you— Are you implying what I think you're implying?”

 

“I don't know, what do you think I'm implying?” Kazuya said, a bit of a blown-out look on his face.

 

“I think you're implying that Monokuma is my little brother.” Nanako said.

 

“Well, am I wrong?” Kazuya said. Nanako crossed her arms and hummed, racking her mind for any evidence to counter this assertion.

 

“You know, I— I can't think of any reason why you'd be wrong.” Nanako blinked. Her eyes went a bit wide. “Oh. Oh man, I— What the fuuuuuuuck?” She started leaning back and staring at the ceiling. “Hold on, uh... Whoa. Whoaaaaa.”

 

“Having trouble there?” Kazuya said.

 

“Oh yeah. This is blowing my mind.” Nanako flapped her lips like a fish. Chihaya quietly wrote down, 'so Kojiro might be Monokuma??' on the list as an addendum. “Whoaaa.” Then, Nanako clicked her tongue. “...Dammit!”

 

“What's wrong?” Kazuya asked.

 

“He is, isn't he?” Nanako groaned. “Kojiro is Monokuma. He's been Monokuma the whole time. He— Uuugh, I've—” She clutched her head. “God, I— He's been right there this whole time! How could I have missed that? He's my freaking brother!”

 

“To be fair,” Chihaya spoke up, “it's not like it's easy to make a logical assumption that a human and a bear could be brothers, so you weren't playing with a full hand.”

 

“Still, though.” Nanako sighed. “And... Ugh, I've said really bad things to him.” Memories of right after Daisuke died, in particular, returned to her mind. “Aww... Guys... Guys, Kojiro is Monokuma. My baby brother is—” Then her eyes went wide, and her antenna spiked as she threw her hand up to her mouth. “Wait. Oh my god, Kojiro is Monokuma? They're—?!” Her muscles tensed as she began to quiver with rage. “What...” She stood up in indignation. “What the hell do they think they're doing to my brother?!”

 

Kazuya stood up too, and came over to put his hand on Nanako's shoulder. “Calm down, Nanako. I know—”

 

“How can I calm down!?” Nanako threw her fist into the wall. It hurt a bit. “The bastard in charge of this game has been making Kojiro sit here and watch as people get murdered right in front of him!” She swiveled on her foot and grabbed Kazuya by the shoulders, shaking him a bit. “That's horrible! He's just a kid! He's just— That fucking bastard!”

 

“Whoa, um, Nanako, uh, please—?!” Kazuya said beneath her arms, being swung around like a ragdoll.

 

“And they've—!” Nanako's rage only grew when she remembered the moments when Kojiro had appeared scuffed and bruised. “They've been beating him! They've been hurting Kojiro! They've been hurting my brother, Kazuya!” Suddenly, she let go of Kazuya and clutched at her shoulders. “Oh my god. Oh my god, Kojiro had to— He had to help Jun with— Oh my god.” She brought her hand back up to her face, sweat lining her forehead. “Oh my god. Kojiro, oh my god.” Tears began to well up in her eyes. She felt like she was going to puke. “I have to—”

 

Turn on her heels, and run out of the room. “I have to find him!” Vaguely hearing cries from behind her, Nanako bolted out the door and turned left into a hallway, passing one, two, three doors on her left before the hallway turned. “Kojiro!” She cried. There was no response. The walls' blue trimmings rang with the echo of her own voice. To the left was the door to the Central Hub, maybe— Maybe he was there! “Kojiro!” She cried again.

 

Nanako bumped into something on her way through the Central Hub, but her stride was unbroken, though whatever it was made a curious sound as it fell over. She booked it through, though, briefly ducking her head into all nine bedrooms. Okay, okay, no, G Ward was still locked, but maybe C Ward—!

 

“...Bweh?” Stopping dead in her tracks with remarkable force, Nanako took a few moments to recognize the sensation of Shinobu's lips on her own. No, that... That was definitely Shinobu, wasn't it, grabbing onto her face like a vice grip.

 

Returning to regular posture, Shinobu huffed. “Did that get your attention, or do I need to do something more? Perhaps disrobe for all of N Team to see, would that stop you from running around like an idiot?”

 

“Huh?” Nanako blinked, her senses slowly returning to her. “Shinobu?”

 

“Or perhaps that would only make you more liable to knock me down like a bull knocks down the walls of a glass house,” Shinobu said. Oh... Oh wait, that thing had been...

 

Oh.

 

“Whatever it is you're running around about, I'm certain that common courtesy can come first, Nanako.”

 

“Oh, um.” Nanako blushed and turned away, her antenna drooping. “S-sorry... Ah, b-but! But! Shinobu!” Immediately she was back on her adrenaline rush. “Shinobu, I— Oh my god, Shinobu, Kojiro, he—”

 

“Am I or am I not currently in a romantic relationship with you, Nanako Hashizawa?” Shinobu said, stamping her foot, which had the incredible effect of cowing Nanako completely.

 

“Um. You are?” Nanako squeaked.

 

“Alright, then in that case, kindly quit attempting to charge off before I'm finished speaking to you.” Shinobu frowned. “While I'm certain your brother is extremely important, I have something I need to say to you _now._ ”

 

“Oh, um...” Nanako blinked. “Right now?”

 

“ _Right now,_ ” Shinobu affirmed. “Come along. That one there is your bedroom, no?” She pointed to Nanako's door.

 

“Uh, yeah.” Nanako stammered. “Wait, Shinobu, uh, is now really—?”

 

“We are _speaking,_ not _screwing,_ I assure you.” Shinobu rolled her eyes.

 

A few minutes later, Nanako was sat awkwardly on the side of her own bed as Shinobu sat in her chair. “Are— Are you mad at me?” Nanako was still sweating a bit.

 

“Hm? Oh, I'm a bit peeved about you knocking me over, is all.” Shinobu said. “That said, Nanako, are you aware that you are quite a heavy woman? You weigh a significant amount. This is simple physics.”

 

Nanako nodded. “Yeah. Mmhm.”

 

“And I am not.” Shinobu said. “I am thoroughly reedy, as they say. A slight woman with a slight frame. I do not weigh much. This is also simple physics.”

 

“I'm following.” Nanako nodded.

 

“What I'm attempting to get at is a large, anguished cry of ' _ouch,_ ' Nanako.” Shinobu said. “That _hurt,_ so please watch where you're going in the future.”

 

Nanako looked down at her hands, embarrassed. “I'm sorry.” She said. “I'm... I'm sorry, Nobu. I was, uh...”

 

“N-Nobu?” Shinobu stammered, and out of the top of Nanako's eyes she could see Shinobu blush and look away. “Nobu.”

 

“Nobu,” Nanako repeated. “Um, so... Anyway, I... I was running around looking for Kojiro, I kinda...” She sighed. “I kinda lost my cool. Sorry.”

 

“Your close relationship with your younger brother is something to be admired, certainly.” Shinobu said, her blush receding. “However, for the time being, he has unfortunately not been confirmed to even be present in Maxwell Hall, and while I understand you are quite concerned about him, it would behoove all of us to worry about the people who are present in the here and now first and foremost.”

 

“Right, right. Yeah.” Nanako's shoulders slumped, and she sighed deeply. “Sorry. I—” She looked back up at Shinobu, who had an oddly sad look on her face. “What's wrong?”

 

Shinobu clasped her hands together. “Nanako, I didn't call you in here to talk about you running me over. I... I need to speak with you about something...very important.” She sighed, too. “You... Well, Nanako, you're less than two years old.”

 

“Huh?” Nanako blinked. “Yeah, what does that—”

 

“More pressingly, you've never left this compound for a long period of time.” Shinobu said. “While physiologically and in terms of mental acuity, you might be of an age with me, in terms of experience, of knowing the world, you are severely underdeveloped. You are sheltered.”

 

“Well, I mean...” Nanako twiddled her thumbs. “I can't really deny that. I mean...” A sudden horror gripped her heart, and she began again to sweat. “Um, S-Shinobu? You're— You're not—”

 

“Nanako, please calm down.” Shinobu said. Her voice was remarkably level. “When I first confessed my love to you, I believed that, despite your nature as a Replicant, that you were Rin Hashizawa. That you were, in fact, a sixteen-year-old girl, who had suffered a great deal in those sixteen years, but nevertheless had lived through them. With that in mind, I found your strength, your kindness towards me, incredibly moving.”

 

“Nobu!” Nanako shouted. “Nobu, what are you—?!”

 

“But...” Shinobu raised a finger to silence her. “As you and I have learned in the past two days, you are not Rin. You are Nanako Hashizawa, Rin's daughter. You were born and raised in this place, and have seldom, if at all, left. It does not mean that you are not strong, and kind, and a brilliant young woman, if one who lacks sense occasionally. But it does mean...” She sighed. “That I have a responsibility to you, as your lover.”

 

Nanako's heart calmed down. “S-so you're—” She let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. “You're— You're not dumping me.”

 

“Oh, heavens no.” Shinobu cackled softly. “I simply need to correct a power imbalance that I unknowingly placed upon our relationship. Why on earth would I break up with you less than a day after you assisted me through recovering from one of the deadliest attacks of post-traumatic stress disorder that I've ever had?”

 

“I-I donno, love is weird like that.” Nanako looked away, playing with her fingers a bit. “I mean, it just...” She slumped over. “Oh thank god, I— Oh thank god.”

 

“Nanako.” Shinobu was deathly serious. “Do you remember the promise you made to me?”

 

“Uh-huh.” Nanako nodded. There were still a few tears in her eyes. “Yeah, I do.”

 

“I cannot let you keep that promise.” Shinobu said. “For both of our sake, you must rescind it at once.”

 

“W-wait, what?” Nanako stammered, her antenna spiking. “Wha— Why?”

 

“Consider this, Nanako.” Shinobu said. “At the time of that promise, you believed yourself, in fact, to be Rin Hashizawa, no? A sixteen-year-old girl who had lived through a great deal of suffering. From that perspective, such a lofty promise is quite something to say, but there is a conceivable weight behind it, especially from one such as your mother who had loved and lost so tragically.” She paused. “You are not Rin Hashizawa. You are Nanako Hashizawa. A marvel of technology who has hardly been allowed to step outside the bounds of her own home. You are even more isolated than I have forced myself to be at times, and not of your own volition. You used those words, not knowing the effect they might have.”

 

“I'm... I'm still not sure I understand, Nobu.” Nanako said, her antenna drooping. “What do you mean?”

 

“You and I are in love.” Shinobu said. “This is an undeniable fact. However, it is also an undeniable fact that you have an incredibly small sample size from which to make a selection of a soulmate.” She adjusted her beret. “The world is quite vast, Nanako, and you will meet many people over the course of your life. If you were to meet someone far better for you than myself, how could you take action if chained by your promise to stand by me?”

 

“Wait, what?!” Nanako shouted. “Like... Wait, are you telling me to dump _you_ if it comes down to it?”

 

“Exactly right, dear.” Shinobu nodded. “Naturally, I cherish our relationship, but if something happens in your life and you find yourself to be disillusioned with me for some reason or another, I would not have you shackled to me by a promise you made in your youth. That would be cruel and unjust of me.”

 

“Buh— What?” Nanako blinked again.

 

“You and I are not a fairy tale.” Shinobu said. “We are both people, and we must act like it. If it is forever for us, all the better, but in life, there are no guarantees. If our relationship must lessen itself back to a simple friendship, or even break off entirely, then I must accept that.” She smiled sadly. “Whether it is you, or I, or both... Though, to look at you, I don't know how my flame could ever flicker out.”

 

“But—” Nanako sputtered. “But Shinobu, I-I _love_ you!” She pleaded. “But I... I don't—” She sniffled. “But I don't wanna—” When had she started crying so hard? “Shinobu.”

 

Shinobu averted her eyes, and muttered, “Oh bollocks, have I messed this up? I—” She reached her hand out. “Um, Nanako—”

 

“So— So what, you—” Nanako sniffled, and bit her lower lip. “What, you— You think you're not good enough or something? That I can't be in love with you? That—” She bit down harder. “What, that my love for you isn't _real_ just because I don't know a lot of people?!”

 

“Wha— No!” Shinobu said, her eyes widening, flailing her hands about a bit. “No, no, that's— I'm not trying to say that at all!”

 

“It sure sounds like it.” Nanako spat. “Is this— What, did Zero talk to you, put you up to this? Shinobu, I—” She sputtered. “Why are you listening to Zero instead of listening to me?!”

 

“Because I—!” Shinobu began.

 

“I don't _care_ if our relationship began under false pretenses!” Nanako cried. “My feelings are real, Shinobu! The feelings that went into me promising you to stand by you are _real!_ I'm still the same person I was then, so why are you saying this now?!”

 

“Because I'm a _coward!_ ” Shinobu shouted. Nanako was struck silent. “Because I've spent this whole time unable to face my own feelings, what the love I hold for you really means! What it truly means for me to be your girlfriend, Nanako! How can I—?!”

 

“Get over yourself!” Nanako shouted. Shinobu flinched. “Do you think that just because you're older than me means I don't have agency in this relationship? Right now, here and now, you and I are completely equal, and that's how this relationship began! If there's challenges to work through, we'll do it together, as a team, like we've done this whole time! If I—!” She sniffled and coughed a little. “I don't _wanna_ fall out of love with you, but yeah, you know, these things happen! If I can't help but love someone else, that's just how it happens! I know! But that doesn't make the promise I made to you wrong. It doesn't...” She sobbed. “It doesn't make how happy you make me now fake, or wrong. Right here, right now, I _love_ you. Isn't that all that matters?”

 

“Nanako...” Shinobu whimpered. “I—!” She put her head in her hands, and started crying, her floodgates suddenly breaking to let forth a torrent. Lurching forward, she wrapped her arms around Nanako, crying into the taller girl's shoulder. “I want to show you the world...for as long as you would have me.”

 

“...Yeah?” Nanako asked.

 

“I want to see your face light up when you witness a scenic sunset.” Shinobu said. “I want to spend those lazy, mid-evening hours after the day's work in your presence. I want to introduce you to so many people, to people I've known and written into my characters, to people even I don't already know. I want to challenge you to the games I've written, to laugh when you best me.” She sniffled. “That's all I want.”

 

“...Yeah.” Nanako said, patting her on the back. The anger in the room was dissipating. “Don't worry, Shinobu. I... I really wanna see your world, too. You know?”

 

Shinobu, whose tears had begun to dry, leaned back and looked Nanako in the eyes, her eyes still glistening with moisture. “I would feel honored to be your guide to the wide world we all inhabit, Nanako.” She smiled a bit. “Forever, if you would have me. That's what I'm really trying to say, I suppose.”

 

“Isn't that the point of a relationship?” Nanako smiled.

 

“Well, yes, but... I hated the ambiguity in the air.” Shinobu said. “It's not good for my psyche... Oh, word, I could've handled that more gently, couldn't I?”

 

“Yeah, you could've.” Nanako shrugged, but she kept on her smile. “Still, though, now I'm glad we had this talk. You?”

 

“Ah, yes, I... I believe I feel better now.” Shinobu chuckled bashfully. “I... Yes. Alright.” She breathed out, stepping away from Nanako and taking several deep breaths. “I—”

 

“I'm not taking it back.” Nanako said. “Even if I break it later, that doesn't mean I'm wrong to make it now, right?”

 

Shinobu shrugged. “I suppose not, then? You may do whatever you wish, darling.” She cackled. “Ah, but isn't that what makes you delightful at times?”

 

“What do you mean, 'at times?'” Nanako pouted. “I'm always delightful!”

 

“Oh, certainly, keep telling yourself that, dear.” Shinobu turned away, humming a little ditty. “Always-Delightful Nanako, that's what they'll call you.”

 

“Hey!” Nanako trumped over and put a hand on Shinobu's shoulder, glowering at her from behind. “I don't like the tone of your words, young lady. I think you're making fun of me!”

 

Shinobu gasped. “Me? Why, I never! Such a thing is completely beyond the pale, I haven't the foggiest how you got that impression.” She turned and grinned impishly. “...But why were you shouting about Kojiro, anyhow?”

 

“Oh!” Nanako started. “Oh, Shinobu! I— I figured out where Kojiro is! Well, um, we did. Uh, so, it turns out that Kojiro—”

 

“He wouldn't happen to be Monokuma, would he?” Shinobu asked.

 

Nanako stopped dead in her tracks. “...How did _you_ know that?”

 

“Ah, I awoke in his bedroom originally, and it logically tracked from there.” Shinobu said. “It didn't seem apropos to say anything about it while we were all present, but now that we're alone together, it seems pertinent to mention that C Team hasn't run into him, either.”

 

Shaking a bit, Nanako's rage began building again. “Shinobu... I need to find him. I need to...you know. Right?”

 

“Being an only child myself, I wouldn't say I have personal experience, but would I be incorrect in assuming that you wish to find the ne'er-do-well behind his current situation and, as they say, bash them up good?” Shinobu asked.

 

“That's a good way of putting it, actually!” Nanako said. “Bash them up good! Yeah! Bash them up good with my mad skills!”

 

“With that in mind, I should inform you that we've decided to collectively keep our gathered materials in your mother's room.” Shinobu said. “A particularly unnerving file describing some of our number and a woman we know as Girl B is currently present in said room, if it would behoove you to take a look.”

 

“Oh, yeah, that'd be a good idea.” Nanako nodded. “We should also keep the list of questions we're writing... down...” She looked around herself. “Hey, Shinobu?”

 

“Yes?” Shinobu asked.

 

“Uh... Have you seen Kazuya and Chihaya anywhere?” Nanako tilted her head to one side.

 

* * *

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

“Well, that's just great,” Kazuya said, uselessly slapping against the door to N Ward's Living Room, which had locked behind them. “You know, Chihaya, sometimes I'm not sure if Nanako is smart or really, really stupid.”

 

“The two can coexist, unfortunately.” Chihaya said, looking about the room. In looking for the wayward recovering amnesiac, the two had found an open door in N Ward. Unfortunately for them, that meant they had, evidently, unknowingly bungled into the puzzle room. It was really just Chihaya's luck, wasn't it, she sighed. “Some leader. She shouldn't make promises she can't keep.”

 

The Hashizawas' living room wasn't particularly large. A ceiling fan hung at the top of the room, above a rectangular room lined on one corner by a sofa against the wall. A not-particularly-special TV sat atop a coffee table across from the sofa, and a few windows with open blinds stared out into the ocean. There was a coat stand, what looked to be a fireplace, a reading lamp by the sofa... It was a nice place, if nothing else.

 

“Well, I think it's understandable.” Kazuya said. “It is a pretty shocking situation for her, no doubt.”

 

“She shouldn't make promises she can't keep,” Chihaya repeated. She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice, so there was an edge to it. She was off her game.

 

“You're mad about something.” Kazuya observed.

 

“I'm not mad about anything,” Chihaya lied. She crossed her arms. “I'm just on edge. We're in a dangerous situation.”

 

“I hate to say this, Chihaya, but that wasn't a very good lie.” Kazuya said. He'd sat down on the sofa. “I can feel your aura of displeasure from all the way over here. It's radiating off of you in waves.”

 

“Why is she acting like such an idiot? It's just like Nanako to charge off when we need her and only become actually competent when someone has actually died.” Chihaya growled. Whatever. If he wanted to hear. “If she would take this situation seriously for once, maybe we'd be somewhere, but instead she's spent this whole time gallivanting around, casually ignoring everything about her own lost memories and letting people die because of it.”

 

“I don't think that's quite fair,” Kazuya said. “We've seen what happens when she thinks too strongly and directly about her own lost memories, and even if she had remembered that she wasn't Rin Hashizawa, then what? What would that have changed?”

 

“We could've caught the mastermind that much faster, Kazuya.” Chihaya gritted her teeth. “If it wasn't for her, we could be out of here by now. We could've taken down Rin and been out of here.”

 

“You're still sticking to the mastermind being Rin?” Kazuya asked.

 

“If you'd like to tell me about any other possibilities, really, I'm all ears.” Chihaya said, leering at him. “Unlike Nanako, who would rather just throw out pathetic justifications and probably would follow her darling mommy off of a cliff.”

 

“You can't just present a possibility that drastic that suddenly and expect her to immediately get behind it, though.” Kazuya said. “I mean, I don't think it's impossible, either, but-”

 

“If Nanako wants to get in the way of me killing the bastard who locked us all in here and killed our friends, then I can't let her do that.” Chihaya said. “If she decides she wants to be my enemy-”

 

“Chihaya!” Kazuya slammed his hand on Chihaya's shoulder. When had he stood up? “Nanako is _not_ the enemy here. She's our friend, even if she is smart in a stupid way a lot of the time. Calm down, please.”

 

“It doesn't matter.” Chihaya shuddered. “It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter!” She launched away from Kazuya and shouted at him. “Does any of this even fucking matter?!” She swiveled and punched the wall. “I'll kill her! I'll kill The End with my own hands! I'll take the crossbow she gave me and fill her full of holes! I'll dump her in the ocean after I tear her apart just like she did to Miria! She doesn't deserve to live! She deserves to die!”

 

“Please, Chihaya—” Kazuya started, but Chihaya couldn't hold herself back. Despite her slight frame, she was pretty tough, and slammed Kazuya against the wall, glaring menacingly at him. “Ggg-guh! C-Chihaya?!”

 

“She just doesn't get it,” Chihaya muttered. Her hands began tensing, but she could hardly even see Kazuya anymore. “Nanako just doesn't get it. She doesn't get what it's like to hurt. To lose someone she cares about. She's off cavorting around like she's having the time of her life, acting like she's better than me. Oh, maybe if you'd had a better attitude, Chihaya, then maybe the love of _your_ life wouldn't have bled out on the Pantry floor!”

 

“Ch-Chihaya-ghhhkkk!” Kazuya hacked and coughed.

 

“Maybe if you had been just a bit better person, maybe you would have something to go back to!” Chihaya shouted, tightening her grip. “Maybe if you just stayed at home and were a _good_ girl like your _daddy wants you to be,_ then maybe this all wouldn't have happened to you! Now you're alone, but I won't let you do the one thing that's keeping you going because it would slightly inconvenience me! I'm such an entitled little rich girl, who can't even conceive of suffering one iota.”

 

He was struggling under her grip, but Kazuya wasn't saying anything, just making little hacking and whimpering noises from the pain. “Everyone who killed Miria should die. Wanda died, and now Rin needs to die. I'll kill her. I'll kill her, so maybe this can finally all end. Right...” Chihaya started laughing to herself. “Right. Yeah. Of course. We all must've just died then. This is all a bad dream. Maybe the people who came to the house have stabbed me, and I'm just bleeding out and dreaming about this as I die. You're not real. Nanako's not real. Compound VK isn't real. Monokuma isn't real. None of this is real. Of course, nothing like this could possibly happen, right?! You're just a figment of my imagination, _right?!_ ” She squeezed harder, and started laughing a bit under her breath.

 

“Chi-----haya-----” Kazuya was panting.

 

“It's alright, then.” Chihaya was crying. She could tell. But she was still smiling. “It's alright. I'll kill Rin and then I'll kill myself and then this nightmare can end. This horrible, horrible nightmare can finally end and I can be with Miria again. Right? I can go back to when I thought I could be alive. I can finally die again. I can finally stop being the Ultimate Ghost and just be dead. I can finally die like I should have ten years ago. I should never have even been here in the first place. I should've been dead all along. Wait, I was saying I was, wasn't I?” She was fully laughing now. “I can finally go back to Hell where I belong. I'll finally be dead with Miria. You know, Kazuya, I've appreciated you. When you asked me to teach you to dance, I appreciated that. Even if you are just a figment of my imagination, you're a good one. I'll miss you.”

 

Everything was going slower. Chihaya was struggling. “And Claus... You know, he was the first one I told I existed. He's so nervous about himself sometimes, but he has a great heart. I hope eventually he finds someone. And Luan is so sweet, but he really should speak up more.” It was getting harder for Chihaya to breathe. “And Shinobu shouldn't be afraid about improving herself. And I hope Nanako gets to see the outside... Oh, and Yashiro. He's hilarious, isn't he? So loud, and so strong. It's amazing how tough he can be at our age, isn't it? And Stella... Stella deserves so much better out of life. I hope you two are happy together, I really, really do. And Gavin...and Jun! I hope Jun decides to live in the end. Wouldn't that be nice? I miss Jun. I hope I get to see him again, too.”

 

“Chihaya... P-please...” Chihaya said. “Stop... You're choking me!”

 

“It's alright,” Chizuru said in response. “Soon, you'll be dead, and it'll all be over. Nobody has to see you anymore, Sister. You can just vanish. You can just go away forever. You can be with Miria again. Nobody else has to die.”

 

“But I don't want to die!” Chihaya shouted. “I don't want...to go away! I want to stay with my friends! I want to live!”

 

“There's nothing for you in this world anymore.” Chizuru said. “The only person who ever knew you existed is dead now, after all. There's no more reason for you to keep haunting the world. It'll be better for all of us if you just move on in peace, Chihaya. You'll be happier that way.”

 

“But, please!” Chihaya said. “You're the one who died. I'm the one who's supposed to be alive! Please, let me live!”

 

“Oh, silly Sister.” Chizuru chuckled a bit. “You always were a bit surly, weren't you?” She smiled. “You've always known that was just a lie, right? Your memories are lying to you. Father and I...” She looked down, between her outstretched arms. “We mourned you for so long. We were so sad that you died.”

 

“ _I'm not dead!_ ” Chihaya screamed. “I'm alive! I'm alive! I'm alive! Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it, go away! I'm alive! I _DON'T WANT TO DIE!_ ”

 

“This hurts me too,” Chizuru said. “It hurts me to lose you, too. But there is nothing for you here. It would be better for you to die.”

 

“But I don't want to die!” Chihaya shouted again. “I don't want to die! I don't want to die!”

 

“Sssshhhhh.” Chizuru hushed her sorrowful sister. “It's alright. You'll be happier when you accept it. You'll be so much happier. There's no point in living anymore. Just leave it all to me.”

 

“I don't want to die!” Chihaya cried. “I don't want to die!”

 

“But you want to die.” Chizuru said. “All Ghosts want to pass on. It's the nature of it all. There's nothing left for you here. Even if you escape, nobody will love you. Nobody will see you. It's all pointless. You're just a ghost.”

 

“I don't want to die!” Chihaya wailed. “No! No! No, no, let go of me! Let go of me! Don't make me go away again!”

 

“You want to go away.” Chizuru said. “I'm only doing what you want, Chihaya. What's best for everyone.”

 

She was so tired. She was so tired of everything. Everything was so exhausting. There wasn't any point in it any longer. Everything should just stop. Everything should just stop stop stop stop stop stop. “I don't want to die!”

 

“Pass on,” Chizuru said, “and leave everything to me. You don't need to hurt anymore. It's okay, Chihaya.”

 

There was no reason for her to exist. She'd spent this whole time trying to deny it, but there was no reason for her to exist. The only reason she had existed in the first place was Miria. Miria gave her life. Miria was the one who called her into being. The one who dragged her out of the depths of hell. And Miria was gone. So there was no reason to continue existing. “I don't want to die.”

 

“It's okay,” Chizuru soothed. “It's okay. It'll all be over soon. Just trust me.”

 

Outside of this Compound, she would never exist anyhow. She had never existed to begin with. Nothing was waiting for her. Only more of the same awaited her. She would only continue living a life meant for her sister. While around her, everyone flourished, she would remain in the shadows, because there was no way a ghost like her could ever become human. “I don't want to die...”

 

“I love you, Chihaya.” Chizuru smiled. “I'll miss you. I'll remember you. Father and I will always remember you. Please, rest in peace.”

 

Nothing was real. She was a ghost who believed it was a human. Everything was fake. She was hollow. There was nothing. Nothing inside of her. Nothing that could keep her going. Nothing that could justify her existence. It was over. It was all over. This sad farce of a poltergeist had no reason left to keep fooling itself. “I... I don't...”

 

“Goodbye.” Chizuru said.

 

She couldn't fight anymore. Chihaya couldn't breathe any longer. It was hopeless. Everything was hopeless. Chizuru reached out a hand, and closed Chihaya's eyes, and let go of her limp body.

 


	58. Day 19, Phase 2, Continued - The Revenant

“Chizuru?” That was Kazuya's hand on her shoulder. “Chizuru, are you alright?”

 

“Hm?” Chizuru said. “Oh, my apologies, Kazuya.” The two of them were looking at a lampshade about the Living Room, in the interest of solving the puzzle and escaping. There were odd markings on it, but they seemed to have no discernible pattern; however, through solving a puzzle with some wires, they'd found a lightbulb, and Kazuya had been screwing it in when she'd spaced out for a moment. “Please forgive me. I seem to have become a bit lightheaded.”

 

“Uh, ~~what's with the language?” Kazuya asked.~~

 

~~“Hm?” Chizuru said. “I haven't the foggiest what you mean. Is there something odd?”~~

 

~~“If...~~ ~~y~~ ~~ou want to be Shinobu for a bit, that's fine with me. Anyway,~~ the lightbulb is screwed in. I'm gonna turn it on now.” Kazuya said. He did so, flicking a switch they'd found earlier. The light from within the lampshade illuminated the markings, revealing...

 

“Dice?” Chizuru said. It was a series of six images of dice; from right to left, a six, a one, a two, a one, a two, and another one. “It adds up to thirteen,” she observed. “Is that not your room number, Kazuya?”

 

“What?” Kazuya rolled his eyes. “What could that possibly have to do with anything?”

 

Chizuru chuckled lightly. “It was merely a suggestion. You needn't be so uptight about it.” They went over to the coffee table, and opened the drawer again, unveiling the six-dice switch they'd found earlier. Since it began on the one, Chizuru clicked it left, right, right, left, left, right. The puzzle made a pleasant little chime, and a panel on the coffee table's top, where the TV had once sat before they'd moved it, flipped open.

 

“Convenient. Hopefully, this is the last one.” Kazuya said. Chizuru couldn't help but agree. The panel had a keypad, with two fields. 'INPUT 1' required six characters, whereas 'INPUT 2' required thirteen. “...Huh.”

 

“That's curious.” Chizuru said. “I do not recall finding any further hints about. Do you?”

 

“Hm.” Kazuya crossed his arms and hummed. “'INPUT,' huh?” He turned towards the TV. “Chizuru _,_ do you still have the TV remote?”

 

“I do.” Chizuru nodded, and she flicked on the TV. The aforementioned wires had been cables in and out of the TV, which had previously been non-functioning. The solution to the puzzle had found them the lightbulb, but it had also given them the remote to the TV, which they had tried; however, it seemed to just flash images at regular intervals, of certain members of the group and other individuals, so they had ignored it until now.

 

Set to 'Cable 1,' six images flashed before it repeated. First was a girl that neither Kazuya nor Chizuru knew, but her hair marked her as probably being Girl B. Next was a greyed-out image of Eriko Shigure. Yashiro followed her, in color. Kazuya himself was the next on the list, which he professed to finding a bit unnerving. Nanako was fifth on the list. Finally, Daisuke appeared in grey. Then it was back to Girl B. There were four Cables, and each flashed a series of images similar to this.

 

“There's six images and INPUT 1 is six characters.” Kazuya said. “I think these images might be the hint. That's Girl B, right?”

 

“Doubtless.” Chizuru nodded. “How exactly could we tell the code from these six pictures, then?”

 

Kazuya tapped his foot a bit. “Actually... Wait. Hm... Well, we haven't found anything about it in here.”

 

Chizuru thought back a bit, and then raised her finger. “Ah. What if the letters Kojiro referred to the characters with in his drawings correspond to their codes here?”

 

“Oh, yeah!” Kazuya pumped his fist. “That's probably right. But...” He frowned. “We...only know three of them, right?”

 

“We will have to use our logic to determine it. Kazuya, how are your English grades?” Chizuru said.

 

“Ah, well, I'm pretty great at English,” Kazuya said, puffing his chest. “So, a six-letter word that starts with B-E, and ends with D. Mmm...” He snapped his fingers. “BEYOND!”

 

“Oh?” Chizuru looked at him quizzically. “Do tell.”

 

“There's already a K.” Kazuya said. “My surname is Okudaira, so I could fill in the role of Boy O. Yashiro could be Y or N, but there's already a Girl H, so it's likely Nanako is Girl N, which would make Yashiro Y. B-E-Y-O-N-D.” He proudly entered his findings into the keypad, which dinged, and replaced the INPUT 1 field with a moon at a3, a moon at b3, and a star at b2. “Ah, I found the code to the safe!”

 

Leaning under the sofa to find the safe, Chizuru entered it, and the two of them immediately heard the sound of the door opening. “Lovely,” Chizuru said. Within the safe was a folder, proclaiming itself 'Cast List #4.' “How oddly ordered.” Chizuru said.

 

“I guess we did it,” Kazuya said. ~~“But I think it's kind of odd that we haven't done INPUT 2 yet. Maybe we should look back at the pictures on Cable 2. Chihaya, can you hand me the remote?”~~

 

~~“Why?” Chizuru said. “There's no need for us to do that. We can leave the room now. We must go find Nanako and Shinobu and inform them of our findings.”~~

 

~~“...But there might be more information to find,” Kazuya said. “We need everything we can get, don't we?”~~

 

~~Chizuru chuckled. “And do you know who the woman between Miria and Nanako was?”~~

 

~~“I mean, no, but maybe in that folder-?” Kazuya said. He blinked, a bit baffled. “I mean, I guess we can come back later or something.”~~

 

~~“Yes, indeed.” Chizuru said, smiling and nodding.~~ “After you, Kazuya.” She gestured towards the door.

 

“Uh, okay.” Kazuya shrugged. ~~“You're acting seriously weird, though. What's wrong?”~~

 

~~“Nothing at all,” Chizuru said.~~

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

 

Nanako and Shinobu had explored N Ward looking for Kazuya and Chihaya, and as such, had learned its layout. Entering from the Central Hub, there were four paths, left, middle-left, middle-right, and right, but middle-left and middle-right just wrapped around a room and wound up connecting past it anyhow. Said room, incidentally, was locked. On the left side of that space was a door into the left wall, which was also locked, and behind the central room splitting the passages there was another room on the far wall, which was locked. Finally, on the back-right wall of that space was a slanted diagonal wall with a door... which was locked.

 

To the left, bending around a path that curved oddly, there was another door, which was locked, and to the right was a wall of four doors, the fourth and farthest of which had contained Test Chamber #4, the room which Nanako had awoken in. “Aren't locked doors lovely?” Shinobu said.

 

“Only when they're metaphors for something.” Nanako said. Her antenna puffed. “Do you have any locked door metaphors handy?”

 

“No, I was far too busy mentally rehearsing what I was going to say to you and then completely flubbing it,” Shinobu said. She sighed. “Isn't that just the way of things?”

 

“I feel you, sister.” Nanako reached over and patted her on the back, but then they both perked up when they heard a noise from the back-center room.

 

Jogging over, Nanako found Kazuya and Chihaya exiting a door, Chihaya holding a folder under her arm. “Guys!” She waved. “Hey! Nobu and I have been looking all over for you!”

 

“Oh, Nanako!” Kazuya said. He looked a bit off-put about something, but she wasn't sure what. He ran over to meet her. “You're alright.”

 

“Yeah, well, um, sorry for running off.” Nanako rubbed the back of her head. “I, uh. You know.”

 

“I know.” Kazuya nodded. “The puzzle wasn't too hard, thankfully. We...” Pause. “Well, we got through it alright.”

 

“Did anything...” Shinobu panted as she ran up from behind Nanako, who then remembered that she was quite fast. “Did you find anything...in the safe...by any chance?”

 

“Right here,” Chihaya said, producing her folder. “We located this folder. 'Cast List #4,' it calls itself. Curious, no? Where might the first three have gone?”

 

Nanako stared at Chihaya, blinked a few times, then looked at Kazuya. “Um? What?”

 

“She's been talking like this for a bit now, and to be honest, it's kind of weirding me out.” Kazuya said, grimacing a bit.

 

“I...” Shinobu panted. “C Team found... Cast List #1. We placed...we placed our materials in Rin Hashizawa's room, where I awoke.”

 

“Ah, thank you.” Chihaya said. She...curtsied. “Still, how curious that we would receive the first and then the fourth Cast List, no? Perhaps there is something to it.”

 

“Why are you doing that?” Nanako's antenna curled befuddledly.

 

“Doing what, exactly?” Chihaya said. “I haven't the foggiest what you mean.”

 

“Are...” Nanako blinked. “Are you, like, mad at me? I mean, I'm sorry I ran off, I know it was pretty dumb of me.”

 

“Oh, I wouldn't dare.” Chihaya said. “You were only worried for your brother. Any sister would do the same, yes?”

 

Nanako leaned over to Shinobu and Kazuya, who were now both behind her, and whispered out of the side of her mouth, “ _I'm scared._ ”

 

“Let us.” Shinobu muttered, clearly also somewhat perturbed from the frightened frown she wore. “Let us be off, then.”

 

So N Team and Shinobu were off, Nanako walking with the constant fear that the angelically-smiling Chihaya could, at any moment, reach out and begin strangling her for her earlier idiocy. Entering her mother's familiar, scattered room did little to ease the terror of the Ghost's bizarre behavior, but when Shinobu blinked and let out an, “Er, what are these?” that did do something.

 

Present on the desk, beside the folder, were ten colored pens. Black, red, blue, light green, dark green, purple, gold, orange, silver, and magenta. Reaching over to pick one up, Nanako picked up the black one. It was engraved with a name: 'Monokuma.' By the Cast List #1 folder, there was a note, reading, in black ink:

 

“Howdy, party people! It's your boy Monokuma coming at you with a surprise reappearance! Since I like you all so much and I think Nonary Games are stupid, I figured I'd give you a nice way to ease communicating with the other teams. Each one of these pens is marked with one of your names, so you can determine who wrote what by the color of the ink. (Don't use Eriko's, eh, Lulu?)”

 

Nanako had begun tearing up a bit without realizing it, reading the note. “Kojiro,” she said. “He is here.”

 

“Somewhere, at least.” Kazuya said. He gave a slight smile. “I'm glad to know he still has our backs, I guess.”

 

“Ah, I should transcribe our question notepad into this ink, no?” Chihaya asked. She sat down at the desk and produced it, grabbing the orange pen which belonged to her. “You all may discuss the Cast List, if you so please. I'll perform this menial task.”

 

“You do that for a bit.” Nanako gave Chihaya a thumbs up, glad to be able to get a bit of distance for a moment.

 

Taking the Cast Lists into the next room over, an unoccupied bedroom, Kazuya explained the events that occurred in the Living Room to Nanako and Shinobu, and Nanako's antenna curled into a very confused spring. “She just started acting weird halfway through the room and didn't want to stay and investigate more?” Nanako tilted her head to one side. “That...doesn't really sound like Chihaya at all.”

 

“I know.” Kazuya sighed. He crossed his arms and leaned back on the bed. “I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but I think something might be seriously wrong.”

 

“The format of this Nonary Game makes such matters difficult to properly combat,” Shinobu harrumphed, crossing her legs. “If there is something odd-”

 

Nanako stood up, quickly walked over to the other room, and peeked her head in the door. Chihaya was still writing. “Doing okay in there, Chihaya?” Nanako said.

 

“Oh, just fine, thank you for your concern.” Chihaya smiled back. “I've been adding a bit more while I'm at it, as well.”

 

“That's great!” Nanako gave her a thumbs up. “Going back now. Bye.”

 

“Goodbye, Nanako.” Chihaya waved.

 

“—Then by all rights, as her friends we should investigate, but we are on a very strict time limit to do so, and there are matters perhaps even more pressing to investigate on our plate.” Shinobu said. “When is her Confessional?”

 

“I was three, so she should be—” Kazuya looked down at his bracelet. “...Huh.” He blinked, and showed his bracelet to the other two; its number had changed to a six. “That's...odd.”

 

Nanako speedwalked over to the other room, poked her head in, and asked, “Hey, Chihaya, what number does your bracelet say? Kazuya's changed.”

 

Chihaya looked down at her arm, checked her bracelet, and reported, “It's changed to a three. How curious.”

 

“Thanks!” Nanako gave her a thumbs up and walked back. “I guess hers is next now?” She said to Shinobu and Kazuya.

 

“The impression I obtained from hearing about Gavin's experience and experiencing my own is that Zero seems interested in frankly discussing the issues we face as people,” Shinobu explained. “For my part, they discussed a fear of responsibility.”

 

“Then...” Nanako crossed her arms and tilted her head. “Could Zero have moved her up because they're...concerned about Chihaya?”

 

All three of them simultaneously sighed heavily. “None of this makes any sense.” Kazuya grumbled. “How does this all make even less sense than it did at the last trial?”

 

“My brain hurts,” Nanako agreed.

 

The three of them flipped open Cast List #4. Its first entry was a brutal reminder: Hansuke Yasuda, listed as... Boy Q. “What?” Nanako blinked. “Q?”

 

“Well, now someone's just being a smartass.” Kazuya groaned. “How were we supposed to solve one of those character password puzzles if Hansuke was in one, then?”

 

“I'm not certain you were,” Shinobu said. Hansuke's file was basically normal. It told the story of his exile from his home and his search for 'Unidentified Girl X,' and how he ran into Girl H on the way and apologized to her.

 

Next was Victim R. A haggard-looking, graying, middle-aged man looked up from the page, and his page entitled him 'Ryotaro Hashizawa,' a member of the 'Supporting Cast.' Rin Hashizawa's father, his page, too, was normal. His Monokuma Theater, however, was very brief, with only a pithy comment:

 

_What do they call it when a dead guy gets an erection?_

 

_A STIFF-y!_

 

All three of them looked at each other and simultaneously rolled their eyes.

 

The next page, though, was...not normal. Girl S, Stella Masaki, had the face of her photo violently scribbled out in black marker. Additionally, her Relevance and Monokuma Theater were similarly scribbled out. “What the hell?” Kazuya murmured. “Why would _Stella_ get this scribbled out?”

 

“Come to think of it, we haven't found out what memory it is Stella lost yet, have we?” Nanako pondered. She looked over at Kazuya. “You and her are the last two, aren't you? Other than me, I mean.”

 

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure.” Kazuya said. He sighed, as he looked down at the page. “It's less vandalized than the ones in the first file, but...”

 

“If she sees this, it might not be particularly beneficial to her mental health.” Shinobu said. All three of them shared a pregnant pause before she continued, “However, I don't believe that there's much we're able to do about that.”

 

“Hopefully, Gavin and Luan will be able to help her out.” Kazuya said. He clenched his fist tightly. “I should be there for her, though.” He looked away, toward the wall, and muttered a, 'Damn it.'

 

“It's not your fault, Kaz.” Nanako patted him on the back, her antenna puffing sympathetically. “Oh, um-”

 

“That's alright,” Kazuya said. “It's a valid nickname.”

 

“Feeling more confident about ourselves these days, eh, old bean?” Shinobu cackled. “My chest swells with pride for you, friend!”

 

“Yeah, I guess.” Kazuya blushed. “Let's just turn the page.”

 

The next page was for Boy T, one Claus Toranosuke. This was somewhat new, and so the three of them paid close attention to his Relevance. According to the file, Claus, as one of the judges in the Expo, 'was just so colossally stupid that he didn't catch on to an unknown assailant sabotaging Girl H's exhibit! What a dope!'

 

“Rude,” Nanako said. “Claus is not a dope. He's a good guy.”

 

“That 'unknown assailant' is probably Jun, then.” Kazuya said. “I wonder what exactly it was he _did?_ Obviously nothing too fatal, or else you wouldn't be here, huh?”

 

“Yeah.” Nanako nodded. “That's something we'll have to ask him when we find him.”

 

The final page in Cast List #4 was Woman U: Uchiko Hashizawa, the mother of Rin Hashizawa. The page was filled with doodles of particularly non-emotive stick figures killing themselves in tragic ways, such as, for instance, jumping off buildings, hanging, shooting themselves in the head, all sorts of things that implied that the artist had some serious issues to work out. Her Monokuma Theater was also a pithy comment:

 

_She took a walk off of Broadway and ended up on the horizontal Wall of Fame!_

 

“Holy shit, I hate the person who wrote these.” Nanako grumbled. Kazuya had a look on his face, though, so she asked, “What's up?”

 

“This is the woman I didn't recognize in Cable 2.” Kazuya murmured. “U... U, huh?”

 

“Think I could solve it now?” Nanako smirked. “Mama Nana hasn't gotten to solve any puzzles today-”

 

“ _Mama Nana?_ ” Kazuya and Shinobu said simultaneously, and Shinobu burst out laughing. “Are you kidding me?” Kazuya said, staring at her in disbelief.

 

Nanako felt herself turn bright red, and began hiding herself inside her sleeves. “It just slipped out.”

 

“Don't you worry, babe.” Shinobu patted her on the head. “We'll only remember it for the rest of your life, is all.” She tittered.

 

Kazuya's eye began twitching. “Okay, Chihaya's acting weird, Monokuma is Nanako's brother, and now Shinobu is calling you _babe?_ What in the hell is going on?”

 

Shinobu stopped mid-pat, and began blushing. “That came out, didn't it?”

 

“Yup, it did.” Nanako said. “Came right out of your mouth.”

 

“I'm never going to be able to take it back,” Shinobu said, her eyes staring off a bit distantly.

 

“Nope.” Nanako said.

 

“Ah,” Shinobu said. “I see. So it did. So it did.” She paused. “Yashiro dared me, you know. He did. I simply couldn't back down from his challenge.”

 

“Yup.” Nanako nodded. “Makes sense. You can't back down from a challenge from Yashiro.”

 

The three of them shared a pregnant pause.

 

“Okay, on the count of three,” Nanako said. “One, two, three!”

 

“““ _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_ ”””

 

“Great! Gonna go solve that puzzle now. Good hustle, team.” Nanako nodded firmly, and walked out of the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Shinobu and Kazuya, remaining by themselves, took a moment. “It's all exhausting, isn't it?” Kazuya laughed. “God, who could've thought it would all get this insane?”

 

“Indeed.” Shinobu nodded. “Indeed. This has evolved far past my wildest nightmares.”

 

“It's like I've lost control of my entire life,” Kazuya chuckled. It was a hollow chuckle. “Like nothing makes sense anymore and everything is rapidly spinning out of control.” He lay back onto the bed. “Hey. Shinobu?”

 

Shinobu sat down next to him. “Kazuya?” She returned.

 

“Ah, geez, this feels weird to say.” The boy chuckled. “Cause, I mean... it's not like we're out of the woods yet or anything, and god, I'm so sick of all this. But... well, I just wanted to say... Thank you.”

 

“For what, if I might ask?” Shinobu asked.

 

“For what?” Kazuya repeated with disbelief. “Shinobu, you know you were my first real friend, right? You're the first person who I ever opened up to. If it weren't for you, I could never have gotten this far.” He laughed a bit, and looked down at himself. “Look at me. Look at this shirt! I'm wearing a bright red shirt and I'm hardly even covered at all! Compared to how I started, I'm almost _naked,_ and I think I owe a lot of that to you.”

 

“Oho, is that it?” Shinobu smiled. “While I would hesitate to ignore the role your own personal strength no doubt played in your evolution as a person, I'm perfectly glad to accept the credit.” She cackled. “Does this mean you'll be crediting me in your speeches as an inspiration? Will I get to sit next to the vaunted name of 'the academy?'”

 

“Whoa, hold on there, I think you're moving a bit fast.” Kazuya made a pushing-downward gesture. “I'm still in high school, Shinobu. I'm hardly-” Then he stopped himself. “...Wait, you know... come to think of it... I'm a _student of Hope's Peak Academy,_ aren't I?”

 

“So you are, my boy.” Shinobu nodded, crossing her arms, in a gesture she quietly realized she'd probably picked up from Nanako. “So you are! How does it feel?”

 

“Huh.” Kazuya said. He looked up to the ceiling. “I'm a student of Hope's Peak Academy. Hope's Peak Academy decided they wanted _me_ to come there; that they thought I, Kazuya Okudaira, was a man whose talents could go towards the benefit of society.” He paused, and frowned a bit. “Well, technically-”

 

“Without getting into technicalities, that is what happened, yes.” Shinobu interrupted him.

 

“...Whoa.” Kazuya's eyes were getting wide. “Holy crap, I'm an _Ultimate._ I- when people say 'Ultimates' they're going to mean _me._ They **do** mean me!” He started laughing. “Holy shit!”

 

“It's an honor few receive.” Shinobu said. “The highest honor a youth may attain in the Japanese school system!”

 

“I wonder sometimes,” Kazuya said, “whether there really are just fewer Ultimates that come from other nations, or whether those other nations simply report on talent differently. It's possible that there's plenty of people from outside of Japan who could easily be students of Hope's Peak Academy, but they're given their own honors or roles instead, and Japan doesn't need to train them.”

 

“Perhaps.” Shinobu nodded. “Perhaps.”

 

“But either way,” Kazuya said, his eyes growing wide again. “I'm an Ultimate. I'm... heh. Hahahahaha, oh, what was I even worried about?” He broke out into a massive smile. “I'm the Ultimate Orator, Kazuya Okudaira!”

 

“So you are, Kazuya.” Shinobu smiled. “And I'm certain that's quite the comfort.”

 

“That's the proof, isn't it?” Kazuya said, leaning forward and staring at the wall, his elbows on his knees, looking excited. “That's it! That's what I've been looking for this whole time! Nobody can take that away from me, say that I'm not the Ultimate Orator! I can-” In an uncharacteristic moment, Kazuya began stuttering for a moment, unable to grasp the words. “I can _use this._ I have this achievement, and nobody can take it away from me. I can build myself off of this, can't I?”

 

“It has always seemed to me,” Shinobu said, regarding her friend, who had stood up off of the bed in excitement, “that you are already a man who has many qualities to be respected, Kazuya. Of course, my perspective is different from yours in almost every way, but I must confess, it fills my heart with a great gladness to see you see what I see in you.” She stood up, and the two faced each other. Shinobu extended her hand. “As classmates, and as friends, I would stand with you as we all enter the real world, Kazuya. I could never wish for a greater ally.”

 

Kazuya frowned a bit, raising his eyebrow. “What about Nanako?”

 

“Oh, that's different.” Shinobu shooed the discrepancy away with her other hand. “She's my girlfriend, Kazuya. She's in her own class, you understand? Shake my hand already, man, for God's sake.”

 

“Alright, alright.” Kazuya rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he extended his hand. “I feel the same way about you, Shinobu. Let's do this.”

 

They shook. “I'm glad I have you on call to read the audiobook versions of all of my books.” Shinobu said.

 

“Yea _hold on a second here._ ” Kazuya released in shock. “I never agreed to this!”

 

“Ka ka ka ka!” Shinobu cackled.

 

* * *

 

 

Strutting into her own living room to solve a puzzle of life or death was a bit of an odd situation, to be sure, but here Nanako was. After hurriedly checking on Chihaya again (she was fine), Nanako walked into the familiar environs to find the television on the floor, a keypad embedded in the coffee table, a ridiculous mess of cables stuck to the back of the TV, the lampshade vandalized with images of dice, and so on. “Thanks, Zero. Am I gonna have to clean this up?” Nanako sighed.

 

Thankfully, Chihaya had left the remote on the coffee table, so it was lying in plain sight. Nanako swiveled on her heel with a flourish that nobody but herself could notice and turned on the TV to find, as Kazuya had said, an image of one Ruri Bessho. You know, it really was very nice hair, and she had this regal sort of look about her that was quite fetching... but that was besides the point. After letting it cycle through Cable 1 to get the idea and ensuring that the keypad on the coffee table still functioned, Nanako switched it to Cable 2.

 

Chihaya. Kazuya. Miria. The screen flickered, but still Miria. Mrs. Hashizawa- her name was Uchiko, wasn't it? Nanako herself. The same image of Chihaya, but greyed out. The image regained its color. Aoto. Claus. Grey Chihaya. Kazuya. Nanako. It seemed that was where it looped.

 

Given that grey represented 'dead,' it was likely that the 'grey Chihaya' was in fact meant to represent her deceased sister, Chizuru. With that in mind, Nanako entered the code: C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-I-O-N. The bottom half of the screen altered itself to a second safe code: sun a1, star b3, star c2.

 

Finding the safe beneath the sofa, Nanako entered the code, and the safe opened to reveal a second cache of files. Rather than a folder, though, it seemed that this one was some informally collected paper clipped together with some of her mother's favorite clippers to clack when she was stressed. Nanako reached out to pick them up and read them, and as she did, her breath stopped cold.

 

_Hi, people in the future! This is Nanako Hashizawa. Mother tells me I'll probably be there when you read this, and I know for a fact I'd recognize my own handwriting, but it never hurts to introduce yourself, right?_

 

_Anyway, I was asked to write some stuff down for the project that's going on. Kojiro and I have no idea what the 'project' is, or why Mother can't write it herself if she wants it written that badly, but, y'know, whatever, don't have a cow, man._

 

_Here comes Miss Nanako's Science Lessons #1: BC Particles!_

 

_BC particles (it stands for 'beyond communication,' apparently) are the method through which informational energy is conveyed. Now, I know what you're thinking, 'whoahoho, slow down there, those are some big words you just used.' But don't worry! I have a thought experiment to help you out._

 

_So, a while back, some guy named Maxwell came up with this idea of how to break the laws of thermodynamics, because he was a rebel or something. Picture this: you've got a box, and there's a uniform gas in it, and there are two chambers full of this uniform gas, connected by a door. Then, you have a little door that separates the two chambers, that's controlled by a demon, who knows the state of every molecule in the box._

 

_The demon, if it chose to, could open the door and only let quickly-moving molecules pass through the door, resulting in one chamber gradually getting cooler and one chamber gradually getting hotter. So, that means that particles can be made to do work just by receiving information, right?_

 

_Eventually, the model got reconstructed, and it proved that energy really could be transferred through information alone. But, the scientists wondered, what was 'information?' How can something that doesn't necessarily physically exist transfer energy, or something like that? Eventually, the BC particle was isolated; the actual form of what we know as 'information.'_

 

_Yours truly happens to be made entirely of BC particles! The way I've had it explained to me is, since I identify as essentially human and have an identity to go with it, the information inside my system tends towards human-like operation. For instance, bleeding! What comes out of me isn't technically blood, but BC particles reconstituting themselves on the fly to have the same properties as human blood. I know, pretty cool, right? I'm so awesome._

 

_So, I, Nanako Hashizawa, am a self-sufficient system that runs on sensory information. In other words, if I'm looking at you, I'm eating you. Right now._

 

_There's more to it, but we'll get to that in later editions of Miss Nanako's Science Lessons. Look forward to them! I know you are, since, after all, who doesn't love learning?_

 

“Aw, geez.” Nanako rolled her eyes. “Why did I need to write this if Mom was the one who actually knew how this stuff worked?” And, for that matter, why did she need this written in the first place? What was this 'project?' What was it that her mother had been working on?

 

...of course, there was an obvious answer here, but- “Nope!” Nanako waved the idea away with her hands. “Nope nope nope. False.” This probably was worth bringing to the group's attention, though, so Nanako turned to leave, but as she did, the TV remote caught her eye. Come to think of it, there were two more Cables, weren't there? The keypad had only required two, but who knew? The third and fourth might be relevant.

 

Cable 3 swapped through a series of eight images. Wanda. Eriko. Shinobu. Claus. Mr. Hashizawa. Eriko. Miria. Eriko. Nanako figured Shinobu was ‘Unidentified Girl X,’ but... W-E-X-T-R-E-M-E? Was that even a word? She didn’t think so.

 

Cable 4, though, did offer some new information... albeit confusing information. The first two images were Daisuke and Eriko, but upon the third image's arrival, Nanako couldn't help but have her eyebrows raise in confusion. The third image in the series wasn't anyone she recognized whatsoever; it was an old man, by the look of it, his hair entirely grey by this point, short and sharp, with a severe look about him, a bit of a menacing aura coming off of the screen. She scanned him pretty quickly, but at the very least, she detected no obvious resemblance to Hansuke, so it likely wasn't his father. After the mysterious man came Chizuru, then Chihaya, then Chizuru, then Eriko, then Nanako, then Chihaya, then Yashiro.

 

“D-E-F-I-C-I-E-N-C-Y, maybe?” Nanako mumbled to herself. She couldn't think of anyone else obvious for the letter F other than this guy, so it seemed possible. Still, it was pointless without somewhere to put it, so she just filed it away in the back of her mind.

 

Pondering, she headed back to the Central Hub. “Hey, Chihaya.” She said, opening the door. “What's-”

 

Chihaya wasn't there. Nanako's antenna stood at attention immediately. The notepad was still there on the desk, and the Case Files had been put back, but Chihaya was gone. Nanako placed her own Science Lesson on the desk as well, and then hurriedly rushed out of the room. She hadn't heard Chihaya enter N Ward at all, and G Ward was still locked, so she entered into C Ward.

 

Standing in front of a great window to the water outside, Chihaya wasn't moving particularly much, her hands behind her back in an uncharacteristically... _girlish_ pose, Nanako decided on calling it. “Hey, Chihaya!” Nanako called, running up from behind her. “Are... are you alright?”

 

“Hm?” Chihaya looked over her shoulder at Nanako. “Oh, just peachy. I am simply admiring the view, is all. Your concern is touching, though.” She giggled. ...What the _fuck?_

 

“...Seriously, Chihaya, you're acting pretty weird,” Nanako said. “Are you sure you're alright?”

 

“I'm sure I haven't the foggiest what you're talking about, is what I am sure of.” Chihaya turned back to the window. “Please stop acting so silly, Nanako. Have you found something?”

 

“Uh, yeah...” Nanako hesitated. “It's... a science lesson from myself in the past about the stuff I'm made of.”

 

“Oh, curious.” Chihaya said. “Whyever would such a thing even exist?”

 

“I donno, but- hey, Chihaya, you were the one who fiddled with the TV when you two were in there, right?” Nanako tilted her head to one side. “Did you look at Cables 3 and 4?”

 

“Certainly,” Chihaya giggled. “How curious. Do you have any idea who that old man could be?”

 

“I... was kind of hoping you would.” Nanako frowned. The more she talked to Chihaya, the more worried she got. Chihaya was clearly acting abnormally, but Nanako wasn't certain why, or how to help her, or if she even _could._ “Um, Chihaya?”

 

“Yes?” Chihaya asked.

 

“Um... if you... ever feel the need to talk, or anything, you know I'm all ears, right?” Nanako said, her antenna twisting a bit. “Just, um... You're not alone. And stuff. I think everyone else feels the same way. You're our friend, and... well, we care about you. A lot.”

 

“Duly noted,” Chihaya said. The tone of her voice seemed like the conversation was done, so Nanako decided to actually listen to the exhaustion setting in and go to sleep. She found Shinobu in her own bedroom.

 

“Nobu.” Nanako squeaked, sidling into bed next to her. She wrapped her arms around the Mystery Novelist.

 

“Mm. Hello, Nanako.” Shinobu murmured. “My apologies... for not waiting for you to report your findings first...”

 

“You can just look at them when you're awake next, no big deal.” Nanako yawned. “It's... gonna be a while before we see each other again, probably... don't wanna miss my chance while I've got it.” She curled in a bit. “Love you, Nobu. Say hi to Claus 'n Yashiro for me...”

 

“Love you too.” Shinobu mumbled. “I will.”

 

* * *

 

 

November 13 th , 2185. The day Jun had been looking to for months. The day Jun would finally prove himself. He couldn't keep his anticipation down, and he even laughed a bit to himself as he went around the campus of Marufuji College. Some people probably thought that the young man heading about, yukking it up, was probably some kind of crazy person, but no. Jun was just proud.

 

Look at all these fools, Jun thought, with their big, fancy exhibits. The loading bay for vehicles was packed, and yet the clear winner needed no such thing. Who else could boast such control? So much of this world lay at his fingertips, and were he a crueler man, he could easily destroy any number of people with the great force he wielded.

 

“Jun!” He heard from behind himself. It was a woman's voice, and that meant it was likely a certain roboticist he couldn't seem to get away from. He spun around, and no doubt, Rin Hashizawa ran up to him, panting a bit as she stopped. “It's... good to see you...”

 

“And you, I suppose, though I haven't the foggiest why you even bothered showing up.” Jun smirked and shrugged. “After all, we all know that I'm the rightful winner of this competition, no?” He snorted. “Though I suppose when they're adulating me, if you do well enough I might see if I can convince them to take a runner-up as well.”

 

“Ah, that would be nice.” Rin took a deep breath. “Well, that is to say, it's not like... Well, I'm going to try and win myself, Jun.” She smiled. “I didn't come here to lose, really.” She laughed a bit. Though she was a messy-looking girl, there was something honest and pure about Rin Hashizawa's smile that Jun couldn't deny. The late autumn breeze blew her hair in the wind. Jun's, though, was cut short as usual, so it didn't do much blowing.

 

“Certainly, certainly.” Jun shrugged again. “Does anyone?”

 

“Well, no, of course not.” Rin said. “That is the nature of competition, after all.” The two began walking together out of instinct, currently on a stone path about one of Marufuji's educational buildings. “I've been working on this for quite some time, though, and I believe I've got something really special today... er, well, maybe not some'thing', so to speak...”

 

“You had better, if you don't want to embarrass yourself.” Jun snorted. “Anyway, how's your sex life?”

 

“Bwha-!?” Rin sputtered. “Huh?!” She turned bright red. “What?!”

 

Jun laughed a barking laugh. “Hahaha, that was just the reaction I was expecting. Predictable as ever, Hashizawa! Truly, your inability to disguise your own emotions is astounding.” He grinned crookedly. He had a bit of an odd hyena streak around Rin.

 

“Why are you saying this in public?!” Rin whispered to him. They were alone at the moment, behind a wall, but she still seemed flustered. “Why are you doing this to me?!”

 

“One as enlightened as I, who has no desire for the carnal pleasures, must naturally reserve the right to mock you baser folk about it.” Jun smirked. “Of course, the fact that you accidentally sent me a folder that contained some of your 'collection' in your last email-”

 

“I WHAT!?” Rin shrieked. “W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-no!”

 

“You have interesting tastes, young lady.” Jun chuckled. “But placing your porn in a folder entitled 'Taxes' is a bit old hat, don't you think? You really should learn to organize yourself better, so that mistakes such as these don't happen.”

 

“...you haven't told anyone, have you?” Rin's eyes were as wide as dishpans.

 

“Oh, of course not.” Jun smirked. “What do I look like, some sort of blackmailer?”

 

“Thank goodness.” Rin let out a deep sigh. “I was really frightened there for a second! Not- not because I don't trust you, or anything-”

 

“I understand, Rin, you needn't explain any further.” Jun rolled his eyes. “Aside from that, though, it's good to see you're doing well.”

 

“Well...” Rin chuckled bashfully before responding. “You too, Jun. I'm glad to see you. Er...” Her eyes darted around a bit. “I was... really nervous about coming out here, so I'm glad I ran into you. You help, Jun. I'm glad we're friends.”

 

“That's one way of looking at it,” Jun said. “I suppose knowing you isn't too bad, either.”

 

“You haven't changed a bit.” Rin tittered a bit.

 


	59. Day 19, Phase 3 - The Haunted Haunting

 

The light streaming through the window struck Chihaya's eyelids, and it was a bit brighter than she might've liked when she awoke. She shook herself awake, and murmured a bit, getting the early-morning gunk out of her eyes.

 

“Mm...mm.” Chihaya mumbled. “What time is it, even...?” She looked over at her clock. Ah. Not too late, thankfully. Though her covers were quite comfortable, there wasn't much to do at this point but get out of them, so get out she did. Her floor was a bit messy, she noted as she yawned, but she didn't much feel like cleaning it at the moment.

 

Her restroom was nice and clean, though. She'd even scrubbed the toilet bowl last night, so everything was sparkling. Regarding herself in the mirror, Chihaya took herself in. Her hair wasn't too long, but it was reasonably long, and fell around her head. She didn't really need to wear it any other way, as it seemed to go over pretty well, and when she'd curled it, it had been a pain, anyhow.

 

She was Chihaya Inoue. Sixteen years old, and an ordinary girl, by all accounts. She lived...here. That was all. Gingerly stepping down the stairs in her school uniform, she waved to her father, who was, by the look of it, reading a web serial or something. “Hi, Dad.” She said.

 

“Oh, Chihaya.” Her father turned around, and smiled. “Good morning! Sleep well?”

 

“Pretty well, I guess.” Chihaya shrugged. “It wasn't quite eye-opening levels of rest, but I'm not tired.”

 

“I think that's all we can ask for sometimes,” Mr. Inoue said. “Up for a day about town? Miria came by a bit ago looking for you.”

 

“Ugh, of course she was early again,” Chihaya rolled her eyes. “She wakes up way too early, you know that?” It was a bit chilly out, so Chihaya threw on a jacket over herself, and some taller socks, too. “I don't get what she sees in those early-morning hours. It's cold and dark.”

 

“Maybe you should try it sometime?” Mr. Inoue said. “Expand your horizons?”

 

“No, Dad, I think I've expanded my horizons enough recently.” Chihaya rolled her eyes. “I'm off. See you later! Love you!”

 

“Love you too, honey!” He called.

 

Chihaya pumped herself up a bit on her doorstep. People passed all around her, in and out, fleeting, as she thought. Where would Miria go if she'd missed her this early in the morning? ...Ah, there was a ring on her cell phone. That was a text...and a few more after that.

 

[Kei: yo]

[Kei: so like? I picked up a stray miria]

[Kei: seemed kinda lonely, you know? So we went out for scones]

[Kei: j s y k]

 

[Chihaya: If you steal my girlfriend, I'll kill you.]

 

[Kei: if you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine]

 

[Chihaya: I mean it. You will be over. Kei Sagami as a concept will stop existing.]

 

[Kei: what if I said that I didn't want your girlfriend cuz mines better]

 

[Chihaya: Stay at that scone place. I need to come kill you.]

 

[Kei: kk]

 

Thankfully, there weren't too many places Kei could've possibly meant, so Chihaya was able to quickly find the fiend who had made off with her ladyfriend. “Hey, Chichi!” Kei waved.

 

“Oh.” Miria smiled, which made it really hard to stay faux-mad at Kei. “Hello, Chi-chan. You're here.”

 

“I am.” Chihaya said, sitting down. They had bought her some scones, as it turned out. Mostly blueberry. Good stuff. “Good morning, Miria.”

 

“What, and not me?” Kei pouted.

 

“I don't think I asked you to come,” Chihaya retorted, leering at Kei. “Where's _your_ other half, so you can quit mooching off of mine?”

 

“Uh, are we all suddenly not friends anymore?” Kei's eyes went wide, and she leaned back, her hands open. “I can't believe this injustice is being inflicted upon me so suddenly!”

 

“Please stop fighting.” Miria said, frowning a bit. While playfighting was fun and all, that was a look that killed Chihaya's enthusiasm for anything but peace, love, and understanding with her fellow girl, so she sighed.

 

“We're not fighting, Miria. It's a joke.” Chihaya leaned over and rubbed her head against Miria's bicep. “Don't worry.”

 

“Oh.” Miria blinked. “I'm glad.” She leaned back into Chihaya. A tram outside rolled by, filling the air with quiet sounds of wheels on rails. White noise like that had always been rather comforting.

 

“Soooo, how're things, you two?” Kei asked, her ahoge bobbing back and forth. “Enjoying the holiday, are we?”

 

Miria gasped a little. “Does Rin know it's a holiday?”

 

As if right on cue with Kei's frown, her cell phone rang. She picked it up. “Rin, it's a holiday, you don't have to be at school.”

 

“What?” Rin said from inside the cell phone. “I thought that was next month! Oh, no. Now what am I going to do?” She made noises of angst, as she was wont to do. 

 

“Yeah, that's a tragedy, isn't it.” Kei said. She was smiling, not that Rin could see it. “Real shame. So anyway, you wanna go see that lecture on quantum physics at the library?”

 

“I thought that was next week!” Rin moaned. “Oh, no. Oh, geez. D-do I look presentable? Do I look alright?!”

 

“If you're in your uniform and stuff, then yeah, you're probably fine.” Kei said. “Girls, please tell Rin that she looks fine.”

 

“You look fine, Rin.” Miria smiled.

 

“I'm sure you're alright,” Chihaya said. Come to think of it, hadn't she not remembered Rin until-

 

It came without warning. She never saw whatever it was, but as Miria and Kei were laughing and Rin was wailing on the phone, Chihaya's stomach exploded open. The horrible, garish claw of some beast tore through her midsection, splattering the scones with blood and guts like some kind of awful jam.

 

The white-hot pain was so awful Chihaya could hardly even feel it at first, the gaping nothingness in her systems causing her brain to flicker in and out of consciousness like a dimming lightbulb. “Oh...” Chihaya said, her voice weak. Blood trickled out of her mouth as she spoke. Ah. She was dying. That was what this pain meant. She was dying. She had been killed and was dying. There was no other explanation for it.

 

She reached her hand out to Miria, who was still sitting quietly as Kei and Rin jabbered on about something unimportant. “Miri...a...” Chihaya croaked, unable to leave her seat as her body began to collapse. “Look...at me... Please, look at me... look at me look at me” look at me look at me look at me look at me

 

“So anyway,” Kei said, “it's in two hours. You can make it, right? Also, what kind of scones do you want?”

 

“S-scones?” Rin said. “I get scones?”

 

“My treat,” Kei said, grinning. “What do you want?”

 

“No, no, I can't let you do that, let me wire you the money somehow...” Rin trailed off, and the three girls could hear her frantically scrabbling about. 

 

Kei rolled her eyes. “If you really feel the need to!”

 

“What do you think it's like, being rich?” Chihaya turned and asked Miria. “It seems like it must be something else, don't you think?”

 

“I think that it's very charming when Rin doesn't let Kei pay for things.” Miria smiled. “It seems like a good girlfriend deed.”

 

“If you say so,” Chihaya said. She stood up from her seat. “We'll be off, Kei. Good seeing you.”

 

“You too, friendo!” Kei nodded firmly. And just like that, Chihaya and Miria were off. They walked for a bit, aimless, and found themselves over a river, crossing a bridge, hand in hand.

 

Chihaya looked towards the sky. It was bright blue with puffs of white, a gorgeous, picturesque day, better than Chihaya could've asked for. The sun shone down upon the land, warming everyone with its rays, keeping it just a bit chilly rather than cold. She found herself gravitating towards the side of the bridge, and eventually, she'd leaned over it. A few fish jumped out of the water just at the right time for her to see it.

 

“It's nice out today.” Miria said.

 

“Nice,” Chihaya said. “Yeah. That's a way to put it.”

 

“Are you happy, Chi-chan?” Miria asked. 

 

Feeling the cool air on her skin, turning towards the woman she loved more than anything else in the world, Chihaya said, “I couldn't be happier.” She reached out her hands to take Miria's. Miria's face remained motionless. “Every day is perfect as long as I'm with you.”

 

“Oh,” Miria said. She smiled. “I feel the same way.”

 

“I don't need anything else as long as I'm with you,” Chihaya said. She had the biggest smile she could muster on her face. “You're all I need, Miria.”

 

~~ “But Miria is dead!” Zero cried. “Chihaya, please listen to me!” ~~

 

~~ “You should know better than anyone that nobody by that name exists in this world.” Chizuru said. ~~

 

~~ “I'm talking to you,” Zero pleaded. “Please, Chihaya, you can't live like this!” ~~

 

“Are you scared of roller coasters?” Chihaya asked, as the two of them neared the front of the line. Chihaya hadn't ridden one since she was a small child, so she'd been curious for a long time what the experience was like, and so the two of them had just gravitated towards this specific ride. 

 

“No,” Miria said. The staff murmured vague whispers towards them, instructing them on proper riding etiquette. Soon, they were slowly riding up a hill, up, and up, building anticipation.

 

“I'm not going to scream.” Chihaya muttered to herself. “I'm just not.”

 

“Okay,” Miria said. “I trust you.”

 

As the hurtling g-force of the initial fall struck her, Chihaya wasn't entirely sure how she felt. Adrenaline began coursing through her body immediately, of course, but the sensation of being on a roller coaster was something else, to be sure. She heard the wailing of the other passengers echo out to the rest of the park as she slowly sank further into her own seat.

 

“Wow,” Miria said, slightly raising her voice. “This is fun.”

 

“Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!” Chihaya vocalized through her gritted teeth. 

 

The more the twists of the tracks hit her, the more Chihaya found herself completely blown out by the experience of a roller coaster. The track couldn't have been longer than a minute long, but it felt like an eternity as she was whipped to and fro, and she was pretty certain that her hair must have been falling off. She was going to come out of this bald. It was just going to happen.

 

“ _ How are you not fazed by this?! _ ” Chihaya eventually shouted to Miria. She couldn't handle it any longer. 

 

“Should I be?” Miria said. 

 

“Yes!” Chihaya said. “Yes, you shouuuuuuuuaaaaAAAAAAAA!” The experience of letting loose a scream actually did something to improve the experience for her, as she hurtled downward again. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” She was laughing under that scream. 

 

“See?” Miria said. “It's good to show how you feel sometimes.”

 

“WE ARE ON A ROLLER COASTER,” Chihaya replied. “Aaaaaaaaaaaah! Oh man! Ohhhh man!”

 

The two of them laughed together, joyful and exhilarated, as the roller coaster slowly came to a stop. Chihaya staggered from her seat, and leaned on Miria for support. “Oh. Ohhh, lord.” She moaned.

 

“Did you have fun?” Miria said. 

 

“Ah, yeah, I think I did...?” Chihaya felt her world spiraling around her. “That was... something. That was really something.”

 

“You're off now.” Miria smiled. She hugged Chihaya firmly. There was something to be said for the experience of getting off, too, finally being able to stop on the roller coaster and fall into the arms of the one you loved. 

 

~~ “It's so odd that you won't listen,” Chizuru said. “Zero, Zero, Zero. Do you not understand? Chihaya is dead. She always has been. I will be going back to my father and my family and living my life, as normal. Nothing needs to change.” ~~

 

~~ “Chihaya is not dead, and she never has been!” Zero shouted. “Don't take yourself away, please. There are people who care about you, you know that! People who want you to live!” ~~

 

~~ “It must be nice living in your realm of delusion,” Chizuru said. “The dead are gone. Why waste a thought on them if they have nothing to offer?” ~~

 

~~ “...Is that really how you feel?” Zero said. “Do you really want to forget about Miria ~~ ~~—~~ ~~ ” ~~

 

“ _**You don't know anything about me!** _ ” Chihaya screamed, tears streaming down her face. “What do you know?! What can you do?! There's nothing out there! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Nothing! Let me stay here!”

 

“C-Chi-chan?” Miria's eyes went wide, and she began leaning into Chihaya. “What's wrong?”

 

“I want to stay here! Let me stay here! There's nothing out there!” Chihaya writhed under her assailant's grip, twisting and turning and wanting nothing more than to run and run and run and run. “Everything hurts! It's all pointless!” She screamed and screamed and screamed. It all hurt so much. Everything hurt. “What's the point of keeping on going if all that's waiting for me will just hurt?”

 

“That's right,” Chizuru said. “This was never her life. It's mine. Do not act as though you know of what you speak.”

 

“So you just want to give up?” Zero said. “Act as though Chihaya never existed? That all the time you spent as yourself never mattered?”

 

“How can it matter if Miria is dead?!” Chihaya grabbed Chizuru by the collar. “I'm alone! I'm completely alone! Nobody loves me! Nobody will ever see me!”

 

“But I see you,” Miria said. “I'll always see you, Chi-chan.”

 

“Of course, Miria.” Chihaya nuzzled up into Miria's lap. “I love you. I love you so much. Never leave me. Don't go away ever.”

 

“Why do you want to ruin this for her?” Chizuru said, with a pointed glare at Zero. “For the first time, she can be happy without fear of me. This is what she wants. It's what she deserves.”

 

“It isn't real.” Zero said. “What's the point if it's all in her mind? If she just stays here, she'll—” Zero shook their head. “You'll just wither away and die! You can't be happy if you're living your life pretending to be someone you're not!”

 

“Huh?” Chihaya chuckled a bit under her breath. “Not real? That's a bad joke. You're real, right, Miria?”

 

“Yes,” Miria said.

 

“No,” Miria said. 

 

“I'm real,” Miria said. “I'm with you, Chi-chan.”

 

“I'm not real,” Miria said. “You can't stay with me any longer.”

 

“Our time together was real,” Miria said. “Our love was real. It's still in your heart. See? It's all around us.”

 

“I'm dead,” Miria said. “Wanda killed me. You saw it. There's no way I can be alive.”

 

“But that doesn't matter,” Chihaya laughed. She laughed, and she laughed. “It doesn't matter. I'm dead, too. We're both dead. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter at all. We can be together because we're both dead. Right?”

 

“You can always be with me,” Miria said. “As long as you remember me, I'm always with you.”

 

“You can't be with me any longer.” Miria said. “You're still alive.”

 

“Don't worry,” Chizuru said. She slammed Chihaya down onto the ground and pulled out a knife. “Don't worry, Sister. I'll kill you as many times as I need to until Miria is satisfied with you.”

 

The knife tore into Chihaya's insides and dug out her organs and her blood was everywhere and she was dead. She was unquestionably, certainly dead. She couldn't feel anything anymore or see anything anymore or hear anything more. Chizuru was even kind enough to gouge out her eyes just to make sure. Her body was just an empty shell. “Am I good enough to be with you now?” Chihaya said. 

 

“It doesn't work like that, Chi-chan.” Miria said. “You can't see me by doing that.”

 

“How do I see you, then?” Chihaya said. “Kill me more, Chizuru.”

 

“Of course, Sister.” Chizuru ripped open Chihaya's neck and tore her head off. With supernatural strength, she hurled Chihaya's limp body onto the ground, and the skin of its back collapsed further.

 

“It isn't a matter of being satisfied!” Zero said. “No matter what you do...no matter what you do...!”

 

“I'm gone,” Miria said. “I don't exist anywhere anymore. All that's left of me is your memories.”

 

“You're not gone,” Chihaya said. “You're right here. You'll always be right here. We can be together forever.”

 

“No, you can't.” Wanda laughed weakly. “I did this to you. I tore the two of you apart. I can never take that back.”

 

“There's no world for me without Miria in it.” Chihaya said. “That's the only world that can possibly exist for me. Right? There's no other world with me in it!”

 

“No matter what she does, it's not as though Father will ever look at her again,” Chizuru said. “No matter what she does, it's not as though she'll ever be free of me. You told us as much, remember?”

 

“After all, I'm always here.” Grandfather said, his voice a low, rumbling baritone. “She can't run. I'll protect Satoshi.”

 

“Grandfather is always here with me,” Chizuru said. “Even here, the one place she could have a world to herself. He's here. He's always here. She always has to be me. There's no escape.”

 

“There will never be an escape,” Grandfather said. “Isn't that right, Chizuru? You're willing to do anything for your father, yes?”

 

“Of course,” Chihaya said. “I'd die for my dad. I've died for my dad. I'm dead because of my dad. I love my dad. I want to see him again. I'll never see him again. Dad doesn't care about me. He wants Chizuru. I have to be Chizuru if I want to have a life.”

 

“We have to die to be alive,” Chizuru said. “We can't exist unless we run away to the world of the dead.”

 

“There is no 'we!'” Zero said. “There is only one of you! Please, I want to help you!”

 

“I'm Chizuru!” Chihaya shouted. “I'm Chizuru! I'm Chizuru!”

 

“Chizuru! Chizuru! Chizuru!” The world chanted. 

 

“Nobody has ever seen me!” Chihaya shouted. “I'm the Ultimate Hide and Seeker, Chizuru Inoue! I'm so good at hiding, even I can't see myself! I think I'm someone else!”

 

“That's not true,” Miria said. “You're my Chihaya, not anyone else.”

 

“Put this world back the way it was!” Chihaya screamed. Everything hurt so much, but especially her head. She couldn't see anything. She hurt so much she couldn't hurt anymore. “Put it back! Put it back! I'm scared! Everything hurts!”

 

“Anyone who tries to hurt Chihaya is my enemy!” Chizuru shouted. 

 

“But you're hurting her more than anyone else!” Miria raised her voice. “Leave Chihaya alone!”

 

“You just want to hurt her!” Chizuru screamed.

 

Miria died. Chizuru stabbed her with the knife. She died. She died. She died. Miria died. “It doesn't hurt me when you stab me,” Miria said. “I already died. Chizuru and I are both already dead.”

 

“I'm not dead!” Chizuru wailed. The stab wound was bleeding. Chizuru was bleeding where she'd stabbed Miria. “I'm not dead!”

 

“This is a prison Chihaya made for herself.” Miria said. “I know that, because now, I am, too. Isn't that right, Chi-chan? You just want to kill me so you can hurt yourself.”

 

“Shut up! Get away! Get away!” Chizuru flailed her blade around wildly. Every slash she inflicted to Miria hurt her, too. It hurt her so much. It hurt her so, so, so much. It hurt her so much she wanted to die. Why couldn't she die? Why couldn't she just die?

 

“You're scared,” Miria said. “You think that if you cut me, eventually, you can make yourself forget that I died. But you can't.” She pointed to the trowel sticking out of her chest. “You can't move it.”

 

The trowel made horrible squelching noises as Chihaya yanked on it. “Yes, I can!” She laughed. “Don't tell me what I can't do!” It wouldn't come out. It only deepened Miria's wound. It only deepened Chihaya's wound.

 

“I'm dead,” Miria said, “and you're alive. You can't run away, Chihaya.”

 

Chihaya ran away. But there was nowhere to run. Everywhere she looked, Miria was still there. Standing there, dead. 

 

“Please don't make that sad face,” Miria frowned. “I don't like it when you're sad.”

 

“I'm...not sad...” Chihaya laughed. “I'm not... I'm not anything. I'm nothing without you, Miria. I'm not dead... I'm not alive... I'm not Chizuru...” She bent down onto the ground and started laughing. “I'm nothing. I'm nothing. This world is just an endless expanse of gray.” She pointed down a long street of gray. There was nothing there, because there was nothing anywhere. 

 

“But what about the people who love you?” Zero said. “What about—”

 

Chihaya's laughter intensified. She laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed until she laughed so much that she felt like she was coughing up blood and then she laughed more and laughed more and more because it was all so funny. “You want to tell me that there are people who love me?” She laughed. “You want to tell me that a world exists?”

 

She reached out to Zero's mask, and began clutching it tightly. “You took away the only world that ever existed for me!” Chihaya screamed. “Nothing is real anymore! Nothing is real and it's all because of  _ you! _ It's  _ all your fault! _ ” 

 

“That is...” Zero mumbled. “Not an incorrect way of looking at things.”

 

“I want you to die.” Chihaya mumbled. “I want you to die. I want you to die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die. I want to kill you. I want to kill you so badly. There's nothing. Why aren't you here right now so I can kill you?”

 

“I am,” Zero said. They reached out a hand. “This is the real me. Do...you want to kill me? Will that make you happier?”

 

Chihaya looked down at Zero's gloved hand. Something in her mind snapped.

 

“Ahh,” Chihaya said, looking down wide-eyed at Zero's hand in fear. “Aaaa, aaaaaaaaaa, aaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAH!” Her feet weren't moving. She wasn't doing anything. She was just screaming. She screamed and screamed and screamed. It was all she could do. It was all she could say about the horrible, searing pain she felt. Was it real pain, or phantom pain? Was there a difference? Was she a real Chihaya, or a phantom Chihaya? Was there a difference? Was there any difference between reality and illusion?

 

“...What should I do?” Zero asked. “What can I do? Can I do anything?”

 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Chihaya screamed, clutching her head and tearing at her hair. She couldn't see anything, but she had to run. She had to run away. Running was the only thing that had ever made her happy. Maybe running would let her find Miria again. Maybe if she ran, she could die. So she ran. Her legs started moving. She wasn't sure where. 

 


	60. Day 19, Phase 3, End - Seance

 “Superpals, assemble!” Gavin shouted, launching from his slumber with a triumphant flourish. He looked about and saw a stirring Luan and a still immobile Stella. Stella was sat at a desk; this was, evidently, one of the floor’s classrooms. He turned his head and saw an empty blackboard. That would probably make this Class 5-B, given the fact that the last trial had only had one victim in terms of death, a thought whose recalling caused Gavin to click his tongue in frustration. He thought of Jun for a moment. It was only a moment, though, before he went over and helped up Luan. “You a’ight, Lou?”

 

 “I believe I’m alright.” Luan said, dusting himself off slightly. “What about Stella, though?”

 

 Gavin walked over to the Commentator, who was nothing but lump, and tapped her on the head a little. “You a’ight there, Stel?”

 

 “Don’t make me wake up,” Stella grumbled from the desk.

 

 “’Kay.” Gavin shrugged. “Be a siesta sista as long as you gotta.” He checked his bracelet. 18:03. It was getting into the evening of their nineteenth day in the facility, and though everything was currently in a state of complete madness and all, that was still progress. It was, apparently, only sixty more hours—two and a half days—before they would all be out of here.

 

 “This ‘team’ idea is certainly interesting,” Luan said. He was inspecting the classroom for any hints of…something. Who knew. Could be anything in Zero’s samurai mansion. “I can’t help but worry about the effect it will have on our health, though.”

 

 “Y’think?” Gavin said. He stretched a bit. “Mm, yeah, prob’ly.” The light of the room was getting to be pretty orange. There was a heavy, metallic door on the wall, by the usual blackboard. It was locked.

 

 “How was Phase One?” Luan asked

 

 “Me ‘n Zero talked for a while. Was pretty weird, man. Trip, man, kinda felt more like some kinda off-brand therapy session than a ‘confession.’” Gavin said. Hm, nope, nothing in this desk. It was looking like this room was going to wind up being a bust. “C Team set up an info hub in Rin’s room, man. Oh, that’s, uh… Rin Rin, not…” He stammered a bit. “Nanako.” He muttered ‘Nanako’ to himself a few times. He really needed to come up with a nickname for her.

 

 “Why do you care so much about giving her a nickname?” Stella muttered, rising from the desk with no doubt a great deal of work.

 

 Gavin shrugged. Might as well be honest. “Helps me remember her name, dude.”

 

 “…What, really?” Stella blinked at him. “You need help?”

 

 “Yeah, Gav’s brain a bit finicky ‘bout names. For a lotta ‘em ‘s easier if I give ‘em a name so I can remember why I named ‘em that, yeah? But ‘Nanako,’ pah, kinda hard to make a nickname outta.” Gavin said.

 

 “…You do the nickname thing because it helps you remember names.” Stella said.

 

 “And cause I love folks!” Gavin smiled.

 

 Eventually, once Stella had properly regained her energy, the three of them stood at the door to Class 5-B (or, Gavin supposed, it could be 5-C if there was one in each of the wards or something, but he wasn’t really fussed to worry about it either way). If C Team’s experience was anything to go by, there were probably two unlocked doors: one room that was simply open, and another that would probably be some kind of puzzle room.

 

 Immediately to the right as they walked out was a window to the sea. The slowly-fading light of sunset filtered in from above, through the top of the ocean, and the three members of G Team looked out to see all the life out there that went about its business, blissfully unaware of the atrocities within these walls. “Those two dragonets,” Stella said, pointing out a faraway pair of fish that Gavin certainly couldn’t recognize at this distance, “are fighting over a mate. Looks like it was pretty nasty. The invader’s already lost a chunk of his head.”

 

 “Really?” Luan turned to her, interested. “How can you tell?”

 

 “You would really be amazed at the kind of knowledge you pick up in my line of work,” Stella said. “Because of the weird crap I wind up commentating over, and all. It’s kind of crazy what people can work up enthusiasm for.”

 

 “Errybody got somethin’, yeah?” Gavin said, nodding proudly as the defending dragonet, valiantly protecting its right to procreate, bit off the head of his opponent. Truly, it was a dog eat dog world in the Pacific Ocean. Gavin looked up to the top of the water, though. It wasn’t much higher up. “Yo,” Gavin said. “We…really almost out, ain’t we?”

 

 “It would seem that way.” Luan said.

 

 “Trip, man, tha’s a crazy feel if Gav’s ever felt a crazy.” Gavin let out a long, whooping breath. “Ain’t much longer now, then. We almost there, y’all.” He patted Stella and Luan on the back. “C’mon, le’s get.”

 

 Down the hallway they were in, at the very end, Gavin could see the door to the Central Hub, on a wall at a bit of an angle to them. This hallway went down quite a ways, and had another path turning to the right about a third of the way through. Said side path contained one door, on its right wall; a door that was, unfortunately, locked. However, the door between that side path and the Central Hub door, the third door that G Team located, was not locked.

 

 “Might lock us in if we go, so le’s finish ‘splorin, first.” Gavin said. “Sound good, y’all?”

 

 “Make sense to me.” Stella said.

 

 When they reached the Central Hub door, the ward’s layout began to come together for Gavin. Across from the Central Hub door was a door, locked, into a great, central, circular room of some description, and as for the halls, they were roughly in the shape of a V, separated down the middle by these two doors.

 

 When the three swung around to the other half of the V of G Ward, the first thing they noticed, on an angled wall to their right, was a door bearing the visage of Monokuma, similar to that of the Service Elevator. “Huh,” Gavin said. “Weren’t expecting to see him.” It was a different sort of door, though; where the others had been elevator doors, this one was an actual door, with a knob and all. It was locked, though, on account of being clearly important.

 

 “What do you think he’s even doing?” Stella said. “Monokuma, I mean. Does he just sit around and wait while we’re not around?”

 

 “I would hope he is enjoying some art.” Luan said. “It seems he enjoys it greatly.”

 

 “Ain’t that the truth,” Gavin said, walking a bit further. The Monokuma room was disconnected from the next by a small gap in the wall, so whatever the next door went to, it was definitely its own room. It was actually unlocked, but Gavin elected not to look inside just yet for the same reason as before. Turning around from there, the only remaining area was a path off of the opposite wall, which had two locked doors; one into the center, and one into a room jutting out of the wall.

 

 “I would like to visit C Team’s information hub, please,” Luan said. “And perhaps meet Kazuya on his way out.”

 

 “Ah, yeah, that’d be cool. Le’s do it.” Gavin nodded, and the team collectively returned to the Central Hub. Rin Hashizawa’s room was where Gavin himself had awoken, so he was getting to know the room pretty well by this point. Once he returned to the messy Roboticist’s domain, Gavin noticed what N Team no doubt brought to the table: a notepad, a second folder, and a few sheets of paper.

 

 Looking at the notepad, Luan said, “Ah. They’ve written down questions they have. The first is ‘who is The End.’ I agree.” Then everyone saw the colored pens, and he picked his up, muttering, ‘Lulu?’ under his breath.

 

 “Isn’t that the third nickname you’ve gotten since you got here?” Stella said. She chuckled a bit and tapped Luan on the shoulder. “I guess you’re a popular guy, huh?”

 

 “It would seem so.” Luan said. The three of them took a bit to go through the notepad and mark down their own thoughts. There wasn’t much too say on most of the matters at hand, though. Gavin had never been a particularly strong mystery-solver, after all. (Nanako’s nightmare was certainly something quite curious, though.)

 

 The biggest surprise was once they reached the last page. Luan’s eyes widened, and he said, “Oh, Monokuma is Kojiro?”

 

 “Wait.” Stella said. “Like, Nanako’s brother Kojiro?”

 

 With a muted nod, Luan read off all of N Team’s evidence. Apparently, Nanako ran off when it happened, and nobody in the team had expressed any indication to the contrary, so that meant that at the moment, it stood. Gavin took a second to ponder the logistics of such a thing.

 

 “Huh,” Gavin said. “Yanno, now we’ve said it, it don’t seem too surprising, do it?”

 

 “Well-” Stella raised her finger to comment, and then stopped. “Huh. Yeah, it doesn’t really. Actually, that makes a lot of sense.”

 

 “It seems to line up with his character quite well,” Luan said. “And his presence here.”

 

 The group shared a collective, solemn pause. “Poor guy.” Stella said.

 

 “Poor guy,” Gavin agreed.

 

 Next on the list was these loose bits of paper. Gavin picked them up and made a noise of surprise. “Yo, Nanako wrote us a science lecture?”

 

 “From _her?_ ” Stella rolled her eyes. “Come on. Chihaya was there, why not let someone a bit more level-headed do it?”

 

 “Actually looks like ‘s from pre-amnesia times.” Gavin said, scrutinizing Miss Nanako’s Science Lesson #1. “Weeeeird.”

 

 “What do you suppose this ‘project’ is?” Luan said. He turned to look at Stella, whose face was scrunched up, staring oddly at the lesson. “Stella?”

 

 “Huh?” Stella blinked. “Uh, no, ignore me, I’m crazy.”

 

 “We love crazy!” Gavin said. “What’s the sitch?”

 

 “I just think it’s kind of odd for Nanako to call her mom ‘Mother,’ is all.” Stella said. “She’s never seemed like the kind of person who would do that. It seems weird.”

 

 Gavin looked down, and thought about it again. “Huh… You know, tha’s true.” He muttered. “Wonder why?”

 

 “Perhaps she was unhappy with her mother that day?” Luan suggested.

 

 “Tha’s possible, I guess.” Gavin shrugged. Who knew. He and his mother had a pretty good rapport, so he wasn’t too often unhappy enough with her to know whether sarcastically calling her ‘Mother’ was in his lexicon. It probably wasn’t, though.

 

 Cast List #1 was next on the list, and they flipped through it reasonably quickly, though Stella and Luan were struck by the bizarre…strangeness of the whole thing. “What the fuck?” Stella said upon seeing Eriko’s page.

 

 “Who know.” Gavin said. “Who know.” For some reason, he couldn’t really bring himself to muster up the enthusiasm to analyze this.

 

 They would’ve moved on to Cast List #4, presumably (not #2?) were it not for the fact that G Team’s stride was broken by an ear-splitting scream from outside. Stella was the first to comment: “That wasn’t Kaz’s voice.”

 

 “No, no, it weren’t.” Gavin said. He broke out in a bit of sweat, and hurriedly opened the door. The three exited Rin’s room, and found… Chihaya, of all people, bolting down the stairs, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her usual cool was completely and utterly missing, and there was a look in her eyes Gavin found unsettling even beyond the clearly wrong nature of the situation. “Haya?” He ran over to the stairs. “Haya, wha’s-”

 

 She didn’t stop to respond to him. Chihaya barged past Gavin, throwing him almost completely off balance; she really was a lot stronger than she looked. Other than having to catch her breath, the gut-wrenching noises coming from her mouth weren’t stopping, as, like lightning, she struck through, seeming almost arbitrarily to choose to run into G Ward, just the way they’d come from.

 

 Much as it wasn’t in Gavin’s nature to bolt, bolt he did. Before he knew it, he was running after Chihaya, though he wasn’t quite as fast as her. There was something clearly wrong with his friend, and he needed to help. The green door opened up in front of him as she charged through, and he threw out his hand, calling, “Haya, wait! Please!”

 

 Once he entered G Ward, he turned to see Chihaya running into one of the unlocked doors; the one on the left half of G Ward. He kept moving, as fast as he could, and charged through the door, barely even stopping to register the room he’d entered. He followed Chihaya through another doorway through that room, hearing some noise as he did, but as Chihaya seemed to reach a dead end of sorts, a heavy, metallic door slammed shut in front of Gavin, making a locking noise as it did.

 

 Gavin pounded on the door. “Haya! Haya, you okay?!” He was able to hear muffled wails from inside the room, but that was it. “Damn it!” He kicked the door. Then he realized he was still wearing sandals. It hurt.

 

 A hand on Gavin’s shoulder snapped him out of it. “Gavin,” Luan said. “We have a situation.”

 

 “Huh?” Gavin said. He finally took a second to register where exactly he had entered. By the look of it, this was a great big bath; a great tub sat to his right, at the locked door, which sat across from a shut glass door. The tub was covered by a glass pane, though. On the other half of the room were two glass chambers—showers, no doubt, as they were covered by curtains—as well as four sinks in front of mirrors, arranged on each of the four corners of that half of the room. The color scheme of the room was muted, mostly small blues and yellows, leaving the tiling feeling very quiet.

 

 Through the glass door, though, Gavin could see an unfortunate sight; one Stella Masaki, locked off from him and Luan by said glass door. “Oh, shit.” Gavin could hear her mutter through an intercom. She was hyperventilating, not looking at the door. “Oh, shit, oh shit oh shit. Oh god. What do I do. What do I do. The door’s locked. Shit. Shit, I wasn’t prepared for this. Oh god.”

 

 “Stel!” Gavin hurried over to the door.

 

 “What if Chihaya’s in trouble?” Stella was visibly panicking, and her hands were reaching very close to her arms. “Oh, god, I’m gonna ruin everything. Oh, god.”

 

 “Stel, _cool down!_ ” Gavin shouted. “You ain’t alone. We right here. We gonna get through this together, a’ight? Please chill.”

 

 “Huh?” Stella looked up to the intercom on her side of the door. “Gavin? Where are you?”

 

 “…Oh, huh, we can see you.” Gavin scratched his head. “We’s on the other side of the door, ‘bout to start solvin’ the puzzle. Be cool, a’ight, Stel?”

 

 “Wait, there’s a puzzle on that side, too?” Stella said. “There’s stuff on this side, too.”

 

 “The door shut automatically after I crossed it,” Luan said. “Perhaps we’re meant to be split for this room.”

 

 “Ooh, yeah, that makes sense.” Gavin nodded. “Stel, listen, we gonna get through this together. No panicking.”

 

 “…If you say so.” Stella sighed.

 

 “Yeah, tha’s what Gav’s talkin’ ‘bout!” Gavin pumped his fist. “Le’s show the world what G Team can do!”

* * *

 

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

 “A’ight,” Gavin said. He looked over to the locked door; to its side was a 3x3 keypad. Fiddling with it, it seemed to cycle through sun, moon, and star symbols when you touched a segment. “So we gotta find this sun, moon, and stars code. You got any hits, Stel?”

 

 “No,” Stella said. “Hold on, lemme look through this room. It’s… Most of it is a wide sink and a cabinet. There’s a large mirror, too.”

 

 “Gotcha.” Gavin said. He inspected the tub. The glass pane covered the thing, but it was a pretty darn big tub. “Wouldn’t mind takin’ a bath in this ol’ boy.” He said.

 

 An inscription on the glass pane read, ‘Must be properly clean to enter bath.’ “Isn’t becoming clean the point of a bath?” Luan asked.

 

 “Eh, guess we gotta wash off in the sinks?” Gavin said. He clicked the switch on one sink. Nothing happened. “Huh.” Actually, now that he looked, these sinks were pretty odd. Different sinks had different numbers of switches; the one next to the locked door had one, as did the one farthest from the locked door. The sink next to the glass door had two switches, meanwhile, as did the sink farthest from it. They were connected by diagonals, it seemed.

 

 “I’ve found…what, what is this…” Stella muttered. “Uh, it’s some kind of puzzle. A 3x4 grid. There’s… What is this, an upside-down red bull mark?”

 

 Gavin’s ears perked up. That sounded familiar, based on something he’d heard from Yashiro. “There a big circle next to the bull mark?”

 

 “Yeah,” Stella said.

 

 “Then C Team ran into a puzzle like that,” Gavin said. “They usin’ chess notation for it, so le’s try that. Give us the scoop, Stel. The big circle’s where you start.”

 

 “Uh, alright.” Stella said. “The big circle is at the upper-right corner of d3. There’s a little nub on the bottom-left of a1. I’m guessing that’s the…‘goal.’”

 

 “Yup.” Gavin said. “Any symbols?”

 

 “There’s a cyan square on a3, and an orange square on c2.” Stella said. “And a little red dot on the right side of d3. That’s it.”

 

 “A’ight, whatcha gotta do is use your finger, trace a line from the big circle to the nub.” Gavin said. “Now, you gotta-”

 

 “Nothing’s happening.” Stella said.

 

 “No glowin’ line?” Gavin asked. Stella gave him the negative. “Weeeird.”

 

 “Alright, aside from that… I found a little notecard.” Stella said. “It’s…instructions on how to do a box step.”

 

 “How to dance in the shower?” Luan said. “Sometimes I sing.”

 

 “Hey, so does Gav!” Gavin said. He raised his hand for a high-five. “High-five me, Lou!”

 

 “Okay.” Luan obliged.

 

 “You guys can see through this door, right? I’ll just put it up on the door for you to see. Probably a hint or something.” Stella did just that, and Gavin and Luan headed over to the door to check. It seemed like you started, put your left foot forward, your right foot forward and to the right, your left foot went to meet it, your right foot stepped back, your left foot back and to the left, and your right foot went to meet it.

 

 Gavin snapped his fingers. “Gottem!” He headed over to the sink by the locked door and clicked its switch, then across to the two-switch sink on the same wall, clicking its right switch, then its left, in that order. Across to the other one-switch, and then back to the sink by the glass door, clicking its left, then its right. Once he flicked his last switch, not only did the curtains on the shower chambers open, but Stella made a noise.

 

 “A few more cabinets opened up in here!” She said. “Okay, let’s see… This one has…” She paused. “Sponges. Great.”

 

 “Might come in handy,” Gavin said. He looked towards the newly-open shower chambers. There was one on the left, and one on the right, and they seemed honestly like regular shower chambers, though they were locked at the moment. They seemed to have all the facilities, loofahs, bottles of branded bubble bath, even a razor or two if you wanted to shave. The only difference between the two was one particular thing in the left; a green-and-yellow sponge sat there, conspicuously being the only object not present in both. “Definitely gon’ come in handy.”

 

 “Stella, is there a way to access the vents in there?” Luan said. At the quizzical look Gavin gave him, he pointed above the shower chambers, which were open from the top; there were two open vent shafts above, that would allow for something to be dropped in from above.

 

 “Awww, you such a guy, Lou. You my man!” Gavin patted him on the back. “Good plan!”

 

 “Let me see.” Stella said. A moment later, she made an unpleasant-sounding noise. “Um. Oh, god. Oh, god.”

 

 “What we got, Stel?”

 

 “Uh, so there’s a vent hole here, yeah, but there’s…this fucking mess of cords and switches and…oh, god… I can barely even read the instructions, they’re like 4-point font, this is ridiculous!” Stella said. “I don’t even know where to start!”

 

 “Does the central switch have a parallel port on it?” Luan said.

 

 “What?” Stella muttered. “Uh…yeah.”

 

 “Flip the green switch and drop the green-and-yellow sponge down the vent, please.” Luan said. After a moment of silence, he continued, “It was in the vent control manual in Newcomb. I remember it well.”

 

 “Uh, okay, if you say so…” Stella said. After a few moments, she continued, “Done.” Instants later, out of the vent shaft above the right shower, the sponge fell into exactly the right position, and a pleasant chime heralded the retracting of the cover above the bath. “Did it work?”

 

 “Yeah!” Gavin jumped and pumped his fists. “Great work, team!”

 

 Being careful not to slip on the sides of the bath, Gavin scaled it to reach the bottom, and the screen right next to its drain. He hunched over to look at it. This… Well, it was a 3x4 grid with a bull mark right next to a large circle, with several colored symbols. “Oh, we got another wunna these puzzles.” Gavin said. “Hold up, hold up, don’ worry, pals, Gav’s got this. He remembers this.” The start was at the bottom-left, and the goal was at the upper-right. In a3 was a cyan square, in the intersection between b2, b3, c2, and c3 was a red dot, at c1 was a magenta square, and at d3, right next to the goal, was a magenta sun.

 

 “What are the rules?” Luan said.

 

 “We gotta pass the red dot, different-colored squares can’t be together, suns gotta go in pairs.” Gavin said. This seemed pretty simple, and he was able to figure it out quickly. Up 2, right 3, up 1, right 1, goal, right?

 

 Nope. All the symbols seemed satisfied, and yet nothing happened. “Weird,” Gavin muttered. “Gav was definitely listenin’…” He tried again, something different this time. Right 2, up 2, right 1, up 1, right 1, goal. This time, the cyan square lit up red. What…?

 

 “Uh, what are you doing over there?” Stella said.

 

 “We found a bull mark puzzle,” Gavin called back. “Actin’ weird, though.”

 

 “Uhhh, try it again?” Stella said. Gavin did so. He moved the line up 1, right 1, up 1, right 1, up 1— And then the line just stopped, and he couldn’t move it any further. “Okay, so I think you’re controlling this one, too.” Stella said.

 

 “How did it move?” Luan said.

 

 “Down, left, down, left, down, and then it didn’t move any further, like it was blocked.” Stella said. “Does that tell you anything?”

 

 “It appears to be rotational symmetry,” Luan said. “Stella’s grid had an orange square at c2, a cyan square at a3, and a red dot on the right of d3.”

 

 Gavin, with a thought, tried his routes earlier. His first route, Stella called, “Both squares lit up red.” His second, Stella called, “The orange square and red dot lit up.”

 

 “Gav’s got it!” Gavin pounded his fist into his open palm. “It ain’t like it’s two 3x4 grids, it’s a 6x4 grid cut in half! Gotta keep the squares apart from Stel’s grid, too.” He closed his eyes, and began thinking very hard. He made some Jun-esque grunting noises as he did, because after all, Jun did them so often there must be something to them. He snapped his fingers a few times. Alright, so there were five squares, one dot he needed to pass, and two lines, rotationally symmetrical, that he was controlling…ah, but then there was the question of why he was stopped that time.

 

 Wait.

 

 On a hunch, Gavin moved up 1, right 2, up 1, right 1, and then up 1, but instead of going along the lines, he continued tracing his finger up past the visible outline of the grid. Rewarding his hunch, a second line appeared on the upper-right side of a3, making mirrored movements to his finger. “Whoa!” Stella said. “Where’d that come from?”

 

 “Both lines exist, man.” Gavin said. “Can’t cross yer own line.” In that case, the solution was clear; up 1, right 2, up 1, right 1, up 2, right 1, down 1, goal. A pleasant chime rang out, rewarding Gavin’s puzzle-fu.

 

 “Okay!” Stella said. “The puzzle over here got replaced by a code. It’s, uhh…” She looked at it. “Sun at a2, moon at c1, moon at c3.” A click on the glass door gave her more pause, though, and she quickly ran over to the door, swinging it open. “Oh thank god!” She said, not through the intercom this time.

 

 “Stel!” Gavin ran out of the bath and hugged her (underarm). “You a’ight?” He said, rubbing her hair.

 

 “What are you doing?” Stella said. “I’m… Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s— Let’s just get in there.”

 

 “Right!” Gavin ran over to the locked door, and hammered the code in as fast as humanly possible. The keypad lit up green, and the door slid open.

 

* * *

 

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

 “ _Haya!_ ” Gavin called, bolting in the door. He’d seen it briefly, but the room on the other side seemed to be a more proper shower, and for that matter, to be the end of the path. Past a small entryway, with a rod above for hanging curtains that didn’t seem to be present at the moment, was a similarly-tiled area with faucets above, for a great deal of pacing about during your shower. It was incredibly pristine, which made the orange hair on the floor all the more striking; it had, of course, come from the whimpering girl curled up in the corner.

 

 “Get away from me!” Chihaya screamed; it wasn’t directed at Gavin, at least it didn’t seem that way, but she began to hustle away from him from on the floor anyhow. “Aaaaaah, aaaa _AAAAAAAH!_ ”

 

 This was a bit of a heavy situation for Gavin, but he tried his best to hurry after her; thankfully, he was still standing, so he had a bit of an advantage. “Haya, what’s wrong?”

 

 “No!” Chihaya writhed on the floor. “No! No, no, no! No! Stop it! Get away from me!”

 

 “ _Haya!_ ” Gavin said. He began attempting to wrap his arms around her to get her to stop running away, so they could just get her to calm _down_ for a second.

 

 Chihaya was still screaming, and Gavin wanted to find out what exactly she was screaming about. Eventually, he managed to get a grip on her, to keep her from getting away, at the very least; she was still a remarkably strong girl, honestly, but he tried his best-!

 

A flash of searing pain across Gavin’s left cheek struck the world silent for a moment. He couldn’t help himself from hissing, but he stayed strong, keeping his grip on Chihaya. It wasn’t until a few moments later that Gavin realized that Chihaya had stopped struggling; a drop of blood from the wound her nails had created dripped onto her face, and stopped her cold.

 

“…huh?” The stained Ghost said. She blinked. “I… What?” She looked down at her nails beneath Gavin’s grasp, said nails caked with some of Gavin’s skin and blood. She looked back up, and muttered something under her breath that Gavin couldn’t quite hear.

 

Gavin gritted his teeth a bit. “Yowza, Haya, you gotcherself some sharp nails.”

 

“I—“ Chihaya’s eyes went wide, and she recoiled. “Y-you’re hurt. I— We should— I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be—“ She stammered.

 

“Haya.” Gavin said. He let go of her for the time being, sitting back on the ground. “’s just a flesh wound, yo. Ain’t no big. Wha’s up? Ain’t normal for you to go runnin’ off screaming, yeah?”

 

Chihaya, whose limbs seemed remarkably limp now, looked down at the ground, curling up a bit more. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even be here. I’m sorry. Can I— Can I please— Have a moment to—?” She gulped. “I am— I’m— where am I?”

 

“Wha’s wrong, Haya?” Gavin said, more sternly this time. “Talk to Gav. ‘S what I’m good for, yeah?”

 

“But. But.” There was a cold sweat on Chihaya’s forehead, and her eyes went wide with fear. “But. No. No, no, no. No! You— I— It isn’t— Why— Why are you—?!” She began crawling away again.

 

“Haya!” Gavin cried, reaching his hand out.

 

“Stop! Stop it! Just stop it, stop it, stop it!” Chihaya said, backing herself against the wall. “It’s all useless! There’s no point in anything anymore! I’m dead! Get away! Leave me! _Leave me!_ ”

 

“Why?!” Gavin shouted, standing up and stomping his foot. “I ain’t gonna leave ‘til you tell me why I gotta leave! That ain’t what Gav does and you know it!”

 

“Don’t you get it?!” Chihaya was wheezing a bit beneath her tears. “You’re dead! The only person who ever loved me is dead! What the fuck do you think I’m supposed to do!? I can’t do anything! There’s no life for me anywhere! I’m dead! Everything doesn’t exist! None of this is real! You’re not real! SHUT UP!”

 

He wasn’t sure exactly what he should be doing in a situation like this, but Gavin felt like he’d gotten a decent idea of what exactly was wrong… or at least the ballpark. This— This was it, wasn’t it? If he left Chihaya to herself, she’d just keep self-destructing more and more. She needed help. But what should he say? What should he do? Even if it was only for a moment, he needed to get through to her, but she wasn’t seeing him; she was seeing her own demons. She was seeing the ghost of lost love. Whatever had happened to her, it had set her off something fierce, sent her teetering off an edge she’d done her best to keep herself off of for the past week. Depending on what he said, he could possibly harm her worse-

 

Oh, fuck it, Gavin thought, and he did what felt right. “That’s wrong!” He shouted, and this time, when he reached out and grabbed her, it was without question a hug. He squeezed her tightly, tearing up a bit himself. “That’s… That’s just wrong!”

 

“ _What’s_ wrong!?” Chihaya screamed under his arms. “Tell me! Just tell me what’s wrong!”

 

“You ain’t— Just— You just— You don’t just go deciding that on your own, man!” Gavin said, his hands balling up into fists on her back. “That ain’t cool! You don’t just go deciding whether you ain’t got nothin’ to live for on your own! Wha’bout all the people who care about you!? Wha’bout us?!”

 

“You’re dead!” Chihaya screamed.

 

“…Fine, yeah, maybe!” Gavin scoffed. “But you got other people! Even if your folks still wantchu to be your sister, you ain’t gotta do that, cuz you know why?! Cause they gonna fight for you! They gonna fight cause they love you!”

 

“They-“ Chihaya quivered under Gavin’s grasp. “That’s— No. They have… They have other people to fight for, their— Their own struggles— Their own—“ She paused. “Huh?”

 

“It don’t matter whether we got our own struggles!” Gavin said. “You know what? It don’t even matter if anyone else gonna fight, even if I know they is! Chihaya! Who am I!?”

 

“G— Gavin…?” Chihaya said.

 

“Tha’s right!” Gavin squeezed her tightly. “My name’s Gavin Sakaki, and I’m the Ultimate Buddy! I did _not_ get this far in life just lettin’ my friends down! It don’t matter who I gotta fight, or what I gotta do, I _will_ protect you.”

 

“But… I…” There was a certain clarity in Chihaya’s voice that hadn’t been there before. “Gavin…?”

 

“Read my lips, Haya.” Gavin said. “Ain’t a bullet I wouldn’t take, ain’t a fella I wouldn’t fight, ain’t a mountain I wouldn’t climb to help you. If there ain’t a life for you cuz of what your folks did, then we just gotta take it back. Heck, we can even make you a better life than you coulda had with them! Please, just trust me!”

 

“You…” Chihaya began crumpling under his grip. “Gavin, you…”

 

“Even if i’s just for one second.” Gavin pleaded. “Trust me. I wanna help you, so please, quit fightin’ and talk to me. C’mon, le’s get outta the showers.”

 

After a moment, Chihaya, her voice trembling, said, “What do you know?” She then began crying into Gavin’s chest. “You don’t know anything about me. You don’t know what you’re saying… You know that that’s not worth it.”

 

“Don’t decide wha’s worth it or not for me. Gav’s his own man.” Gavin said. He laughed a bit. “Trip, man… You and J really are kinda similar, huh? Sayin’ some of the same stuff.”

 

After a moment of her sobs abating, Chihaya’s cries turned into wails, clutching tight to Gavin’s chest and sobbing as hard as her lungs would allow. “Please... Someone tell me why this is all happening to me! I’ve done my best to be good, to do what I’m supposed to, all these years, but when I step out of line once I have the one person who ever loved me stolen away from me like she was never even here to begin with! It’s not fair!”

 

“No,” Gavin agreed. “It ain’t.”

 

“Why do I have to be punished for not dying? Why do I have to live like this?! It’s not fair! My father will never get better no matter how long I do this! There’s no point! I might as well not even exist if I don’t mean anything! It’s not fair!” Chihaya began pounding her fists into Gavin’s chest. “It’s not fair! It’s not fair! _Nothing is fair!_ Even the one time I was happy is being ruined for me! It’s all bullshit, it’s bullshit, bullshit, BULLSHIT!”

 

“Yeah.” Gavin nodded. “Yeah.”

 

“I don’t _want_ to die!” Chihaya said, clenching her fists even tighter. “I hate this title! I hate _both_ of my titles! I hate hiding! I’m tired of hiding! I don’t want to hide anymore! It’s all so fucking stupid! It doesn’t even matter who I am, I hate both of those stupid sisters! They should go to hell for what they’ve done to me! And Dad, and Grandfather, and Grandmother, and the entire Inoue family can go die! _I just want to be real!_ I don’t _care_ who I am, just please let me stop lying! Please let me stop hiding! I-“ She choked a bit. “I _don’t want to die._ ”

 

“Tha’s the truth, ain’t it?” Gavin said. “Ain’t no lie there, I don’t think.”

 

“Yeah,” Chihaya said after a moment of sniffling. It was worth noting that Chihaya was still not the most graceful crier, so Gavin’s vest was also stained with tears and a bit of snot now, along with the errant drop of blood from his cheek wound. “I don’t want to die.”

 

“You ain’t gonna.” Gavin said. “No more dyin’ for you. No more lyin’, either.”

 

“I might as well just stay down here. Miria was right.” Chihaya said. “It’s not like there’s anything for me outside. Nobody is waiting for me.”

 

“But do you wanna stay here?” Gavin asked.

 

“No,” Chihaya sobbed. “No! I don’t! I want to get out of here! I want to get out! I hate this place! It’s like some kind of crypt, where all the lonely children get sent to die for not doing well enough, and I hate it! I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a crypt! I’m not a ghost! I want to live!”

 

“Then… wouldja come with me?” Gavin said, a hopeful tone in his voice. “You ain’t gotta be happy about it, but you ain’t gotta lie and say you is if you ain’t.”

 

The two sat quietly on the floor of the shower as Chihaya’s crying slowly ground to a halt. Once she’d finished, and the two disconnected, there was no noise in the room at all until she spoke. “I don’t even know what that means.”

 

“I don’t either, but I think it got the message across, yeah?” Gavin shrugged.

 

A moment of silence.

 

“Sorry.” Chihaya said. “I was…having a really serious breakdown.”

 

“Yeah, Gav knows.” Gavin said.

 

A moment of silence.

 

“…Did you mean that?” Chihaya said. “That there was no bullet you wouldn’t take? No mountain you wouldn’t climb?”

 

“When is Gav any less than a hunnid percent serious, dude?” Gavin said.

 

“…Shouldn’t you save language like that for someone you fall in love with?” Chihaya rolled her eyes, which were still quite red. “If you’re that romantic, they might get jealous.”

 

“Tha’s stupid.” Gavin said. At the end of the day, this was the answer he’d reached. “Love is love, but you still my friend. Just cuz there might be a _most_ important person don’t mean that you ain’t important to me. Heck, if you ask Gav, that makes friends even more important, man! And, ‘sides…” He smiled. “Gav loves everyone. ‘S my character. I’d be bein’ fake if I didn’t take a bullet for ya, Haya.”

 

“Even if you died.” Chihaya said, staring blankly at Gavin. He nodded. “…You’re…really something else, aren’t you, Gavin?”

 

“Idiot to the core and proud of it, dude!” Gavin laughed proudly.

 

“You are just-” Chihaya turned her head to one side and jumped slightly. Gavin followed her gaze to find Stella standing awkwardly in the entryway, twiddling her fingers.

 

“Oh, hey, Stel!” Gavin laughed. “Kinda forgot you were here. Had a moment going, ya dig?”

 

“No no, it’s fine, really.” Stella raised a hand to give Gavin the OK. “I had no idea what to do there. I was just gonna let you handle it anyway.” She walked over and sat mutely down next to the two of them. “Um…” She stared at Chihaya.

 

“Yes?” Chihaya said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“What’s a good way to say, ‘what Gavin said, but within reason?’” Stella said. She groaned and put her head in her hands. “Fuck. That’s a really bad thing to say. I’m sorry. I mean, fuck, I can barely get out of bed some mornings, so I mean, I don’t know what help I could ever be-”

 

“Thank you, Stella.” Chihaya reached over and patted Stella on the back to inform her that she had done her duty and could cease speaking. Stella sighed heavily and slumped her shoulders, a weight lifted from her back. Gavin smiled and nodded, glad that the meaning had been communicated.

 

The missing member of the group, meanwhile, charged into the room again, carrying several washcloths, some bandages, a bit of disinfectant, and getting very up in Gavin’s grill. Luan scrubbed quite thoroughly at Gavin’s cheek. “Yo, ow, ow, ow!” Gavin cried. “Whatchu doin’, man?!”

 

“Please let me disinfect the wound and dress it properly.” Luan said. “We have little time to spare and I would not have you getting infected on my watch.”

 

“Aw, geez, Gav’s never been good with medical face stuff— OW!” He gritted his teeth as Luan scrubbed. “Ow, ow, ow!”

 

“Chihaya’s nails are unfortunately sharp.” Luan said. He shot a brief glance at the girl in question. “Are you alright, Chihaya?”

 

“Within reason.” Chihaya said.

 

“Psychological maladies are beyond my ability to treat,” Luan said. “I would be very distraught if you had not been.” He smiled, and quickly returned to his work. “I’m very glad that Gavin was able to perform some manner of assistance.”

 

“ _It don’t feel like you’re glad, man!_ ” Gavin yelped.

* * *

 

 

“So,” Stella said. The group had found ‘Cast List #3’ sitting about the shower, and Gavin had decided that the wayward Rin Hashizawa’s room would be the best place to sit about discussing the situation. “Chihaya.”

 

“Yes.” Chihaya was rather muted, and still had a level of discontent obvious in… most of her movements, frankly, but nevertheless she was communicative and was no longer hallucinating (or whatever), so it was a large improvement.

 

“What the fuck?” Stella asked, summarizing the issue concisely.

 

“Gav believes what Stel means to say is, why you up instead a’ Kaz? And what tipped you over so bad?” Gavin asked. He, like the cool guy he was, was sitting in the chair backwards.

 

“I’m exhausted and I’m not sure my perspective is the best,” Chihaya said, “but my mental stability took a sharp nosedive midway through Phase 2.” She sighed, and looked down at her feet. “The rest of N Team are probably very concerned as to why I…” She trailed off.

 

“Yeah?” Gavin urged her to continue.

 

“It would be easier to show you.” Chihaya stood up. “Sorry to disturb you as we’ve all just sat down, but please, follow me.”

 

As there was no pressing threat, there was no reason for them not to follow her, and so G Team did, into N Ward’s Living Room. Gavin couldn’t help but admire the Hashizawas’ lovely living space; in his opinion, the interior decorating was actually quite nice. Chihaya, though, made a beeline for the TV.

 

“This was part of the puzzle for the room, based on the letters each of us have been assigned.” Chihaya said. She picked up the remote, and quickly switched it to Cable 4. An image of Daisuke came on the screen, which caused Gavin to jump a bit. Eriko followed, and then…

 

“Who is that?” Luan asked. “I don’t recognize this old man.”

 

Chihaya sat down on a sofa as the old man’s image disappeared, replaced with herself in greyscale. She sighed, closed her eyes, and said, “That man is my grandfather. Fuhito Inoue, patriarch of the Inoue Family, subsidiary to the Kushin Clan.”

 

There was a moment of silence as the three members of G Team processed this information. Gavin’s response was to shout “ _Whaaaaaaaaaa!?_ ” at the top of his lungs.

 

“Can I be honest for a second?” Stella said, looking at Chihaya for permission. Chihaya nodded. “Finding out you have a direct family line to yakuza is one of the least surprising things I’ve ever heard.”

 

“Oh, man… Trip, man!” Gavin was pacing about the room, his mind in the process of being completely and utterly blown. “Haya’s gramps… Whoaaaaaaa!”

 

“I see,” Luan said. He nodded. “But why would your grandfather be present on this screen?”

 

“I don’t know,” Chihaya said, shaking her head. “But when I saw him, it was like my head had been dunked into cold water. I thought…” She paused, and her head hung lower. “I thought I had found somewhere where I could be alive, and then he showed up. I couldn’t escape. The one place I thought I could be free, and he showed up.”

 

“Is he the one who—?” Stella began.

 

“Mostly, yes.” Chihaya nodded.

 

“What a dick,” Stella said.

 

“I’m sick of this all,” Chihaya said, and she turned off the TV just as her grandfather’s image passed by a third time. “I’m sick of all this shit. I’m so tired. I don’t even know why I’m saying all this.”

 

“Better it come out to us than to nobody.” Luan offered. Chihaya shrugged, but she nodded a little.

 

“...So I started pretending to be Chizuru again,” Chihaya said. “It didn’t go well. Didn’t take long for me to snap completely. I… In the Confessional Hall, I…” She looked down at her hands. “Zero…was there.”

 

“Wait, you mean, like, not a doll or whatevs? The real dude?” Gavin’s eyes widened.

 

“Yes.” Chihaya said. “And I… For just a moment, I saw reality in there, I saw Zero in front of me, and I attacked her. And she said to me…that she would let me kill her, if it would make me happy.” She chuckled. “And, you know…” She looked down at her hand. “For just a second, I really did consider it. It probably wouldn’t have been too hard. I could’ve killed Zero right then and there, choked her out and left her to rot on the floor. But then I realized how far gone I was, the fact that I was so broken I was perfectly alright with committing murder, and… Well. I couldn’t take it.”

 

 G Team gave her the pregnant pause she clearly needed. “I can’t say that some part of me doesn’t regret leaving her alive, either.” She clenched her fists. “I hate Zero. I hate this stupid game. Some part of me just wants to kill Zero and leave myself to die. Sometimes I wonder…” She chuckled, but it was an empty one. “Sometimes I wonder if I even know how to care about people anymore. Maybe I’m just broken and I’ll never be more than an empty shell.”

 

 “But you care about people,” Stella said. “I mean, right?”

 

 “I feel like I do, but I’m only myself,” Chihaya mused. “Who can say that what I think ‘caring’ means is the same as anyone else’s? Maybe my idea of it has been so warped that it’ll never go back to normal.”

 

 “Human is at best a contradiction still,” Luan observed. “Contradictory desires and feelings within one’s own mind are an ordinary, natural part of being human, much as we might like to attempt to hide it. All that we as humans can do is our best, in the end, for we have no way of knowing whether what we do is truly good or not.” At the three strange looks he got, Luan blushed, looked away, and said, “I read that in a book once.”

 

 “Uhhh…what?” Gavin blinked. “Come again…?”

 

 “Never mind, I…” Luan stammered. “I… Mm.” He trailed off.

 

 The silence was palpable, and painfully, painfully awkward. None of G Team were exactly certain how to proceed here; even with Gavin’s bluster earlier, actually dealing with issues of a certain depth was far beyond the ken of any teenager, and Chihaya’s problems ran very, very deep. Gavin was quite a guy, and he, Stella, and Luan made a great team, but they probably wouldn’t come in much handy for a situation like this; Gavin was much better at being a stalwart rock to the ailing than actually solving problems.

 

 As he thought that, though, it occurred to Gavin that assuming he could fix everything was its own sort of foolhardiness, and that overstretching his bounds and forcing Chihaya past boundaries that she was not herself ready for as far as moving past her own problems would do more to hurt her than help her. What Chihaya probably needed was a solid support group and actual, professional psychological and emotional help. In fact, Gavin thought, a lot of them could do with that.

 

 It then occurred to Gavin that perhaps this was a proper application of his talent as the Ultimate Buddy; assisting his ailing friends by being a rock that helped knit a support group together that could help his friends mutually assist each other to become better equipped to face life’s challenges in a healthy and positive manner… Though how much he actually contributed, he had no idea, for it was really oneself who was most blind to one’s own achievements, or lack thereof. For all he knew, he could have actually had no impact at all on the social dynamics of the group in the present, or would have no impact at all on them in the future (and he certainly hoped there was a future, since he did like these guys quite a bit!)

 

 These thoughts manifested themselves as a muted, elongated “Duuuuuude” under Gavin’s breath, and he closed his eyes, meditating on his thoughts.

 

 “Fuck.” Stella said, putting her head in her hands. “I want some ice cream.”

 

 “You know we all love you, right, Haya?” Gavin said, turning his head towards her. “Just, um… You know we all care a lot, yeah?”

 

 “Sure. Thanks, Gavin.” Chihaya said. Agh, that wasn’t the response he was looking for!

 

* * *

 

 

 No matter how much Gavin would’ve liked to just sit down and really get to talking about these things, though, they were still in the Nonary Game, and so had no choice but to remain on the ball. Cast List #4 came and went mostly without incident once they’d returned to Rin’s room; the only thing of note was Stella seeing her own page. Her entire body went incredibly tense, and the fear in her eyes was deep and pained.

 

 “Do you have any idea what you might have forgotten, Stella?” Chihaya said. Stella shook her head.

 

 “I just… I know it’s from about the time the Little Ultimates Initiative went down.” Stella said. “That’s all. I don’t know anything else.”

 

 “I see.” Chihaya said. She didn’t seem completely satisfied, but there weren’t many ways to be completely satisfied at a time like this, Gavin thought.

 

 That aside, though, Gavin, though he was feeling an even deeper exhaustion than before set in, opened up Cast List #3 to begin reading. Their first prize was Luan’s file, as Boy L. “Eyyy, there you is, Lou.” Gavin smiled. “How’zit feel?”

 

 “I have no idea.” Luan said.

 

 “Yeah, me neither.” Gavin nodded weakly. “Mmhm. ‘Kay.” Didn’t seem like there was much to deal with other than that. M was… Miria. Chihaya clicked her tongue. The story was just what Monokuma—or, rather, Kojiro, apparently—had communicated in his drawing on the third floor. No surprises there.

 

 The page for Girl N, though, was another that had not fared well. A picture that was probably of Nanako originally had been sliced into pieces by a blade, and most of the sheet had been scribbled out in a particularly angry-seeming manner. This probably had some sort of significance, but Gavin had already basically checked out for the time being, so heck if he knew what it was. O was Kazuya. “Why you here instead of him, anyway?” Gavin asked Chihaya.

 

 “Presumably, Zero was concerned about me, or something. Why she would be, I don’t know.” Chihaya said.

 

 “Hey, hold on a second.” Stella asked. She raised her hand. “Why do you keep calling Zero a ‘she?’”

 

 “Hm?” Chihaya blinked, and then her eyes opened slightly, as though it was a surprise to her, too. “Ah. That was… the sense I got. From our brief interaction…” Chihaya sighed and shrugged a little. “I don’t know. Zero just read female to me. I could be wrong, but that was the impression I got.”

 

 “Do you think that…” Luan trailed off. “Mm.”

 

 It was then that Gavin realized what exactly it had been that was bothering him about all this. This whole puzzle-solving thing, the gathering of information, it was all bothering him, and he hadn’t been certain of why until he took a good, long look at Kazuya’s face in his picture.

 

 “Eh, y’know what?” Gavin said, blinking. He put down the folder. “I don’t care.”

 

 “Wha— What?” Chihaya gaped, furrowing her brow at him. “You don’t _care?_ ”

 

 “Aww, le’s be real here, Haya.” Gavin smiled. He stood up off the ground and began pacing. “Me, Stel, and Lou, now, we ain’t stupid, yeah? But none’a us ever been the type to really solve these things. It don’t really make a difference to Gav _who_ Zero is or _why_ they— She— Whatev, why this all goin’ down. Never has. If we all gettin’ out so soon, then, uh, who cares? T’ain’t! No! Point!” He said, clapping to punctuate his point.

 

 After a moment of silence, Luan said, “So, you don’t care to know why this happened?”

 

 “Ahh, y’know, Gav’s curious, but trip, man, I ain’t gonna find out on my own. Gav ain’t that kinda smart, so he turnin’ his brain off for now!” Gavin laughed. “Got more important thinks to think. C Team and N Team can do the mystery solvin’, yeah? Call Gav to a trial if’n you want him to think.” He clapped his hands.

 

 “You don’t _care._ ” Chihaya said. “It doesn’t actually matter to you.”

 

 “Nope,” Gavin confirmed.

 

 “I…kinda don’t care either.” Stella said. “I just want to go home.”

 

 “I agree.” Luan said.

 

 Chihaya flopped back on the bed, her eyes wide, looking like she’d just seen a flying pig or something. “I see,” she said, in a manner that made it quite clear she did not, in fact, see.

 

 “What Gav cares about is his pals, and if Zero wants to play therapist, she should see she ain’t doing any freakin’ good with this Nonary Game crap.” Gavin spat. “Separatin’ us like this is freakin’ stupid. Hey!” He called up. “If you think changin’ Haya’s number to be faster was good enough, you dead wrong!” He rolled his eyes. “And goin’ all blackout on the ‘super important info,’ pah, ‘s all just a buncha crap. Just tryna string us along like carrots on a stick. Gav don’t need it.”

 

 “…What?” Chihaya sat back up.

 

 “If Zero actually wanted to explain what’s up, she’d’a done it already, yeah? Or, well, y’know what I mean.” Gavin said. “You know, actually, if we just goin’ along with this crap she gives us, ain’t that jus’ like Shig bitin’ on the memory hook, or Wand goin’ for the Note? We’s just playing along when, based on past history and all that junk, we got no actual incentive to actually do that. Heck, who says she even gotta tell the truth in the Denouement Perk? Mighta been fulla crap.”

 

 It wasn’t just Chihaya; Stella and Luan seemed interested in Gavin’s reasoning now, too, leaning forward on their various seats. “The Denouement Perk was a lie?” Luan said.

 

 “Mighta been. Mighta not been.” Gavin shrugged. “But, like, we got ourselves a pretty tight environment, yeah? Pretty much anythin’ in or outta here goes when Ender, or Zero, or whoever, says it do. Stuff in there might be true, yeah, but that don’t mean ‘s the whole truth, or that ‘s the truth phrased like the truth, ya dig? Like, okay-“ He picked up Cast List #4 again, and flipped to Stella’s page. “Stel! Hey.”

 

 “Uh, yeah?” The sight of her page caused Stella to flinch.

 

 “Now, y’all can mark me on this, ‘cause I would actually bet some cash on it— You ain’t got nothin’ to worry about.” Gavin nodded soundly at Stella’s blacked-out page. “Matter of fact, this here? Totally proof you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about.” He tapped at his head and grinned. “Yeah.”

 

 “…What?” Stella stared disbelievingly at Gavin. “How?”

 

 “So, Ender—for sake’a argument I’mma just say Ender for now cuz Zero is her own whole can of worms Gav completely ain’t interested in crackin’ open— Ender obviously likes hurtin’ people emotionally, yeah?” Gavin said. “Takes some folks’ most important memories, gives Dice and J motives that prey on their insecurities, hurts Koji a whole lot, had that pfffftastic ‘traitor’ motive or whatever planned out, you catch my drift. Now, Stel, correct Gav if he wrong, buuuuut methinks that a good way to get under _your_ skin’s makin’ you think you did something bad, yeah? Cause your brain kicks into overdrive ‘bout that.”

 

 “I…guess.” Stella said.

 

 “And Ender knows this, so what Gav would do if he were an outrageously rude lady like her is he’d steal a memory that weren’t important at all from you and make it seem like it was real important.” Gavin said. “Like, meh, Iunno, some time you watched a movie or somethin’, so even when you comin’ into contact with summa the darkest parts ‘a your history, you always got that little bit of fear, like, ‘trip, man, what if there’s somethin’ worse?’”

 

 “So you…” Stella was blinking rapidly, and raising her finger up. “You think that The End is just trying to psyche me out.”

 

 “Hyup.” Gavin nodded, hands on his waist. “Most indubitably, my dude. And Haya! Now, Haya, you just been separated from a friend you gotten real close to after you already lost your ladyfriend. Now, Ender knows this, ‘n she prolly also knows that we got no real reason to keep on keepin’ on. So, she shows you your gramps to try’n…ah, whassa word…Galvanize?” Gavin raised his eyebrow. “J used it once… Sure, yeah, le’s go with that. Galvanize you to keep wantin’ to try’n solve the mystery she layin’ out for you, while she also laughin’ cause she knew it’d freak your mind something fierce, cause you gotcherself a ruthless streak, you do, and you slip into it when you wanna dodge how sad you are.”

 

 Chihaya, who had been getting tense again, looked a bit deflated. “So you’re saying that Grandfather might not even have anything really to do with this situation?”

 

 “Boss didn’t.” Gavin shrugged. “Listen, yo, tryna bend ourselves outta shape so’s we can follow Ender’s trail o’ breadcrumbs’ll just get us all outta whack and feelin’ gnarly by the end. Gav thinks that we, as our gang, should just chillax. We only got, what, two’n’a’half more days in this hole ‘fore we out? Le’s just be cool!” He smiled.

 

 Chihaya glared at him a moment before standing up and throwing her arms up, sighing, and stomping out of the room before Gavin could react. “Whatever.” She scoffed as she escaped.

 

 “Wha- yo, Haya, hold up!” Gavin said. He turned to Stella and Luan briefly, silently asking their permission to go after her, and from the looks on their faces, he had it. He hurried out the door, and since she wasn’t running this time, he managed to place his hand on Chihaya’s shoulder. “Hold up, yo!”

 

 “What?” Chihaya clicked her tongue. “What do you want?” She glared at him over her shoulder.

 

 “Chill _out,_ Haya.” Gavin recoiled a bit from her sheer intensity. “For real, yer gonna break somethin’ if you keep bein’ this serious all the time, dude.”

 

 “Am I supposed to not be serious?” Chihaya asked him. “I guess for some of us, it’s fine to just ignore all the evidence we’re given-”

 

 “I ain’t ignorin’ all the evidence, I just ain’t got no questions I want answered right now.” Gavin said. “Ain’t it you who ignorin’ the evidence?”

 

 Chihaya repeated, “What?” with slightly more venom. “I’m not-”

 

 “Trip, man, you just decided it was Rin w’out even gettin’ anywhere cause you so sure you right.” Gavin said. “Tha’s what you thinkin’, right? You think Rin behind this.”

 

 “…You’re right. I do.” Chihaya gritted her teeth. “I…” She closed her eyes, and sighed. “Isn’t it…obvious?”

 

 “Obviosity in the eye of the beholder, my dude.” Gavin said. “Plus, you just assumin’ she wanted Meer to die ‘n all, that there ain’t no more explanations to give. You ain’t even tryin’ anymore, man.” He frowned at her. “Seems pretty dumb to Gav. Don’t be dumb.”

 

 The novelty of being chided by Gavin seemed to have gotten through to Chihaya a bit, and her intensity began to break up a little bit. “Even so, though-”

 

 “ _And,_ runnin’ around like this with phasers set to ‘kill’ all the time is freakin’ me out and it’s freakin’ them out and ‘s a real fast road to havin’ another breakdown soon.” Gavin crossed his arms. “So quit it, wouldja? For your sake. Gav just said he’d fight for ya, so quit acting like you ain’t got nothin’ to live for but vengeance. ‘M right here, man, kinda stings.”

 

 “I—” Chihaya began.

 

 “Yo. Haya,” Gavin said. “Smile. Crack a joke! Try laughin’. Just laugh.”

 

 She looked a bit confused, but Chihaya relented, and did, in fact, laugh. It was an obviously forced, fake laugh, but as she kept laughing, Gavin could see the twists in her face where she managed to trick herself into actually laughing. Eventually, she was laughing like an idiot in the middle of Maxwell Hall, and Gavin smiled, proud of himself. “Ain’t that better?”

 

 “Ahh… I guess a little,” Chihaya said, winding down. She rolled her shoulders back. “…Were you…serious when you said I was scaring you, though?”

 

 “Yes,” Gavin said, his face incredibly serious. “Holy canoodle, you scary.”

 

 Some of Chihaya’s regular behaviors seemed to have reasserted themselves, as she began attempting to go hide herself behind the stairs. “Sorry. I…um…yeah.”

 

 “No, no, we cool as long as you okay, man.” Gavin said. He sat down on the stairs next to her. “Ain’t healthy bein’ so intense all the time. Gotta cool your jets.”

 

 “Mm.” Chihaya said.

 

 “You mind chattin’ with Gav about somethin’ kinda important, while I gotcha here?” Gavin asked. “Methinks you be good for it.”

 

 “If you think so,” Chihaya said. Gavin nodded, and walked over to Rin’s door.

 

 He leaned in, and told Stella and Luan, who were still sitting in there, “Yo, no worries about Haya, but we gonna have a private conversation, that cool?” The two of them were looking at Cast List #3 again. “Whassup?”

 

 “P seems to have been chosen completely arbitrarily,” Luan said. He picked up the folder and brought it out into the Central Hub, past Gavin, and set it down on the floor; Gavin supposed he probably had guessed where Chihaya was.

 

 Gavin looked down, and blinked a few times. Of all the places… “Saburo?” He muttered. “Wha’s he doin’ here?”

 

 Stella, who had followed Luan, stared at Luan and Gavin in turn, and muttered, “Oh, no way. You’re kidding.”

 

 The Escape Artist—who, Gavin thought, was apparently very photogenic, those rough-but-pretty-boy looks with the ever-present droopy look he sported winding up very appealing—stared up at them from the floor, listed as…a ‘Whatever’ in his file. Relevance:

 

  _IDK LOL it’s not like I need a P for any of the codes it’ll never come up fuck this dropout anyway, saying no to Hope’s Peak, who the hell does that_

 

 “This is Saburo,” Luan explained. “One of my friends from the Fourth Nonary Game.”

 

 “You _kidding!_ ” Gavin said, his jaw going agape, staring, baffled, at Luan. “We—” He sputtered a bit. “We got the _same buddy Saburo?_ ”

 

 Luan pondered for a moment, and then said, “Winding up in a trunk in the middle of a lake does sound very Saburo-esque.”

 

 “Small world!” Gavin laughed, a bit in disbelief. “Small world. We got the same buddy Saburo.” Then he paused. “Wait. That means my buddy Saburo been in a freakin’ Nonary Game!”

 

 “You know what I think of this guy?” Stella said, crouching down and staring at the folder. Gavin tilted his head to the side like Nanako, and after rolling her eyes, Stella continued, “I wish he’d gotten kidnapped, so we could be out of here already.”

 

 Gavin laughed. So did Luan… and by that small chuckle, Chihaya seemed to think it was pretty funny, too. “Too true,” Gavin said. “Ain’t that right, Lou?”

 

 “He could probably find a way.” Luan said.

 

* * *

 

 

 “A’ight, so I wanna talk about J.” Gavin said. He was seated at a chair in one of the unoccupied rooms; by his reckoning, the one Claus had started in. Chihaya was sat at the bed. “You good pals with him in a way I ain’t, yeah?”

 

 “I’d say so.” Chihaya said. “I like to believe I’ve gotten to know him pretty well.”

 

 “So, if Gav were to say he in love with J.” Gavin clasped his hands together. “How that make you feel?”

 

 Chihaya put her head in her hand and began thinking. “I’m assuming this isn’t a hypothetical.”

 

 “Yeah, it ain’t.” Gavin nodded.

 

 “Interesting.” Chihaya nodded. “Why? What about Jun made you fall in love with him?”

 

 “Kinda hard to describe, but, uh, way I put it earlier to Claus ‘n Simba, ‘s like, mosta the time he just my friend J, right? Crabby, hardass spitfire who thinks he’s hot shit. And I like J. I mean, he a pain in the butt sometimes, sure, but that don’t mean he ain’t my pal. I like the guy. Wanna see ‘im succeed. Stuff like that.” Gavin said.

 

 “That seems reasonable,” Chihaya said. “Where’s the ‘but?’”

 

 Gavin crossed his arms, then put one leg up on the other, and sighed. “Well… ‘s like… Tha’s my pal, J. But erry so oft’n, ‘s like I can see somethin’… underneath that. Like when I watch him swimmin’, or when he smiles atchu when you get something about programming, or, heck, when he programming; his eyes just light up, like he a happy little kid openin’ presents on Christmas morning. There’s this…shine to his eyes. Somethin’ really beautiful, like—”

 

 “Like there’s something hidden underneath the Jun we know, that barely ever gets a chance to come out?” Chihaya asked.

 

 “Yeah,” Gavin nodded. “Kinda like you, Haya.”

 

 “And so the Jun you’ve fallen in love with isn’t the Jun we know,” Chihaya said. “It’s the Jun underneath the Jun we know. The ‘real’ Jun, so to speak.”

 

 “Tha’s right.” Gavin nodded again.

 

 Chihaya closed her eyes and pondered for a bit. “That’s… a complex issue. For any number of reasons. I’m glad you feel that way about him, but…” She opened her eyes. “I’m glad you came to talk to me.”

 

 “Yeah,” Gavin said. “I know it might not be best for J. Tha’s why I wanted your input.”

 

 “Did you know,” Chihaya said, “that Jun is very, very anxious about the topic of his sexuality?” Gavin raised his eyebrow. “In fact, he seems to almost have panic attacks any time it’s brought up. He insists he isn’t gay, that he isn’t ‘waiting for Prince Charming to come sweep him off his feet.’”

 

 Gavin blinked. “Oh! Uh… I, uh, trip, man, never asked, never asked.”

 

 “I think that’s reasonable.” Chihaya said. “Regardless of the fact of sexuality, you’re the sort of person who loves who he loves, regardless of gender. Right?” Gavin nodded. “But for a lot of people, it isn’t that simple. Jun is one of those people. Whether he is attracted to men or not, the stigma of being ‘gay’ clearly carries a great deal of weight in his mind. It’s likely he was bullied for being perceived as gay, or worse.”

 

 Looking down at his hands, Gavin frowned. “Trip, man.”

 

 “I’m not saying it’s impossible,” Chihaya said. “But it’s not a question as easy as ‘is he into you’ in a situation like this. For all you know, the answer could be an emphatic yes, he does reciprocate your feelings, but the psychological walls around his identity prevent him from expressing it. Whether he’s attracted to you or not, there’s a barrier here that blocks you from even an honest yes or no answer.”

 

 “And… You know what that barrier is, man?” Gavin asked.

 

 Chihaya shook her head. “I still haven’t completely figured Jun out. He’s walled himself off very thoroughly. I still don’t know _what_ it is he’s hiding, _who_ Jun really is, _why_ he would have to hide it like this. It’s the sort of disguise where he actually genuinely believes his own smoke and mirrors.”

 

 “…You think…” Gavin couldn’t help but raise the idea. “You think that tha’s what ‘the truth’ is? What Ender took him for?”

 

 “Jun’s true nature as a person?” Chihaya said. She rubbed her chin a bit. “That could very well be a possibility. If so, though, Jun’s probably not doing too well right now. He…” She looked down. “I miss him.”

 

 “Yeah,” Gavin said. “Kinda weird, huh?” He chuckled. “One minute folks can’t wait for him to leave, and then when he gone we dunno how we gonna go on.”

 

 Chihaya leveled her gaze, hard and serious, at Gavin. “Gavin. I want to hear you say you understand this.”

 

 “Yeah?” Gavin responded.

 

 “In many ways…” Chihaya began to instinctively look downward, but kept her eyes level. “In many ways, by choosing to pursue Jun as a romantic partner, you’re making a very heavy decision. You know and I know he’s not the sort of person with whom things will simply quickly fizzle out, if you do make it that far. He’s…probably the type to…get very attached to any partner he finds.” She was blinking repeatedly. “If you truly are in love with him, acting on that is a commitment; a promise that you’ll stand by him, come what may, knowing that you will probably share a great deal of his pain, promising that you’ll do your best to relieve that pain.”

 

 “Yeah,” Gavin said. He nodded. “Come what may, yeah?”

 

 “Then… You think you’re prepared for that?” Chihaya asked.

 

 “Yeah.” Gavin said. “Wouldn’t be sayin’ it if I wasn’t. Never said I thought it’d be easy, cause, heck, you met the guy? Wha’d Stel call him, an ‘emotional cactus?’”

 

 Chihaya giggled, despite the tears that Gavin could see she was doing her best to hold back. “In that case… I hope you do well, Gavin.” She smiled.

 

 “Yeah,” Gavin nodded. “Thanks, man.” He reached out his hand for a handshake.

 

 “Er…?” Chihaya stared down at his hand. “But you’ve never managed to give me one.”

 

 “C’mon, now, erry handshake gotta be a secret handshake just cause I’m Gav?” Gavin scoffed. “Shake my hand, Haya.”

 

 “Uh… Alright.” Chihaya shook his hand.

 

* * *

 

 

 Leaving Gavin and Chihaya to it, the other two members of G Team had decided to head off and explore that other unlocked room. While Stella thought she probably wasn’t the best person for this job (or really, any job at all), better her than nobody. “Sometimes,” Stella said, “I wonder how Gavin is real.”

 

 “Gavin has always reminded me of a piece of the Taoist philosophy, the idea of ‘action without action.’” Luan responded. “The thought goes that everything has a rightful place in the universe, and this rightful place is what it is naturally inclined to do. In other words, forcing oneself to be something they are not is inherently disruptive to the flow of the universe, and so one should do what comes naturally, what feels most comfortable.”

 

 Stella stopped in her tracks, her thought process completely halted by Luan’s word vomit. “Uh, what?”

 

 “I read that in a book once,” Luan explained.

 

 “What’s with all the sudden asides?” Stella said. She raised her eyebrow at him. “Is this a Nonary Game thing or something?”

 

 “Er. Well.” Luan stopped. He blushed a little. “I…thought that since we are in such close quarters now, G Team might be served better if I spoke more. I’m not particularly good at making small talk…on the spot.”

 

 “Hm.” Stella gave him an appraising glance. “Do a lot of being talked to?”

 

 “Yes.” Luan nodded.

 

 “Well, I guess I appreciate the effort.” Stella said. There wasn’t really a ‘guess’ about it, but that was just sort of how words came out of Stella’s mouth, wasn’t it?

 

 “I’m glad.” Luan said. “Your hair looks better without the dye. It’s a much nicer shade.”

 

 Stella self-consciously patted at her head, which was still completely undone, considering that the last time she’d had a chance to do it was about three full days ago. Did _everyone_ have to comment on it? “The dye wasn’t that ugly!”

 

 “You were very blue, though.” Luan said. “Extremely blue.”

 

 “Blue is my thing!” Stella countered. “Just like black is Nanako’s!”

 

 “You’d be surprised,” Monokuma said. “I mean, call me crazy, but I feel like once Nanako gets access to a proper wardrobe, she’s gonna look like a rainbow vomited on her.”

 

 “That does seem like her.” Luan nodded.

 

 …Wait. Wait a second.

 

 “Huh?” Stella said.

 

 “Hm?” Luan said.

 

 “Wha-what?” Monokuma said. Back up a second, Stella. You missed a step here.

 

 Stella and Luan now found themselves staring at a very particular bear, exiting the very room that they’d been meaning to investigate. As was becoming a reasonably common sight, his right arm was in a cast. The three of them were now stuck in an awkward, dumbfounded stareoff.

 

 “Oh no.” Monokuma began trembling. “I couldn’t pass up the ‘Monokuma slides seamlessly into the narrative and it takes a second to catch up’ gag, but now I’ve slid into a narrative where I’m not expected! Too much peanut butter in my chocolate!”

 

 Stella blinked a few times. “I…thought you were…gone, or something.”

 

 “Rumors of my exit from the proceedings of this tale have been greatly exaggerated,” Monokuma said. “Let’s be real; everyone’s been dying to see me anyhow. Zero just doesn’t have the same charisma! I’m clearly the superior mascot.” He huffed proudly, with a ‘Pu! Hu! Hu!’ for good measure. “How’s the Nonary Game, kiddos?”

 

 “Stupid.” Stella said.

 

 “See? That’s what I said!” Monokuma said. “But noooo, nobody listens to Monokuma. They say jump, they tell me how high to jump, and I jump that high. I don’t even get a choice of how high to jump. Pity me.”

 

 “Wait, wait, wait.” Stella waved her hand. “Quit trying to distract us. What are you doing here? You’re just hanging around?”

 

 “’Uhhhh, nothing important, I assure you,’ Monokuma suavely lied,” Monokuma obviously lied. “Just…hanging out. You know. Doing…cool Monokuma things.”

 

 “Art?” Luan asked.

 

 “Damn, he got me!” Monokuma said. “Yes, I’ve been doing the dreaded _art._ It’s kind of a big deal. I’m kind of a big deal.”

 

 “It must be difficult with only one arm.” Luan said. “My sympathies, Kojiro.”

 

 “That doesn’t even have any of the syllables from my name. C’mon, Lulu, keep up.” Monokuma said. “Mo-no-ku-ma. Monokuma!”

 

 “No, you probably are Nanako’s little brother, right?” Stella said. “It’s pretty obvious by this point.”

 

 “I’m Monokuma! Deal or no deal!” Monokuma said. He acted as though he was going to disappear, but then looked around awkwardly. “…Uh, where’s a hole, where’s a hole… Ah!” He puttered over to in front of the locked door with his face and fell into a hole.

 

 Quietly, a bit dumbfoundedly, Stella opened the door Monokuma had just come from. The room inside was not particularly large; the Workshop, as it was called, was a multi-purpose room that seemed to have a bit of everything from all the creation-minded rooms from previous floors. In particular, Monokuma appeared to have been attempting to work with wood, for some reason; but judging by how pained that poor block of wood looked, he wasn’t doing very well. His paintbrushes were all quite neatly organized, though, and he seemed to have done his best to clean up after himself.

 

 “I guess his art skills don’t translate to wood.” Stella said. The room’s walls were a dark brown, and the range of supplies present was pretty deep; woods, papers, metals… Were those plant seeds? “What do you suppose he was trying to make?”

 

 “I don’t know.” Luan said. “He is a very hard to read boy.”

 

 Without anything left to really inspect, Stella shrugged and said, “Let’s just go back to the room and write in the notepad, I guess?”

 

 When they got back, and Luan had sat down, though, Gavin entered the room. “Oh, you guys is back. Haya’s asleep.”

 

 “We ran into Kojiro.” Luan said.

 

 “Oh!” Gavin’s eyes went wide. “He doin’ alright?”

 

 “His arm’s in a sling, but he seems as chipper as ever.” Stella said. “Wish he’d show me how to do that.” She sighed, and fought back the urge to rub her arms.

 

 “A’ight.” Gavin sat down on the bed. “Le’s get to work so the other teams don’t worry, yeah?”

 

 “Where should I write that?” Luan said.

 

 “Write what?” Gavin asked. Luan was writing as he spoke. “…You writin’ everything we say?”

 

 “Proper transcription is important for preservation of information.” Luan said.

 

* * *

 

 

 How long had Jun been asleep? What was the difference, at this point, between dream and reality? How long did he need to keep going? He’d noticed that he had yet to feel any signs of physical exhaustion, or hunger, or thirst. It was possible that whoever was keeping him trapped here was ensuring he wouldn’t die while he slept.

 

  _But why would someone do that?_

 

 “I don’t know. Be quiet.” Jun said.

 

 There was a part of Jun that had latched on to the memory of his parents—that is, the Okitas—as a way to keep himself sane down here. Several times, drifting between dream and the dark, cold reality, he’d found himself slipping into memories that he’d long since locked away, memories of being… _happy._

 

 Something about it filled him with a great deal of unease, but he wasn’t sure what. It was at war with the part of him that was glad to be loved. He couldn’t quell that. Maybe if he withered away and died in here, it would be alright, if he could stay in the past forever.

 

  _It’s nice knowing that people cared about you._

 

 “I guess,” Jun said, shaking his head to clear himself of those thoughts. He was incapable of happiness, and he hated that he was beginning to betray that impression of himself. But-

 

 Even so, there had to be a reason he wasn’t with them now. Wasn’t there? Did he want to remember that? Perhaps Mom and Dad were…

 

  _Maybe they died._

 

 “Shut up.” Jun spat. “T-there’s no way.”

 

  _But there must be some explanation, right?_

 

 “I said shut up!” Jun said. He turned on his flashlight, and turned it towards a wall. There was a picture. Even in his mental haze, he recognized it. It was a picture in a school hallway; Jun was in the back, behind a few other students.

 

  _That was your first crush._

 

 “I have no need for the pleasures of the flesh.” Jun spat. “I don’t…”

 

 There he was, in the front. His name was Shinichi Suzumura, he was a year older than Jun, and he’d been an up-and-coming member of the boxing team at the school Jun was attending at the time. Looking at him now, naturally, with the age difference, he was clearly still young; but at the time, his muscular physique in addition to his plain, black hair and largely unadorned looks did something to Jun. He’d never thought about men as attractive until he encountered him in the hallway one day, and he couldn’t even say why it was this particular man who’d changed it.

 

 He was a quiet guy, Shinichi, a cool and taciturn sort of man. Perhaps Jun had a type, or something?

 

 “I’m not gay!” Jun shouted all of a sudden, rocking himself out of his reverie. “I’m not gay!”

 

  _But you like men, don’t you?_

 

 He’d attempted to befriend Shinichi as best he could, but it was hard. Speaking to people was hard. Jun had very little experience making friends, though he had been improving at the time. As a result, the first few times he tried speaking to Shinichi, he’d gone completely awkward and shut down.

 

 It wasn’t until a chance encounter with him by Jun’s locker where he offered to carry some of Jun’s stuff, on account of the heavy workload that day, that Jun properly spoke to him at all. It was a kind of politeness Jun still wasn’t used to, even after his time in the Okita household. They’d gotten to speaking a bit more, and though Shinichi clearly didn’t understand much of Jun’s technobabble, he seemed to enjoy it alright anyhow.

 

 He was a good man, Shinichi Suzumura. He didn’t talk too much, but though he was tough, he was very respectful to his elders, and quite the team player.

 

 “But I’m _not gay!_ ” Jun shouted again.

 

 It hadn’t even been rude when Jun had been rejected. He’d pulled an all-nighter before, so his judgement was probably impaired, but he just blurted it out at one point after school one day. Shinichi was understandably dumbfounded for a bit, but he didn’t seem angry, or shocked, which had been Jun’s biggest fear. He let Jun down very easily, and Jun couldn’t even blame him…

 

Except there was one part that bothered Jun.

 

 “I’m sorry. I’m not gay.”

 

 Why would it be gay? It nagged at Jun for some time.

 

  _That’s what two men being together is._

 

 “I’m not gay!” Jun screamed. “I’m— I’m not gay, okay?!” He scratched at his head, shouting at the voice. He wanted out of this pit of memory.

 

  _But you like men._

 

 “S-so?!” Jun stammered. “What does that have to do with anything?”

 

  _If you’re not gay, then what are you?_

 

 “I don’t _know,_ but I’m _not gay, okay?!_ ” Jun shouted. He heard his own voice echo through the corridor. The voice was silent for a bit. He was unhappy again. This was much more familiar.


	61. Intermission, 5 ~ You Must Seek What Lies Within

 

“Here.” Ruri placed a candy on the map, on Shizuoka Prefecture; specifically, on the Izu Peninsula. “Our culprit's underwater facility took off from this point three days before the initial broadcast, on April 5th. Based on the trajectory of the tides and the technical aspects of the facility as discovered from the broadcasts, our best bet would be to depart from Kochi Prefecture tomorrow evening. If my calculations are correct-”

 

“They're probably correct.” Kotone chimed in.

 

“We'll reach the facility within the mid-morning hours of the 29th.” Ruri said. With a flourish, she bowed.

 

Reiko nodded soundly at Ruri's map, making humming noises as she did, appraising it and its contours. “Fascinating!” She turned to Natsuhi. “Do you have a boat ready?”

 

“No.” Natsuhi said. “The _Moon Viewing_ is in the shop.”

 

“Unfortunate.” Reiko sighed. She turned to the desk, where sat in the seat a puppet she was pretty certain was some sort of skeleton. “Headmaster, could we trouble you for a vessel, such that we may scale Poseidon's briny jaws and evade certain wet doom?”

 

Suddenly, the skeleton ducked under, and was replaced with a felt puppet of a short man with flowing hair and not just the outfit of a swashbuckling pirate captain, but a lavender robe and a matching crown _on top of_ his pirate hat. This was nobody to fool with, clearly. “Think ye I would say no at this venture?” He said, his voice deep and sensual, somehow both sounding like a pirate and a deeply chocolatey lover.

 

“Oh, you're Captain Steele!” Kotone said. The reference was lost on Reiko.

 

Once that had been settled, during these wee hours of the 27th, Reiko was again left with her thoughts. There were a few things remaining that she wished to confirm before she went off with a case in mind, and now that she had a strict time limit, she began to feel the hands of the Great Compromise catching up to her, as she ever did. Certainly, she did not necessarily have a personal connection as some others might, but justice was, as ever, quite the important matter-

 

She received a call. Natsuhi always thought her ringtone was a bit odd, but pooh to her, 'Monochrome Clock' was a lovely ringtone. “Hello?” Reiko said, suddenly realizing that she'd forgotten to check the ID.

 

“Diana is lonely without you.” An aged man's voice said through the phone. “You mind if we mail her to you?”

 

“That fills me with sadness like you wouldn't believe, Uncle, but there is simply no room for my _cat_ to be present during these proceedings.” Reiko sighed. “You're aware that it's currently six in the morning, yes? Why are you awake?”

 

“Why are _you?_ ” Uncle Saiki said.

 

“Because I'm _working,_ Uncle.” Reiko sighed more exaggeratedly this time, and rolled her eyes with a comical shrug towards an invisible camera. “Haven't you heard about the dramatic hostage situation lately? I've an important duty to get to!”

 

“And how is she, anyhow?” Uncle Saiki said. Reiko groaned. This man, she swore sometimes.

 

“Uncle, please quit with the joking about. You're a bit old. It might cause you to break something.” Reiko said.

 

“That's a low blow,” Uncle Saiki said. “Ah, hold on.” Reiko could hear hollering in the back. That was probably Uncle Gento trying to communicate. “Gento says you should quit sitting around and start showing up 'the lady with the hair' already. Do you know who that is?”

 

“I have a fairly decent idea.” Reiko said. “Tell him I'll do my very best.”

 

“She says she'll do her very best,” Uncle Saiki said. After a moment, he returned. “He says 'as long as your best is making sure everyone knows _you're_ the smartest Ultimate around, then sure, do your best.'”

 

That was Uncle Gento for you. He'd been over the moon when Reiko was declared the Ultimate Attorney, citing it as proof that she was most certainly his progeny (which was in direct contradiction to the fact that it was Uncle _Saiki_ who was related to her parents by blood, but raising an objection when he was that enthusiastic seemed wrong,) and so he'd been quite adamant that she was, in fact, the best thing since sliced bread, as they said in the urban media. Apparently, he'd somehow gotten wind of her little rivalry with Ruri.

 

“I am at a bit of a wall, though.” Reiko said. Her smile drooped. “I don't know that I have any witnesses or evidence regarding a specific facet of the case I'm exploring. I have a theory, you know, but it does need a bit of work.”

 

“I'm supposing this is an important point.” Uncle Saiki said. Pause. “Diana says 'meow.'”

 

“As she does.” Reiko said. “Yes, it's quite the important point. I won't bore you with the details, but-”

 

“What do you always do when you can't figure out how to gather evidence?” Uncle Saiki said.

 

“Walk wherever my hunches take me until something inevitably occurs to bolster my case?” Reiko said.

 

“I'm sure you'll figure something out.” Uncle Saiki said. “You always seem to.”

 

“Right. Thank you for calling, Uncle. Tell the other half of the pair I said to avoid traffic poles.” Reiko said.

 

“Reiko says to avoid traffic poles.” Uncle Saiki said, and Reiko didn't need the communication to hear 'it was ONE TIME!' on the other side of the line. “He says 'it was ONE TIME.'”

 

“Must you always repeat the exact words, Uncle?” Reiko asked.

 

“Yes.” Uncle Saiki said.

 

Reiko rolled her eyes again. “I love all three of you dearly! But not as much as Natsuhi.”

 

“Of course. I'm sure at least two of us reciprocate it.” Uncle Saiki said. “Good luck, Reiko. I'm sure you can do it.”

 

Ah, but her uncles were a hoot. Wandering back to the room she'd appropriated, she pondered. Luna and Megane-sensei had been kind enough to go take care of one of Reiko's queries. They'd checked in with Ms. Hashizawa, so it was likely not going to be too long before Reiko heard back.

 

So it was that Reiko found herself visiting Saburo, who was, naturally, still asleep; though it turned out Blake had had the same idea, and he was sitting by Saburo, excitedly waiting for the Escape Artist to wake up. Saburo had a newspaper plastered on his face as his only cover on the couch, in a room that had a bed.

 

“Ah, Reiko-chan!” Blake loudly whispered. “Boku planned to ask Saburo-kun about his past jiken!”

 

“I had the same idea, funnily enough.” Reiko smiled conspiratorially at the smaller boy. “But how should we wake him up, do you think?”

 

“Eto... Ah, wakata!” Blake lit up for a bit, and then quietly pulled a different newspaper out of his pack. With the careful grace and precision necessary for any Ultimate Geographer, he lifted Saburo's newspaper off his face, and then placed his newspaper on it. “This newspaper, it is for seven kinos ago!” He tittered. “Saburo-kun will be in such a confusion!”

 

“Oh, you _scamp._ ” Reiko said, grinning ear to ear. She went and grabbed a cover from Saburo's bed and placed it on his body, lightly and gingerly as befitted any Ultimate Attorney. “Now he'll be shielded from the elements!” She tittered. “He meant to sleep light, but now he is not!”

 

“Cho akuma-ish, Reiko-chan!” Blake said. Their mischief was the stuff of legend. They waited with bated breath, now, to see when Saburo would wake up to a world of severe pranking!

 

Eventually, stir Saburo did. “...Mm?” He mumbled, taking the newspaper off of his face and turning his head to see the two pranksters responsible for messing up his sleep. “Hey, you two. Morning.”

 

“A fine morning to you, Saburo.” Reiko curtsied, snickering. Blake bowed with an 'Ohellogozaimasu!'

 

Saburo began attempting to remove the cover for a moment before realizing he hadn't put said cover on. “Oh,” he said. “You put a cover on me?” He smiled a little. “Thanks.”

 

“You're quite welcome,” Reiko said, with a grin showcasing her incredible powers to commit evil.

 

“Well, company this fine this early in the morning probably means you need something, right?” Saburo sat up, yawning. “What can I do you for?”

 

“I believe Blake and I had the same idea,” Reiko said. “We'd like to go visit the site of the Nonary Game you partook in. Could you direct us?”

 

“Honto?! Boku-tachi had the same think?!” Blake gasped. He excitedly grasped Reiko's hand, his eyes sparkling. “The intelligent brains are thinking similarly!”

 

“What, that old place?” Saburo grumbled a bit. “Yeah, I mean... I could. You need to go?”

 

“Having studied up on the history of the phrase 'Nonary Game,' I've come to the conclusion that something seems just the slightest touch off about the situation,” Reiko said. “Why, it wasn't easy to come by the records, but come by them I did, and I found that the past three Nonary Games all had something very strikingly similar in common.”

 

“Oh?” Saburo cocked an eyebrow.

 

“Specifically, a great deal of involvement in the parasciences.” Reiko said. “Such as the phenomenon of Shifting; are you familiar at all?” Saburo shook his head. “Individuals with the ability to Shift are capable of jumping to other timelines, essentially.” Reiko continued. “Evidently, retaining memories is quite difficult, but can be retained with practice. Some people blessed with preternaturally 'good luck,' or individuals with keen 'intuition,' could actually be Shifters unknowingly jumping to other timelines after obtaining knowledge they needed for dangerous situations.”

 

“Well, that's just fascinating.” Saburo said.

 

“Of course, to individuals such as you or I, this is utterly meaningless, and scientists have yet to completely nail down a way to identify Shifters and other similar psychics without their having actual first-hand experience.” Reiko waved a hand. “The important part is, this and other psychic phenomena were the central factor in each of the Nonary Games... aside from those run after the sinking of an old English cruise ship by an eccentric billionaire with too much time and too few morals, that is, but that shouldn't be particularly important.” Reiko said.

 

“So, you want to find out if mine had something like that too?” Saburo said. He shrugged. “I won't stop you, but Izu is a bit of a distance, so we'd have to go now.”

 

“Izu!” Blake said. “The Peninsula thereof, even? Why, that location is where Owari-chan's nazo no facility, the Compound Viki, sprang from to begin this koroshiai game! How coincidentous!”

 

“I'm sure it's no coincidence, Blake.” Reiko said. “Saburo is correct, though; we must hurry. Perhaps the Headmaster would loan us a helicopter?”

 

* * *

 

 

Blake had never fully understood why exactly Reiji and Ruri had gotten off on such a strange foot, but when Ruri muscled her way into coming along on the trip to Izu out of a desire to 'oversee matters,' the almost comical rage in the air was obvious. Kotone and Natsuhi seemed downright embarrassed over their respective partners' childishness.

 

“I don't think we need to fight like this, friends!” Blake said, jumping between the two of them to diffuse the tension, which was such that Blake almost worried that the copter might explode.

 

“We aren't fighting,” Ruri said. “We are competing. This is a staring contest. I won.” She smirked.

 

“What?” Reiji said, his ponytail flopping a bit, leering. “I don't remember this being a staring contest! Had I known, I would've prepared myself mentally! Devil!”

 

“You need to be ready for anything.” Ruri said. “Any instant can turn into a staring contest. When two people lock eyes, that's when a battle starts. Any time, anywhere.” She reached into her bag and slammed a pile of candies into her mouth. Having tried one of them, Blake's mouth scrunched up at the thought of how that might taste.

 

“We've never had a staring contest.” Kotone said. “And we've locked eyes thousands of times.”

 

“Don't contradict me.” Ruri chided Kotone.

 

“I'd volunteer to test your skill, but I've an unfair advantage,” said Mrs. Narumi, who had volunteered to fly the plane. Why, Blake wasn't sure, but she had.

 

Natsuhi was staring out the window at the ocean. She looked a bit forlorn, Blake could see. “Do you miss sea level, Natsuhi-chan?” He said.

 

“I don't like being this far away.” Natsuhi said.

 

“Ah, yes, that's my dearest Natsuhi.” Reiji said, probably resisting the urge to stand and start swirling about in the copter. “Truly, her soul is filled to the brim with the blessings of Mother Thalassa, such that she, like a dolphin, may leave the water for a moment, but must always return shortly or shrivel up and perish!”

 

“That's unfortunate.” Blake said. He patted the taller girl's shoulder; he had always been rather short, but it seemed to have a calming effect when he was trying to soothe people, which was quite nice. “Don't worry, Natsuhi-chan! I'm sure that means that when you return to the ocean, it'll be all the better!”

 

Natsuhi turned around and blinked. “Umi...nence...?” ...Had he been a bit indecipherable? Curse his accent. Japanese was giving him quite a bit of trouble!

 

“Ah, Natsuhi, my precious pumpkin, perhaps you would take me swimming on the beach once we arrive? The Izu Peninsula does have quite the coasts...” Reiji extremely unsubtly leaned in and batted his eyes seductively.

 

“If you want.” Natsuhi shrugged. “I could swim.”

 

“I think he just wants to see you strip,” Kotone added. “But that's just me.”

 

“He's seen me naked.” Natsuhi said.

 

Kotone looked down at her feet for a moment, and then looked back at Natsuhi, nodded, and said, “Oh, huh.” The look on her face was one of confusion and a bit of concern.

 

“Certainly I would not mind seeing Natsuhi strip _again,_ you are correct, Kotone dearest, but to resort to such underhanded measures would be far, far beneath one of my incredible poise and grace,” Reiji said. He cackled. “Such a thing is a side benefit at the end of the long odyssey of my showing my burning, white-hot love for the most perfect woman envisioned by all the Muses!” With tears in his eyes, he looked towards Natsuhi again, wailing, “Ahhh, Natsuhiiii! I love youuuu!”

 

“No, you don't.” Natsuhi said.

 

“T'auuuugh, my heart!” Reiji sputtered, spun around, and fell over, his head landing in Saburo's lap. Saburo did not stir.

 

“Man, the guy's got some endurance, huh?” Kotone said to Ruri. She pointed her thumb in the sputtering Reiji's direction. “You have to at least give him that, right?”

 

“I suppose,” Ruri said, “though his 'incredible poise and grace' is little more than a jester's dance. Frankly, I wonder how he can stand being so ridiculous all the time.”

 

Kotone rolled her eyes, stared at Ruri, and said, “Yeah, sure, Ruri. And your cape is looking great today.”

 

“Thank you.” Ruri smiled. Blake wasn't sure whether she actually missed the sarcasm or was intentionally ignoring it.

 

“We're approaching the location, but the area is too forested for a proper landing,” Mrs. Narumi said. “We'll have to walk a ways.”

 

“Oh, boy!” Blake said. “I love walking! I'm very good at it!”

 

* * *

 

The town of Ito, on the eastern side of the Izu Peninsula, was still just as scenic as Blake remembered it. Hopping up onto a tree to take a look across the town from the landing site a ways away, he caught sight of the coast, and the beautiful, shining ocean. All that marred the sloping visage, really, was the small segment of the town where the ruined buildings destroyed by Ultimate Despair still stood; preserved by the government as a cultural heritage site. Blake had gone exploring in them, once, and had come away rewarded with the discarded, but still present, carcass of a Monokuma drone, most of which had been completely decommissioned. A historical relic par excellence!

 

“Sagami Bay is as beautiful as ever!” He called down from the tree.

 

“How in the world did you get up there that fast?” Reiji called from the bottom of the tree. Oh, right. Some people weren't skilled at scaling trees.

 

Blake scurried down the tree, and said, “Trees are my natural ally!” Charged up by such a beautiful sight, he hopped over to Saburo, who was still stirring out of the helicopter. “Alright, Saburo! Let's go! Please, lead the way!”

 

“Right, right.” Saburo mumbled.

 

As they headed inland, closer to the mountains, there was a certain stratification Blake noticed in the group's capability to deal with walking through the wilderness. He had a natural aptitude for it, obviously, and Saburo knew the route quite well. Kotone seemed more used to blowing through it faster, but taking her time didn't seem to come too unnaturally to her, and Natsuhi's survival skills on the ocean gave her at least a baseline to work with.

 

The two heroes, though, seemed to be having a bit of trouble... especially Ruri, whose cape continually got caught on the underbrush. “Argh, damn it.” Ruri swore. “Not again!”

 

“Having trouble?” Reiji said with a catlike grin, flapping his much shorter half-cape for good measure.

 

“No,” Ruri insisted. “I am not.” From above, Sakuya, Mrs. Narumi's crow, crowed, and it felt an awful lot like she was laughing at Ruri.

 

“Aw, don't worry, Ruri-chan!” Blake called from a distance ahead. “You'll be okay! You just have to think positively!”

 

Apparently, their goal was built into the lower reaches of Mount Yahazu. The facility, according to Saburo, went somewhat inside the mountain, which seemed to Blake like a bit of needless defamation of the land, but if there was one thing he'd learned, it was that people did like to do needless things like that. It was unfortunate, but true.

 

“The fact that the compound launched from so near,” Reiji said, trying his best to maintain composure while fighting tooth and nail with the underbrush, “is certainly not a coincidence. I certainly hope that our search—oof—proves futile!”

 

“Reiji, watch out.” Natsuhi picked the Attorney up, and began carrying him bridal style to keep him away from, oh, maybe scorpions or something? They were so cute together!

 

“I certainly wish you were strong enough to carry me,” Ruri said, untangling her cape _again,_ to Kotone.

 

Kotone scoffed, and gestured at Reiji, who had an unbelievably brilliant sparkle in his eyes as he was carried. “I don't think you'd look at me like that, anyway.”

 

“What does that have to do with anything?” Ruri said. “Argh, damn nature!”

 

“Just saying.” Kotone shrugged.

 

It was unfortunate that they were there on business, or Blake might just keep walking. If they kept going this direction, roughly, they'd reach Joren Falls, and _that_ was one heck of a sight. When he'd gone last year, it had almost moved him to tears despite his past visits; he would surely love to visit again. Ah, but here was Mount Yahazu. “We're here,” Saburo said.

 

“Thank god!” Ruri threw her hands up.

 

Natsuhi put Reiji down on the ground again, and said, “You're okay to walk now.”

 

“I don't know, you could keep carrying me if you wanted to,” Reiji said, his voice dreamy and distant, solidly off in la-la land. “Oh, those _muscles!_ ” That was an impressive squeal.

 

“Right.” Saburo said. He knelt down onto a patch of clearly disturbed dirt, and wiped it away to reveal a metal trapdoor opening to a ladder. “Just like I remember it. C'mon, it's down here.”

 

The ladder was long enough that everyone was on it at once at one point, but eventually they did reach the bottom. The stark, gunmetal gray corridor ahead of them didn't do wonders for Blake's nerves; such places never did, really. “Lovely place,” Reiji said.

 

“Isn't it?” Saburo said. “C'mon, let's go.”

 

After heading through a heavy, metal door; thankfully, the facility still seemed operable; the group came to a massive, cylindrical chamber, one side of which featured a great, glass screen. “What's this?” Kotone asked.

 

“The incinerator.” Saburo said. He looked about. “...Hm?” He raised an eyebrow, and his posture almost imperceptibly tightened.

 

“Something wrong?” Ruri asked.

 

“The ash,” Saburo said. “It's not here.”

 

“Ash, you say?” Ruri said.

 

“The ash from Zero's corpse.” Saburo said. “Nobody should've been in here, and I left it right where it sat, so it should still be right here. It's not.” He knelt down to the ground.

 

“Curious,” Reiji said. He took a look over at the glass window. “Do you suppose someone might be occupying this facility for something?”

 

“That would be a problem.” Saburo clicked his tongue. “In that case, hurry.” He heralded everyone over to the door to the incinerator controls, visible from the glass window. “We don't want to stay in here any longer than we need to.”

 

Being that crispy death wasn't on the menu today, Blake, and the rest of the group, hurried along with Saburo, heading into the incinerator control room. “The main bulk of the facility is back here.” Saburo said. “We mostly went upwards during the Nonary Game, so if there was anything below where we awoke, I don't know.”

 

“Are you alright, Saburo-kun?” Blake said, hustling up in front of him, grabbing his hand. “This probably isn't bringing back very good memories. I hope you're doing alright.”

 

“Yeah, I'm fine, Blake.” Saburo smiled slightly. “Thanks. Alright, to our left here...” They reached a three-way intersection. “...should be Zero's workshop, where he developed his stupid puzzles. Is that interesting?”

 

“Deeply,” Reiji and Ruri said at the same time, before glaring at each other.

 

The room was mostly bare, aside from a few errant mechanical apparati. Saburo clicked his tongue again. “They've cleaned the place of all of Zero's crap, it looks like.” Saburo said. “Great.”

 

Ruri, however, still found something interesting to look at: one of the apparati in question, an odd sort of container, it seemed, with a glass top, going deep in. “Curious,” she said. She began fiddling with a few buttons.

 

“Uh, Ruri—?” Kotone threw her hand up.

 

“I know what I'm doing.” Ruri said. “This... The make is a bit odd, certainly, but there's no doubt of it. This is a device for the observation of BC particles.”

 

“That's the, uh...information particles, right?” Kotone said.

 

“Indeed.” Ruri said. Having apparently immediately figured out how the machine worked, amazingly enough, she pressed a few keys, and then the machine briefly whirred to life, and some sort of odd, black _matter_ appeared at its bottom: not much, but matter nonetheless. “This would be their solid form. Presumably, this would be what it could make off of the environmental information inside its reach.”

 

“Fascinating!” Blake said.

 

Tapping a few more buttons with grace and poise, the glass top seemed to suddenly shift to a holographic image that looked, by all appearances, to be a map of the facility's layout. “Hm,” Ruri muttered. She moved a cursor that appeared on the image, and decided on selecting the room that the six of them were in. The holographic image moved downward, presenting, suddenly, an image of mostly black, but not entirely. Six areas of glowing blue appeared roughly around the participants' heads. Saburo's were the brightest, and Kotone's the weakest, but the small particles flitting about in the glow were present for all six. “ _Interesting._ ”

 

“Oh, what might that glow be?” Blake said. “I'm interested in this!”

 

“Those, my small friend, are no doubt what this device is actually built to observe.” Ruri said. “These glowing blue particles are known as M particles, and they—”

 

“ _Ruri, watch out!_ ” Natsuhi called, but it was too late. The Ultimate Data Analyst was suddenly knocked out cold by a sudden assailant.

 

Blake jumped away. Three individuals with red suits (two men and one woman, but they were all similarly frightening,) had burst into the room all of a sudden, and by the time Blake turned around, Reiji and Kotone were also out cold. One of the assailants had a lock on Natsuhi, but another seemed a bit perturbed by how easily Saburo submitted to her grasp.

 

“Oyassan,” the third said into his radio. “They're on the top floor. Six teenagers, by the look of it. What should we do with them?”

 

“Hm.” A rumbling, aged man's voice came through the radio. “One moment. Allow me to check the camera feeds.” After a moment, a dry laugh came through the radio. “Why, if it isn't the Ultimate Attorney. It's been quite some time. I see he's just as reliant on his girlfriend as ever. Ask someone there if they're part of his party.”

 

“You,” the radio man said to Blake, who was trembling in his boots. “Is the Attorney the leader of your party?”

 

“Er, well, um, you see, the thing is, Ruri-chan and Reiji-kun have a bit of a spat a lot of the time about which of them is actually the protagonist of the story or not, so I'm not entirely sure?” Blake said.

 

The radio man stared, blinked a few times, and turned to his compatriots. “Did you understand that?”

 

“Search me,” the woman holding Saburo's arms said.

 

“He said that both the capes are our leaders,” Saburo said. “Reiji and Ruri both.”

 

“Oh, thank you.” The woman said. “Much appreciated.”

 

“No problem, happy to help.” Saburo said.

 

“In that case,” the old voice from the radio said, “bring both of them to me. I'd speak with the Ultimate Attorney and whoever his rival here is for the sake of negotiation.”

 

“The rest, sir?” The radio man said.

 

“Holding cells on the bottom floor until negotiations are complete,” the voice said. “As unharmed as you can manage, though the one in the sneakers might need a bandage or two.”

 

“Yes, Oyasan.” The radio man cut off the connection. He began advancing towards Blake.

 

Blake yelped, the sweat running down his face telling him now was very much not the time to resist. “I'll go with you, I swear I will! You don't need to grab me!”

 

“He says he'll go with you and you don't need to grab him.” Saburo said.

 

“What is that accent?” The woman holding Saburo asked. The conversation was undercut by the sounds of Natsuhi being knocked out finally, after both men chipped in to knock her out.

 

“He's from Wales.” Saburo said. “Still learning. He tries his best.”

 

“Adorable,” the radio man said. As they walked, Blake noticed an emblem they shared on their lapels, a small thing like an attorney’s badge. But no, that button—

 

“Kushin Clan yakuza,” Saburo said, walking along. “Never met a gentler bunch.”

 

Ah, it was a good thing he knew.

 


	62. Day 20, Phase 4 - The Silent Hero Hears a Who

 

“Oh,” Luan said. “Did you want to see me?”

 

He'd awoken in a cylindrical chamber by his lonesome, and checked his watch to ensure the time: 00:02, hardly past the crack of midnight on the 28th of April. There it was, then. He'd hardly gotten any sleep just yet, but oh well.

 

“Yun-Fat.” Zero said. There he—or she, according to Chihaya—was. By the lack of movement from the cloaked figure, Luan guessed that this was probably an effigy of some kind. “How are you?”

 

“I'm doing alright.” Luan said. “As alright as I can be, I mean.”

 

“I'm glad.” Zero said.

 

“Very happy to be alive.” Luan said. “I've been very scared the past few weeks. I'm also very tired. I would like to go home.”

 

“It's almost over.” Zero said. Her voice seemed a bit tired, as well, through the distortion. “You can go home soon. I'll leave you be soon. Fifty-four more hours until you're free.”

 

“That's a nice feeling,” Luan said. “I'm glad this nightmare is almost over.”

 

“It seems your parents are in Japan now,” Zero said. “I'm sure that's a relief.”

 

“Yes.” Luan smiled. “I don't know on what basis, but hopefully they can stay. I've missed them greatly. I'll be very happy to see them again.” He paused. “May I ask you a question?”

 

“Of course.” Zero said.

 

“What's the purpose of these Confessional segments? You seem to be trying to ease our pain, or at least ensure we're in a position where we can, before the end of the game.” Luan said. “It's odd. Why would you be doing that?”

 

There was a long pause before Zero spoke. “I've always been selfish.” She said. “I'm selfishly pulling you along with my whims, to satisfy myself, to know that you all won't be completely ruined by my selfishness. Nobody asked me to butt in, of course. I just want to know that you can all be at least a little bit happy again.”

 

“Is that selfish?” Luan asked. “To want to help people you care about?”

 

“It's so selfish, it makes me want to throw up.” Zero said. Her voice was quivering. “It's just like me to be so self-centered. Everyone would've been happier if I'd never butted in at all. I don't know why I always—”

 

There was a violent thumping sound from the microphone, followed by a crash. Then, a long, uncomfortable silence as Luan waited for Zero to recover.

 

Five minutes passed. He began to pace about. Six, then seven, then eight. Luan nervously fiddled with his bracelet. He twiddled his thumbs. There was still no exit from this room.

 

“Tell me, Yun-Fat.” Finally, Zero spoke again. “Once your parents have come, what will you do? You've carved out your niche for the sake of helping them. What would you like to do with your life afterwards?”

 

“Ah, well.” Apparently, that previous self-flagellating tangent was now over with, and Luan doubted Zero would react positively to any attempts to explain it. “I have actually been thinking about that recently.”

 

“And what are your thoughts?” Zero asked.

 

“I have very steady hands.” Luan said. “I thought that maybe I could be a doctor of some kind. Even a surgeon, perhaps.”

 

“That might be a good fit for you.” Zero said. “Why that, though?”

 

“I enjoy helping people.” Luan said. “Curing them of their ails. It is...” He looked away, and blushed slightly. “My passion in life.”

 

“In that case, help people however you wish.” Zero said. “I'm sure a man with your talents will have any number of options to do so.”

 

“As well, I actually do have a confession to make.” Luan said. Zero was silent, waiting. “I've...never liked my nickname, the 'Devil's Hand.' It feels too evil. It might give people the wrong impression of me, make them think I'm...more imposing than I am.” He paused. “I'm not very imposing.”

 

“The image the outside world has of you and the image one has of oneself can often be very, very different, yes.” Zero said. “I'm certain you'll be able to rectify that, though. Doubtless you have the power.”

 

“Indeed.” Luan nodded. “The only difficulty is using my words. I have...always been a bit awkward. Sometimes I am unsure if I've ever been on the same wavelength as other people.”

 

“Somehow, I doubt you think quite as differently as you might think you do.” Zero said. “You might be an extraordinary young man, but you are a young man nevertheless. In here, it may simply be that everyone has their own particular wavelength. It is quite the bunch.”

 

“That is true.” Luan said. “I like them very well. I hope we can remain friends.”

 

“I'm sure you will.” Zero said. An exit opened in the wall. “It seems you're doing well. That makes me very happy.” The transmission cut off.

 

“I'm glad.” Luan said. He was still utterly, utterly confused by the entire situation, but at least someone was satisfied.

 

* * *

 

 

Phase Four. Claus awoke and immediately checked his bracelet; 00:03. It was a new day. Over twelve hours had passed since last he'd been conscious. He clicked his tongue, sitting up again in the Legal Desk. His sleep schedule was going to be so off when he got home. Zero really was just so inconsiderate.

 

“Shinobu, Yashiro?” He called. “Are you awake?” A few dainty burbling noises told him that Shinobu, at least, most certainly was, but it seemed Yashiro was a bit indisposed based on the roaring snore that arose from his nose. It was loud enough that Shinobu immediately stood up, roused from her slumber so she could hold her ears.

 

“Yashiro, please wake up.” Claus said, leaning over and pinching his nose. The Strongman sputtered and wriggled a bit before opening his eyes, at which point Claus wisely let go.

 

“Ah, good morning, friends!” Yashiro laughed. He checked his watch. “Quite literally, by the look of it. Hibernation is an odd feeling!”

 

“I'm not quite sure I'm used to it.” Shinobu stretched. “Though, I did admittedly sleep a shorter time than you two.” She sighed wistfully, but then started, and smirked. “Say, Yashiro.” Her pearly-white teeth were showing. “I've risen to your challenge!”

 

“What?” Claus said. He blinked and thought for a moment. “Wait. You actually called her 'babe?'”

 

“That is the implication, yes.” Shinobu said. Claus gaped.

 

“Wahahahaha! Incredible!” Yashiro clapped. “Well done, well done, well done indeed, my friend!” He reached over and pulled Shinobu into his arms. The size disparity was almost ludicrous, and Claus couldn't help an irrational worry that he might simply break her in half. “How did it feel?”

 

“Ludicrous and embarrassing!” Shinobu said.

 

“Aye, that's the stuff!” Yashiro said.

 

With...that over and done with, it was off to the Central Hub to check what information the other teams had gotten. “It was Luan this phase, yes?” Claus asked, as they passed by the window again. It was pitch-dark in the ocean now, of course. “I certainly hope he's alright. How was yours, Shinobu?”

 

“Er... Awkward, uncomfortable, and strange.” Shinobu said, looking away. “The more worrying subject, though, is Chihaya.”

 

“What's wrong with Chihaya?” Claus asked. A pang of concern stabbed itself into his heart.

 

“Ah, she...began behaving erratically part of the way through Phase Two, according to Nanako and Kazuya. I saw her myself, as well; there was a downright bizarre difference in her actions.” Shinobu said. Her face darkened. “I worry she may have lost some of her mental stability. Zero shifted her number to three, so her Confessional should have been last phase.”

 

“Zero can switch numbers?” Yashiro clenched his fist. “How villainous! Creating an order and then smashing that order is the very definition of chaos!”

 

“No, it's not,” Shinobu said. “Chaos is-”

 

“We must continue fighting, friends!” Yashiro pumped his fists and raised them towards the sky. “For justice! OOAH!” He began walking off again.

 

“...Yashiro.” Claus began. “Does the idea of Chihaya growing unstable make you uncomfortable?”

 

“Deeply!” The Strongman laughed.

 

“So far as I could tell, it wasn't a violent unstable,but rather a more... Hm.” Shinobu tapped her chin. “How to describe it?”

 

“Hopefully, you won't have to.” Claus said as they entered the Central Hub. Rin's room wasn't far from there, and the group found two more folders, a notepad, several pens, and a few loose sheets of paper. “My goodness!”

 

“Ah, the pens would be from Kojiro,” Shinobu explained. “He gave them to us so we might be able to distinguish ourselves in writing.”

 

“Kojiro?!” Yashiro shouted, his eyes going wide. “Nanako's— I got it right on the first time, booyah!” He fistpumped, and jumped a little. “Nanako's younger brother?!”

 

“Our working theory is that he's Monokuma.” Shinobu said. The look on Yashiro's face, and indeed, on his entire body, was one of complete and utter bewilderment. The noise was, too.

 

“Monokuma is Nanako's younger brother?” Claus rubbed his chin. “That...” He thought back for a moment to every time he'd interacted with Monokuma. “Makes perfect sense, actually. I'm surprised nobody thought of that before.”

 

“I figured it out _first._ ” Shinobu smirked and puffed her chest out.

 

“Good job, Shinobu!” Claus gave her a big ol' thumbs up.

 

“This would be what was found in Phase Two.” Shinobu said, gesturing to Cast List #4. By the look of it, Cast List #3 was also present.

 

“The first, fourth, and third in that order?” Yashiro snarled. “How bizarre.” He opened up Cast List #4, and he and Claus flipped through it.

 

“Curious.” Claus said. “Is it me, or are these designations getting more and more arbitrary?” He then picked up Cast List #3, and the three of them flipped through it together. Upon seeing the page for a Mr. Saburo Kirihito, his face fell. “Ah.”

 

“Then that would be a 'yes,' utterly arbitrary.” Shinobu sighed and shook her head. “No respect for mystery! What a load of bunk. Simply embarrassing. Nanako's page is quite curious, though.”

 

“Do you suppose that Zero hates Nanako that much?” Yashiro hummed loudly and furrowed his brow. “Why? She seems a thoroughly inoffensive girl from my standpoint.”

 

“Who knows?” Claus shrugged. “Would this notepad be from the other teams, then?”

 

“We've written down information we've found there, yes.” Shinobu said.

 

And so they read it. Information came out- Nanako's nightmare, the identity of 'F,' a bit of explanation of Chihaya's breakdown along with it...

 

Claus frowned, and clenched his fist. “Damn it,” he swore, “this Nonary Game keeps getting in the way.”

 

“It seems to me that that might almost be the point.” Yashiro suggested. “What a frustrating paradigm. You tell me people used to run these for fun, Shinobu?”

 

“I'm unsure that it had the same format.” Shinobu responded...but they all went quiet when they saw the last page.

 

 _Hey, y'all, Haya's not doin' too hot._ That was Gavin, obviously. _And, uh, Gav thinks it might help if'n we all pitch in and tell's her she ain't alone. I'll start. Haya, I meant erry word I said back there, man. 'Slong as you got me, I promise you ain't ever gon' be alone._

 

 _Geez, you sap._ Stella. _Shouldn't you save language like that for the person you're actually in love with?_

 

_Well, Gav loves errybody, just in dif'rent ways. I feel the same way 'bout you, Stel._

 

Then it said, _(luminescent blush) WHY ARE YOU WRITING THAT?!_

 

 _Proper transcription is important for preservation of information._ Luan. _Chihaya, I've never been very good with words, or starting conversation, but I greatly value your friendship and want to remain friends with you even after leaving. That's all. Thank you._

 

_Now's your turn, Stel._

 

_Ah, are you sure? What if I say the wrong thing? Does she even-?_

 

_C'mon. Don't mean nothin' if you ain't part 'a it, too, man._

 

 _Fine. Alright._ Claus could almost feel the sigh. _Chihaya, um... well... to tell you the truth, I, um... I've always kind of admired... how strong you are. If I was in your position, I... don't think I could even last a single day, and you've lasted all this time. I want to be able to... learn from you, I guess. Learn some of how you managed to stay sane under all this pressure. So... yeah. Um... is that good?_

 

_Ya did great, Stel. (pats her on the back) Great job._

 

Once they finished writing, Claus sat down with his group's pens; silver for him, gold for Shinobu, and red for Yashiro. “No complaints, I suppose?” He said.

 

“None.” Shinobu shook her head. “May I begin, if you please?”

 

“Certainly, thank you for volunteering.” Claus picked up the gold pen.

 

“Chihaya, in surviving these tragedies which I can scarcely even imagine, you have managed to retain your sense of individuality, and become a truly unique and wonderful person even beyond them. Uniqueness comes with negativity, but do not let it weigh you down. Though the road may be dark, I, Shinobu Koshimizu, solemnly swear to walk it with you until we may both see the way to dawn.” Shinobu concluded.

 

Yashiro clapped. “A Shinobu monologue par excellence! I think we could hardly ask for more, eh?” He laughed. Claus made sure to make the lines very thick on the transcription of his laugh. “Through my entire life, Chihaya, I have met many who found themselves alone, lost, cut away from any semblance of a life they may have thought they had- and it is my grandmother's justice, and mine as well, to give those people the role they deserve if it is at all within my power! Though I doubt you would find yourself joining the circus!” He laughed again. “With all my strength, and I'm sure we are aware I have a great deal of it, I will pick you back up when you fall. After all, one with speed as incredible as yours cannot be left to rot away in the prison of self-doubt.”

 

“Oh, so _I_ was monologuing, hm?” Shinobu leaned in and tutted Yashiro. “I'm sure. You and your justice make metaphors my pen scoffs at! Stay with your video games, you charlatan.”

 

“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone, I always say.” Yashiro said. “Can any among us really say that we have never indulged in frivolous metaphors that take twice as long to say what we actually mean?”

 

“I guarantee you Luan can.” Claus added.

 

“Oh, actually, you're right.” Yashiro got much quieter than usual for a fast agreement. “To doff the metaphors, I like you, Chihaya! I'd rather you alive.”

 

“Very good,” Claus nodded. In the interest of keeping conversation alive, he decided to speak aloud what he wrote. “Chihaya. As the first person aside from Miria you opened up to, it pains me greatly that I wasn't able to be there for you in your time of need, because I feel a responsibility to you as your friend to assist you. When you see me again, I hope that my words have done something to soothe your heart. I believe in you, and trust you, and I want to escape together with you.” He put his pen down. “Do you think that will be enough?”

 

“Yes, I believe so.” Shinobu nodded. “Let us just hope it reaches her heart.”

 

The last item on the list was this curious article; 'Miss Nanako's Science Lesson #1,' by the look of it? “...Curiouser and curiouser.” Claus grumbled, looking the lesson over. He'd heard briefly of 'BC particles' before, from his Anti-Replicant Perk, but this did a decent job of explicating them more clearly.

 

Shinobu scrutinized the page. “It certainly sounds like Nanako...for the most part, at the very least.” She said. “Perhaps she found this when she left for the Living Room? I had already mostly fallen asleep by the time she returned, admittedly.”

 

“So, her Mother would be Rin Hashizawa, yes?” Yashiro looked about. Indeed, that would be who Nanako's mother was. “That seems to me to very directly implicate her! How strange that it would simply be handed to us, then.”

 

“No, I don't believe we should make any assumptions based on just this.” Shinobu said. “If it was simply handed to us like this, a surface-level conclusion such as that might be just what Zero wants us to think, no? We should continue on as we have. Once we reach a closer point-”

 

“Oh, hello.” The door opened, and Luan walked in. “You're here. You didn't go to the puzzle room?”

 

“Not yet.” Claus shook his head. “I thought it might be better to catch up here and, ideally, with you, first.” A well of embarrassment surged up within Claus as he took a step forward, but he couldn't stop himself- he actually ran over and hugged Luan.

 

“Er.” Luan stammered. “What?”

 

“I'm just. Glad to see you're safe, is all.” Claus said. He gave Luan a stout, awkward pat on the back and let go, his face square and flustered. “I'm sorry. I know neither of us are exactly the, er, hugging type.”

 

Shinobu and Yashiro both stood at the back of the room, eyes wide, carefully studying Claus's every move at this point like hungry predators. “Oh, I'm flattered, is all.” Luan said. “Are we such good friends?”

 

“...By the sound of things, every other Confessional but the ones for my phases led to some sort of emotional reunion thus far.” Claus blushed and looked downward, fiddling his thumbs. “Er, I...didn't want you to...feel left out?” _What was he doing?!_ Claus! Claus, you dope! You can practice being a bit more casual with The Gang once you're out of this! He screeched inwardly. “Or perhaps I... didn't want to feel left out?” Shinobu and Yashiro were snickering. “Luan?”

 

“Claus.” Luan said.

 

“I value your friendship and your help. Thank you.” Claus stuck his hand out.

 

Luan grasped it. “Alright.”

 

“Alright, mate.” Claus nodded. Then he turned his head around to his teammates and cried, “Why are you laughing?!”

 

“Because you're a hoot, Claus!” Yashiro laughed. Shinobu was performing her signature cackle, which, despite how used to it Claus was by now, still added an extra layer of mortification to the whole situation.

 

“Did you all see the message to Chihaya?” Luan cut in. Doubtless he was trying to help Claus regain some momentum. What a good guy he was. What a pal.

 

“Why! Yes! Yes, we did!” Claus said, his voice squeakier than usual on account of the... yeah. “We've! Already added to it! Haha! I certainly hope! That she's alright! HOW ARE YOU LUAN!” Why were they laughing harder!?

 

“I'm well.” Luan said. “My Confessional was quite strange, though. I asked Zero a question about herself, and the answer I got was very odd. It seems that Zero considers herself quite selfish. After losing her composure for a moment, there was a thumping sound, then a crash before the transmission cut off for several minutes. Then, once she returned, we continued the conversation as though nothing had happened.”

 

Composure regained, the three members of C Team collectively hummed at Luan's story. “How curious.” Shinobu said.

 

“You're the one who talks about hearts, Shinobu.” Claus said. “What does this tell you?”

 

“Hm...” Shinobu rubbed her chin and tottered back and forth. “Hm. Could it be... Hm, but... Ah, but I shouldn't...” Her face blanched, and she sucked in air. “Could it—!? No, no. No, there's exceedingly little actual evidence for that... But that would explain...” She began pacing back and forth, rather than just tottering.

 

“Shinobu?” Claus said. He didn't want to break her thought process, but she was getting a bit intense.

 

“Is it possible,” Shinobu said suddenly, “that Zero is on some level an unwilling participant as well?” The three boys in the room all raised an eyebrow and made varying noises of surprise as she continued. “We have evidence that the mastermind, The End, so to speak, physically injures Kojiro regularly, yes? That she is a violent, erratic individual? Zero went 'off script' in a similar manner, and then the transmission suddenly cut off after a great deal of violent noise.”

 

“Then, Zero was—?” Luan began.

 

“My thought would be that Zero was being beaten, for going off of the script of The End's 'story'.” Shinobu said, waving a 'Cast List' folder about to accentuate. “It fits with her known modus operandi.”

 

“So, that would mean that Zero and The End really were two different people,” Claus said, “and that Zero is also some sort of unwilling participant in the game? But why would The End force another person to run a sub-game within her killing game?”

 

“That, I do not know.” Shinobu shook her head. “However, I would go forward with the idea that Zero is not the true mastermind at all. We should, however, be wary of taking drastic measures with this knowledge; angering The End at this late stage could prove to be a very poor idea, when we are still unaware of her true identity.”

 

“The logic of the Ultimate Mystery Novelist!” Yashiro clapped. “Claus?”

 

“I've already written a good deal of this down.” Claus said, having sat down with the pens. “In that case, though... Monokuma is Kojiro, Zero is also an unwilling participant... What exactly is The End _after,_ leaving these other people to run her game for her?”

 

“I do not know.” Shinobu said. She gritted her teeth. “What a frustrating feeling! I feel as though I am teetering on the edge of complete revelation, but I am just one step away from the edge and I know not how to take it!” She began vibrating a little. It was then that Claus noticed that her face was actually a bit red. She had begun to sweat, as well. “I...” She unconsciously brought her hand up to her forehead.

 

“Shinobu!” Luan headed over, quick as a wink, and sat her down on the bed, putting his hand on her forehead. “She's running a slight fever. When was the last time you slept properly, Shinobu?”

 

“Er... The night of Day Sixteen, as I recall.” Shinobu said. “Since then, I've largely been knocked unconscious by various methods... electrification...drugs... You're familiar.”

 

“That's a great deal of physical and mental stress in a very short period of time.” Luan said. “You seem to be falling ill. Lie down.” He looked around. “Oh… The Infirmary is closed off. Let me go and get you some water.” He stepped away. “Please watch her.”

 

Claus sat down in a chair next to Shinobu, and Yashiro stood. “How are you feeling?” Claus asked.

 

“Ah...lightheaded...thirsty, quite thirsty...” Shinobu muttered. “I'm...very tired, actually... Always had a rather frail constitution, really...”

 

“You've been working yourself too hard, then.” Claus chided, and he inwardly cursed himself for not noticing. “No wonder you passed out in Phase One.”

 

“I'm somewhat amazed you're still even conscious!” Yashiro said. “You really have endured quite a bit of punishment, haven't you?”

 

“She didn't leave Nanako's side.” Said Luan, who returned, carrying not one, but three glasses of water. He handed one each to Claus and Yashiro, as well.

 

“Ah, yes... Come to think of it, this will be my first real drink since Nanako had her attack on Day Seventeen...” Shinobu said, as she gulped down her glass of water with a speed Claus scarcely imagined from her.

 

“It occurred to me while we were in the Baths that we haven't had a chance to eat or drink.” Luan said. “I don't know whether there's some manner of sustenance being administered, but we should err on the side of caution.”

 

“Goodness, but you're on fire today.” Claus said, drinking his own water. Considering the last drink _he'd_ had was an unreasonable amount of coffee, it lifted a veil of tiredness that he hadn't even realized was there. “You really are quite a man, Luan.”

 

“Indeed.” Added Yashiro, who downed his glass in one gulp, with a loud sigh of satisfaction. “If that is the case, though, wouldn't that mean Shinobu has gone three days without a bite to eat?” He looked towards Shinobu. “Shinobu.”

 

“Well, er...yes.” Shinobu said. She looked away slightly. “I, er...actually...” She laid back on the bed. “I feel quite faint, to tell you the truth...”

 

“No food or water for three days will do that.” Claus said. Now that he actually stopped to think about it... he was pretty darn hungry, too. The instant he realized it, he suddenly felt hunger pangs begin to set in.

 

“This is a poor situation.” Luan said.

 

“I'm sure we can all survive with the water present,” Yashiro said, “but I'm also certain it will not be easy or pleasant should we be unable to find food.”

 

Claus stood up. “In that case, I'm heading off to the puzzle room this phase.”

 

“Claus?” Shinobu's eyes widened slightly.

 

“There's a chance that there'll be food there, or a way to find some.” Claus said. “I can't miss that opportunity. You two stay here. Yashiro, with me.”

 

“No, I...” Shinobu began attempting to pull herself up. “I should—”

 

“Shinobu.” Claus said, locking her down with his gaze. “I won't accept you being seriously hurt on my watch. Conserve your energy, please. Luan, please ensure she's alright.”

 

“I will.” Luan nodded.

 

“Oh... Very well, then.” Shinobu sighed and fell back into bed. “I certainly hope you fare alright without me.”

 

“No need to worry!” Yashiro laughed. “I shall support Claus with all my might!”

 

And so they were off. Claus headed into C Ward, with Yashiro following, and began looking about all those damned locked doors from earlier to see which one of them would now deign to open. As it turned out, it was the second locked door they came across, in the hallway that lead to the segment of the area with Class 5-A and the Legal Desk.

 

“Are you ready?” Claus asked, turning his head to Yashiro with his hand on the door. “It'll probably lock us in.”

 

“Absolutely.” Yashiro nodded.

 

In the door was a room full to the brim with knobs, valves, and a great console in the midst of them all. A door in the back of the long room, to their right as they entered, sat amidst the scenery. An overall industrial feeling to the area gave Claus the definite feeling that this room was intended for function rather than appearance. The name confirmed it- 'Propulsion Control.' “It seems this must be where the facility's movement is controlled.” Claus said.

 

As soon as Yashiro entered the room, the door shut behind him with a click. “Right on the money, Claus!” He said.

 

* * *

 

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

“First matters first,” Claus said, and turned to his left, finding a small stand in the corner of the room with a familiar safe sitting atop it. It was a bit bulkier than the last one he'd seen, but it had the same keypad. “It seems we're looking for the same sort of code we were looking for before.”

 

Yashiro got down on the ground to begin searching the undersides of various bits of machinery. “I see!” He said. “I'll let you know if I find anything.”

 

“Good.” Claus said. He walked over to the console, which had a helpfully labeled power button. Turning it on, though, did nothing to help him actually understand what the vast majority of the controls to the console actually did. Though it seemed unlikely to him that the machine would actually currently be connected to anything important, he decided to leave it alone for the time being to be certain he would not suddenly send the facility careening off into unknown reaches of the Pacific, or something.

 

On the locked door further in, Claus found a ten-digit keypad. Just hitting random numbers told him it seemed to accept a code of up to eight digits. The visible keypad meant this was probably part of the puzzle, but he had no idea what to put in just yet. Suddenly, Yashiro piped up- “Five through eight equals thirteen. Descending. Repeat equals no.”

 

“What?” Claus said.

 

“Ah, I found this little code on the bottom of this valve.” Yashiro said. “I haven't the foggiest what it means!”

 

“I see.” Claus said. Looking about just a bit more, on top of a small shelf on a wall, he found a small hammer. “A hammer, hm?”

 

“Ah, I did see a little bit of piping that seemed a bit rusty.” Yashiro said. “Perhaps we should engage in property damage!” He laughed.

 

“Where?” Claus said.

 

“Er.” Yashiro stopped laughing. “I was kidding.”

 

“Where's the pipe, Yashiro?” Claus said.

 

“Right here, but—” Yashiro gestured to a pipe leading off of a valve, with a particularly rusty segment low to the ground. Claus interrupted him by swinging the hammer with all his might, shattering the rusty pipe and dropping its contents onto the floor. “What gumption!”

 

Picking up the small vial of powder that had sat inside the pipe, Claus inspected it. A label on its side clearly identified it as, of all things, fingerprint powder. “There's no time to hesitate.” He said. He pocketed it in his suit pocket for the time being, but quickly came up with a use for it. He headed over to the keypad and dusted some fingerprint powder on it; thankfully, he'd chatted with Shinobu enough and heard about several inaccuracies in forensic depiction on television to have a pretty good idea of how it actually worked by this point.

 

Aside from Claus's light imprints on the 6, 9, and 0 keys from his earlier experimentation, the keys on the keypad only showed fingerprints (and quite deep ones, at that) on keys 1 through 5. Yashiro chimed in, “One through four equals five. Descending. Repeat equals yes.”

 

One through four equals five, descending, repeat equals yes. Five through eight equals thirteen, descending, repeat equals no. Only the keys from 1 to 5 were used. “Please be quiet for a moment, Yashiro.” Claus said, and tapped his forehead.

 

A few moments later, Claus snapped his fingers, and entered the code—21115431. With a chipper chime, the keypad displayed a 'completed' sign, and the door to its side arose. Within was a room not entirely dissimilar to the Navigation Room from Campbell Hall, but present on its frontmost wall was a far greater array of visibility; cameras displaying a topdown view of the compound's location, nearby areas of the water, a world map, a view of the island on the top... This Helm was quite impressive, if nothing else. The console sitting here was also significantly more advanced than a simple steering wheel. Perhaps the Navigation Room was a last resort or something.

 

On a desk at the back of the Helm was a small sheet of paper. It seemed to be a timetable. 'Ito 4/7 19:31. Arai 4/13 08:14. Ogigahama 4/21 06:58. Cape Ashizuri 5/1 23:59.' “Do you recognize any of these locations off-hand?” Claus asked Yashiro.

 

“Ito and Arai are both in Shizuoka. Ito is on the east coast of the Izu Peninsula, whereas Arai is one of the furthest west areas of the prefecture. Ogigahama is a beach in Tanabe, in Wakayama prefecture. Cape Ashizuri is the southernmost point of Kochi.” Yashiro recited.

 

“Well, my goodness.” Claus blinked at the Strongman. “That's a bit incredible.”

 

“Really?” Yashiro raised an eyebrow. “This seems to me like knowledge any Japanese citizen should know off-hand.”

 

“I think perhaps your mental priorities are a bit different from 'any Japanese citizen', Yashiro.” Claus said. The taller boy just laughed. “But, at any rate, that seems to be roughly a track of Japan's bottom end starting from Shizuoka and ending in Kochi. Curious. Do the locations mean anything to you?”

 

“I was actually heading to Ito at the time of my kidnapping, funnily enough.” Yashiro said. At Claus's surprised look, he continued, “You see, my Nana is quite the woman. She has a very particular code of conduct, and like any reasonable person with such a rigid code of conduct, is also a martial arts master with her own particular fighting style.”

 

“...Right.” Claus nodded along.

 

“She had a pupil roughly forty years ago who she had a great deal of pride for.” Yashiro said. “A man who she taught everything she knew, in the hope that he would later be able to carry on her banner of justice for the downtrodden, and also, punching criminals.”

 

“And how did that end up?” Claus asked.

 

“Well, she hadn't heard from him in quite some time, and naturally, as her current greatest pupil, I felt the need to challenge her previous greatest to prove my strength. You understand. So I began a pilgrimage to Ito, where Sakuya—er, that's Nana's pet crow—claimed that she had recently seen the man.” Yashiro continued.

 

“Wait, hold on.” Claus held up a hand. “How did your Nana's pet crow claim that?”

 

“Ah, Nana can talk to birds.” Yashiro said.

 

Claus was briefly stunned by this answer before realizing that frankly, it wasn't even the strangest thing he'd heard this _week._ And if Gavin could talk to dogs... “So you began walking to Ito.” Claus said. “And then you were kidnapped?”

 

“Presumably!” Yashiro laughed. “I went to sleep on the third and found myself next in The End's vile sewer maze.”

 

“I see.” Claus said. “Interesting.” There was a map next to the timetable, with several different routes drawn on it. “Which one of these routes is this one?”

 

“That'd be this one.” Yashiro said, pointing to a route drawn in red ink.

 

“Good to know.” Claus said. He stepped up to the helm console and began inspecting it. He found a way to control a route, and pulled up a map of Japan to begin drawing the route depicted- but when he got close to completing it, his screen buzzed, and restarted his line. “Hm?”

 

Yashiro headed into the Propulsion Control room and stood at the console there. “Try operating it again.” Claus did so, and Yashiro laughed. “Ah, I see! I must control the propulsion to keep us on schedule! Give me your best, Claus!”

 

Claus looked over at Yashiro, smiled, and nodded, drawing the route again. Yashiro's loud, passionate noises told him he was no doubt doing a great deal of work, though it wasn't as though Claus quite knew what that work was. Either way, though, before long, the puzzle concluded, and on the screen of Claus's map came the code; star at b2, star at b1, sun at c1. He pumped his fist, and with a, “Yes!” he headed over to the safe, beckoning Yashiro over.

 

Within, though, was a bit of a disappointment. The safe did not yieldany food, or a key, or anything; merely another sheet of paper with Nanako's handwriting on it.

 

_Howdy-doo, y'all! It's me again, Nanako. I know you probably know me already, but hey, introducing yourself is polite, right? Anyway, so it's time now for Miss Nanako's Science Lessons #2! Put on your thinking caps!_

 

_Last time I talked about BC particles. Well, there's actually several different types of BC particles. Today, we'll be talking about W particles and b particles._

 

_W particles are the kinds of BC particles that just exist, everywhere in the world. Everywhere you go, just like there's air, or microorganisms, there's a ton of W particles just flitting around in the air, without too much information. That's why they're called 'W' particles- it stands for Wanderer. They wander around, without any real power._

 

_Now, b particles, on the other hand, actually happen to be the specific kind of particles I'm made out of! They're the particles that govern the energy transfer of information, like in Maxwell's demon. For a long time, they weren't really entirely isolated, but once they were, Mom was able to find a way to use them to make me._

 

_In solid form, BC particles are actually sort of like this black sludge, I guess you could call it. If you've ever seen me puke while I'm unconscious, or something, you've seen it. That's the 'solid' form of W particles. When b particles leave my body without being converted into some sort of human fluid, they lose their properties as b particles and just become W particles, usually. It's a weird black matter that's not quite solid or liquid._

 

_Something about people outputs a ton of information, information that causes changes in BC particles, but that kind of information usually dissipates pretty fast after they leave the body._

 

_Kojiro_ _—_ _oh, that's my little brother_ _—_ _just came in and told me to tell you, 'swap the rows.' I have no idea what that means. That's Kojiro for you!_

 

_Anyway, that's it from me for now. You can hear more in the next lesson! See you then!_

 

“This...” Claus held it, his hand trembling slightly. “This is completely unrelated! What does this have to do with anything?!” The sound of the door unlocking behind him did little to assuage his anger. “Stop wasting my time!”

 

“That can't be it, can it?” Yashiro said, leaning over and looking in the safe himself. The safe, though, automatically closed “Oh?”

 

Claus sighed. “Okay. 'Swap the rows.' There must be something else.” He began pacing. “Kojiro gave me a hint and I'm going to use it.” He paced about, and about, and about—

 

There was a second keypad on the Helm side of the door, he noticed. One that was just a mirror of the keypad on the Propulsion Control side, down to taking eight digits. “This means something.” Claus said, tapping the keypad's input window and staring at Yashiro. He walked over to the desk in the Helm and crossed his arms. “This means something. But what?”

 

“Perhaps there is another code somewhere?” Yashiro said. “But where?”

 

Suddenly, Claus remembered that he had, in fact, seen several digits just now. He looked over, quick as a wink, and picked up the timetable. Four times, with four digits each. That was sixteen digits. Enough to put a code in both keypads! Given the sides, he rushed over and tried 19310814 in the Helm, which paused when he put it in, and then 06582359 in Propulsion Control. Both keypads simultaneously buzzed at him, and reset. “Damn it.” He clicked his tongue.

 

Alright, perhaps Kojiro's hint meant something here. 'Swap the rows.' What could that mean? What did Kojiro mean when he said 'rows?' Where were rows in here? What was-

 

“I've got it!” Claus said, the epiphany suddenly striking him like a lightning bolt from the blue.

 

73870274 in the Helm, 06528953 in Propulsion Control. Swap the rows of the keypad; the top and bottom become each other! On the second keypad he opened came another code- moon at a3, sun at a1, star at c2. “Yes!” He said, pumping his fist again. He ran over to the safe, hurriedly jammed in the code—

 

—And just got another handwritten memo.

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

 

* * *

 

 

Claus stared dejectedly at his reward for solving the second puzzle. It was just a handwritten memo. This time, it wasn't even in Nanako's. His eyes fell off the page as he tried to read it, an air of dejection filling his heart. “Oh.” He said.

 

Yashiro came up to him and put his hand on Claus's shoulder. “It's still progress, friend.” It didn't quite help, though. Claus began slumping away slowly, slinking his way back to the Central Hub. He slowly...slowly...slowly slinked back, and opened the door to the room—

 

To find Luan and Shinobu eating bento boxes?

 

“Ah, Claus.” Shinobu said. She waved. “How did the puzzle go?”

 

“Food?” Claus blinked. “What?”

 

“I concur, what?” Yashiro said from behind Claus.

 

“Yeah, what?” Monokuma said from behind Yashiro.

 

“Hold on, I'm not letting you surprise me!” Claus turned on his heel to find the black-and-white bear, still with a cast on his arm, not letting him slide into the narrative and get one up on him. “Monokuma— Er, or Kojiro?”

 

“You got it right the first time, genius.” Monokuma began pacing about, shrugging. “Geez. A guy doesn't show up for three phases and people start forgetting his name.”

 

“Kojiro appeared and gave me a key.” Luan explained. “It went to a chamber in N Ward, where I found these. There's more where this came from.”

 

“Let me level with you here.” Monokuma said, bending back and leaning onto a counter that didn't exist behind him. “That's actually one of the puzzle room rewards for Phase Six. _Technically,_ you're not supposed to get it until then. But while these two were off in Propulsion, your loving, caring Headmaster headed off to the Phase Six puzzle room to get it for you. It was a lot of work, let me tell you!”

 

“Won't you get punished for this?” Claus said. “I mean, not that I'm not grateful! I am! Thank you! But won't you—?”

 

“Ehhhhh.” Monokuma shrugged. “Anyway, continue showing enthusiasm! And don't starve to death! That would be counter to the point!” He looked briefly around. “Uhh, where's a...” He walked off to his right a bit, then fell in a hole. “Thanks for the help, Claus!” He said as he disappeared.

 

Claus blinked. “What did I do?”

 

Then he remembered he was really hungry, though, and so a few minutes later, all four present were sat down with bento boxes, finally getting to eat for once. It was a _good feeling,_ not being hungry. Mm. Food.

 

“So,” Claus said over the food, “we've found two more memos. One is a science lesson from Nanako again about these BC particles.” They spent a bit going over it. The presiding reaction?

 

“I haven't the foggiest what this has to do with anything, but I'm quite glad to be educated, I suppose?” Shinobu shrugged.

 

Claus placed it on the desk, and then pulled out the second memo. “I haven't actually looked at this one yet.” He said. He put it out for all four present to look at. By the look of it, it seemed to be... a handwritten memo of everyone's names, next to dates. His name was on 3/29. That was- “This is the day I was kidnapped!”

 

“I as well!” Shinobu said. 3/28.

 

“Mm.” Luan said. “Me too.” 3/31.

 

“Hm?” Yashiro said, raising his eyebrow. His listing was 4/5. April 5th. “But that's... hm? The last thing I remember is going to sleep on April 3rd.” The room went completely quiet. “What?”

 

“Yashiro?” Claus's head slowly turned to look at the Strongman. “Are you saying you don't remember being kidnapped?”

 

“I don't.” Yashiro said. “I assumed they kept me under somehow.”

 

The room was still quiet.

 

“Yashiro?” Shinobu asked.

 

“Yes?” He responded.

 

“Based on this, it would appear to me that you have in fact lost a memory, just as the rest of us have.” Shinobu said. “Of... April 4th and 5th. The days before your kidnapping.”

 

“Well, goodness, it would seem like that is a possibility, isn't it?” Yashiro laughed. “I wonder what I forgot! Haha!”

 

“This entire time... you didn't remember being kidnapped...” Claus said, his voice slowly getting slower. “You _have_ had a memory missing... _this entire time._ ”

 

“By the look of it!” Yashiro laughed.

 

“Claus?” Shinobu asked. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking?”

 

“Oh, definitely.” Claus said. “Three, two, one.”

 

““ _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_ ””

 

“Good scream, Shinobu.” Claus gave her a thumbs up. “I'm glad you're doing better.”

 

“As am I!” Shinobu said.

 

“Aaaaaaahhhhhhh.” Luan added. “Is this how I make people feel?”

 

“Sometimes!” Claus said, giving him a frustrated smile.

 

“Oh.” Luan said. “I'm sorry. I'll do my best to not do that in the future.”

 

“Thank you for facilitating Luan's character arc, Yashiro.” Shinobu said.

 

“Any time!” Yashiro laughed.

 

* * *

 

 

How long had it even been by this point? Jun didn't know. Sometimes he was uncertain if he was even going forward. Perhaps when he moved his wheelchair, he was simply fooling himself. He missed having a motorized wheelchair.

 

That was a photo of the last year of middle school. He'd turned fourteen. He was at the back of the class, looking sour. As usual.

 

After that simple incident with Shinichi, word had gotten around school, at least a bit, that Jun had asked his senpai out. There was an understanding, all of a sudden. And it wasn't really all that bad. It actually seemed to make him a bit more approachable to his fellow students. At least once, he was asked for his earnest opinion of a guy's attractiveness by a girl in his class, and it led to them hitting it off as friends. There was appreciation for Jun's blunt honesty and enthusiasm regarding his trade. By all rights—

 

_You should've been happy._

 

“Shut up.” Jun told the voice. He had friends. People wanted to get to know him. He wasn't alone anymore. He had loving parents. So why was he unhappy? Why? Why, why, why?

 

_You should've been happy. Everyone cared about you. Their grumpy, gay programmer friend._

 

“I'm not gay!” Jun shouted.

 

Send it away. Away, away. Those memories didn't need to be here. He could ignore them. Send them away. Right. When he was in that class, there, in that photo, he was so unhappy. That's right. People hated him. His guardians at the time hated him. Nobody liked him. That sour, vile little gremlin in the wheelchair. That was what he was. He couldn't be happy. He wasn't happy because he couldn't be happy. He didn't know what happy was. He'd never felt it.

 

_But what about the happiness you felt with Mom and Dad?_

 

“Shut up!” Jun shouted. He remembered Mom's smiling face for a moment. They...loved him. They loved their son. It made him happy to have parents that loved him. There was—

 

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no

 

There was nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with that memory. He was happy. He had never been happy. He could have a contradiction. It was okay. Contradictions were okay. He didn't need to be consistent.

 

_You're slipping._

 

“I'm not slipping. I've never had anything to slip off of. Shut up. Die.” Jun hissed at the voice.

 

_Maybe that's why you falsified the reports of Hope's Peak's psychological evaluation. You knew they'd think_ _—_

 

“I didn't do anything like that!” Jun screamed. “I earned it! I deserve to be in Hope's Peak!”

 

_But you cheated._

 

A flash of memory. Jun saw Jun at the computer, frantically modifying data, worming past security to edit that report, make sure nobody saw it in its real state, nobody saw, nobody saw—!

 

Jun was sweating. He gasped. He gasped in memory and there was a flash of heat in his head and something hurt and he wasn't sure what and no no no no no. Stop. Stop. Stop it. Stop it. There was nothing to see. He didn't do anything like that. He didn't need to. Jun Fukuyama, Ultimate Net Admin, didn't need to do anything like that. He didn't. He didn't! He would never need to do that!

 

“My talent is the only thing that matters...” He muttered to himself, grasping his own arms as the conveyor belt moved him forward. “My talent is the only thing that matters. That's it. I'm my talent. I'm my talent. I'm my talent.”

 

_You're delusional._

 

“Yeah. Delusional. For victory, right?” Jun chuckled under his breath. “I want to win. I have to win. It's the only way people will ever like me. Right? Right? The only way, the only way, the only way, the only way, the _only way!_ ”

 

The scream echoed down the hallway. Nobody answered. Right. Victory victory victory victory victory victory victory. Winning. Winning. The objective qualification of his worth. He would become objectively good. Then he would be happy _don't let anyone see don't let anyone see don't let anyone see don't let anyone see don't let anyone see_ for the first time in his entire life.

 

He was so brilliant. Nothing escaped his vision. He was such an unparalleled genius. Nothing got past Jun Fukuyama.

 


	63. Day 20, Phase 5 - The Great Tiger Denies

 

“Claus.” Zero said.

 

“Zero.” Claus said. The two stood—or rather, Claus stood facing an effigy of Zero—in the fifth segment of Confessional Hall. “There's no need for you to bother with your whole shebang, Zero. I've got a message for the person behind you.”

 

“The person...behind me?” Zero said. There was a pause. “I don't know what would give you that-”

 

“I'll defeat you.” Claus said. He was tranquil, but on fire within. “I won't simply escape from here. No matter what, End, I will _not_ lose to you.”

 

“I—” Zero began.

 

“You've made a mockery of my friends.” Claus said. “Driven innocent people to murder, sadistically killed, and for what? The fun of it? And now you'd have us running around like headless chickens, searching for these little drips of information, depriving us of food and water for days on end?” He spat. “Seven people have died because of you. You _will_ pay for this.”

 

“You've become...very gallant.” Zero said. “Almost dashing. Where did this come from?”

 

“Well, if you must know.” Claus rolled his eyes a bit, but he answered anyhow. “If my friends are going to put their trust in me enough to call me their leader, even if I wasn't much acting like one, then it's only right that I give back to them what they need. I've doubted myself for far too long, so I'm done. It's not a question of 'can I' any longer. It's not even a _question._ ”

 

“Then it's a statement, now?” Zero said.

 

“That's right. A statement; I _will_ defeat The End.” Claus put his hand on his heart. “I will escape this place, break whatever idiotic plan this game of hers is for, and, with my head held high, I will return to the world I live in. My friends will be by my side, all of us who've fought through this idiotic game. If all goes well, then perhaps you could be there as well, Zero.”

 

“That's impossible.” Zero countered.

 

“'Impossible,' hm?” Claus said. “I don't think that's quite true. I think that you're using the word 'impossible' improperly. The possibility of you leaving with us exists. No, I think what you're saying right now is that you don't think you should. Correct?”

 

Zero was silent. “I'll take that as a yes,” Claus said. “I don't know who you are, though I do have a few theories of my own, but if your role in this game is anything like Kojiro's, then it is not you who is at fault here, and therefore I've no reason to condemn you. “

 

“You don't know anything.” Zero said. Even through the distortion, her voice rose. “You don't understand!”

 

“Then _explain it!_ ” Claus shouted back. Zero went silent again. “I'm sick and tired of things I don't understand!” He clutched his head a bit in frustration. “You're right, I _don't_ understand! I haven't the foggiest why anyone would go along with a scheme this vile! But I can't understand unless it's explained to me, because I have absolutely no frame of reference. Don't condemn me for not understanding something I cannot understand. Instead, when we meet, explain it to me. Then I can understand.”

 

“You're wrong.” Zero said. “There's nobody behind me. I'm the only one here. I'm the one at fault! It's all my fault!” She was shrieking now. “I can't! I can't, I can't, I can't! I—! Why is this happening?! Why are you doing this?! Why won't you just let me talk?!”

 

“I'm fine.” Claus said, a touch of bitterness in his voice. “I don't need your help, Zero. I need answers. And if I won't get any from you, then there's no reason for me to engage you until you're really in front of me. Face to face. We'll talk like _people,_ and come to understand each other that way. No more lies, no more deceit.” He sighed. “Now, I need to go be with my friends. N Team will need a heads up about the food. Please open the exit.”

 

For just a moment, even through the effigy, Claus sensed hesitation in Zero. A sense of the idea that, perhaps, if he stayed just a bit longer, he might understand where she was coming from, and know that she should be allowed to talk without being talked back to. But Claus would never understand. He would never accept it. Every bone, every fiber, every cell in his body would deny this sickening game and its right to exist. There would be no quarter until whatever dark urge spawned this hell for he and his friends to suffer through was vanquished.

 

The exit opened. “Thank you.” Claus said. He bowed towards the effigy. “I hope to see you soon, Zero.”

 

* * *

 

 

There was that bloating feeling again. It was getting a bit unpleasant to wake up to feeling sick, but perhaps that was just the way of things these days. Nanako was alive, and all told, that was a blessing in and of itself; even if she was a technical marvel and all, it still didn't take away the cold, sickening fear of death, or worse.

 

“Nanako.” That was…Hm. That was Chihaya, pretty sure. “Nanako, wake up already.”

 

...Wait.

 

“Chihaya!” Nanako shot up off the ground of the same test chamber they'd awoken in before. She slammed her hands on the Ghost's shoulders, a brief look of shock crossing Chihaya's features. “Oh my god! Are you still mad at me? Are you okay!?”

 

“Mad at...?” Chihaya muttered. “Um... No. No, I'm not. Mad at you. Or— Well, I guess I'm okay, relatively speaking.” She looked away and crossed her arms. “I...acted a bit immaturely, too. I'm sorry.”

 

“Huh? What? No, I'm just glad you're okay, I was really worried!” Nanako said, her antenna spiking. “You started acting all _weird._ What was up with that?”

 

“I was having a psychotic break.” Chihaya said, completely flat.

 

“Oh, well, then that makes sense then.” Nanako said. “Except _excuse me, girlfriend, do you need a hug?_ ” She wrapped her arms around Chihaya and squeezed. “Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I knew something was wrong but I wasn't sure what to say and I'm sorry I ran off and—!”

 

“It's...fine.” Chihaya's breath was a bit labored under the sheer gripping force of Nanako's friendship. “I'm fine.”

 

“Are you _sure?_ ” Nanako said, looking Chihaya over for any physical signs of distress. “Are you sure you're sure?”

 

“I mean, yes, I'm pretty psychologically damaged in general, but I'm sure that can wait until after we get out of here.” Chihaya said. She rolled her eyes. “But what else is new?”

 

“I actually think you've been coping rather well, all things considered.” Kazuya said. Oh, he was awake too. There he was. “I'm surprised you haven't had any trouble until now.”

 

“Yeah, seriously.” Nanako said.

 

“If nothing else, I'm very good at compartmentalizing.” Chihaya said. She looked down at her feet and sighed. “Though I suppose that's also a bad thing.”

 

“It's a thing.” Nanako decided to compromise. “Anyway, you, uh, wanna talk about it? Did it have something to do with that old guy?”

 

“That's my grandfather.” Chihaya said. The room went silent until Nanako muttered an, 'Oh.'

 

“Suddenly I feel as though I understand everything.” Nanako said, her antenna twirling. “Suddenly, I feel as though I should still be hugging you.”

 

“No!” Chihaya jumped back. “No! Please. No more.” She waved her hands frantically.

 

“Okay, well, that aside, let's get a better start this time.” Nanako pounded her fist into her open palm, and her antenna stood proudly at attention. “Gentleman and lady, let's be off! We have a puzzle room to find, and stuff to learn!”

 

“Gavin has a fascinating perspective.” Chihaya commented, as the three of them left the room. “He spent a conversation telling me he didn't care about trying to figure out the mystery and then spent the next few minutes giving his ideas. I think he's a bit keener than he might think he is.”

 

“Tell me about it.” Kazuya sighed. “The amount of times that guy has seen right through me...” He frowned. “Well, it's higher than zero, and it's kind of unnerving sometimes how good he is at it.”

 

“It's one of his best traits!” Nanako said. One of the three other test chambers on that wall was unlocked, but that wasn't a guarantee. Now that the bloating feeling had passed, as it usually did, a thought was beginning to occur to Nanako. A curious, unpleasant thought. “Guys.”

 

“Nanako.” Kazuya responded.

 

“Do you think anyone's found any food?” Nanako frowned. “Or water?”

 

After a disquieting pause, Chihaya said, “The Phase Three puzzle room was the Baths, where there's plenty of running water by the look of it, but as far as I know, no food.”

 

“That's a problem.” Nanako said, frowning. “I like living and not dying.”

 

“Don't worry, we won't die of starvation.” Chihaya said, continuing to walk. “That takes a lot longer than we'll be in here for.”

 

“Yeah, but being hungry sucks!” Nanako said, with a sad stare at Chihaya. “You feel me, Kaz?”

 

“I have to agree with Nanako.” Kazuya said. “We should head to the Central Hub and see if anyone's found anything.”

 

“My thoughts exactly.” Nanako nodded proudly. “I'm glad to know we're on the same page, pal.”

 

So head there N Team did, off to...her mom's bedroom. Again. Present was everything Nanako had seen before, as well as a third Cast List, another Science Lesson, and...something else. The notepad seemed to have seen a lot more use.

 

Kazuya picked up the first Science Lesson and scrutinized it. “Er, what is this?” He turned to Nanako. “Why did you write this?”

 

“Search me, I ain't got a clue.” Nanako shrugged. “I don't remember doing it. Same with that second one there.”

 

“Well, that's weird.” Kazuya said. He scanned through the first one, shrugged, and then the group as a whole read the second. They all collectively shrugged at that one. “That didn't really tell me anything.”

 

“Same.” Nanako said. The extra sheet was a paper communicating the times the sixteen human participants were kidnapped, apparently. That wasn't much help either.

 

Wasn't much help to be found in Luan's page. Chihaya flinched (probably for the second time) when, in Cast List #3, Miria's page came up. Nanako frowned deeply when her own page came up, considering how brutally it had been vandalized. “Wow.” She said. “Um... I'm sorry?”

 

“That's just unnerving.” Kazuya said. “What in the world did you do, Nanako?”

 

“Hey!” Nanako waved her hands. “I donno! As far as I remember, nothing!”

 

Kazuya, looking down at the page, said, “Wouldn't it be funny if all you did was cut in line in front of the mastermind at a restaurant or something?”

 

“I like to think that people that hold grudges that strongly wouldn't be targeting little ol' me.” Nanako frowned and shivered a bit. Next up was Kazuya, who... Nanako blinked. “Kazuya?”

 

The man himself was staring at his own page. The photo was of him in a female school uniform, which was just downright weird even though it made perfect logical _sense_ for most existing photos of him to be in such a state, but that wasn't the weird thing. It was listed under Relevance.

 

“I found those bodies?” Kazuya blinked, muttering under his breath. Kazuya had, apparently, discovered the corpses of Uchiko Hashizawa and Wanda's mother following their joint suicide. “I...?”

 

“That's...horrible.” Chihaya said.

 

Technically, this revelation probably didn't really add anything to their knowledge. It was, in the grand scheme of things, a rather trifling detail—but if there was one thing Nanako had learned in her time in Compound VK, it was that trifling details oftentimes meant the world to the people they concerned. Kazuya was beginning to sweat, and his eyes looked a bit unfocused. “Kaz.” Nanako put her hand on his shoulder. “You alright?”

 

“I've seen seven dead bodies.” Kazuya said, more to himself than anything, it seemed. “ _Seven._ ” He pulled up a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Seven.”

 

Nanako stayed as close as she could as Kazuya sat down on the bed, shivering a bit. “I don't even remember it.” The boy said. “I don't even remember it, but... I think I can _feel_ it.” He paused. “You know, I... When I saw Aoto's body, I didn't want to say anything, but I...felt a sort of familiarity. Not a good one, but it was like my body had been tense that way before, that specific, horrified manner.” He chuckled to himself. “I didn't want to say anything, because what kind of sense would that make, right? I just...”

 

Kazuya looked up at Nanako and Chihaya. “Hey... Do you think I'll ever be able to be normal?”

 

“What do you mean?” Nanako said, sitting down next to him.

 

“Normal.” Kazuya said. “Just an ordinary guy. I never wanted any of this. They say I have a talent, but you know, I'd give it away in a heartbeat to just have an uneventful sort of life. I discover two women killing themselves and then years later, I'm kidnapped for it? Kidnapped, and put in a _killing game?_ Avoid being murdered myself by a fifty-fifty chance?” He started laughing. “It's like...the least funny joke imaginable. It... It's not _fair._ What the hell kind of maniac would come up with this?!”

 

The Orator was clenching his fists now, gritting his teeth. “Is it funny for them to watch us run around like headless chickens? I bet it is. I bet it's _hilarious._ Hilarious to watch people who never wanted anything big out of life as they get thrown into one of the biggest farces ever conceived by mankind. Is there even a greater purpose to this all, or am I just a punchline now!?” He put his hand on his forehead. “And this is going to follow me my entire life, isn't it? These deaths, this incident, I'll never be able to escape it. Even when I'm old, and withered, I'll always be followed by—!”

 

“Kazuya!” Nanako cut in. “That is _not_ true.” She clasped her hand on his shoulder a bit tighter. “This isn't going to define your life. We'll... We'll get through it together, okay?” She shook him a bit. “Okay?”

 

“How can you say that, Nanako?” Kazuya looked back at her. “I mean... I think you've got it worst out of all of us.” Something within Nanako wanted to beg him to stop, to not continue that line of thought. “You've-”

 

“Look, it's fine, okay?” Nanako said, her antenna twisting in and on itself to make a spring shape. “It's... I can— I can worry about that later. You guys—We need to—” She choked back a sob.

 

“Nanako, are you...alright?” Chihaya awkwardly reached out a hand.

 

“It's... It's fine.” Nanako said. She held back her tears. “I can cry when—” She stammered. “When it's over. When it's all over. Don't— Please just—”

 

 _Let me be a child for just a little bit longer._ Nanako didn't say. Let her act, she inwardly begged, like she still had something. Let her play the fool for just a little longer. Let her act like her dogged belief in her mother was just because of her love for her, and not...not just because she had already—

 

Nanako checked her watch. It wasn't too long into Phase Five. After this was Eight, Nine, and Eleven, and then they were out. Nineteen or so hours. Less than a day, all told, for her to be conscious until this horrible, horrible game was over, until she could finally take a breath.

 

It was so odd. It was like her identity as 'Rin' had almost served as a shield, but now that her memories were returning, and Nanako knew she was Nanako and not her mother, the fear she'd already felt in this hell redoubled and broiled within her chest, freezing her cold each time she took a moment to look back. That cold, horrifying fear, the freezing grip of death within her chest-

 

Nanako suddenly screamed, and Kazuya jumped back a bit. “Oh god! I'm psyching myself out!” Nanako shouted, and slapped herself in the face a few times. “Ow! Ow! This really hurts! Okay, I exist.” She reached over to the Cast List, and turned the page to... “I don't even know who this guy is!” 'Saburo Kirihito, Ultimate Escape Artist.'

 

“Er, Nanako...” Kazuya raised a hand.

 

“Ssssshhhhhh.” Nanako raised a single finger to his mouth to shush him. “We're looking at information now.” She could feel Chihaya's steely gaze on her. Oh, god. No way Chihaya didn't know that Nanako was trying to stuff her emotions down with this whole schtick at the moment _now,_ if she didn't already. She inwardly begged Chihaya not to push any further at the moment, considering the group had business to get to.

 

“I don't know him either.” Chihaya said. _Thank you, you beautiful little lady, you._ “This doesn't explain much... Who could he be?”

 

“...Gavin's buddy Saburo?” Kazuya suggested. There was a pause, and then the three of them collectively, simultaneously, went, 'Nahhhhhhhhhh.'

 

Last on the itinerary was the notepad. The first noteworthy addition was the idea of Zero as an unwilling participant, another person who didn't want this, but it was a large, large addition. When Nanako read the suggestion, she froze. It was from Shinobu, too, and if there was anyone who was good at figuring things out without Nanako noticing, it was Shinobu.

 

“Then that would mean that they were separate people,” Chihaya said, “Zero and The End.” She paused. “Nanako—”

 

“I...” Nanako had a feeling she knew what Chihaya was going to say, but while her heart did swell at the idea a bit, she didn't want to get herself too worked up over the idea. “I'll...see during my Confessional. If— If it is her, then... I'll know.” She breathed heavily. “I know I will.”

 

“I'm sorry.” Chihaya said.

 

“Please don't be.” Nanako said. Her heart was a bit low, but it jumped into her throat when she saw G Team's record of having run into Kojiro in G Ward, and of C Team's encounter with him. “He's—” Her eyes widened. “He’s here!”

 

“A key to Test Chamber #1?” Kazuya said. “In that case, then that room should be safe, right?”

 

Chihaya was quiet as she read the paper. “...Kojiro,” she mumbled, “is a really good kid, isn't he.”

 

“He's great.” Nanako smiled. “See? I told you. He's a great kid.”

 

“I still can't believe he'd risk punishment for us like that.” Kazuya said. “You, maybe, but all of us? That's remarkable.”

 

Staring down at the notepad, Chihaya said, “He cares about us, too.” She was quiet. “I think...there's no question of it. He cares about us. A lot. He begged us to investigate Hansuke's case so we could save Jun's life, he made Stella a cake, he tore up that motive that could've driven a spike between us... I think he really does want us to succeed.”

 

“Of course it's not just for me.” Nanako said, a bit taken aback. “Kojiro might be a little snot, but I think he loves all of us in our own ways.” Her heart sank again. “This is... so cruel. Why would anyone want to make a little guy like him live through this?”

 

“Who knows.” Kazuya said.

 

Next, there was information that apparently Yashiro actually had lost a memory; that of April 4th and 5th, just before he was kidnapped and the game began. “...Huh.” Nanako said. “Huh.”

 

“What do you suppose might've happened?” Kazuya said. “Probably something important, then.” Chihaya rubbed her chin silently, until they reached the last page, anyhow, at which point everyone was struck silent.

 

On the last pages of the notepad, seven colors of ink stood out, a rainbow of conversation through writing. As Nanako read, she realized that the room had gone quieter, and she turned to look at Chihaya. The trembling Ghost reached out to take the notepad, and began to read it herself, clutching it closer. They were all separated at the moment, broken into little groups that could not see each other, but their voices were united nevertheless in wishing Chihaya well.

 

“Hey... Chihaya?” Nanako said, after it seemed like Chihaya had read everyone's messages. “I'm with them. I don't want you to go.”

 

“Me too, for whatever that's worth.” Kazuya said. “I think...” He stopped. Chihaya had begun tearing up.

 

She knelt down, and placed her hands, and the notepad, across the bed. Beneath the quiet sobs, Nanako could hear, clear as day, Chihaya say, “Thank you.” She went on. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you.”

 

A bit later, after having obtained some much-needed food and water, N Team returned to the Central Hub to sustain themselves, and ran into Claus. “Oh, there you three are.” He said, exiting the door to G Ward. “It's good to see you all in one piece—” Then he was cut off by Chihaya, who ran up to him and quietly hugged him. “Oh. Hello, Chihaya.”

 

“Thank you.” Chihaya said.

 

Putting two and two together, Claus probably realized why exactly she was thanking him. “Oh, well, I mean...” He rubbed the back of his head. “It was Gavin's idea to begin with.”

 

“I don't care.” Chihaya said. “I already talked to him. Thank you.”

 

“How was she?” Nanako asked Claus, with her antenna pointing up towards Confessional Hall.

 

“I believe Shinobu's suspicions were right on the mark.” Claus responded. “Zero seemed to find it highly distressing when I confronted her rather than letting her do that ridiculous rigmarole of hers, as well.” He paused. “That aside, I was attempting to see if I could find Kojiro anywhere, but at the moment, I can't find him.”

 

“What's, uh...” Nanako hesitated. “What has he been like?”

 

“Oddly normal, all things considered.” Claus said. “Cagey and nonsensical as usual. If it weren't for the entire situation, I wouldn't think anything was particularly different.”

 

“Okay.” Nanako sat down and cracked open her bento. “I'll look for him after the puzzle room. No way he can avoid me for long.”

 

“He's pretty nimble.” Kazuya said. “And he has his holes. I think he might-”

 

“Kazuya?” Nanako leered at him, raising an eyebrow. “I'm his older sister. Everyone knows that little brothers can't escape their older sisters for long.”

 

“Why is he a bear, anyhow?” Kazuya asked.

 

Nanako blinked. “Uhhh...” Her antenna curled into a question mark, and she tapped her chin. “You know, I donno. I've...never thought about it?” She tilted her head, and began pacing, throwing bits of rice into her mouth as she did. “I mean, he just is, you know? It's nothing weird. It's just what he looks like.”

 

“But he is usually a bear, then?” Claus crossed his arms.

 

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure. That feels right.” Nanako nodded. Chihaya hid again as she ate, and it wasn't as though Nanako could blame her, but she'd always been curious how fast Chihaya ate. Kazuya, meanwhile, was a bit of a slow eater.

 

“Would you like me to come with you to the puzzle room this phase?” Claus asked.

 

“Nah, from the sound of it, I think you've done enough, pal.” Nanako said. She grinned bashfully. “Besides, I have to regain my lost honor, don't I?”

 

“If you say so.” Claus said. “I'll keep an eye out for Kojiro, then. Good luck!”

 

It wasn't long until they found the room in question; it was the first door they found once they entered N Ward that opened for them. In contrast to the Living Room, at least, this room was very starkly mechanical, with a few glass windows in the wall showing rows of hanging, spherical machines. Consoles on the walls next to the glass windows made little bleep-bloop noises. The room wasn't very bright, and it was remarkably clean, but there were a few desks, and a safe in the center of the room on an island.

 

“Oh, this is the Drone Bay.” Nanako said, suddenly remembering. “This is where we store all the service drones, like the ones Kojiro uses to paint the courtrooms.”

 

“Are they sentient?” Kazuya asked.

 

“No, not that I know of.” Nanako said. “At least, I certainly hope not. They're more an extension of the facility itself than anything, as far as I know. Whatever they are, let's get to work. Time's-a wasting!” The group nodded to each other.

 

* * *

 

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

Unsurprisingly, the door had locked behind the three of them, though it wasn't as though they were leaving until they solved the puzzle anyhow. Through the two glass windows was a total of thirty-two drones, sixteen on each side, in four rows, four columns. Both had a terminal next to them. One had a locked-off control scheme, but the other, on the left side of the room, had a keycard slot on it, above a currently-off four-by-four unmarked keypad.

 

“The safe keypad is just like the others.” Chihaya said. “We seem to be looking for the same kind of code.”

 

“Well, we'll probably find it once we do everything in the room.” Kazuya said. “Nanako, catch.” Nanako turned her head and cleanly caught a blue keycard Kazuya had found in one of the desks.

 

“Nice find, Kazuya.” Nanako gave him a thumbs up, and inserted the blue keycard. The drones in the window shook a bit while hanging, and were automatically rotated 180 degrees. This, as it turned out, revealed numbers written in red paint on their backs. “Huh.”

 

On the top row, from left to right, 1, 1, 1, 6. The next row down, 2, 5, 3, 5. The third row, 3, 4, 6, 2. The bottom row, 4, 5, 2, 6. Nanako raised her eyebrow, and tapped a bit at the keypad, but it was still off. “Uh...huh.” Nanako mumbled.

 

“There's something under the safe.” Chihaya called out. There was silence for a moment. “...Okay.” She produced, from under the safe, a small bottle of salt. “That's curious.”

 

“No idea what that's for.” Nanako said. She turned to the other console, on the other side of the room, and inspected it. As it turned out, there was a locked compartment lower down on it, requiring a key.

 

“Alright, here's a little notecard, and...” Kazuya murmured. “Ah, there's a little sliding puzzle on this small box.”

 

“Ooh, ooh, I'm great at those!” Nanako chirped, hopping over to inspect said sliding puzzle. It was a pretty simple thing, and didn't take her very long. The top of the small box flipped open to reveal a key. “Nice! Let's see here.” She headed back over to the locked compartment of the console, but it didn't seem to fit. “Dang.”

 

“Try over here.” Chihaya said, in a corner of the room near the door. Nanako headed over, quick as she could, and jammed the key in the keyhole, tucked away in the darkest bit of the room. She raised her hand as she did so to high-five Chihaya. Chihaya bashfully returned the high-five. It was a good time.

 

Inside the compartment in the corner was a screen, controlled by touch, by the look of it. Present on it was a simple chocolate cake, and eight arrows allowing a rotating view of the cake. The screen instructed, “Cut 3 ways 8 equal.” Nanako shrugged, and just slid her finger across the cake any which way to see what would happen. Her third slice across the cake got her a loud buzz, and the cake reset.

 

“Ah, this is simple.” Chihaya said. “You have to cut the cake three times, into 8 pieces, and ensure that all the pieces are equal.” She stared for a moment. “May I see?”

 

“Yeah, sure, go ahead.” Nanako sidled over. Chihaya, with astounding agility, rotated the camera above the cake and sliced vertically, then horizontally, in a cross shape. “Wait, but what about the third one?”

 

“Simple.” Chihaya rotated the camera to a side view, and sliced across the cake's midsection, such that each of the four pieces were cut into two equal halves. “Easy as that.”

 

“Nice joooob.” Nanako nodded, her antenna twirling a bit. The screen slid up into the wall to reveal another key, which Nanako grabbed, spun around, and darted over to jam into the other keyhole. This one actually worked, thank goodness, and it opened to reveal... Not a screen, in fact. The screen above the compartment turned on as Nanako opened it.

 

Within the compartment were three glass measuring cups, behind a glass window that did not reach above the cups. One was small, going up to a measured 3 (3 what?) and with a red line sat at the 2 measurement. The medium-sized measured 5 and had a red line at 4. The large measured 7, with the red line at 5. The screen had a touch function as well, with three buttons: 'Fill,' 'Empty,' and 'Present.' Instructions, written in English for some reason, as well as visual indicators for the cups, were present above the buttons.

 

_Present a solution._

 

_'Fill' fills a cup completely. 'Empty' empties it completely. 'Present' is to check your answer._

_Select two cups to pour water from the first into the second._

 

Just to ensure she understood how the rules worked, Nanako tapped the medium cup, and pressed Fill. The cup was filled to its maximum, the measured 5. She then tapped the filled medium cup, and the small cup, in that order. The small cup was filled to 3, its maximum, and 2 remained in the medium cup. It seemed there weren't any options for how much to pour from one cup into the other.

 

“Um...” Kazuya said. “I've never been good at these sorts of puzzles.”

 

“Don't you worry, Kazzy.” Nanako wagged her finger. “Noted math whiz Nanako Hashizawa is here to save the day! This is a classic. I'll have it solved in a jiffy.”

 

Nanako stared intensely at these cups. Really, this wasn't a particularly difficult calculation, it was just some simple addition and subtraction. A problem this easy would be... Wait, no, that wouldn't work. That's... Hold on. 050320327354057007304340043343243045315305035335155056356347—

 

“Nanako?” Chihaya said. “Is— Do you need any help?”

 

“I've _got this._ ” Nanako said, with all the intensity she could muster. 300003303006306036054354304340043343253217210250215255345— “What.”

 

“What's wrong?” Chihaya said.

 

“This— This is impossible.” Nanako's lips flapped like a fish. “There's no way to do this! It seems classic, but it's completely impossible!”

 

“No way.” Chihaya came up. “Let me give it a shot.”

 

“Seriously, it's impossible!” Nanako said, frowning at her, confused. “I'm literally a computer! It's impossible!”

 

“I don't care if you're a computer, I'll figure it out.” Chihaya said, looking down at the cups. “This is simple. I'll get it.” She tapped buttons rapidly, experimenting, the sound of water filling the cups and emptying and filling again creating a beautiful symphony of befuddlement. Her face slowly grew into a larger and larger frown as she tapped, the frustrated snarl of someone who didn't want to lose.

 

“I'm telling you, this is totally impossible.” Nanako said. “It's like some kind of trick puzzle. Maybe we have to do something to the cups?”

 

“They're bolted to the ground.” Chihaya turned to Nanako and said. “We can't pour from one cup to the other-”

 

“Can I have a moment?” Kazuya chipped in. Chihaya nodded at him, and stepped aside so he could stand at the console. “Alright.” He emptied all three cups, then filled the medium cup and...produced the salt, which Chihaya had handed to him before trying her hand at the puzzle.

 

“What?” Nanako said. “What are you doing?”

 

Kazuya, rather than answer, opened the salt and shook it into the water, stirring it a bit with the bottom of the bottle. Then, after the salt sat again, he pressed 'Present.' The console gave a pleasant little ding.

 

“ _ **What.**_ ” Nanako and Chihaya both stared, open-mouthed, at Kazuya.

 

“It said to present a solution. It didn't say what kind it had to be.” Kazuya said. “I presented it with some saline solution.”

 

Nanako snarled at the console, which seemed almost to be mocking her as some whirring noises happened in the background. “You little shit.” Nanako said to the console. “I bet you're so proud of yourself, aren't you? I bet you think you're really funny!”

 

“Nanako, I think we should leave this console be.” Chihaya said, similarly snarling. “It's clearly not worth our time.”

 

“My thoughts exactly, Chihaya. We're too smart for it.” Nanako huffed. Chihaya huffed too. They turned away.

 

“Guys, it wasn't that hard.” Kazuya said, but they both huffed at him. He shrugged, rolled his eyes, and sighed, “Okay then.”

 

The right-side window of drones had been the one affected by the solving of that insulting little puzzle, as it turned out. The drones present had had lowered onto them little cubby holes, turning them into a four-by-four grid. Some of them had changed color, or had odd insignias, as well. There was... wait. Wait a second.

 

Chihaya looked at the hanging red bull insignia by a large circle at the bottom-left of the grid, next to a large circle, and rolled her eyes and sighed. “Oh. It's one of these. I've heard about these.”

 

“These are those grid puzzles the others mentioned in the notepad, right?” Nanako said. “Let's see. Suns go in pairs, different-colored squares need to be separated, pass over the red dots, right?” Looking at the grid, though, she didn't see quite what she expected. It seemed this one was a bit of a step in a different direction.

 

For starters, this 4x4 grid had no suns, but it did have two unusual symbols that Nanako didn't recognize. In algebraic notation, as the group had decided on, the beginning was at the bottom-left corner of a1, and the goal at the top-right of d4. There were three different-colored squares; a green square at a3, a blue square at b1, and a black square at d4. Square a4 was odd for two different reasons. First of all, its left side was broken off, which probably meant you couldn't pass over it, but the drone in that square had a symbol of two orange triangles on it. A single orange triangle was present at c2. Finally, at d1, there was another new symbol; what looked like an upside-down, silver Y.

 

“Alright, let's try and solve these new symbols.” Nanako said. She tapped the beginning and decided to ignore them on her first route through to see what happened. Up 2, right 2, up 2, right 1, down 2, right 1, up 2, goal. That separated all the squares, but didn't interact with the triangles or the Y. As she expected, the orange triangles flashed red, but something curious happened. The upside-down Y glowed, and then both it and the single orange triangle, which it was in the same area as, disappeared, and the red flash on the orange triangle disappeared, too. The two triangles were still wrong, though, so the puzzle reset.

 

That was curious, so Nanako decided to experiment. Right 3, up 1, right 1, up 3, goal. Every single symbol, including the Y, flashed red. Curious. Right 2, up 2, right 2, up 2, goal. With the orange triangle and the Y together, the same thing happened again. So... “Maybe it's like...a mistake eraser?” Nanako guessed. “Like, you put it in the same place as a symbol that's _wrong_ and it gets rid of it?”

 

“That's possible.” Chihaya said. “We would need to figure out what the triangles mean first, though.”

 

“That's true.” Nanako said. She still hadn't gotten any of the triangles to be correct, so she decided to start with the two in the corner. Up 3, right 1, up 1, right 3, goal, was correct for the two triangles. Up 3, right 4, up 1, goal, however, Nanako found, was not. With that in mind, Nanako tried up 1, right 4, up 3, goal. That was a correct solution for the single triangle. “Got it!”

 

“What's the story?” Kazuya said.

 

“Each triangle means you have to pass the square on that many sides.” Nanako said. “So I need to cross two sides of the two triangles, and one side of the one.” So, with that in mind, she had three different-colored squares, needed to pass a4 on two sides but its left side was impassable, needed to pass c2 on only one side, and needed to put a _mistake_ in the same section as the Y. The question was, what would she need to get wrong?

 

After a bit more experimentation, Nanako tried up 3, right 1, up 1, right 1, down 2, left 1, down 2, right 3, up 2, left 1, up 1, right 1, up 2, goal. This passed both of the triangles properly and separated the green square, but put the blue and black squares in the same section...but the Y took care of the black square, leaving the blue square alone. The line shone with recognition of Nanako's proper solution, and she put her hands on her hips, smiling proudly. “Aced it.” She said.

 

“Nice work, Nanako!” Kazuya said. The console to the right of the grid puzzle spat out a red keycard, which Chihaya picked up. “That would go to the keycard slot, yes?”

 

“It seems that way.” Chihaya said, but then a second item came out. “Hm?” She picked it up. It was a punchcard with a four-by-four grid, with a4, d4, b3, c3, d2, and a1 filled in. “Hm.”

 

The three of them headed over to the keycard slot, removed the blue keycard, and placed the red keycard. The drones turned back to their normal positions, while the keypad lit up. “I guess it's a guide to what buttons to hit?” Nanako said, and hit those six buttons. Once she hit the sixth, though, it buzzed at her.

 

“Maybe there's some sort of order to it.” Kazuya said.

 

“Hm...” Nanako rubbed her chin, and then her antenna spiked. “Wait a cotton-picking second!” She removed the red keycard, and placed the blue one back in. The drones rotated again to show their numbers, and Nanako raised up the punchcard to compare. After a moment to think, she nodded to herself. “Yeah. Yeah!” She memorized the order, headed over and re-inserted the red keycard, and hit a4, d2, c3, a1, b3, and d4 in that order. The keypad flipped over to reveal a code; moon at b2, sun at a1, moon at b3. “Nice!” she fistpumped.”

 

“Good job.” Chihaya said.

 

“See? I can do it when it counts!” Nanako laughed proudly. With that, the safe yielded, and the door unlocked behind them as it swung open. The reward today seemed to be a small folder...labeled 'First Nonary Game' on it. “Oh ho!”

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

 

* * *

 

 

_In November of 2018, during the beginnings of the recovery period from Ultimate Despair, a pharmaceutical company known as Cradle Pharmaceuticals, in league with the religious organization Free the Soul, kidnapped eighteen children and placed them in what would become known as the first modern Nonary Game._

 

_Nine children were placed aboard a ship known as the Gigantic, won from the successors of Lord Dashiell Gordain's original Nonary Games, by the president of Cradle, Gentarou Hongou. These nine children were the 'receiver' group._

 

_The other nine were placed in a building in Nevada, in the United States, known as Building Q. The interior of Building Q was an exact replica of the interior of the Gigantic. The nine children present here were the 'transmitter' group._

 

_Hongou's Nonary Project was designed to test for psychic abilities. The eighteen children were all siblings, pairs of two, and the intent was for the receiver group to obtain the solutions to the puzzles aboard the ship after the transmitters had solved it, by receiving their signals via transferring information over the 'morphogenetic field.' This term refers to the transmission of information through ambient W particles. Hongou's experiment was at a far greater distance than any prior parapsychological experiments in its vein, but due to the blood connection, as well as the presence of the 'epiphany factor,' the M particles in each participant's brain resonated with their sibling pair to transfer the information at a massively increased rate, almost instantaneous._

 

_Despite its success in proving the principles inherent, the First Nonary Game ended in essential failure, with Hongou's personal goal_ _—_ _a cure for the mental disorder known as 'prosopagnosia'_ _—_ _still evading him. All eighteen children survived, despite Hongou's efforts._

 

“Well, good for them.” Nanako nodded, frowning at the paper. “Gee. Thanks, guys. Where's that luck for us?” The file went on to give bios of each of the eighteen participants— What parent named their children 'Nona' and 'Ennea?' That said, upon thinking about it, Nanako being named Nanako wasn't much better, but at least those were names you could actually encounter in real life... Wait. “Guys, are Nona and Ennea, like, common names?”

 

“No.” Kazuya said. “No, they're not.”

 

“Thank you.” Nanako said. Nothing in this folder mentioned anything about a 'Zero,' though, which was quite odd. It was possible that this Hongou character was the game's Zero, but that seemed like an odd omission, if it was one.

 

“So, the purpose of the first Nonary Game was an experiment regarding psychic transferal of information?” Chihaya said. She hummed. “...Interesting.”

 

“And it worked, too.” Nanako's antenna puffed. “So, I guess psychic powers are real?”

 

“You didn't know that?” Chihaya said. Nanako blinked. “Oh. Right. Yes, they are, though it's a small fragment of the population that currently has access to them.” Chihaya paused. “...If Chizuru were still alive, apparently, I'd be a 'transmitter,' as this file puts it, though admittedly a weak one. I don't know much else, though.”

 

“So, there's, like...sibling pairs who can telepathically transfer information between each other?” Nanako's voice rose. “That is so cool! Mondo cool!” She jumped up and down a bit. “That's, like, the coolest thing ever! Ooh, ooh! What else is there?”

 

“I'm by no means an expert, but aside from 'Receivers' and 'Transmitters,' there are also 'Communicators' that I know of.” Chihaya said. “By and large, most Communicators are capable of simply projecting their thoughts close-range, but a few are also capable of reading minds so long as the minds aren't completely closed off.” She hummed for a moment and crossed her arms. “There are records of Communicators strong enough to do things like enter peoples' minds, alter their memories, force them to feel emotions, and other things like that, but both because of the physical strain that having that ability causes and because of the obvious danger, no Communicators with that level of ability have been found on-record for over a hundred years.”

 

“Fascinating, fascinating!” Nanako nodded furiously, screwing up her face a bit to make it obvious just how much she was digesting this information. “Okay, now what does that have to do with our situation here?” Chihaya shrugged in response. “That's what I thought!”

 

With that taken care of, Nanako rolled up her sleeves for effect and cried, “Now, let's go find Kojiro!” She pumped her fist. “Chihaya, can you handle N Ward? It seems like it's kind of the twistiest, and you're the best at that whole thing.”

 

“Of course.” Chihaya said. “Be careful, you two.” She looked at Nanako and Kazuya, and all three nodded at each other. Then Chihaya was off, disappearing at an incredible speed.

 

“What about us?” Kazuya asked.

 

“I think I'll handle looking over in G Ward, since I still haven't seen most of it anyway.” Nanako said. “You can come with, or you can go over to C Ward.”

 

“I'll handle C Ward, then.” Kazuya said. “If Claus is also in G Ward, then we'd have nobody looking in C Ward if I didn't go.” The two of them shook on it, and then Nanako was off.

 

G Ward was a big ol' V, apparently. The group had headed to the Baths earlier, but that was all Nanako had seen of it at the time, so there was an entire half of the area that Nanako hadn't inspected yet. The door with Kojiro's big ol' mug on it didn't open, but apparently they'd run into him around this Workshop area, so Nanako decided that would be a good place to start.

 

Nanako opened the Workshop, and took a look around. There was a particularly large closet in one corner that she was oddly curious what was inside, and a whole lot of other things, such as Kojiro, standing on a stool in front of a work table with a mangled block of wood.

 

...Wait.

 

Kojiro, with one arm in a sling, slowly turned around from his block of wood, sweat immediately forming on his ursine body. “Oh dear.” He said. “Damn my inability to work wood! How does this keep happening?”

 

“Kojiro.” Nanako said. Though she'd seen the little bear about the facility so many times now, seeing him now caused her heart to swell like nothing else. Tears almost came to her eyes, and she let out an almost disbelieving laugh. “You're here!”

 

“Oh, geez.” Kojiro rolled his optic sensor. “As though it wasn't bad enough that now everyone's forgetting my name, now XJ-9 here thinks-”

 

“Kojiro!” Nanako bolted over and wrapped him in one of the tightest hugs she could possibly give. “Kojiro! Oh my god, I've missed you so much!”

 

“ACK HEY VIOLENCE AGAINST THE HEADMASTER IS FORBIDDEN IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO YOU MIGHT DIE AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE WANTS THAT!” Kojiro squeaked under her vice grip.

 

“Oh!” Nanako let go. She frowned, and blushed. “I didn't think about that. Uh, sorry.”

 

“You're fine.” Kojiro wheezed. “No harm done, except to my entire body.” He dramatically fell off of his stool, landed on the ground, and bounced a bit before coming to a stop, flopping on the floor. “Tell my wife... I loved her...”

 

“You're not married.” Nanako said, her antenna curling into a question mark.

 

“Says you.” Kojiro stood up, right as rain again. “As any long-time Monokuma Theater viewer knows, especially if they've read my books, I have a long and fulfilling marriage to my wife, who is a salmon.”

 

“Sure, sure.” Nanako knelt down to get closer to his height, since he was a small little thing. “Kojiro. Oh my god, Kojiro, I— I can't believe it.” She laughed a bit, tears welling up in her eyes. “It's you.”

 

“Okay, maybe you don't get how this whole name thing works, since you spent most of this game thinking you were your mom, and all, but come on, Monokuma doesn't even have the same number of syllables as Kojiro. How do you people keep making this mistake?” Kojiro huffed. “I swear, it's like you've learned nothing from all my tutelage—” He stopped. Nanako had reached over and hugged him much more lightly.

 

“God, you're such a punk.” Nanako said, laughing and crying at the same time. “Bite me, you little snot.”

 

“That can be arranged, if you so please.” Kojiro said. “I'll ask you to recall my sharp teeth, Nanako. Be careful what you wish for.”

 

“You can go ahead if you want.” Nanako shrugged. She chuckled. “God, there's so much I wanna tell you, but you've been here the whole time, so you already know all of it. This is so weird.”

 

“This whole sisterly affection thing is kinda weird.” Kojiro said. “Hardly a week ago you were going all Medusa on me.”

 

“Ahah, sorry about that.” Nanako said. “I didn't know it was you then, so...you know.” She paused, and looked around a bit. “I'm guessing you can't tell me what's going on, or where Mom is, or anything like that.”

 

“Of course not. That's killing game confidential, kid.” Kojiro said. “As you bastards' headmaster, it's my solemnly sworn duty to keep my lips shut.”

 

“I'm just...” Nanako sighed, tears still welling in her eyes. “I'm just glad you're here. I missed you. I missed you so bad, you little idiot.”

 

“Well, I suppose if treating me like your kid brother will make you happy, you can go right ahead.” Kojiro shrugged.

 

“So, um...” Nanako looked up at the block of wood. “What exactly are you doing?”

 

“Thanks to this stupid Nonary Game, you weren't able to make a memorial statue for Hansuke.” Kojiro said. Nanako lost her breath for a moment. “That made me mad, so I decided I'd try and make one myself just to make things equal.”

 

“And it... isn't working out well, huh?” Nanako chuckled.

 

“I have no idea how you do this?!” Kojiro wailed. “Wood is stupid! What a frustratingly annoying medium to work with! It would be much easier if I could paint a portrait or something, but noooo, you had to go and make a pattern of wooden statuettes for me to bungle into. A one-armed bear trying his hardest to work with a block of wood is still a one-armed bear doing something he's not very good at!”

 

“Aww, it's not that bad.” Nanako said. “I actually think wood is pretty elegant.” She grinned. “Now, your painting, I can never get the whole idea there. Color composition on a canvas is so far beyond me, man.” She stood up, and grabbed an uncarved block of wood from a shelf of it. “Would you help me?”

 

“Eh? Eh? Eh?” Kojiro said, striking a different pose with every 'eh'.

 

“It'll go faster if we're working together. I'm working on limited time here, so I would appreciate the help.” Nanako said.

 

“You got it, boss!” Kojiro said, giving her a thumbs up with his working arm.

 

* * *

 

 

“...so, what exactly do you think it is that makes a leader, Chihaya?” Claus asked. “It's a curious thing that I've oftentimes found myself wondering about.”

 

“I'd say that it's someone who both understands the skills of the people they're leading and is willing to take responsibility for the actions of those they're leading.” Chihaya said. “So, by allowing yourself to be called a leader, in a sense, you're already part of the way there so long as you can take that responsibility.”

 

“I see, I see.” Claus nodded. They walked through the Central Hub, having met up in N Ward. “That's a curious thought. Here, I'd been thinking about how, when a mystery comes about, usually the group, myself included, stands back and lets Nanako get to work. That makes it seem sort of like she's the leader, no?”

 

“Please, god, no.” Chihaya chuckled. “It means you simply recognize that she's overall better than you at the crime-solving deductions necessary. A leader isn't omnipotent. The role brings with it an element of ensuring that the people who have skills that you don't are properly assigned. People count on you and Nanako for different things, that's all.”

 

“For what it's worth,” Kazuya said, coming out of C Ward and seamlessly joining the conversation, “I've felt much more comfortable with you at the helm than I would've without you, Claus. You did save my life, after all.”

 

“Oh, come now, I didn't do that much.” Claus chuckled. The three of them entered G Ward,, and Claus looked about. “Now, where do you think Nanako might be? I don't see her.”

 

“That means she's probably in a room.” Kazuya said. “Let's try the Workshop.”

 

The instant Claus came in the room, though, he was a bit befuddled by the sight. Nanako and Monokuma were together- er, or Nanako and Kojiro, that was—working on what looked like a hunk of wood. Nanako craned her head back and called out, “Good timing! Hand me some tan, will you? I need to get his coat the right color.”

 

“Er, what?” Claus said.

 

“C'mon, chop chop!” Kojiro clapped one hand against his belly to approximate a clap. Chihaya vanished, but she was probably still around.

 

So it was that Claus was conscripted to assist Nanako in creating a statue of Hansuke. He didn't exactly do too much, just fetching the siblings supplies every now and then, but it was honestly rather fascinating seeing them work together on something like this.

 

“It's like, every shaving of a wooden block you carve off of it means there's that many less things that the block can be, right?” Nanako said, whittling away. “But at the same time, it's not like you want those possibilities when you're carving a block of wood. You want one possibility, the thing you actually want. In this case, I don't care about not making a little moccasin or something, because I want a statue of Hansuke.”

 

“You can philosophize all you want, Nanako, but this whole schtick is still beyond me.” Kojiro huffed. “Wood is wood.”

 

“A canvas is a canvas.” Nanako retorted.

 

“Um, excuse me? No?” Kojiro scoffed. "The humble canvas allows one to conjure intrepid fantasyscapes from within their mind. It's not even remotely comparable to some baby-mode block of wood."

 

"And what about people who make fantastical things out of wood?" Nanako said.

 

"They'd probably have an easier time if they just painted!" Kojiro exclaimed. "It's not hard! It's easy and it's fun!"

 

"I don't think it's easy or fun, but you do you, kiddo." Nanako said.

 

"If I were at a canvas, this would be so easy." Kojiro huffed. "Should've just let me do it to begin with."

 

" _Would_ you have done it to begin with?" Nanako asked.

 

"Well, no, but that's beside the point!" Kojiro said. "Quit jumping to conclusions based on narrow-minded cultural assumptions, _Nanako._ " He huffed again.

 

"I don't even know what you're talking about, man." Nanako said, leaning in close and making careful precision cuts to properly get the curvature of Hansuke's coat. It was an odd sight, a teen girl and a diminutive bear having the sort of loving sibling relationship Claus saw here, but at the same time, he thought it was rather heartwarming.

 

* * *

 

 

It was a narrow finish, but with all five of them working together, Nanako was able to finish up Hansuke's statue with about half an hour to spare. The group stood back and admired it. The boy's weariness came through, the sheer burden he carried, but at the same time, his rugged charm and determination were there, too. They hadn't always had the best of times, but Nanako tried to capture Hansuke as she remembered him to the best of her ability.

 

"I think it looks fantastic." Kazuya said. "Good job, Nanako."

 

"Aww, shucks." Nanako blushed and giggled a bit. "I try."

 

"I hadn't realized how important this part of the process had become," Claus said, "but now that it's done... I feel...much more at peace, for some reason." He smiled.

 

"I'll miss him." Chihaya said. "He should've lived with us." The room went silent. Nanako nodded mutely.

 

"Nothing to do about it now but keep showing enthusiasm, though!" Kojiro piped up. "Now that your delightful headmaster has finished his business, I'll be off, then, children. Ta-ta-"

 

"Wait!" Nanako grabbed him by the paw. He looked down at her hand and tilted his head to one side. "Do you really have to go? C'mon, Kojiro, you don't really have to go, do you?"

 

"I assure you I most certainly do." Kojiro tut-tutted her. "Time's a-wasting, and there's always work to be done, you know! Why, if I don't keep things rolling, who knows what would happen? The order could all collapse, and we'd all become kulaks and dissenters!"

 

"What is with the 'kulaks and dissenters' thing, anyhow?" Kazuya asked.

 

"Don't question me." Kojiro said. "Monokuma out!" He toddled off out of the Workshop, to wherever his nearest hole was.

 

"You aren't going after him?" Chihaya said to Nanako, who just stood there as her brother left.

 

In response, Nanako turned and smiled to where she had a reasonable guess Chihaya was. "I'm just glad to know he's okay, for now." Nanako said. "There's so much more I want to say, yeah, but as long as he has to keep playing Monokuma, we can't have that conversation yet."

 

"That's fair." Chihaya said.

 

Nanako put her hand on her heart, and said, "Honestly? I'm..." She sniffled. "I'm just glad I got to have another moment like that with him. It's been too long."

 

"Indeed." Claus said.

 

"...We should go to bed." Nanako said.

 

"That we should." Kazuya said.

 

* * *

 

 

Participant #97, Jun Fukuyama, presented for the committee's consideration a cybersecurity bump he had managed to apply to roughly half of the entire Japanese infrastructure from his single computer, in just under six months following an unfortunate string of outside attacks. It was possible he got a bit too into showing off exactly what sorts of attacks his programming could fend off, but the self-replicating security programming he showed seemed to greatly wow the judges, even those who weren't particularly computer-savvy.

 

Obviously, it was probably due to the breadth. It was one thing to do something like that for your own computer, but Jun had extrapolated outward and implemented his improvements to the infrastructure of the nation, not just bypassing security to implement his own, but making clear a list of holes in any given system of computer security that needed fixing in order to prevent against any further cyberterrorism. Even high-end government computers had been remodeled, made more efficient, just generally improved by the actions of a single fifteen-year-old boy. It baffled most computer scientists how the boy could even manage such a thing- while his rig was outfitted with quantum RAM, that was still an insane feat to be able to access and implement so much, and not even have it _noticed_ until it was publicly revealed.

 

"How did it go?" Rin asked, as he left the stadium and returned to the crisp, late-autumn air. It was a bit later in the day, now, but it was still solidly daytime, just after 1 P.M.

 

"Aced it." Jun grinned. "You've got a long way to go if you think you can ever defeat me, Hashizawa."

 

"Well, I'll try my best." Rin chuckled. "Still, though, you really are something, Jun. You completely lost me about halfway through that!"

 

"As an AI scientist, shouldn't you be at least reasonably proficient in this sort of thing?" Jun stared at her, flipping open a burner laptop to idly do some work as they walked.

 

"You're not 'reasonably proficient,' Jun. I'm reasonably proficient, you're an absolute ace." Rin said.

 

"Oh, please. It's not my fault everyone else misses the obvious." Jun said. He rolled his eyes and scoffed.

 

"That's called being smart, Jun." Rin smiled. "You're very much not average!"

 

"I know, I know." Jun smirked and waved the words away. "I am an _incredible_ genius. Truly, you are blessed to know me."

 

"I am." Rin said. The wind blew her hair a bit in the air. Jun's hair was short, but it was down today, so it blew a little, too. He hadn't originally planned on it, but there was a time recently when Rin made joking reference to 'that goofy faux-hawk you wear sometimes,' and he wasn't particularly in the mood to be joked at on this, the day of his greatest triumph.

 

They rolled down a ramp together, briefly, but stopped midway down to look at some trees, holding onto just a few leaves. In particular, a few paulownias caught Jun's eye. Their leaves remained green even before falling, which was something Jun had always found curious. Plants were not his expertise, of course, but he found them interesting nonetheless. "Do you like paulownia trees, Jun?" Rin asked.

 

"I wouldn't necessarily say I like them, but they're not the worst trees." Jun said. "I appreciate how quickly they grow. If you ask me, trees should quit wasting everyone's time."

 

"That's one way to think about it." Rin giggled. "It's interesting how, to some of the older varieties of trees, we humans pass by in the blink of an eye. To us, a hundred years seems like an eternity, but to them, we have a lifespan as short as, say, a dog does to us."

 

"Hm." Jun leaned on the railing. "That's true, I suppose." He rolled his eyes. "But whatever. Just wood. Ecologically important wood, but wood nonetheless."

 

It was then that a particularly strong gust of wind blew by, and before he knew it, Jun's grasp on his laptop loosened, and it fell off of the tall ramp. He swore under his breath. Before it hit the ground, though, a young man at the bottom side of the ramp ran over from below and caught the laptop, successfully catching it.

 

"Er, whose is this?" The young man said. He was blonde, American-looking, but his language was impeccable—no trace of an accent whatsoever. He looked up. "Is this yours?" He called up to Jun.

 

"Ah, yes!" Jun said. "Thank you for catching it!"

 

Within a few moments, the blonde man came jogging up, and gave Jun back the laptop. "Windy out today, isn't it?" He said. He was tall, built strongly, with a powerful jaw and a striking gaze. Actually, now that he was closer...

 

"Weren't you one of the judges?" Jun said. "I... forget your name."

 

"Ah, that's reasonable, it is a bit unusual, and I was in the back row." The man chuckled. "Claus Toranosuke. I'm the student representative of this year's Hope's Peak class."

 

"You're _sixteen?_ " Jun and Rin asked simultaneously.

 

"Why does everyone ask me that...?" Claus mumbled. "Er, at any rate, yes, yes I am. And you're Jun Fukuyama. Your exhibit was very impressive!" He chuckled. "I've never been the best with computers, but your demonstrations were quite something, especially given the time limit. We wouldn't want to lose your laptop, now!"

 

"Actually, this is just a spare I use while I'm out or my usual rig is doing work." Jun said. "It wouldn't be that much of a setback-"

 

"-but computers are still quite expensive for the kind of work Jun does, so it's still quite a help!" Rin chimed in.

 

"I was _about to say that,_ Rin." Jun leered at her.

 

"Oh, well, you know, I just wanted to make sure he felt properly appreciated." Rin said, looking away slightly.

 

Claus, meanwhile, had a contemplative look on his face as he looked at Rin. "And you are..." He waved his finger a bit. "Rin Hashizawa, the would-be Ultimate Roboticist, yes? Participant #212, with the odd vehicle in the loading bay?"

 

"Yes, sir!" Rin said, hastily bowing. Jun rolled his eyes. "I-it would be my honor to join your class, Mr. Toranosuke, sir!"

 

"...As you can see, she's rather desperate," Jun smirked, looking at Claus. "When I inevitably win, perhaps if her exhibit still manages to impress enough she could come as well, but I'm not the administration here."

 

Claus laughed. "I'm just glad to see two participants getting along so well. There's an aura of competitiveness around this campus that I'm not quite used to. I take it you two know each other?"

 

"Ah, y-yes, sir." Rin said. "Jun is a very good friend of mine, possibly even my best."

 

" _I'm_ your _best friend?_ " Jun snorted. "How low are your standards, Hashizawa?"

 

"Oh, don't berate yourself like that, Jun." Rin frowned at him and patted him on the head. Jun scowled. "You're a good friend, you really are."

 

"Of course I am, I'm incredibly competent." Jun said. He smirked.

 

"I'm glad to see that my class will be full of such lively people." Claus laughed. "To be honest, after meeting the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator and the Ultimate Strongman, I was worried I was going to be stuck in a room full of crazy people for three years!"

 

"Ultimate _Strongman?_ " Jun scoffed. "So, what, he works at the circus or he's really good at lifting heavy objects?"

 

"Both, actually." Claus said. "If you want to see someone who shouldn't be this young, you need to see him. He's enormous!"

 

"Yashiro Narumi, right?" Rin said. She rubbed her chin. "I'm...vaguely familiar. He's come by my area a few times, and while I haven't spoken to him personally, I did go see one of his family circus's shows at a recommendation from my d— _A_ _n acquaintance._ It was quite something!" Jun raised his eyebrow at that odd slip of the tongue, but paid it no further heed.

 

"And then there's the Ultimate Buddy." Claus rubbed the back of his head. "Quite a guy, that one. Quite a guy."

 

Jun snorted. "Ultimate Buddy? That's the stupidest title I've ever heard."

 

"He's a likable enough man, though I must admit his fashion sense is _awful._ " Claus shuddered. "Good lord."

 

"What are you doing out here, sir?" Rin asked. "Isn't judging currently going on?"

 

"Ah, we've taken a break for the judges' health." Claus said. "There are quite a lot of people here, after all. We can't take all of them on in a row!" He chuckled. "Don't worry, Ms. Hashizawa. I'm sure we'll get to yours soon enough." Suddenly, his phone rang. "Ah, that'd be the end of it. I need to get back. Lovely meeting you two!"

 

"It was lovely meeting you too, sir." Rin said. She elbowed Jun. "Come on, Jun, say something."

 

"Ah, yeah. Thanks for saving my laptop." Jun said. "I hope to see you in class... Principal."

 

"Good luck to the both of you!" Claus said, turning on his heels, waving, and running off. As he ran off, Jun found himself affixed looking at his back.

 

Some odd part of Jun, a part that had no situational awareness, decided it would be a great idea to say, "Wow, he's hot."

 

"Is he?" Rin asked.

 

"He is." Jun confirmed.

 

Rin nodded. "I don't really get it, but that's okay. I'll trust your judgement on this matter."

 

"Good." Jun nodded back. "As you should. I have impeccable taste." Without responding, Rin began walking off again. "Where are we going, exactly?"

 

"Before it's unveiled, I thought... Well, would you maybe like to see my exhibit?" Rin chuckled. "I want to show it to _someone_ before I go on stage with it... I've got such butterflies, you know."

 

Jun raised an eyebrow. "So, you want me to head to the loading bay with you?" After taking a moment to think, he shrugged. "Sure. Why not. It'll make for some good entertainment."

 

"Thank you, Jun." Rin sighed. "I think that'll help."

 


	64. Intermission, 6 ~ The Patient's Life is in Your Hands

 

When Reiko awoke, it was slow, since, after all, she'd been physically knocked out by whatever assailant struck her. As she did, she heard a scoff. “He finally joins us.” Ah, even at a time like this, whatever sort of time it was, that was Ruri, alright.

 

In a manner more befitting her character, Reiko suddenly swung upright in the chair she'd been seated in, and since she didn't actually have her outfit on her (she'd given her spare to Natsuhi,) she rapidly swapped her half-cape, the hand her ring was on, and untied her ponytail to swap it into her other hairstyle. All told, it was a motion performed with agility and speed that she knew most people could only dream of. The lack of an outfit was distressing, but this would have to do.

 

“I'll have you know that I took quite a serious lump!” Reiko said to Ruri, who happened to be seated next to her, at one side of a long table. “It's a wonder I'm still alive, frankly.”

 

“I see you haven't lost your flair for the dramatic.” Ah, that was the man at the other end of the table. Reiko took a moment to actually take inventory of the situation. Several yakuza were stood about the room, but several of them congregated at the other end of the table, where a tall, severe-looking old man whose entire countenance screamed 'danger'—clean-shaven, hawkish eyes, the sort of posture that seemed as though he could reach up and strike you at any moment—sat.

 

“Ahhh!” Reiko laughed in recognition. “Patriarch Inoue! It's been ages. Fancy meeting you here, old bean. I hope my friend here hasn't kept you bored?”

 

“Oh, no.” Patriarch Inoue shook his head. “She's quite engaging. Surprisingly so, given her fashion sense being even more ridiculous than yours.”

 

Ruri scoffed. “You people just don't get it.”

 

“But really, I am exceedingly curious what in the world you're doing all the way out here, Patriarch.” Reiko raised her eyebrow. “Last I checked, this wasn't your end of Shizuoka, and I didn't peg you for the type to go diving into suspicious underground facilities?”

 

“I assure you I'm not here by choice.” Patriarch Inoue said. He leaned onto the table and steepled his fingers. “Which you, no doubt, are.”

 

“Not incorrect.” Reiko chuckled. “If you wished to ambush me and berate me for having not rescued your granddaughter yet, I'm certain there were easier channels, so I can only imagine that your purpose is not so benign.”

 

“When was the last time we met under benign circumstances?” Patriarch Inoue asked.

 

Reiko laughed. “Very true, very true!”

 

“In any case.” Patriarch Inoue cleared his throat. It was a loud sound, not unlike the vibrations of the earth. “What are you doing here?”

 

“I'm certain you've already heard from Ruri, no?” Reiko said. She gave an aside glance to Ruri. “After all, it's not as though she wouldn't love to tell you all about the grand story of which she is the protagonist.”

 

“Oh, but in your words, I'm sure it would be a very different story.” Ruri shot back. “One where I appear less competent. Perhaps he wants to hear it from you, his dear old acquaintance?”

 

“All I need to do to make you appear less competent is describe the story in an unbiased manner.” Reiko smirked at her.

 

“How's your girlfriend?” Patriarch Inoue cut in. Ah, but he did know just the way to a girl's heart. “It seems you're just as reliant on her as ever, Ittosai.”

 

“Ahhh, but cross my heart if Natsuhi hasn't become even more gorgeous than when last she embarrassed those men of yours.” Reiko sighed. She fluttered a bit in her seat. “She is so wonderful, Patriarch. I'll always be rather grateful to you for making me realize exactly how much I adore her.” Her cheeks grew flushed, and she sighed, leaning into her hands. “Ahhhh, Natsuhiiii... Natsuhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

 

At Reiko's sudden shriek, a few of the yakuza about the room seemed a bit startled. One of them, a reasonably competent-looking man who Reiko recognized from her last encounter with the Inoue Family, leaned over to a woman next to him and said, “Yes, the Attorney is always like this.” The woman hissed something to the effect of bemoaning always needing to take such bizarre hostages.

 

“Embarrassing.” Ruri said.

 

“Ah, but don't act as though you wouldn't be just as much of a fool were you in love, dearest Ruri.” Reiko scoffed. “Just because your cold heart has yet to defrost for any fair maiden as of yet does not mean that you are not capable of feeling the flames of eros burning away at your insides, searing away—"

 

“Shut up.” Someone in the back put a gun to the back of Reiko's head. “You're disrespecting the patriarch.”

 

“It's fine, Nishida.” Patriarch Inoue said. “You needn't be so antsy. The Attorney is worth nothing in a fight, and from the look of her, I doubt her Data Analyst friend is much better.”

 

“There are certain sorts of fights I excel at.” Ruri countered. Then she looked at the gun. “Very few of them are ones involving armed opponents where I am unarmed.”

 

The gun removed itself from the back of Reiko's head. How pleasant. “In any case, Patriarch, we've come here to investigate, as it's a location of significance to the ongoing kidnapping incident.” Reiko said. “If you've for some reason decided to use this facility as a base for your family, I'm certainly not going to stop you. I'd just ask that you kindly release us and let us go about our business.”

 

“No.” Patriarch Inoue said.

 

“Of course.” Reiko said. “Do you intend to kill us, then, or or merely hold us?”

 

Patriarch Inoue looked down at his hands briefly. “Until the first of May should do it, unless you become unruly.”

 

“That's a curious date.” Ruri said. “Why then specifically, if I might ask?”

 

“I'm sure with such great minds as yours that even if I were to say something, you already have your own theory.” Patriarch Inoue said. “However, if you must know, it's because that's when I'll be leaving this facility myself, along with my men.”

 

“Uh, Oyasan?” Someone called from the back. “We—we've got a bit of a situation on the lower levels.”

 

Patriarch Inoue sighed, turned around in his seat, and stared at the poor, hapless goon who'd dared to interrupt his conversation with his captives. “What.”

 

“The captives in the lower levels escaped?” Goon-kun squeaked.

 

There was a long, awkward pause. “Really.” Patriarch Inoue said.

* * *

 

The other four were present in separate holding cells at the bottom of the facility. Kotone was on the front of her bars, grabbing at them, hollering, “Let us out of here! We've got important business!”

 

“So do we, lady.” The taller of the two guards said, puffing on his cigarette. “This is how we get paid. You need to learn how the economy works.”

 

“Sonna...” Blake murmured. “Boku cannot shindieru here!”” He quivered. “There is all the subete that I must still to be doing! I have not even written Mama-san to tell her that I suki her!”

 

“Hey, translator.” The woman who'd been grabbing Saburo's arm earlier said. “What did he say this time?” Saburo stayed silent on the floor. “Hey. Hey!”

 

“Muda desu.” Blake shook his head. “Saburo-kun is sleeping.”

 

“He said that he doesn't want to die.” Natsuhi said, sitting in the corner. “And that Saburo is sleeping.”

 

“Well no shit, nobody wants to die.” Cigarette Guy said.

 

“I knew a kid who wanted to die once.” Arm Lady said. “It's messed up. Damn shame.”

 

“Damn shame.” Cigarette Guy agreed.

 

“Damn shame.” Natsuhi agreed.

 

Eventually, Arm Lady, Cigarette Guy, Kotone, and Blake wound up playing a lazy game of blackjack with each other once the two yakuza got a hang of Blake's language a bit better. Thankfully, the words 'hit' and 'stand' were extremely legible no matter his accent. Apparently, the woman was the more senior of the two, so she was Aneki now.

 

“I'll stand.” Kotone said.

 

“Hit me.” Cigarette Guy said. He was hit. “Again.” Hit. “Stand.”

 

“Hit, onegai.” Blake said. He was given a card. “Hit, onegai.” He was given a card. “Iyaaa!” He wailed. “What an ignoble busting!”

 

Aneki drew a card, and wound up with a total of nineteen. She looked down at Kotone and Cigarette Guy. Cigarette Guy had wound up with two fives and an eight, in total, whereas Kotone had gotten an ace and a nine. She clicked her tongue. “The brat wins.”

 

“Haha.” Kotone smirked. “No challenge at all.”

 

“Damn game's all luck.” Cigarette Guy said. “We need something more skill-based. Fuckin'—" He looked towards the door. “The fuck is Kacchin?”

 

“Late as ever.” Aneki clicked her tongue again. “I should kick his—"

 

“Aaaaah! Sorry, sorry!” A bumbling fool of a yakuza goon came through the door, holding an old cardboard box. His hair was in a gaudy, blonde pompadour and he was wearing shades, so he clearly thought he was cool shit. Hm... Kacchin. Kacchin. “Sorry, Aniki, Aneki! This place is like a labyrinth!”

 

“Whatever.” Aneki clicked her tongue. Apparently, she was quite fond of doing that. “Yo, Shun. What's he got?”

 

“Heh-heh.” Cigarette Guy—Shun, apparently—smirked, and yanked the cardboard box out of Kacchin's hands. “A real badass's game. Connect Four!”

 

“The hell is Connect Four?” Aneki said.

 

“Real simple, Aneki.” Shun said. He pulled out the playing field, a 6x7 thing with little spots for red and black tokens. “You just gotta line four of these things up. You take turns playin' it with two people.”

 

“The fuck are we gonna play a two-person game with six people?” Aneki said. She put her hand on her head and sighed.

 

Shun sat down in front of Kotone's cell and slammed the board down. “Gonna kick your ass, kid. Nothing to it.”

 

“Oh, really.” Kotone said. “Try me, big guy.”

 

“What's with all the Ultimates lately?” Kacchin sighed. “Did the boss piss off Hope's Peak or something?” He took inventory, looking first at Kotone, locked in a game of Connect Four, then at Blake, then at Natsuhi... “Hey. She's pretty cute.” ...What a class act.

 

“That's your type, huh, Kacchin?” Aneki scoffed. “You like girls who're stronger than you?”

 

“Y-yes ma'am, Aneki!” Kacchin bowed.

 

Aneki, who it should be noted was definitely visibly stronger than him, leaned back in her seat, put her arms behind her head, and rolled her eyes. “I catch you pervin' on me you're a dead man, got that?”

 

“Oh, no, Aneki, never, never.” Kacchin waved his hands wildly, chuckling in an extremely 'I don't want to die' manner.

 

“Eto, Natsuhi-chan is already having been speaking for.” Blake said. “Gomen, Kacchin-san.”

 

“Uhhh...” Kacchin stared, raising his sunglasses and squinting at Blake. “...W-whatever.” He took a look in the final cell. “Who we got here?” He squatted down, looking at Saburo on the floor. “Huh, think I recognize this guy from somewhere.”

 

“Do you.” Aneki said. Shun groaned as he lost a third time in a row to Kotone.

 

“Yeah, not sure where...” Kacchin said. “Hey, you. You have any idea?” He said to Saburo.

 

Saburo yawned, and sat up on the floor. He took a good hard look before recognizing the guy. “Oh... Wait a sec.” Saburo said. “Ohhhh. You're that Kacchin. From Blue Z, right?”

 

“Eh?” Kacchin seemed a bit startled. “What, were you in some other gang or something? Musta been runnin' in Mi... naaaaaaa...” His eyes widened, and he began slowly stepping back. “...naaaaAAAAAA?!”

 

“Gah, the fuck?!” Shun said, right as he took his first victory over Kotone. “Can it, Kacchin. ...Oh, shit! Haha! Gotcha!”

 

“Good game.” Kotone nodded.

 

Kacchin wildly sputtered, standing up, turning away from Saburo but pointing at him, a look of complete and utter terror on his face as he stared pleadingly towards Shun and Aneki. “Oh, great.” Aneki rolled her eyes. “Kacchin's being a wuss again. The fuck is it this time?”

 

“ _One of 'em's the Raging Wolf of Minami?!_ ” Kacchin shrieked. “Are you fuckin' with me!? Oh, god! Oh, shit, we're all fucked! We're all fucked to high heaven, man!”

 

“Will you can it?” Aneki smacked him. “The hell are you talking about?”

 

“T-th-this guy's a fuckin' demon!” Kacchin trembled. “Three years ago he trashed my whole gang! The _whole thing!_ He's—he's a fuckin' demon, I'm telling you! You can't grab him, you can't hold him, you can't catch him, you can't do fuckin' anything to him! Oh, god, we're screwed!”

 

“Then how'd we catch him?” Shun said.

 

“Yeah, then how'd you catch me?” Saburo walked up, putting his hand on Kacchin's shoulder. “Hey, Kacchin. Mind taking a few steps to the left?” Kacchin, trembling, obliged. “Thanks.”

 

Saburo's fist plowed into Kacchin's back with incredible force, sending him hurtling past Aneki and directly into Shun, causing the two of them to crash into the back wall along with the Connect Four game. It had been a bit since Saburo hit anyone, so his fist remembered briefly that that was supposed to sting. He wrung his hand out in the moment after the strike. Kacchin and Shun weren't moving, so they were probably unconscious.

 

“T-the hell?!” Aneki, after taking a moment to register what had just happened, raised her guard. “How'd you get out?”

 

“I've been in here before.” Saburo said. “I remembered how to unlock that cell. I figured it'd be more convenient to search from the bottom up, so thanks for bringing me.”

 

The resulting fight was rather quick, all told. Aneki threw a punch, but Saburo ducked right out of the way, too late for Aneki to divert the path of her fist from the wall behind it. Before she had a chance to recover, Saburo grabbed her arm from the side and threw his knee upwards into it, debilitating her, and then in one clean motion, spun around and swung a roundhouse kick into the back of her head, slamming it into the same wall her fist had just struck. He wasn't sure if that was enough to take her down, but if she were smart, she wouldn't get up again even if she could.

 

“Ah, damn.” Saburo said. “I forgot to ask her how many others there were down here.”

 

“S-sugoi.” Blake stared. “Saburo-kun...sugoi!”

 

Saburo pilfered the keys from Aneki's pocket—she was definitely still alive, good—and unlocked the other three cells. “Alright, gonna assume the worst. Assuming there's a lot of them, even though I know the place, I'm gonna need my back covered. Natsuhi, can you fight without your cane?”

 

“Yes.” Natsuhi said.

 

“Great.” Saburo said. “Kotone, if things turn south, take Blake and run like hell. He's tiny, you can pick him up, right?”

 

Kotone was just sort of blinking in her cell. “Wow. I, uh... thought you were joking about the whole street fighter thing.”

 

“Nope.” Saburo said. “Serious as serious can be. Now, there's a good chance some of them, if not all of them, are armed. I doubt many people would be stupid enough to bring things like explosives into a small place like this, but there's still the possibility of guns. If you get shot, you might die. Try not to die.”

 

“Uh, how?” Kotone asked.

 

“Avoid bullets.” Saburo replied. “Natsuhi, cover my flank.” He headed over to the door. “Alright, count of three.” He held up one finger, then two, then three, and opened the door, coming face to face with four guards who were probably over here to check on what the noise was. In one smooth motion, after opening the door, Saburo hit the frontmost in the stomach with a straight punch, then picked the bastard up over his shoulder and drove him into the ground with a loud crunch.

 

“Wha-?!” One of them had a knife, so that one was next. Before they could blink, Saburo grabbed him by the collar, slammed his fist into the guy's face twice over, and reared back up to headbutt him onto the ground. He'd drawn blood on both his face and his fist already. That was a good sign. A third made the mistake of turning around, so Saburo grabbed her by the back of the collar and threw her against the wall, before driving a spinning elbow into her face. As she staggered forward, he grabbed her by the stomach and lifted her backwards, sending her skull into the wall.

 

“S-someone!” The fourth had headed back a bit and turned a corner, having pulled out a phone. Great. That was going to make things a bit more complicated. “One of the Ultimates we caught-!” He didn't have time to finish his statement before Saburo bolted over and smacked him with a furious right hook, sending the phone falling to the floor, where Saburo stomped on it. For good measure, since that wasn't much, he grabbed the prone yakuza by the hair, and pulled him up off the ground a bit to sock him in the head again.

 

“Um.” Kotone said. “Do you even need your flank covered?”

 

“It helps.” Saburo said. “Sooner than later, though, they're gonna be onto us. Watch your backs.”

* * *

 

Thankfully, Saburo seemed to know where he was going, but it was true that they seemed to know they were coming. Natsuhi hadn't properly fought in a while herself, but when you had a tag partner as tough as Saburo, you could make up for a lot. Kotone got in on the action some, too; a particularly ornery fellow Natsuhi clobbered and lifted up by the legs, and Kotone delivered a flawless flying knee as Natsuhi let him fall.

 

“I'm used to blood on my knees, at least.” Kotone said. “I've skinned 'em a lot, y'know.”

 

“Makes sense.” Saburo said. His next foe was a particularly burly woman in front of a man with what looked to be a taser, so his apparent thought was his little pinball trick from earlier. A single kick struck the woman and a leg sweep debilitated her, but Saburo's piece de resistance was a majestic crescent-moon flip kick that launched her in the air. Time almost seemed to slow as he followed up with a second leg sweep, and then planted a full-force front kick into her back as she spun in the air, launching her as a projectile towards the man behind her. The force of the mass of yakuza blew through the door behind them,and there were a few unpleasant-sounding electrical noises in there, too.

 

“You, though, you're really something else.” Kotone said, as Saburo launched over to the taser man, who wasn't quite out, and stomped on his head, then grabbed onto it and jumped up to deliver a flying knee to a ground-based target. “Where the heck did you learn to fight?”

 

“Self-taught.” Saburo said.

 

“That's even more frightening.” Kotone said, but as Natsuhi walked into the room as well, she turned around and saw a goon wielding a baseball bat coming up behind her.

 

“Kotone, watch out!” Natsuhi cried. Her eyes wide, Kotone turned, but-

 

“ _Don!_ ” Blake popped up with the element of surprise and nailed said goon right in the jewels. He wheezed and fell over, relinquishing his bat. “Sumimasorry, gokudo-san, but boku-tachi are in a hayurry.”

 

“W-w-w-what the fuuuu-hu-huuuuck...” The poor, pathetic yakuza goon writhed on the ground in pain. Were Blake's fists really that strong? “Oh shit, oh shit, don't kill me, don't kill me...”

 

Saburo walked over. The eerie thing was that his face had stayed completely and utterly calm during the entire fight, not once even flinching; just the same neutral expression as ever. This remained the case as he grabbed the yakuza by the collar. “I don't want to have to. Do you know where they put Zero's research notes?”

 

After taking a moment to work through the pain of being brutally ball-busted by Blake, the yakuza pointed over to a closet in the corner of the room, away from the door Saburo was looking to go towards; it seemed the Inoue Family had repurposed this room as a break room of some kind. Kotone obligingly hurried over and opened the closet. She pulled out two objects—a media storage disc, and what seemed like a little diary. “Is that all?” Saburo asked.

 

“I don't know, I swear to god, if there's more I don't know about them!” The yakuza wailed, fear clear in his eyes. Saburo, shrugging, let him go, and the yakuza ran away, screaming.

 

“The stairs up to the next floor are up this way.” Saburo said. He looked around the room. It was mostly gray. “Yeesh. This place used to be decked out like it was a casino, you know. Weird thing to have in a building like this.”

 

“Like, with roulette wheels and blackjack?” Kotone asked, jogging up with their loot.

 

“That set of cards you were using actually came from this room.” Saburo said. “I recognized it. Mind if I take a look at that diary?” Kotone handed it over to him, and after reading it for just a moment, he snarled. “Yeah. This is that bastard's handwriting, alright.” He looked towards the other three. “There's probably some reason they're trying to keep this hidden from us. Blake, can you read it while we're going along and give us the highlights?”

 

“B-boku?” Blake's eyes widened. “My skills in the reading Japanese are cho better than my conversation-making, hai, but Saburo-kun—"

 

“It's no problem.” Saburo smiled lightly. “You're not _that_ hard to understand when you get the hang of it. Plus it'll make good practice for you. I hear it makes perfect.”

 

After a moment, Blake saluted. “Hai! I'll ganbaru!”

* * *

 

_My name is Hotaru Tenjo. I've gone by several aliases in my time, but once I've completed my research—found what I've been looking for all this time—I will no longer have any need for them._

 

_Of course, if you're reading this diary, in all likelihood, I've somehow perished. To whoever is reading this diary—within are all my findings on the subject of 'talent.' You must pick up where I left off, and crack the mysteries of the human psyche. Once we do... The world will be our oyster._

 

_I have long been fascinated by the idea of 'talent,' the innate capacity a given human has for a certain skill that other humans do not. No doubt you are familiar with the world-renowned Hope's Peak Academy, a school so influential it both saved and damned the world in equal measure. However, a single character from its long, storied history fascinates me more than anyone—Izuru Kamukura, the Ultimate Hope. An artificial Ultimate created by altering the brain of a human subject, possessing any and all talents possible._

 

_Surely, if there is a way to create such a being, then scientific principles exist behind this idea of 'talent.' But that is not a surprise—how much cannot be explained by science? I once worked in the television industry, and time and time again, I saw the science behind any number of magic tricks; sufficiently advanced science to itself be defined as magic._

 

_So what is 'talent?' How does it come about? Can it be quantified? Can it be provoked? Can an Ultimate be_ _**incurred** _ _?_

 

_Children are the key._

 

_It is no coincidence, I am certain, that Ultimates become Ultimates when they are a scant sixteen years old. Perhaps it is something in the development of children that makes the development of an Ultimate so supremely abnormal. But even then, what exactly is an 'Ultimate?' We as a society use the term to refer to so many different individuals, even those with clearly different skills._

 

_For instance, what is an 'Ultimate Gamer' compared to an 'Ultimate Analyst?' One simply professes mastery over the medium of video games, and not even completely, for the Ultimate Gamer of the 77_ _th_ _class could not even play simple visual novels properly; but Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Analyst, was superhumanly charismatic and skilled at predicting the movements and actions of people she interacted with._

 

_What skill does an 'Ultimate Fanfic Creator' have as compares to an 'Ultimate Animal Breeder?' One simply creates fanwork based off of existing media; highly skilled fanwork, no doubt, but fanwork nonetheless. The Ultimate Animal Breeder, though, could train the animals to perform feats that seemed impossible for their species, could communicate with animals on a level far beyond that of ordinary humans._

 

_The Ultimate Programmer created thinking, learning life. The 77_ _th_ _Ultimate Lucky Student survived a brain tumor for years upon years after being given a six-month prognosis to live. The Ultimate Cosplayer was so skilled at taking the guise of fictional characters that she even genuinely fooled herself into believing that she was those characters, almost to her own detriment. How can a simple Swimmer be called an 'Ultimate' if these achievements exist?_

 

_My current project is known as the Little Ultimates Initiative. I have found children who I believe to possess these Ultimate talents, been given free reign over them. I shall monitor these children. I shall do anything I can to find talent._

* * *

 

_The Little Ultimates Initiative has vanished, thanks to the efforts of the police and a young girl. The vast majority of my subjects have been released, and I am now in hiding. But my findings are vast. I am closer than ever to the secret of talent._

 

_'M particles,' the particles that more primitive cultures called the 'soul,' the particles that make up we humans, ordinarily cannot survive outside of the body. Their information disperses, and they become simple W particles. As such, studying them by their lonesome is difficult. But there is hope yet for me_ _—_ _one research subject who was not placed into the second-phase captivity, one research subject who provides the greatest possible opportunity._

 

_Her name is Rin Hashizawa. I have seen it for myself; this girl will doubtless eventually be known as the Ultimate Roboticist. Her skills are vast even at her young age, and it is this very talent that fills me with such hope._

 

_The creators of Replicants leave an undeniable 'mental signature' on their creations; this mental signature is how abandoned Replicants' creators can be found for proper punishment. However, Replicants do not produce M particles. They, instead, produce what are known as 'WX particles'_ _—_ _W particles charged with informational energy, but that energy contains no information useful for the creation of a human psyche._

 

_Is it possible that the WX particles that make up the 'mind' of a Replicant have been impressed upon somehow by the M particles of their creators? What is the difference between a WX particle impressed this way and a human M particle?_

 

_Rin Hashizawa is a woman who has undergone extreme emotional stress before having even reached legal age. Having caused a great deal of it, I should know this better than anyone. Someone such as her would undeniably leave an impression upon any life she were to create. But what is that impression? I would have this Replicant, a Replicant created by the Ultimate Roboticist. The greatest question of all-_

 

_Can the quality that marks one as an 'Ultimate' be transferred to a creation such as a Replicant? Could an Ultimate appear out of the WX particles of a Replicant, or is it only a function of M particles?_

* * *

 

_A second question has come about. In my digging, I have discovered tales of projects known as 'Nonary Games.' Psychological experiments regarding the parasciences, extra-sensory perception, even jumping between timelines._

 

_The abilities were incurred in their users by two factors; 'danger,' and 'epiphany.' Sudden realizations in the face of danger trained the users of these psychic abilities to become stronger, to increase their capabilities. If it is 'danger' and 'epiphany' that caused these..._ _C_ _ould these factors not also be used to incur latent talent?_

* * *

 

_Ordinarily, the human psyche's M particles glow, when transferred, at a very particular shade. However, through months of experimentation, I have discovered something; the existence of those with brighter M particles. There is a brightness to some humans' that others do not possess._

 

_There is a brightness in the M particles of the few Ultimates I can still monitor. Almost imperceptible, especially before the talent's 'awakening,' so to speak, but it no doubt exists. Could it be that Ultimates simply receive more information regarding their particular talent than other humans do? That to an Ultimate Programmer, a line of code could sing an entire symphony that we normal humans could not?_

 

_It must be attainable. It must be! There is nothing science cannot pin down, and explain! What is this brightness? How can I obtain it?_

* * *

 

_Danger and epiphany. These words keep coming back to me in my dreams, hinting to me that they have the answer._

 

_I have it. I have my experiment._

 

_I shall conduct a Nonary Game. I shall take nine orphan children, all of whom exhibit this brightness, and set them to work, threatening them with death, just as the prior Games did. I shall figure out what this brightness in their M particles truly is. See if it is strengthened. See if it truly is what I have been looking for._

* * *

 

_The children have almost finished the game. My discoveries are thus._

 

_The brightness is almost completely and utterly meaningless. There is no rhyme or reason to the quality of the talents except for in such high quantities as to be almost impossible to find naturally. Whatever its meaning is, it is beyond me._

 

_With this in mind, if any were not Ultimates before and were Ultimates now, I would have no way of knowing. Has the boy leading the group always been this skilled at escape? I do not know._

 

_What is 'talent?'_

 

_At the end of all this, I am no closer to knowing than I was when I began this diary._

 

_If you who are reading this diary would wish to know more about this brightness, then you may take with you a strange facet I noticed. While not all those exhibiting this brightness shared this feature, I noticed a correlation between extremely bright M particles and a very particular physical feature_ _, as proven by a particular child I came across briefly. Details on this are on the disc you should’ve found with the diary._

 

_I will continue searching, even if it kills me._

 

“The guy even writes like an asshole.” Saburo said, after leaping off the chest of one assailant to deliver a flying kick from above to the heads of two more, downing three yakuza in a single strike. “I'm glad he's dead.”

 

“That's interesting.” Natsuhi said, taking her cane, which they'd recovered somewhere, and absolutely bamboozling another that came up behind them, laying her flat on the floor.

 

“Can I be honest with you?” Blake asked. “That made absolutely no sense to me!” He smiled.

 

“Well, that's what Reiji and Ruri are for, I guess.” Kotone said, carrying up the rear, having taken up a baseball bat, which was pretty bloody by now. They'd all taken a few lumps by now, but they were still kicking, having reached four floors up.

 

Four floors into the experience, Saburo's face finally flinched as they ran into a particularly large man, standing carrying an entire small sofa, blocking their way through the hallway. “How many of you do I need to crush?” He snarled, and his voice sounded just the slightest bit frustrated. Not missing a beat, though, he ran up, unafraid, and booted the yakuza in the stomach before leaping up, catching the sofa as he let it go, and slamming it down on the yakuza to knock him out. “Bye.” He said.

 

Saburo was beginning to get positively drenched in blood, and very little of it was his own. “There can't be that many more.” Kotone said. “We're almost out, right?”

 

“Yeah.” Saburo said. “Once we get to the top floor, we're almost there. There isn't much to it besides what we saw before. Odds are the head honcho, Reiji, and Ruri are there too.”

 

“Are you alright?” Natsuhi said.

 

“I can keep going.” Saburo said. He was sweating, to be certain, but it was incredible, Blake thought, that with all of the fighting he'd done, how many assailants he'd struck down all on his own, that he wasn't completely exhausted. Even covered in blood, he seemed almost unbreakable, a coolness that seemed to have supernatural staying power. “C'mon. I'm sick of this place.”

 

As they walked off, though, Blake could swear he heard Saburo mumble something like... 'These are chaff, though. What happened to the family's elites?'

* * *

 

The hallway was quiet, save for the noise of a cane plodding through. The action below seemed to have barely affected the first floor, save for making it completely silent. What a laughable situation, Tomoe thought. The great Fuhito Inoue, brought low by a team of teenagers. She turned to look at Sakuya on her shoulder before opening the door in front of her.

 

“Things seem to be progressing poorly for you, Patriarch.” Reiko said, smirking at Fuhito at the head of the table. “Ahhh, I knew I could count on Natsuhi. And Saburo! Both very reliable people.”

 

“...So it seems.” Fuhito said. He stood out of his chair, alone now, without any help, and turned to Tomoe. “And here's a face I was certain I would see eventually.”

 

“You've grown old, Fuhito.” Tomoe said. “I remember when you were a bright-eyed youth, full of vigor.” She spat, and stamped her cane. “Now look at you. A low-down, dirty criminal who kidnaps children and holds them hostage. Clearly, you don't remember a thing I taught you. You damned fool.”

 

“There are things more important,” Fuhito said, glaring at his teacher, “than your idea of 'justice,' Sensei.”

 

“Is that how you think of it?” Tomoe said. “Is that what makes being an accomplice to such a vile scheme worth it in your eyes? Protecting your idea of 'fatherhood?'” She spat the word.

 

The shocked, enraged look in his eyes was the same as it had ever been. “What?” Fuhito said. “What is that-?”

 

“Your son,” Tomoe said, “finally told on you. It seems he doesn't approve either.” She looked over at the two wunderkinds at the end of the table. “Certainly you've figured out what I'm getting at.”

 

Before they could respond, though, their companions came busting through the back door, the tough one, Saburo, hurtling the body of Nishida, Fuhito's third-in-command, through the door. “Ah, there you all are.” Ruri said. “Lovely. I'm glad you arrived just in time.”

 

“Reiko!” Natsuhi ran up to Reiko, and began patting her down. “Are you alright?”

 

“I'm just fine, thank you ever so much for asking.” Reiko tittered. “But if you would, I was about to formally indict our friend here,” she gestured at Fuhito, “for his crimes.”

 

When Natsuhi saw him, through, her hands tensed around her cane, and her teeth gritted. “You.” She said. “You!”

 

“Fuhito Inoue, Patriarch of the Inoue Family, subsidiary to the Kushin Clan.” Reiko said, clearing her throat and standing up, putting her hand on Natsuhi's shoulder to hold her back. “Your appearance here is decisive evidence on top of motive, opportunity, and circumstantial evidence. I, Reiko Ittosai, the Ultimate Attorney, hereby formally indict you of being an accomplice to The End, the criminal behind the current killing game. Party to murder, sixteen confirmed charges of kidnapping, and, as confirmed by the testimony of your son, Satoshi, guilty of child abuse in a more abominable manner than I thought possible towards your granddaughter, Chihaya Inoue.”

 

Fuhito's eye twitched when he heard the name 'Chihaya.' “I would imagine,” Reiko said, “that it's some sort of blackmail; perhaps that The End knew of your secret already, and had you go along with it in order to keep the secret safe. The possibility of getting rid of her permanently and ensuring the secret died with her safely out of your own hands was also quite enticing, I don't doubt. Whatever the case, though, you are party to a hideous crime, and you will face your punishment.”

 

Fuhito Inoue, patriarch of the Inoue Family, subsidiary to the Kushin Clan, began laughing to himself. “All this work...and he goes and says it anyhow, hm?” He snarled, and spat, in a way almost like Tomoe's own. “You _children_ can't even begin to understand the weight of the burden I carry—not just as a man, but as a father. You can look at me with hate in your eyes all you'd like, but I will never waver. There are things more important than justice. A father's love for his son, for example—"

 

“ _Who the hell do you love!?_ ” Natsuhi broke free of Reiko's grip and, dashing towards him, swung her cane down towards towards his head... “You fucking _bastard!_ ” ...but she was stopped cold. Fuhito caught the cane with one hand, and began forcing her back.

 

“If you want to prove me wrong...” Fuhito threw her cane to the side, deflecting her attack, and in one, clean motion, threw off his suit to leave his upper half bare. His muscles, at the very least, had gotten no weaker with age, and he cut an imposing figure among this conference hall of the damned. “Then do it with your fists!”

 

“Well,” said Saburo, shrugging from the back and sighing, “guess I better go help her.” Walking up, he threw off his shirt in response. The sweat glistening over his lean, wiry body gave him a bright sheen, and his movements were small, but clearly calculated—the motions of an expert fighter.

 

“Why are they taking off their shirts?” Kotone leaned over to whisper to Blake.

 

“Sugoiiiiii!” Blake screamed. “A hontou, seiseihounourable yakuza-style duel!”

 

“...Well, he's no help.” Kotone said, as Natsuhi, enraged, threw off her blazer and undershirt in a remarkably clean motion, leaving her muscular, toned body, the body of a true woman of the sea, its power clearly evident. There was a deep rage in her eyes that Tomoe wasn't certain she understood the depths of.

 

This was a standoff Tomoe didn't need to participate in herself. Whatever the case, it would certainly be quite the spectacle. She chuckled as Natsuhi began charging to make her first swing, and looked up at Sakuya. “What do you think the outcome will be?” She asked Sakuya.

 

“The brat's doomed.” Sakuya said.

 

“I was thinking the same thing.” Tomoe responded.

 


	65. Intermission, 7 ~ Pillow Stains

 

The experience of pounding through his goons helped Natsuhi get used to the sensation of fighting again, but that didn't mean that fighting Fuhito Inoue was easy. Even with Saburo at her back, diving in every now and then, the man was tough. She had no idea what exactly Mrs. Narumi had taught him, but now, he had a very forward, boxing-esque style and his fists hurt like a bastard.

 

The wind almost felt like it tore at Natsuhi's face as she narrowly avoided one of his jabs, and then a second. She dashed behind him as he went for an overhead, and struck him in the back with a series of strikes that didn't last nearly as long as she hoped. He swung around, and planted the overhead he was aiming directly into her cheek. Natsuhi saw stars, and staggered back.

 

“No.” Saburo said, coming up from behind Fuhito and grabbing him by the back. “Natsuhi, now!”

 

Not wanting to miss her opportunity, Natsuhi ran up and clobbered the struggling Patriarch a few times. Left jab, right jab, left hook, right overhead, and then as Saburo let him go, she grabbed onto him herself, flipped him over, and drove the top of his spine into the ground of the conference room. It wasn't long before he recovered, though, getting up with a dextrous leg sweep that tripped Natsuhi up.

 

“You're not bad, for children.” Fuhito said, grabbing the tripped Natsuhi under the shoulders as she fell forward and throwing her over his back,. The world spun as she fell, and the impact of the floor against her back was not pleasant. Thankfully, it didn't seem like she'd broken anything, so she wasn't done yet. “You, with the white hair. Who are you?”

 

“The name's Saburo Kirihito.” Saburo said. He leapt back and backflipped out of the way of Fuhito's full-force assault. “Ultimate Escape Artist. Apparently, you kidnapped at least two, maybe three of my friends. Kinda pisses me off.”

 

“Pretty calm for someone who's apparently pissed off!” Fuhito said, having backed up Saburo against the wall, and driving his assault ever closer.

 

“I try.” Saburo said through gritted teeth, countering by slamming his elbow down on Fuhito's fist, and then using the moment of crunchy debilitation to roundhouse kick Fuhito in the skull. Right before it landed, though, Fuhito worked through the pain enough to dodge out of the way and drive a chop from above onto Saburo's head. “Gghhk!”

 

“Not good enough—” Fuhito began, but unfortunately for him, Natsuhi saw her opportunity. She launched herself off of the floor directly at his torso, striking him with a headbutt, forcing them both toppling to the floor, with her above him. “Wha?!”

 

“ _Go to hell!_ ” Natsuhi roared, using her position above him as an opportunity to beat him senseless. Flesh struck flesh once, twice, three times, four times, five, six, seven, as sweat poured off of Natsuhi's face. Blood was beginning to trickle out of the old man's face, but just as Natsuhi revved up for her eighth, he launched his legs up and sent her toppling behind him again.

 

Standing up and wiping the blood from his face, Fuhito said, “You, though, I don't understand. Your girlfriend over there might be an attorney, but I don't see why you'd be so damn mad!” He stomped on her stomach, and all the air suddenly rushed out of Natsuhi's lungs in a sputtering cough.

 

“Fuck you.” Natsuhi spat. “Thinking you can do whatever you want 'cause you 'love' your son, you make me sick, old man!” She staggered up off of the floor, breathing heavily.

 

“Like I said, you don't understand a thing.” Fuhito began driving his fists towards her again, and Natsuhi had no choice but to duck out of the way and attempt to gain some distance. “You don't understand the horror of seeing your only child lose everything he loves that suddenly.” His fists pounded towards her again and again and again. “Satoshi means everything to me. As a man, as a _father,_ I swore an oath to protect him by any means possible!”

 

Natsuhi breathed heavily, dodging barely out of the way of his strikes, unable to find a moment to take back her ground. “So you— You think your granddaughter is an alright price to pay?”

 

“Perhaps if they'd both lived, then no.” Fuhito said. “As it stands, though, I am a father first, and a yakuza second. Which daughter he has doesn't matter one bit to me so long as Satoshi can continue living!” She was cornered, and as his blows rained down on her, her vision going starry again—

 

“ _I know you can be better than this. It's because I love you that I do this to you._ ”

 

“FUCK _OFF!_ ” Natsuhi roared, and with a sudden burst of strength, threw her arms wide and struck Fuhito's shoulders. There was a popping noise in both of them, and Fuhito's offensive suddenly ceased as he cried out in pain; Natsuhi had dislocated both of his shoulders. Throwing her palm wide like the claw of a great beast, she struck against his head, and then gave him a taste of his own medicine, picking him up and throwing him over her shoulder.

 

“Hope you don't mind me cutting in!” Saburo, from behind, leapt in and struck the bouncing Patriarch with a flying knee to knock him up, then flipped into the air and slammed him down onto the ground again with a flip kick strong enough to send him bouncing again. His foot sent him spiraling up again off of the bounce. “Take him down, Natsuhi!”

 

With a great roar, Natsuhi found Fuhito's head as he spun, and battered it with all her might, hitting the bastard with a clothesline that sent him hurtling to the floor. “People like you make me fucking sick!” She said. “ _Let's do this!_ ”

 

As Fuhito began getting up, Natsuhi grabbed him by the waist, and suplexed him into the ground behind her. The Patriarch was unable to resist as she rolled them over to the side, and then switched herself onto his other side, grabbing his arm and straddling it between her legs for a brutal arm bar. Each lock made a great _crack,_ the next coming as she stood him up and placed his head up there as well for a triangle choke. The bastard wasn't unconscious yet, though, so next was spinning him over, standing him up, and slamming his head down in an anaconda choke. Swinging up onto his body again struck him with a guillotine choke, and just for good measure, mounted atop him and planted that last eighth fist into his face.

 

Fuhito Inoue, patriarch of the Inoue Family, subsidiary of the Kushin Clan, lay, battered, bruised, and beaten, beneath Natsuhi's knees. He was unquestionably unconscious. The adrenaline pumping through Natsuhi's veins finally began to cool, and she finally heard—

 

“ _Natsuhiiiii!_ ” Reiko was squealing. “Natsuhi, Natsuhi, Natsuhi! NATSUHIIIII!”

 

“SUGOOOOOOI!” Blake was clapping too, jumping up and down. “That was CHOOO SUPER KAKKOI! Natsuhi-chan! Saburo-kun! Ganbaruing together! Yes!” He jumped up in the air and fistpumped.

 

Kotone, meanwhile, leaned over to Ruri and said, “Wow, hey, can you never have me try and fight them?” Ruri nodded. “Oh thank god.”

 

After that brief bit of jubilation, though, the rest of the group hurried over to Natsuhi and Saburo to check on their wounds. All of Natsuhi's exhaustion suddenly caught up to her, and she felt very much like passing out. “Natsuhi!” Reiko said, kneeling by her. “Are you alright?! Oh, gods, do not take such a beautiful Amazon from us so soon! Take me instead, damn you, _take meeeee!_ ”

 

“I'm...” Natsuhi mumbled. “I'm...fine.” Her words were a bit slurred from all those hits to the head. “Stop...shouting.”

 

“Oh, Natsuhi, my darling!” Reiko said, notably not hugging Natsuhi because she was in a great deal of pain. “I love you so! So strong, so resolute! Truly, there is no greater being on the face of this earth!”

 

“No...you don't...” Natsuhi murmured, and then she fell forward onto the carpet of the conference room. Ah, yup, there was the last of her energy. She was napping now. She vaguely heard, as she went down, 'Someone, anyone! A doctor! _Anyone!_ '

* * *

 

“So, friend.” Ruri slammed her legs up on the table at the hospital. “We haven't got much time, so be zippy about it.”

 

Apparently, the hapless, beaten yakuza she was in the midst of intimidating was named 'Kacchin,' and he had recognized Saburo from his famous street fighting days. Ruri made an inward note to apologize to him for writing him off so much, that was rather rude of her, but in her defense, she was rather incensed these days, and she'd heard of most people. Apparently it was her weakness against stage magic that defeated her; the man was a reasonably famous second-stringer on the stage, but since stage magic was utter hokum, Ruri never paid it much mind. Thankfully, it was her only weakness.

 

Anyhow, Kacchin yelped. “P-please don't call the Wolf on me again!” According to Kotone, Saburo had punched this man into another yakuza, and then, following, into the wall. It was no wonder he was afraid after a beating like that, then.

 

“I don't want to have to, sir.” Ruri said. “Tell me about your boss's dealings with our criminal.”

 

“Ah, well, I didn't really see her much personally, nobody did.” Kacchin said. He gulped. “The boss just started meeting with this lady all of a sudden, then a bunch of us packed up and moved out to this place, and then some of the higher-ups in the family got assigned to... kidnapping those kids?”

 

“How do you know it's a woman, then?” Ruri said. Kacchin yelped again.

 

“I, uh...” Kacchin was sweating, and his sunglasses drooped quite thoroughly. “I kinda... eavesdropped on one of the boss's conversations a little bit once?” He said. “N-not on purpose or nothing! Just sorta happened!”

 

“I don't care.” Ruri said. “Details, if you would?”

 

“I was just delivering some papers when I passed by the boss's office and heard a lady's voice cacklin' up a storm about how cold it was to kidnap your own granddaughter.” Kacchin said. “Then the boss said he'd found most of the class, and it was just a few more he needed to nab. Was a few days after that the huge guy came in.”

 

“Hm?” Ruri raised an eyebrow.

 

“Yeah, this other Ultimate. Guy who was on the list for the class this year, I think? Really huge, looked like a lion.” Kacchin said. That seemed to match the description of Yashiro Narumi. “Guy comes in hollering up a storm about justice and his friends or some crap, then he rampages through looking for the boss and takes down what musta been half the guys we had here.” He looked to the side and sighed. “Here I was, thankin' God I missed him, but then you guys come chargin' in-”

 

“But he was taken down and kidnapped?” Ruri asked.

 

“Oh, yeah. Boss cheap-shotted him with a stun gun. Took a few licks, but the guy got knocked out, then Boss loaded him off and sent him to that 'benefactor' of his.” Kacchin said. He slumped. “But the guy tore up the place while he was there.”

 

“Fascinating.” Ruri nodded.

* * *

 

The light was almost blinding when Natsuhi awoke again, but the instant she did, she was alert and ready. She looked around and saw whites... was she in a local hospital, or something?

 

“Yo.” Saburo was sat on a bed next to her, dressed again in his usual sort of outfit. “Afternoon.”

 

“How long?” Natsuhi asked.

 

“Five or six hours.” Saburo said. “We're in Kochi now. Ruri, Kotone, and Blake are off on some errand or another. We made good time, but you were still out.” At Natsuhi's quizzical look, he continued, “You're patched up pretty well for the time being, but the doctors said you probably don't wanna push yourself _too_ hard after those lumps you took.”

 

“...Where's Reiko?” Natsuhi asked.

 

“Reiji was just here, but he left right before you woke up.” Saburo said. ...What? “How're you feeling?”

 

“I'll live.” Natsuhi said. She sat up. “It wasn't that bad. I'll be fine for the voyage tonight.”

 

“Good to hear.” Saburo nodded. He smiled a bit. He looked over at a window, though, and his face seemed just the slightest bit concerned. “So, Reiji probably thought I was asleep that whole time, cause it's me, but I was actually paying attention. He didn't leave your side once after you fell unconscious.”

 

“...What?” Natsuhi said.

 

“Not a single time.” Saburo said. “He left right as you were starting to wake up, though. He had tears in his eyes a lot of the time, and barely said a word. Didn't jerk around or anything, either. Was the lowest I'd ever seen the guy.” He paused. “And right after you fell unconscious, he was the first to shout for a paramedic. The look in his eyes was worse than if he was afraid of dying himself.”

 

“Of course.” Natsuhi said, after a moment of thought. “We're best friends.”

 

“Really.” Saburo said. “Is that what it is? I mean, not that I'm an expert or anything, but it seems kinda odd. Why haven't you told him 'no' yet?”

 

“...About what?” Natsuhi asked.

 

“I mean, the guy says he's in love with you all the time, doesn't he?” Saburo said. “And you've never told him no that I've heard.”

 

Natsuhi sighed. “It's just a crush. He'll get over it.” She laid back down. “Reiji's serious about things he feels that strongly.”

 

“Instead of hooting and hollering about Greek gods and calling you a pickle?” Saburo said. Natsuhi nodded. “Huh. Really. Seemed pretty serious to me while you were out.”

 

“He was cheering during the fight.” Natsuhi said. “It's childish admiration.”

 

“Hmm.” Saburo rubbed his chin. “But that's not 'no.'”

 

“What?” Natsuhi raised her eyebrow and sat up again.

 

“That's not 'no.'” Saburo repeated. “It's dodging the issue. But... mm.” He looked down. “...Huh... hm. Just goes off and... hmmm.” He looked back up at Natsuhi. “Hey. What pissed you off so bad about the Patriarch, anyway?”

 

“Huh?” Natsuhi said.

 

“The instant the guy says the word 'love,' you rocket off like a comet to try and kick his ass as hard as you can.” Saburo said. “It's not a coincidence, right? If you don't wanna talk about it, then don't, but I'm curious.”

 

After a moment's silence, Natsuhi sighed. Well, screw it. If he was asking. “My dad.” She said. “Used to beat me and my mom and said it was 'cause he loved us.” When Saburo raised his eyebrow, she continued, “Always wanted a 'proper family' and thought we could be whatever that was. Always told us he loved us, thought we could be 'better.' Wanted me to talk more. Said it was for our own good.” She gritted her teeth. “Mom still misses him sometimes.”

 

“Used to?” Saburo asked.

 

“He's dead.” Natsuhi said. “Died in an accident. Bridge over a highway collapsed, killed three people. All the other victims were mad. I was the only happy one in the whole thing.”

 

“And Reiji's aware of this?” Saburo asked.

 

Natsuhi nodded. “Yeah. He was friends with me then. Got really mad when I told him after Dad died. ...I've never seen him that mad since.”

 

“Mm.” Saburo nodded. “Lemme take a guess. Ever since he first started having this crush on you, Reiji's been acting goofier than he used to around you?”

 

“He's serious sometimes, but when he's just talking to me he's louder than he ever used to be.” Natsuhi nodded. “He's always animated, but.”

 

“And you don't think there's anything odd about that?” Saburo said. “That when he says he's in love with you, he suddenly starts acting like he's just goofing off? He cheers for you while you're fighting but then is scared out of his mind once you're out? Stays by your side while you're unconscious but leaves right as you're waking up?” He sighed. “Like I said, I'm no expert. The whole 'love' thing doesn't make any sense to me. But it sounds to me like he's trying to keep you happy by hiding his feelings in plain sight.”

 

“Wha—?” Natsuhi sputtered. _What?_

 

“If that is the case, I have to give him props. Can't be easy hiding love for your best friend.” He kicked back in his bed. “Especially when you're a nutcase like that guy.”

 

Natsuhi sat back in her bed again, and put her hand up to her forehead. That was ridiculous. Reiji was a lot of things, but subtle was not one of them. “Why would he do that?” Natsuhi said.

 

Saburo shrugged. “Maybe because he wants to try and let you be happy?” Natsuhi's gaze was blank. “I mean, seems to me like you've got some issues with the whole 'love' thing, and Reiji's your best friend, right? You two have been friends for ages and he cares a lot about you. Way I see it, maybe he wants to make sure you don't get freaked out by him being in love with you.”

 

There was a long pause as Natsuhi processed this information.

 

“...Mm.” Natsuhi said. She got out of bed. It stung a bit, and she grimaced, but when Saburo seemed to want to help her, she said, “No. I should go.”

 

“There's a dock outside he's hanging out at, if you want to see him.” Saburo said.

 

“Thanks.” Natsuhi said.

 

It wasn't a particularly large medical facility, thankfully, and she was able to find her way out of the room she was in pretty quickly. It seemed Hope's Peak had covered a lot of it. The familiar seaside air struck her as she stepped out of the building, and she took a moment to breathe. Windy brine always helped her calm down in times of stress.

 

Inwardly, she laughed at herself. She was just going to talk to Reiji. It was like any other conversation. Why was she so nervous? She'd just taken down the head of a yakuza family and this was what was giving her pause?

 

She pulled out her phone and dialed Kotone. “Yello?” Kotone said, after three rings.

 

“Kotone.” Natsuhi said.

 

“Nat.” Kotone replied. “I've got this amazing bowl of ramen in front of me. You know, it's always my favorite part of the whole assistant job when Ruri's instinct winds up taking us to a food place.”

 

“Is Reiji in love with me?” Natsuhi asked. After a moment, she heard stifled laughter over the phone. Really hard stifled laughter. Painful-sounding stifled laughter.

 

After laughing so hard and doing a terrible job of disguising it, Kotone finally came back onto the phone and, breathing heavily, replied, “Yeah, just a little bit!”

 

“Great.” Natsuhi sighed. She clicked her tongue.

 

“Just figured it out, huh?” Kotone laughed a little more. “Ow. How're you taking it?”

 

“I don't know.” Natsuhi said. “I'm going to talk to him so I can figure it out.”

 

“Oh.” Kotone said. There was a moment of silence. “Good luck.”

 

“Thanks.” Natsuhi hung up.

 

The sun was beginning to set, and it made the figure of the man at the docks pretty striking. He stood, a hand in his hair, wistfully sighing towards the ocean. He didn't notice Natsuhi as of yet. “Ahhh, all the gods of the wide, vast ocean. Thank you dearly for your not taking Natsuhi from me, but I must apologize and say that I will soon be taking several more from your depths... unless the compound is, perhaps, not under your jurisdiction. After all, at the end of the day, I am simply talking to myself, so all these ideas operate under my internal ruleset. Ahh, but it is a beautiful day, is it not? A great day, indeed, for posing against the sunset and pondering the natures of life and love.”

 

“People are going to see you and think you're crazy.” Natsuhi said. Reiji spun on his heel and jumped, throwing his arms back and standing on one foot, his eyes going wide.

 

“N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-Na-tsu-hiiiiiIIIIII?!” Reiji shrieked. His foot hit the ground again, and he spun out, laying himself out on the dock. “Ah, no! My shame! How can I ever recover from this vast, vast indignity?! As Blake would say, iyaaaaaaaaaah!” Then he was up. “Hello, dearest Natsuhi! I'm ever so glad to see you're alright, though I, naturally, had no doubt of that. Truly, you cut an imposing figure—”

 

“Are you in love with me?” Natsuhi asked.

 

There was a long, long pause.

 

“Huh?” Reiji said.

* * *

 

“I'm afflicted with WX-type M-deficiency.”

 

They'd been having what was essentially a normal conversation up to that point, so when Megane suddenly dropped this statement that Luna didn't understand in the slightest, it took her a second to register. “What?” Luna said.

 

“You were curious, right?” Megane said. They sat side-by-side in the helicopter, both looking out at the sun. Luna's mood was heavy, but Megane seemed chipper as ever. “I thought you might like to know.”

 

“Know...er, what, exactly?” Luna blinked, turning to Megane.

 

“Oh, you know. Why I stay in the medical wing at Hope's Peak!” Megane tittered. “I thought you'd be curious.”

 

“I mean, I won't lie and say I wasn't.” Luna shook her head. “But I'm not familiar with that illness.”

 

“Oh boy!” Megane clapped. “Looks like it's time for Megane-sensei's Science Lessons #1!” She cleared her throat. “Are you familiar with M particles?”

 

Luna had heard the term before in passing. “The particles that have all of our memories and whatnot, right?”

 

“In layman's terms, yes. In a sense, you could call it something akin to the human 'soul.'” Megane smiled brightly, and then, in the exact same chipper tone, said, “I have no soul!”

 

“... _What?_ ” Luna wasn't able to keep her jaw from going a bit agape.

 

“My brain doesn't produce M particles. Or, well, rather, it produces the absolute minimum amount of M particles necessary for a human to not become a vegetable.” Megane said. “Where an ordinary person would have M particles, I produce WX particles, which are utterly useless to humans!”

 

The afternoon air felt chilly on Luna's face. “So... What does that mean?”

 

“It's plain to see that M particles, somewhere, contain a person's understanding of who they are, their innate identity, so to speak.” Megane said. “After all, Replicants, poor things, don't produce M particles, and they're still struggling to find a way to cure _their_ M-deficiency, they call the idea of an M-producing Replicant 'VK-complete,' did you know that?” She laughed. “Oh, I'm rambling. I'm so sorry.”

 

“No, no, ramble all you want.” Luna said. It would give her time to deal with the coldness in her chest.

 

“In other words, I don't have any idea who I am!” Megane laughed. “The way the Headmaster explained it to me, it seems like my mind piggybacks off of the M particles of other peoples' understanding of me for me to understand myself at all.” Her eyes gazed out towards the sun. “I'm Kagenui-sensei! The quirky, dotty teacher who loves her children! But I can only say that because the children at Hope's Peak all see me that way. If it weren't for them, I would have absolutely no idea who I was.”

 

“That's...” Luna trailed off.

 

“It used to be very dangerous for me to cosplay, you know.” Megane said. “I love cosplay, and fiction! I love it so much that when I cosplayed, oftentimes I would actually forget I was supposed to be Tsumugi Kagenui, and I would simply _become_ that character!” She laughed. “In a way, looking back, it was a bit comforting. It's plain to see that Artoria Pendragon, for instance, has a much stronger identity than me. But that's very, very dangerous for me. So I live in Hope's Peak, with my father, the Headmaster, where everyone knows for certain who I am.” She turned and smiled. “I'm rather famous at school! Isn't that great?”

 

“Megane...” Luna couldn't help trailing off, again. She was at a loss for words.

 

“So, when Miki gave me that nickname, you know, it made me very happy!” Megane said, lighting up. “It was how she saw me! She gave me a name herself! Now I had three names. I was Megane Kagenui-sensei! Maybe that's not what I'm legally called, but it's plain to see how much of an impression I made on her!”

 

“...So you're saying you...exist because of the thoughts of others?” Luna said.

 

“That's right. Full marks, Luna!” Megane said. “If everyone were to forget me, or if I were to go somewhere where people didn't know me, why, I would be completely lost! I would have no idea what I was doing, and I might lash out, unconsciously, like an animal! I might even wink out completely... That would be sad.” She kept on smiling. “But I won't. I'm my parents' daughter, and I'm the lovable, dotty Sensei of Hope's Peak, and I'm Miki's friend, and I'm the Ultimate Cosplayer! And now I'm your friend, too!” She faltered a bit. “Am I your friend?”

 

“Yes, of course, Megane.” Luna said. “I...” She laughed, but it was a bit hollow. “I don't think I could forget you if I tried, now.”

 

“I'm so glad!” Megane grasped Luna's hand, beaming. “That makes me so happy!”

 

There was a moment of silence, as the two friends sat together. They were nearing their destination- the terrain below was starting to look familiar. “Megane...” Luna said. “Or...should I call you Tsumugi?”

 

“Which seems right to you?” Megane asked. “They're both the right answer.”

 

“...May I call you Tsumugi?” Luna said. “I imagine only your parents call you that regularly, so if that is the case, I just want to be certain that bit of you isn't lost.”

 

“Of course!” Tsumugi said. “That's special in its own way, too. I guess the part of me that's Tsumugi has a friend now, too!” The enthusiasm on her face was almost...infectious. Almost.

 

“Anyway, Tsumugi...” Luna said. “I was just curious... How did you wind up on the Headmaster's porch, anyhow? Nobody beside you, nobody ever claimed you... Was it just luck?”

 

Tsumugi looked out towards the sun, and seemed to darken just a bit. “Luna, may I tell you a story? I haven't quite told my parents this one yet, either, but we're friends now, so it's fine.”

 

“Oh... Certainly.” Luna said.

 

“Once, there was a girl.” Tsumugi said. “Her name was Tsumugi Shirogane, and she had long, beautiful blue hair. At thirteen years old, she had a passion in life: Fiction. She loved fiction of all shapes and sizes, and wanted nothing more in life than to show her appreciation for it somehow. She worked on the streets, doing all sorts of things, since she was alone; her parents had abandoned her. Though she loved fiction, and put on a face of being a kind, sweet girl, inside, she was deeply unhappy and resentful towards the world, wanting dearly to be above someone.”

 

“Once, there was a girl.” Tsumugi said. “Her appearance, name, voice, identity, I don't remember any of it. It was gone. This girl had no identity of her own. She stumbled about on the streets, almost as though she were an animal, because she could remember nothing of her past, of her family, nothing at all. It was all gone. Only when enough people on the streets saw her as a notable urchin did she begin to have any reason to her actions, and even then, it was almost animalistic.”

 

“Then Tsumugi met another girl, one without a name.” Tsumugi said. “Tsumugi and the nameless girl wound up recruited to work in a warehouse together, convenient labor in an area that, even then, was still recovering from the effects of Ultimate Despair. Tsumugi, seeing the nameless girl, saw someone that she could honestly say was beneath her, and so, in that sense, they became friends. Tsumugi would chatter the nameless girl's ear off, since, after all, it wasn't as though the nameless girl was going to listen to anyone else. She was so hungry for conversation, apparently, that she would even come if Tsumugi called to her, 'hey, you.'”

 

“Then the nameless girl met another girl.” Tsumugi said. “Her name was Tsumugi Shirogane, and they had been assigned to work together. Tsumugi Shirogane was animatedly human, without a doubt, and through listening to her, being seen by her, the nameless girl began to latch on a bit closer to reality. The nameless girl followed Tsumugi about after that, almost like a dog, because Tsumugi seemed to cause something in her somehow. Eventually, she came to realize that her name was apparently 'You,' because that was what Tsumugi called her.”

 

“Tsumugi and the nameless girl wound up inseparable.” Tsumugi said. “Not out of choice, on Tsumugi's part, but simply because the nameless girl was useful. The nameless girl would take any amount of verbal abuse, and seemingly internalize it, so having someone to vent her frustrations to who wouldn't fight back was quite the boon. It let Tsumugi become better towards everyone else, and she thanked the world for the nameless girl's existence.”

 

“You and Tsumugi wound up inseparable.” Tsumugi said. “Tsumugi let You stay with her, even though she seemed to see all of the worst things about You. You only wanted to help Tsumugi, so, so badly, since Tsumugi was her entire world. Being stricken by her was fine, since she was beneath Tsumugi, would only ever amount to, maybe, just a footnote in the grand narrative of Tsumugi's life. But one day, as she lay on the ground, a small child from a nearby house, who had seen Tsumugi's venting on her, came out to speak.”

 

“'Why do you let her hurt you like that?' Said the child.”

 

“'Because I'm beneath her.' You said.”

 

“'But, miss, when I see you around, you seem so much nicer than her.' The child said. 'She's so mean, and you're not. Why does she have to be better than you?'”

 

“'I don't know.' You said, after a moment of silence.”

 

“'You should stand up for yourself more, or you might wind up dying.' The child said. 'You don't have to be worse than you just because she says so.'”

 

“'Why not?' You said.”

 

“The child paused, and hummed a little, before saying, 'Cause I think you're better, so there. It's wrong to hurt people for no reason.'”

 

“Occasionally, after this conversation, You would see the child around, and the child would smile at her. She was still nameless, and had no identity, but somehow, this child seemed to know her, too. Not as much as Tsumugi seemed to, but it stirred her heart just the smallest bit.”

 

“One night, though, a snowstorm blew into the area.” Tsumugi said. “Tsumugi and the nameless had taken up shelter in a small, abandoned shack, but they had exceedingly little food or warmth to go around. In that moment, Tsumugi decided that she needed to live, so that she could throw away the person she had been on these streets, and become someone truly worth something, later in life. So she made the decision, in that instant, that the nameless girl was no longer useful, and needed to be discarded for her own survival.”

 

“But You did something odd that day.” Tsumugi said. “It seemed to her that the right thing to do would be to die for Tsumugi. After all, she had never fought back before then, and her life, as she knew, was less important than Tsumugi's. But the child's words rung in her ears, and it had a curious effect on You. So, that day, for the first and last time, You fought back against Tsumugi, to defend her own life.”

 

The chill running down Luna's spine redoubled. “...And what happened?”

 

“What do you think happened?” Tsumugi said. At Luna's confused look, she said, “I'm sorry, that was a very unclear answer. After that, I walked through the snow, aimlessly, adrift, without an identity. And eventually, a girl with long blue hair, who loved fiction, with a single scrap of paper in her pockets that said 'My name is Tsumugi,' landed on the doorstep of the family that would take her in.”

 

“So...” Tsumugi said, finally. “Which one was I?”

 

“What?” Luna said, taken a bit aback.

 

“Which girl was I?” Tsumugi said. “I don't know which one I really was. I look like Tsumugi Shirogane. I have the same loves as her. I even have glasses with the same prescription as hers. That would imply that I am Tsumugi Shirogane. That, in that battle, where the nameless girl fought back against me, I was injured, and lost my identity in the same way that she never had one to begin with.” She parted her hair in one place to show a jagged scar beneath it. “That this injury took Tsumugi Shirogane away. That in my childhood, I was a callous, cruel girl, but making the ultimate decision to take another life cost me more than I could've possibly imagined.”

 

“But, at the same time, I don't know which one I really was.” Tsumugi said. “I have no identity, and people tell me I'm kind, if strange, and my mind operates like You's. My mind might say it's myself I've lost, but minds are funny things. Perhaps the appearance I put on Tsumugi was actually my own... or perhaps, when I fought back against her and accidentally took her life, I took her passion for fiction from all the words she spoke to me, took on what little identity she had, stole her appearance, her identity, her life, just for the sake of not returning to the completely animalistic state I had been in before, and ran away as 'Tsumugi.'”

 

“In the end, it doesn't really matter.” Tsumugi said. “The person I am now isn't either of them. I'm Megane-sensei. I'm Tsumugi Kagenui. The lovable, dotty teacher, and the Headmaster's daughter. That story is a silly old thing that doesn't matter to anybody. Nobody remembers Tsumugi Shirogane, or You. In a sense, both of those two girls died in that shack that cold, cold night.” Then, though, she turned to Luna. And for the first time-

 

There were tears in Tsumugi's eyes. “But which girl do you think I was, Luna?”

 

After taking just a moment to collect herself, Luna cleared her throat to hold back her own tears. “Well... If you ask me... I think—”

 


	66. Day 20, Phase 6 - The Proud Man Gives an Impassioned Debate

 

“Ka—”

 

“Do you think you have the right to talk to me about my problems?” Kazuya spat. He stood, facing Zero in the darkness of the sixth area of Confessional Hall. “That's a joke. No matter how connected you are to all this, all I did was discover bodies. It's not like I'm one of Rin's friends, or something. It's possible— No, probable, that I never even met her. If you are her, or are someone that connected to her, then the only real chance you've had to interact with me is these three weeks, and you've done nothing of the sort. You've just sat and watched.”

 

Zero sat in silence as Kazuya spoke until this point, and then replied, “Is it wrong of me to care?”

 

“You're going about it all wrong if you care.” Kazuya said. “You just want to push your own ideas on me so you can satisfy yourself, and you know, that makes me pretty mad.” He clenched his fists. “This is complete nonsense. It's only a day and a half until we can leave, right? I'm fine.”

 

“Are you?” Zero asked.

 

“I mean, not _completely,_ but my issues are certainly not anything I need your help with, lady.” Kazuya said. He put his hand on his chest. “It's not like I'll be going back to the same life you two took me from. I'm going back as a different person... No.” He shook his head. “I'm finally going to begin _my_ life. And I'll deal with everything I have to deal with when I do, with the help of people who care about me. Now isn't the time for that, because I've been locked down here for three weeks and avoided death for the sake of a coin toss.” He gritted his teeth. “So if you care, _let us out._ ”

 

“I'm sorry.” Zero said.

 

“ _What are you sorry for?_ ” Kazuya shouted. “I don't even know what it is you're apologizing for! None of this makes any sense!”

 

“It's all...” Zero was sniffling in the background. “It's all...my fault... It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault.”

 

“Crying isn't going to—!”

 

“And what do _you_ know about _me_?! You don't— You don't know anything! What if I won't have the chance after this game is over, huh!? What then? What if this is my only chance to make sure that people I care about are okay?!”

 

“Then why the hell would you do _this_?!” Kazuya gestured widely. “Why can't you just talk to them? Why can't you just reach out to these people you care about?”

 

“B-Because... I...” Zero began stammering. “I, I... I! I, I!” And suddenly, the room went silent for a minute. Kazuya's anger began fading from the anticlimax, and he started twiddling his toes until Zero's transmission crackled to life again. “That's for you to figure out.”

 

“And why can't you tell me?” Kazuya said.

 

“That would...defeat the purpose of the game.” Zero said. “After all, the Nonary Game here _was_ designed for you all to solve the mystery.”

 

“...What?” Kazuya blinked. “What do you mean?”

 

“All the information that's present here, from Phases One through Twelve, will help you elucidate the truth of this story and bring it to its right conclusion.” Zero said.

 

“Its... Its _right_ —” Kazuya sputtered and threw his arms out. “ _Seven people are dead_!”

 

“And so, you must bring the story to its proper conclusion for this specific iteration of events.” Zero said. “Surely you're not implying—”

 

“Don't put words in my mouth.” Kazuya said. “I don't care what you were about to say, so don't bother. You want to fulfill whatever goal you have, right? That's what you mean?”

 

“Full marks, Kazuya.” Zero chuckled. “I do have...a very particular goal in mind with this game, you see. That, too, will come to light if you simply keep solving puzzles; with all the minds you have present, no doubt such a mystery will become clear in short order.”

 

“And this goal was worth killing seven people.” Kazuya said, snarling. “It's that important?”

 

“Oh, undoubtedly.” Zero said.

 

“So how's your 'goal' going?” Kazuya said.

 

“I'm very nearly there.” Zero replied. She sounded frustratingly pleased with herself. “Just a bit more. And, I assure you, once my goal is complete I really don't have a single reason remaining to keep you captive. You'll be quite definitively free, I assure you.”

 

“Well, that's just fantastic.” Kazuya spat. “I'm so grateful.”

 

“You should be.” Zero said. “After all, thanks to this incident, you've become a much stronger person, haven't you? A group of friends who love and accept you for who you are. Even your parents seem quite alright with it. Frankly, it seems it's done you quite a lot of good, hasn't it?”

 

Kazuya's fist clenched so tightly that he could swear his nails broke the skin of his palm. “Fuck you.” He said.

 

“Gavin's finally begun to realize his own independence, Shinobu's gotten out of her shell somewhat and found another way through her trauma, Claus has matured, Chihaya will finally be able to get out of the shadow of her sister—” Zero rattled off a bunch of tripe.

 

“You _murdered_ Miria.” Kazuya said. “You can't even begin to say you've done her any good after _that._ ” He began feeling himself get a bit flushed from rage. “Just because we might be maturing as people doesn't make what you've done good. There's no way in hell I'd ever be grateful to you!”

 

“Technically—”

 

“Technically nothing. Even if Wanda did the deed, you've got your own share of the blame.” Kazuya said. “Haven't you ever heard of 'duress?'”

 

“Are you really defending _Wanda,_ of all people?”

 

“Don't change the subject on me.” Kazuya said. “Wanda wasn't a good person. We could all tell that, plain as day. But do you think you _helped_ by locking her in here? All you did was put her in a situation that would exacerbate her worst qualities.” He sighed sharply. “Maybe she could've been a good person if we'd met normally, in class. But that possibility is dead, because of _you._ ”

 

“That's a sweet thought.” Zero said. “And if you had the opportunity to live out that possibility, would you?”

 

There was a pause. “What?” Kazuya said, raising his eyebrow.

 

“There's certainly a timeline where all sixteen students make it to Hope's Peak unmolested, and become the best of friends during their time at the school.” Zero said. “If you had the choice, would you abandon this world and go there? Live out your happy school life, with all those people who _could've_ become good friends of yours?”

 

“Wha—?” Kazuya blinked a few times. What the hell was this all of a sudden? Many-worlds theory? “I— No! Of course not!”

 

“Then you admit there's merit in this timeline.” Zero said. “Merit you wouldn't want to abandon that came about because of my actions.”

 

Kazuya didn't have the words, so he said the first thing that came to mind. “Oh my god, can you _not?_ ” He'd been angry before, but now he was just frustrated. “You don't have anything to say to me, so you're just spouting many-worlds theory at me?”

 

“It's a legitimate question.” Zero said.

 

“But it's a legitimate question you're presenting in a way to bolster your own fallacious point.” Kazuya said. “Phrasing it that way keeps me from giving my rationale; for instance, not wanting to subject _that_ Kazuya to this world and the suffering of this whole killing game, the fact that our experiences would be fundamentally different and the people I would meet there who I still know now would still not be the same people, and so on. You're framing it entirely as a question of whether ends justify the means, even though the ends you're touting are side benefits of whatever your actual goal is, and you didn't care one whit if I had died.”

 

“Fascinating.” Zero said. “And so that means I'm incorrect?”

 

“Absolutely.” Kazuya said. “The way you're phrasing it, you don't care _what_ the personal advancement was as long as it existed. Any good at all, for this premise, is as good as any other, and the sacrifice of the others are treated as an opportunity cost, when a situation existed without your intervention where there was the possibility of us all achieving similar development without _seven of us dying._ Any merit my life has that another Kazuya's doesn't might be because of your actions, yes, but that doesn't make you any less morally reprehensible. You haven't done good, and good arising because of your actions doesn't change that, just like it doesn't change the fact that you are inherently at fault for every single ounce of death and suffering we've had to go through.” He took a pause. “So, in conclusion, you can go fuck yourself.”

 

“I see.” Zero said.

 

The door opened. Kazuya turned and walked away.

* * *

 

“A'ight, on three.” Gavin said. “One...two...three.” The three members of G Team all let out a massive, simultaneous sigh, sitting with their food and water. “Trip, man, I am _so_ over this.” Gavin said.

 

“You said it.” Stella said. She clicked her bracelet. “When is the game supposed to be over, again?”

 

“April 30th.” Luan responded. “After Phase Twelve ends.”

 

“Forty-two more hours.” Stella groaned. “Fuuuck.” She ran her hands through her hair. She hadn't had the chance to do it up on quite some time, so it was completely undone, and almost completely brown again. Gavin pondered for a moment the nature of doing yourself up like that for a 'celebrity persona,' as it were, and how little it made sense to him. He decided that he should perhaps ask Stella what the deal was later.

 

They'd awoken in the same place as last time, and Luan, lovely guy he was, informed them right away of what occurred during Phase Four. Stella in particular seemed very hungry, and she'd woken up shaking and sweating. Gavin had a feeling it was withdrawal symptoms again, and had to applaud her willpower in having managed to go this long quitting cold-turkey.

 

“Anyhoodle.” Gavin nodded and smiled. “Glad we made Haya happy, myself. Methinks she needed it.” They were discussing the events of Phases Four and Five, naturally. The continued appearances of Kojiro were a pleasant surprise, as was the theory that Zero was also an unwilling participant. In Gavin's eyes, it made sense. Zero simply didn't seem like the kind of lady who would do this willingly.

 

“These Nonary Games are fucked up.” Stella said. “God, have you seen Hongou's photo? He looks like such a sleazeball.” She scoffed. “Nice hat, asswipe.”

 

“I think that making Nonary Games is quite 'sleazy.'” Luan replied. Chihaya had helpfully marked down what she knew about psychics, to add to the second Science Lesson.

 

“You know?” Stella said. “Maybe there's someone out there psychically attacking my brain to make me think I'm awful and should wink out of existence.” Then she paused, and sighed. “I wish.”

 

“I wish you di'n't think that way, Stel.” Gavin said.

 

“Don't we all.” Stella said. Gavin felt like it was pretty likely that Stella, given a choice, would be curled up into a ball and crying right about now. Saying 'good job' or something like that, though, might seem rather patronizing, so he chose to instead not comment on it.

 

“This ain't addin' up to no coherent narrative, though.” Gavin said. He sighed. “There so much that don't make sense, that just don't add up. What the heckle we _doin'_ here? Wha's Ender want with us, anyway?” He shrugged. “Well, prolly ain't like she wants us to figure out nothin, anyway.”

 

Coming in at just the right time, Gavin heard a door open from all the way up in Confessional Hall, and sure enough, soon Kazuya was heading down the stairs. When he saw Stella was waiting for him, his walk broke into a run, and the two met at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh thank god you're not dead.” Stella said as they embraced, visibly shaking in his arms. “Oh thank god.”

 

“Unless I've missed something pretty major, that is.” Kazuya grinned weakly. After a moment, though, there were clear tears in his eyes. “...Stella.”

 

“Fuck! Fuck, I hate this! I hate this!” Stella cried into Kazuya's shoulder. “This sucks. Everything about it sucks.”

 

“Yeah.” Kazuya said. “Yeah.” Unsurprisingly, he hadn't taken even a moment to look at Gavin or Luan. Gavin couldn't blame him.

 

“We's gonna go do the puzzle room, then.” Gavin raised a hand at the two of them. They didn't respond. “C'mon, Lou, le's give 'em some privacy.”

 

“Yes.” Luan nodded.

 

The two of them headed off to G Ward, to give the lovebirds their moment. “So Koji went 'n got us that key from 'ere, yeah?” Gavin asked. The central room was still locked, so evidently it wasn't that one. To the right had two remaining locked doors and the left one, so Gavin headed to the right first.

 

“Yes.” Luan said.

 

“Whadda good kid.” Gavin smiled and nodded. “How ya think he got in there, though? Ya think he used them whack-a-holes o' his?”

 

“I think it's likely.” Luan nodded. “He still has access to them.”

 

The door with Kojiro's big ol' mug on it was still locked, as was the other room on the right side that they hadn't opened yet. A quick peek into the Workshop showed minimal signs of Kojiro, other than...

 

“Well, trip, man, wouldja look at this?” Gavin and Luan walked over to the Workshop desk. “'S the statue of Han that—” Then he snapped his fingers. “Lou, Lou! I got it! _Nanners._ ”

 

Luan blinked. “Oh. Congratulations.”

 

“So 's the statue of Han that Nanners 'n Koji made.” Gavin said. He looked it over a bit. “Dang, yo, y'know, she real good at that. This some fine, quality craftsmanship, dawg. Real, uh... Real antique or sumthin'.”

 

“I miss him.” Luan said. “I... I should've stopped him.” His eyes were downcast.

 

Gavin put his hand on Luan's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “Lou, look at Gav.” Luan obliged. “Wha's past is past. We... Gav thinks we gotta live for Han. He wouldn't'a done that in the first place if he didn't think we was worth it, yeah? So le's get goin'. No time to get too sad 'bout nothin'.”

 

“Alright.” Luan nodded. They shook on it.

 

The door that wound up opening, as it turned out, was the door on the left, leading to what proclaimed itself the 'Fluid Lab.' That was a decidedly different title from 'Baths' or whatnot, and the interior went along with it; an incredible deal of multicolored fluids were stored in beakers and bottles on the walls. In the walls was stored even more, red, green, blue, any number of fluids. In fact, Gavin saw, each of the stark colors from the Housing Suite were present in the walls, and they did seem to be flowing. “Y'think mayhap them fluids is for lighting?” Gavin pondered.

 

There was lab equipment strewn about, a computer at the back on a desk, several tables and workbenches, really, it was all a bit too science-y for Gavin to process... oh, and there by the computer was the safe. Groovy. The door locked behind them.

* * *

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

Over by the computer, Gavin found a clipboard proclaiming the letters 'TEST' in increasingly bright colors from left to right. “Eh?” He said, raising his eyebrow.

 

Luan, for his part, walked up with some gizmo. “I found this.” He said. “It reminds me of an object we used once in the previous Nonary Game.”

 

“Looks like...” Gavin leaned in and gave it a good look-see. “Uh, thassa... USB, yeah?” USBs weren't something Gavin frequently encountered, but Jun had had some opinions about 'backwards-minded ingrates' who refused to move from them to more efficient methods of connecting devices and data storage, so he had a feeling he probably had a better understanding about them than your average bear. This one, though, had something that flipped open on it, and produced a red light that flickered onto Luan's scrubs. “Huh.”

 

“I believe it is a color scanner.” Luan said. “It can output image data based on color scans. That was how it worked before, at least.”

 

To give it a test run, Gavin scanned the 'TEST' document, and the red light turned green for a moment. The computer, thankfully, had an obvious USB port, so he plugged it in and ran the program in the scanner's directory. The screen of the computer changed...to...

 

Gavin blinked. Sun c2, star a1, star c1. “Wha?” Luan obligingly put the code in and the safe did, in fact, open. They heard the door unlock behind them as the safe revealed a small media disc, presumably also for use with this computer. “Wha...but...huh?”

 

“May I make an observation?” Luan said. Gavin wordlessly nodded. “Based on the patterns so far, I've determined that odd-numbered phases have 'bull puzzles,' and even-numbered phases have two codes with different rewards. As this is Phase Six, that would make this one of two rewards.”

 

“So, we got wunna 'em...” Gavin looked down at the disc in Luan's hand. “And Koji, he got us the other one, yeah? The key?”

 

“It seems to me that the intent was to allow us to give up, but reward us if we finished the entire puzzle room, with food.” Luan said. “But we already have the key.”

 

Gavin took another look around the Fluid Lab. It was very colorful. “Well, heck.” Gavin shrugged. “Le's mosey, then.” And so they walked out the door.

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

* * *

 

They'd sat by one of the viewing windows to the ocean, for the sake of simply re-familiarizing themselves with the feeling of each other's presence. Stella wasn't doing well. It wasn't a surprise, but it was a fact- not just in the obvious sense, but in the little things. Unconsciously, she slightly recoiled every now and then from Kazuya's touch, as though his presence were like a scalding hot iron pressed against her flesh.

 

Kazuya, of course, could not exactly speak to being entirely fine himself, so for the time being, he gave a lame, pithy comment. “The ocean really is beautiful.”

 

“It is.” Stella said. “You ever see two lionfish fight? It's messed up.”

 

“No, I can't say that I have.” Kazuya said, raising his eyebrow and turning his head. “Who runs an event like that?”

 

“Weirdos. Probably rich ones.” Stella said. “Rich people.”

 

“Rich people.” Kazuya agreed. And time went on.

 

“So, you...mixed salt into the water?” Stella asked, a baffled look on her face. “Why?”

 

“Because that's called 'saline solution.'” Kazuya said. “It said to 'present a solution,' see...”

 

Stella blinked. “That's the stupidest puzzle I've ever heard.” She lay back on the floor and laughed. “No wonder you solved it.”

 

“What else am I good at, right?” Kazuya lay back as well. “But they got _so mad,_ you should've seen it.” He laughed. “'We're too smart for this puzzle.' 'This terminal isn't worth our time!'”

 

“Okay, Nanako, yeah, but Chihaya?” Stella said. She was smiling. That was good. “I would think Chihaya would, like, try to kill the puzzle or something.”

 

“I think it was the loudest anger I'd ever seen from her.” Kazuya said. “Honestly, it was kind of refreshing. She can be a bit unnerving sometimes with the whole stone-cold killer schtick.”

 

“No kidding.” Stella said. “God, when she gets that _kill look_ in her eyes...” She shivered. “Might see it in my nightmares.”

 

“At least you're sleeping if you're having nightmares.” Kazuya said. A crippling lack of energy onset by psychological despair, as Kazuya knew well, meant that sleeping oftentimes sounded very tempting, but it also meant that there were certainly times that one found themselves idling about, barely moving, for hours at a time in the midst of the night.

 

“...Hey. Kaz.” Stella turned her head to him on the floor. “Um... This might be a bit personal, but...”

 

“I'm your boyfriend, Stella.” Kazuya stared at her. “If you can't ask me the personal questions, who can you ask, right?”

 

“Well, there are things you _can't_ ask your partner.” Stella countered. She sighed, and rolled her eyes. “Like... Uh...” She trailed off with a frustrated tone. “Fuck, I don't know how this works.”

 

“That makes two of us.” Kazuya said. “So, what's the question?”

 

“...How did you realize you were a guy?” Stella asked. “Like, obviously, you _are,_ but how do you figure something like that out?”

 

The question gave Kazuya a bit of pause before he responded. “Hm. Well, I wouldn't say it was any single event that really _caused_ it. One day, I just thought, 'things would make so much more sense if I was a guy,' and then I, you know, mulled it over and I realized that that was what I'd been feeling that was so off since I was a kid.”

 

“Off?” Stella parroted.

 

“I mean, I've told you I was a real rough and tumble kid when I was younger, right?” Kazuya said. “Frankly, until people started hitting puberty, I barely understood that gender was a concept. I knew that people said I was a 'girl,' yes, but I didn't know anything about what that meant. I sort of just... saw _people._ Men and women can be just as evil as each other, after all, and in just the same ways, too.”

 

“Mm.” Stella mumbled.

 

“I was stunned when my body started developing in the way that it did. It felt _strange._ I wasn't sure exactly what I expected, but it certainly wasn't that. But the most confusing thing to me, really, was that the adults in my life _weren't_ surprised. Nobody else found it confusing why I was suddenly being physically left behind.” Kazuya sighed. “Maybe... If I'd been more like Yayoi, I wouldn't have turned out to be a guy.”

 

“Oh, shut up.” Stella lightly shoved him on the arm. “What does that even mean?”

 

“I don't know.” Kazuya said. “Anyway, I really hated it, obviously. It was incredibly frustrating in a vague and strange way to be expected to be _that_ person all of a sudden, especially after the blackmail incident. People all thought I was...” He groaned. “A pretty young thing, so to speak.”

 

“The sort of girl who'd go well with Edward Cullen.” Stella observed.

 

Kazuya put on his serious face. “Listen, my sordid tales with Edward are history from long ago and I assure you you don't need to worry about them.”

 

Stella laughed. “Who the hell describes their own past as 'sordid?'”

 

“Me. I do.” Kazuya said. “I'm Kazuya Okudaira and I have a sordid past and nobody can stop me.” He crossed his arms on the floor.

 

“You've changed since you got here.” Stella said, sitting up and looking at him a bit more seriously. “I mean, I know you know that, but I figured I should say something. You're... cooler.”

 

“You're biased.” Kazuya pointed out.

 

“Doesn't mean it's not true.” Stella said.

 

“I think you've changed too.” Kazuya said. “I mean, obviously, but I think it's good. You seem a bit more willing to have a good time.”

 

“According to my fanbase, I'm always willing to have a good time.” Stella said. Then she looked down and scrunched up her face. “That sounded wrong.”

 

“Extremely.” Kazuya said. “But you know what I mean, right?”

 

Stella sighed. She sad-looked towards the window. “Not really.”

 

Kazuya scooted just a bit closer before leaning in. “Hey. Stella.” He said. “What's wrong?”

 

“Nothing out of the ordinary.” Stella shook her head. “Just being a sadsack like usual.”

 

“That's bull.” Kazuya said. She turned to look at him, and looked away slightly at his furrowed brow. “I know what being a sadsack like usual looks like. This might look similar, but it's not the same. You're on the verge of tears inside, aren't you?” Stella remained silent. “Stella?”

 

“It's... It's nothing.” Stella said. That, of course, meant it was not at all nothing. Kazuya couldn't help but roll his eyes a bit at the phrase. He'd used it so many times in the past that at this point he'd begun to think maybe it would be better to just swear it off as a species, since it clearly did not mean what it was supposed to mean.

 

Stella's range of experiences had been limited, and Kazuya didn't necessarily know what went down in Phase Three, but he had an idea. “Stella.” He said, venturing a guess. “Is it about the room you woke up in?” Her breath hitched, her eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and the small movements of her body went suddenly rigid. Bingo. “That's what I thought. It didn't seem like your breakdown then was _completely_ about the Nonary Game, or at least it didn't to me.”

 

“...You could tell?” Stella murmured. There was an undercurrent of resignation in her voice. “Kaz, I...” She looked down at her hands before putting her head in them. “God, I'm so fucked up. I'm broken. I should just—”

 

“Stella.” Kazuya placed his hands firmly on hers, removing them from her face and holding them tightly. “You are not broken. Please talk to me. What did you see?”

 

“It's not important, okay?” Stella looked away. “It's not important.”

 

“It is important.” Kazuya countered. “It's been causing you anguish. Do you think I'm okay with letting something like that go silent?” He lowered his head a bit. “Do you think Gavin or Luan would be happy if they learned you'd been propping yourself up and not telling them that something was bothering you?”

 

“You'll hate me.” Stella gritted her teeth and flinched. “If I show you, you'll hate me. You'll realize I'm not good enough for you.” She was crying.

 

“Oh, to hell with that.” Kazuya said. He came in for a proper hug. “Don't give me that. I love you, Stella, and nothing in this stupid game is going to change that.”

 

“But...but!” Stella sniffled. “God, _fuck, I hate crying!_ ”

 

“Yeah. I know.” Kazuya said. “It sucks.” And so they sat like that for a while. It was quiet, but at least they were together. At a time like this, that was all Kazuya could really ask for. The girl in his arms needed someone who... Well, Kazuya wasn't sure exactly what it was that Stella needed. He could only hope he could fulfill that role like she could for him. 'Sadsack' as she was, Stella really seemed to _understand,_ to really, truly understand that sort of deep self-loathing that nobody really wanted to admit they felt. There were few feelings Kazuya knew better, by this point, and simply having someone who both cared and understood in the way Stella seemed to had done wonders to help him begin to work past it, so he really did hope he did something for her in return.

 

“Alright.” Stella gasped into his shoulder after some time. “Fine. Let's go.”

 

“Are you sure?” Kazuya asked.

 

“You tell me all that and then you ask if I'm sure? Of course I'm not sure.” Stella grunted. “So let's go before I can change my mind.”

 

Kazuya smiled and stood up with her. “I know that feeling.”

 

Of course, as soon as they left that area and re-entered the Central Hub, they ran into Gavin and Luan twiddling their fingers. “Oh, Kaz! Stel!” Gavin raised his hand, and since they were holding hands, Kazuya could immediately feel Stella tense up. “Howzit?”

 

“Uh, Gavin.” Kazuya blinked. “I wasn't expecting you back this soon.”

 

“Yeah, turns out we gotta bum puzzle cuz Koji did most o' it for us.” Gavin shrugged and grinned. “Hey, yanno, easy operation, yeah? Gav ain't complainin'.”

 

“We've been sitting here for half an hour.” Luan said. “We didn't want to interrupt.”

 

“Lou!” Gavin gaped at his companion. “You ain't gotta say that! Makes it awkward! 'S way more chill if we keep it vague, y'know?”

 

“Does it?” Luan asked. “I was taught that honesty was the best policy.”

 

“Time and place, duderino!” Gavin said. He put his hand on Luan's shoulder and sighed, his Hasselhoff drooping. “Time and place.” Kazuya squeezed Stella's hand for the unspoken message of 'we can discuss this once we're alone again, okay?' Stella squeezed back for 'oh thank god.'

 

“So, what did you find?” Kazuya asked, letting go of Stella's hand now for more proper investigative posture. “In the safe, I mean.” Gavin held up a media disc. Kazuya stared at it. “That's new.”

 

“Ain't it?” Gavin said. “We gotta computer in the Fluid Lab, now, so we was gonna go scope it in there, but we figgered y'all might wanna come along.” He looked over at Stella, who'd remained quiet. “You aight, Stel?”

 

“When am I ever alright?” Stella groaned.

 

“Better question, then.” Gavin cleared his throat. “You un-copacetic in any manner Gav can help with?”

 

“No.” Stella and Kazuya said simultaneously.

 

“Gotchaaaa.” Gavin shot a finger gun gesture at Stella. “Gav'll leave that to you two, then. He here, though!” There was a pause. “So you wanna come along or no?”

 

“ _Yes,_ I want to come along.” Stella groaned and threw up her hands a bit. “Of course I want to come along.”

 

“Jus' checkin'!” Gavin smiled. “To the Fluid Lab, Superpals!” Kazuya muttered 'Superpals?' under his breath as he walked.

* * *

 

And that was how, after a brief detour, Gavin, followed by his three Superpals, returned to the Fluid Lab to scope this mysterious disc. After removing it from its case, Gavin placed it in a tray in the computer, making sweet computer noises as he did. “What are you doing?” Stella said.

 

“Ah, well, J ain't around to go 'computers computers computers' at us, yeah?” Gavin said. “So Gav figgered he should do somethin' to fill the silence.”

 

There were several files in the disc, including documents, an application, and a whole buttload of files in a file format Gavin definitely didn't recognize, and neither did the computer. The directory was named... 'M Particles Research Information,' authored by a 'Hotaru Tenjo.' Gavin didn't recognize the name. On a lark, Gavin opened up the application first, and was greeted by _oh god_ levels of sciencey-looking gobbledegook. “Okay, first assignment, Superpals, figger out this thing actually is.” Gavin said.

 

The application, as observed largely from Kazuya and Luan, seemed to be a way to observe some measurements of test subjects regarding 'M particles,' which were, like, the brain or something? Each of the files in the weird file format seemed to be files for this program to read and output results from.

 

Gavin decided to click over to Test Subject #1's results on a whim, and was greeted with colorful readings and a great deal of technical data regarding the brain and related particles of 'Hotaru Tenjo' himself. A photo of the man was present, as well as various data regarding him. “Okay, so this our guy.” Gavin said. “Says he ain't got none of whatever he lookin' for...” He suddenly realized that everyone else had gone silent, and turned around.

 

“That—?!” Stella stammered. “That, that...” She was shocked.

 

“What? No way.” Kazuya muttered, a bit of sweat on his forehead. “What in the world?”

 

“...It's him.” Luan gritted his teeth, and his fist clenched slightly. “That man, there.” He pointed to him; a pretty average-looking, if sleazy, middle-aged man, though that goatee was something. “That man is Zero.”

 

Gavin was about to respond with an 'oh, for real?' before Kazuya and Stella both shouted “ _ **WHAT?!**_ ” at the top of their lungs. “You've gotta be—” Kazuya stammered. “No way! What?!”

 

“Huh? Whassup?” Gavin asked.

 

“That's _Valkana!_ ” Stella said, pointing at the photo of Tenjo.

 

It took Gavin a moment to process, but eventually he waved his hand a bit. “Yo yo, hold up, like, 'Li'l Ultimates Initiative' Valkana? The guy what made Nanners's gramma 'n Wand's old lady kill 'emselves? _That_ Valkana?”

 

“The very same.” Kazuya said, his eyes wide. “I'd never forget his face. That's him.”

 

“Zero is...?” Luan said. “Zero was that same man? The same man who ran the Little Ultimates Initiative?” Hotaru Tenjo stared back at them from the screen, proclaiming the results of his research. He looked proud of himself.

 

“...Fuckin' slimeball.” Gavin gritted his teeth. Then his eyes went wide. “Then... _W_ _aaaaait_.” His hands started waving around more. An off-hand comment from ages ago came back to his mind. “Oh. Oh Gav's god.”

 

“What?” Stella asked.

 

Gavin's laps flapped a bit like a fish. “My buddy Saburo _iced Valkana?_ ” His hands were stuck in a vaguely explosion-like gesture around his head. “Small world, I know, but dang, small world!”

 

“I'm _sorry?_ ” Kazuya sputtered.

 

“Yo, when we met, Saburo told me he'd actually killed a guy 'fore, was a long story but he said the guy kidnapped him and killed some kids.” Gavin said. His words were spilling out of his mouth more rapidly than usual. “Now, when Gav found out Lou knew Saburo, obvious connection is it was Zero Quad, yeah? C'mon, 's obvious. But now we connecting like five different plot threads at once and it's takin' Gav for a ride!”

 

“He's right.” Luan said. “I watched as Saburo did it. He beat Zero in a fistfight and proceeded to lock him in the facility's incinerator.”

 

Kazuya and Stella went quiet for a bit. Stella was the first to break the silence, by saying, “Um.” She then followed it up with, “That's _terrifying._ ”

 

“Ol' Sabbo got a way with his fists, man.” Gavin said. “Seriously tho, he cool. Real chill dude.”

 

“Can we stop talking about your cool friend and talk about how _Valkana is dead?_ ” Kazuya began laughing. There was a satisfied grin on his face. “Yes! He did get what he deserved, after all!”

 

“Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.” Stella was laughing, too. “Wow, that's...pretty great.” She paused. “Can you never tell him that I wished he was kidnapped?”

 

“Eh, he wouldn't take it personal.” Gavin shrugged. Having learned how to navigate the menus, at the very least, he flipped through a few more test subjects. Aside from age and whatnot, it seemed what Tenjo meant to measure was the 'brightness' of the subjects' M particles, and indeed, it did vary. What that meant, it didn't explain, but Gavin had a feeling that Tenjo's being 'regular human level' probably had something to do with it. Probably some kind of deep-seated brain envy.

 

“Oh, look, this 'un's got an antenna like Nanners.” Gavin commented on one of the test subjects as they passed that page, someone with particularly bright M particles that Gavin had never heard of. He continued flipping through, not really getting much of note that he could tell until he reached a second page with an antenna-having subject, which he briefly scanned through. “Huh. Both the antennas got real bright ones. This 'un's freakin' blinding.”

 

“...Huh?” Stella murmured from behind him.

 

“Mm, lessee... Twelve years old time 'a measurement from a physical taken at school, huh?” Gavin rubbed his chin. “Guy's name is... Mamoru Sagami.” He was a brunette, seemed like kind of a down-looking kid. “Would be seventeen now.” At the very least, he had an extremely bright brain... whatever that meant. He hummed. “Same name as your ol' pal, Stel. She have any siblings?”

 

“Uh, no.” Stella said. Her voice was weak, so Gavin's guess was she'd noticed the same thing and was feeling off. Either way, though, the glow on Mamoru's W particles was literally white-hot; the particles were closer to white than blue from the intensity of the glow. Curious. Gavin continued flipping through until he reached the last page, and just as he'd figured, a bio on one Rin Hashizawa came up.

 

“No photo.” Luan said. It was, indeed, blank where it should've showed her, perhaps for the sake of obscuring her identity had Nanako not figured it out beforehand? Rin's M particles were dim, though, roughly on the same level as Tenjo's. Whatever quality this was assessing, she didn't possess it.

 

“Y'all got any clue what this means?” Gavin turned back to look at his Superpals, but Stella was turned away, shivering. Kazuya was over by her side. “You...a'ight?”

 

“Keep looking.” Stella commanded.

 

“Uhh... 'kay.” Gavin turned back to the computer. From there were some documents, and one in particular caught Gavin's eye, in between logs of Tenjo's thoughts. It was entitled, 'To the Participants,' and its author space was blank. “...Huh.” He clicked on it to open it.

 

_You may be wondering what the executable was measuring. Tenjo himself did not understand the significance of what he had discovered, and dismissed it as useless to his goals._

 

_Hotaru Tenjo was a pathetic man who grew up utterly talentless. He idolized the idea of those who could excel at a certain field without any effort, and developed an obsession with discovering its origin. While in his later years he proclaimed it to be for science, I assure you that it was nothing but a selfish man's desire to make himself feel less inadequate, much like anything else the man did._

 

_This pathetic man discovered the significance of what we as a society call the 'ahoge,' single hair which sticks up, and in occasional cases, even emotes along with the wearer's emotions. It was an unexplained phenomenon for centuries, but their purpose, thanks to this pathetic man, has finally been discovered._

 

 _Those who possess ahoges are, to a one_ —

* * *

 

With a scream, Stella lunged from the room upon hearing Gavin say the next words. Kazuya yelped, as did the other two. “You two keep reading!” Kazuya called. He ran after her as quick as his legs could take him.

 

It wasn't too far a run. Room Seven was just in the Central Hub, after all. That said, by the time Stella, shivering, stopped running in front of its door, Kazuya was beginning to wheeze a bit. “Oh god.” Stella muttered. “Oh god, oh god, oh god. Oh god. Oh god, oh god.” She was rubbing her arms furiously.

 

“Stella!” Kazuya came up behind her and turned her to ace him. “Calm down. Please, calm down.”

 

“I can't calm down. Oh god oh god oh god, oh god, oh god, I'm sorry.” Her eyes were wild with fear. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.”

 

“I don't understand, Stella.” Kazuya said. “Please talk to me. I just want to hear what it is you're afraid of.”

 

“I fucked it all up. Oh god, it's all my fault.” Stella shuddered. “Oh god. Oh god. Why didn't I die? Maybe if I'd died—”

 

Though Kazuya was trying to keep calm, that struck a nerve. “You do _not_ get to say that right now!” He said. “There's no use in 'maybes!' You're alive, and that's that, so, please, tell me what's wrong!”

 

Stella stopped shaking, and slowly turned around, to open the door. She was silent as she did, just letting Kazuya take it in. The room was decorated in a way to strongly suggest it was occupied, with some cute, muted orange shades on the bedsheets and on the walls. Nothing so strong that it would glare the eyes, but certainly notable. A plain, brown chair sat at a red desk with some reference books atop it, nothing particularly special but nice and homey. A small, personal bookshelf, to Kazuya's eyes, contained largely what was most popular about three years ago and a few years back from there, mostly, though there were the odd books on parapsychology, gender roles, and a particularly well-worn tome on robotics. Philosophy, too, and...quantum mechanics? The sciences were pretty well-represented here, on second look.

 

Kazuya's first impression was that it didn't quite seem to fit the rest of the facility. Even Nanako's room had a bit of oddness to it, or perhaps that was just Kazuya's impression of her, but this room was so aggressively _ordinary_ that it gave him pause. It was the room of someone who followed trends and wasn't ashamed of that fact, but at the same time, had their interests and weren't afraid of showing them. A bit more of a scholarly type than a particularly physical one, but not so much so that they couldn't do physical things if need be. A worn plastic baseball bat on a shelf was proof enough of that.

 

Posters of popular musicians, all female, sat near the back of the room, but still in plain view from entering the room. There was a collection of music on its own shelf below it, again, mostly what was popular, but it was predominantly that of these same artists. There was a window above the side of the bed that reached out into darkness, since the room was, after all, inside.

 

When you looked a bit closer, though, you could see that there were bits of clutter. Crumpled-up old homework and some bottle caps sat underneath the bed, and every so often, if you looked at the books, you could find handouts from school placed in them, with scribbles in the margins. The room's occupant wasn't a bad artist, all told. Not on Kojiro's level by any means, but there was promise there. The closet in the very back of the room contained mostly clothing that left the body androgynous, besides a boy's school uniform, but if you looked closely, hidden away to the sides were the occasional piece of women's clothing, and Kazuya had to admit, the room's occupant seemed to have a good eye for it- much better than his own, at any rate.

 

The one odd thing about the room, besides its presence in this facility, was a factor Kazuya found familiar, one that filled him with a curious sense of... almost nostalgia. There were no mirrors in this room. No surfaces, besides the window, which presumably was not meant to reflect darkness, even began to give a reflection. Not photo frames, not bedside mirrors... Everything the occupant owned was designed so that they did not have to see their own face. It may not have even been a conscious decision. It hadn't been in Kazuya's case.

 

As it turned out, the door wasn't even locked. None of the locking mechanisms that had been present on any of the other doors had been present on the door to Room Seven. Stella had not been locked in the room. Though it had been locked from outside, Stella could've left at any time.

 

“I killed her.” Stella gasped, shivering again in the room. “I killed her, Kazuya. It was me. It was all my fault.”

 

“It wasn't—” Kazuya began.

 

“I knew!” Stella cried. “I knew what would happen if I told her parents! I knew they wouldn't accept her! She died because of me! Nothing's ever going to change the fact that _I murdered Kei!_ ” She threw her arms around. “Now, after we're supposed to get all the answers, I wake up in a perfect replica of Kei's bedroom?! You think that's a coincidence? Huh?”

 

“They're just trying to get in your head!” Kazuya said.

 

“It's my fault. This is all happening because of _me._ ” Stella shuddered. She grabbed at her own head. “You heard Gavin! You heard that message!”

 

 _Those who possess ahoges are, to a one, individuals with the capacity to become the fourth and final type of psychic_ _:_ _'Shifters.' The usage of the antenna bolsters the transmission of the Shifter's M particles through timelines, allowing Shifters to jump between timelines. In other words, the consciousness of a Shifter is capable of leaping from one iteration of events to another, and the Shifters who use ahoges transmit their consciousnesses through it, like an antenna._

 

_In many cases, the Shifter is not aware of this phenomenon. It may seem to them like they simply have oddly good intuition. Only incredibly strong Shifters, or those assisted by one, are capable of retaining their previous memories after jumping to another timeline. Oftentimes, those with Shifting capabilities can possess other abilities as well, though those with both Communication and Shifting abilities are extremely rare._

 

_While there was a surge in their numbers during the years of Ultimate Despair and the following restorations, on account of the great calamities facing mankind, Shifters nowadays are rare, and greatly coveted. As such, the ahoge physically marking such psychics is a massive discovery._

 

“Kei could _jump between timelines,_ Kazuya.” Stella said, grabbing him by the shoulders. “She— The Kei I killed, she's— She's still out there, somewhere!”

 

“You don't know that.” Kazuya said. “And either way, it doesn't matter. In _this_ world, she's dead.”

 

“If she's still out there, then it all makes sense.” Stella said. “Kei... Kei came back! It's Kei... She's the one who did all this!”

 

“How does that make any sense?!” Kazuya cried.

 

“It's revenge, it's all revenge.” Stella shuddered, growing more and more hysterical. “She wanted to take revenge on the people who hurt her and Rin, like— Like Eriko, or Daisuke, or Jun, or _me!_ And it's all my fault! Kei's angry and she wants to kill me! This room is here to tell me that!” She was hyperventilating. “She came back somehow and she wants me to die, she wants her revenge!”

 

“Stella, please!” Kazuya said, attempting to wriggle from her grip. “That doesn't make any sense! That's not—!”

 

“Why are you still trying to defend me?!” Stella was sobbing as she grabbed hold of Kazuya. “See? You see? It's all my fault! You should _hate_ me! It's all my fault everyone died! It's all-!”

 

“It's not your _fault_ , you _dumbass!_ ” Kazuya shouted despite himself, and that stopped Stella briefly. “You're catastrophizing the situation based on wild speculation! You don't even know if Kei even ever learned how to Shift, or if she'd even remember that she died in the first place, and that's putting aside the question of how she'd manage to get back to this timeline, _and_ you're calling Chihaya and Miria liars when they said that she forgave you and still wanted to be friends!”

 

“Why would anyone ever forgive me?!” Stella countered. “We don't know it was me she meant! She might've had some other friend and they were just assuming!”

 

“Do you really think that?” Kazuya said, his eyes wide, panting a bit himself. “Stella, listen to me. The End is trying to torture you psychologically. This is the very _definition_ of torture. She's just trying to hurt you and you shouldn't listen to her.”

 

“But she's _right._ ” Stella said.

 

“No she is _**not!**_ ” Kazuya shouted. “No matter how much you might want to tell yourself that she is, she is not right! You don't deserve any of this pain! You didn't murder Kei! It _wasn't your fault!_ And Kei wouldn't do all this, this sick, twisted game, to get back at you, would she? She's not that kind of person!”

 

“Revenge does things to a person!” Stella shouted.

 

“And when have you ever wanted to take revenge?” Kazuya glowered, his fists clenching. “When have you ever wanted so badly to hurt someone that you needed to write elaborate fantasies about it to deal with it? Have you ever hated anyone besides yourself?! If you want someone to tell you what it's like to hate people, to want to take revenge, then I'm _right here._ But there's nobody in the world, nobody in this entire world, that I would do something this sick and twisted for, drag innocent people into my grudge against! And if _I_ wouldn't, then how on earth can you say _Kei_ would—?!” Suddenly, Kazuya couldn't help it any longer. He broke into a coughing fit, and doubled over. Fuck! Asthma had a way of happening at the worst times. The chest thing didn't help, but—!

 

“Kaz?!” Stella leaned down and shouted, at him as he clutched his chest, hacking and coughing. “Oh my god, Kaz!”

 

“W-Well, I—!” Kazuya coughed. “I'll be fine— Just— Just give me a second—!” It felt like his chest was on fire, but eventually he managed to calm down his shrieking diaphragm. “Haven't...had an attack like that since I was really little.” He said. “All this stress is bad for me.”

 

“Oh my god, Kaz, are you—?!” Stella was sobbing. “Are you okay?”

 

“I'm fine.” Kazuya said, turning his head to look at her. “Stella... Let me tell you something I've learned.” He breathed slowly and methodically. “This story...isn't about me.”

 

“Huh?” Stella said. Her eyes were lost.

 

“I'm just some hapless guy caught up in a story he's barely part of.” Kazuya said. “This isn't about me. The mastermind doesn't really care about me. There's nothing about me that would motivate anyone to do something like this, I'm pretty certain.” He stared right into Stella's eyes. “It's the same for you.”

 

“What?” Stella said.

 

“You might be more important than me...” Kazuya said. “But you're still not the one this game is about. You're not who this game is _for._ No matter how much the mastermind likes hurting you, it's not. So...please, listen to me.” He reached up, and grabbed her hand again. “Stella... This isn't your fault. All you've done was live. Kei's ghost hasn't come back from another timeline to take vengeance on you. That's completely ridiculous.” He grabbed her hand with both of his. “So, please... None of this is your fault. Stop acting like it is.”

 

“But...” Stella blubbered. “But, I... I!”

 

“I don't want to hear that again.” Kazuya said. “After I leave this facility... I'll be starting a new life. And I want you with me. So don't act like I should bury you down here. I'll never accept that.”

 

Stella's legs gave out, and she fell down, wrapping Kazuya in her arms, squeezing him tightly. “I love you.” She sobbed. “I love you, Kazuya.”

 

“Yeah. I love you too, Stella.” Kazuya said. “Let's...get out of here. Being in here isn't good for you.”

 

Stella sniffled and nodded. “Okay.”

 

They walked out of the room together, supporting each other, since for differing reasons, they both felt rather weak. Again, Gavin and Luan were outside in the Central Hub when they left the room. “Oh, uh.” Gavin said. “Yo.” His eyes darted awkwardly to the side. “We good?”

 

“I don't know.” Stella said. “Maybe.”

 

“I think we'll be fine.” Kazuya said.

 

“Great!” Gavin gave a thumbs up. “Call Gav if'n you need him!” He put his hands on his hips, and stood there with an expression befitting a third wheel.

 

“I, uh... I need a minute.” Stella said. She sniffled. “Sorry, you two. I have... I need a minute.”

 

“That's alright.” Luan said. He nodded. Truly, an expert. “We didn't find out very much other than that.”

 

“Yeah.” Gavin said, still stuck in his third wheel pose. “Just some stuff 'bout 'danger' and 'epiphany' or summat? Don'tchu worry, gonna go write it down. Read it whenevs!”

 

“Right, we will.” Kazuya said, leading Stella back to Room Three. He briefly wondered whether Room Six would be more appropriate now, but then he remembered he didn't care.

* * *

 

“A'ight, so...” Gavin clicked his pen and, using a bit of paper from the notepad, scribbling down instructions on how to use the media disc. “Nice, nice. Lotsa, uh... lotsa good datums. Lotsa good datums.”

 

“Have I ever told you you have very nice handwriting?” Luan asked.

 

Gavin turned his head and made a noise of surprise. “Oh, ya noticed?” Gavin shrugged. “When ya gotta voice as weird as Gav's, sometimes you gotta learn to write good or else you ain't gonna get nowhere.” In turn, he looked at Luan's. “You too, man.”

 

“I have steady hands.” Luan said. They shared a nod with each other. “You know, these 'M particles' have explained something for me.”

 

“Oh yeah?” Gavin raised his eyebrow. “Whuzzat?”

 

“How culprits get their memories back.” Luan said.

 

There was a long, awkward moment of silence between the two boys as Gavin slowly registered the words that had just come out of Luan's mouth. “Uh.” Gavin stopped, and looked down, then looked back up. Then he looked to the left, then to the right, then back at Luan.

 

“Had you not been wondering about that?” Luan asked.

 

“...Uh, no, I... most certamundo have not, my man.” Gavin blinked. “Can confirm that Gav has spent exactly zero seconds thinking about this subject matter.”

 

“Oh.” Luan said. “I've been wondering about it for some time, since Jun got his memories back.”

 

Gavin sat down on Rin's bed. “Teach me, Lou-sensei!”

 

Luan nodded. “My first thought was that it might have been a psychological trigger based on the act of murder. If Eriko had woken up remembering Rin, she would not have needed to check, but she did. Therefore, I thought that the memories returned when she checked on the Aquarium.”

 

Nodding, Gavin hummed. “Yeah, yeah. Sense making.”

 

“But Jun killed nobody.” Luan said. “And yet he provably regained his memories through use of the Monokuma Note.”

 

“Mmhm. Right.” Gavin continued nodding along.

 

“My current theory is that perhaps those specific M particles are being held somewhere.” Luan said. “And that the mastermind is transmitting them to us somehow in order to help regain our memories on command.”

 

“Ah, yeah.” Gavin nodded. “Haya got hers back too, yeah? Don't think she noticed much, but she totes did.”

 

“Yes.” Luan said. “That most certainly implies that it's a triggered event. I'm not familiar with M particles enough to say whether it's possible, but it seems to me the most likely situation.”

 

“Trip, man.” Gavin nodded sagely. “Trip. Tha's some crazy stuff right there. Transmitting M particles. Mondo cool. Real smart stuff, Lou.” Luan looked away bashfully. “Okay, so now Gav's got a question.” Gavin raised his hand, and levered it at Luan. “How'zat help us?”

 

“I have no idea.” Luan said.

 

“Great-o!” Gavin said. “Hey, Lou?”

 

“Yes?” Luan said.

 

“G'job anyhow, dude!” Gavin walked over and patted him on the back.

 

“Thank you.” Luan said. “I hope it helps.”

 

“Prolly will, Gav's just dumb, is all!” Gavin laughed. “Anyhoodle, Gav's gonna go take a soak. G'work today, Lou!”

 

“Good work today, Gavin.” Luan agreed.

* * *

 

 

“Ugh, stop it, Mom.” Jun rolled his eyes. She'd heard about his suddenly having more female friends, and she'd been flitting about him as a result. It was super annoying, especially when he was trying to do his homework. “You're so irresponsible.”

 

“I can be responsible when I've heard if you have a crush on any of your new friends.” Mrs. Okita grinned. She leaned in beside his head. “C'mon. I reaaaaaally want to hear.”

 

“And I reaaaaaaally don't have one!” Jun said. “I've told you, I'm above things like that.”

 

“Sure, sure, easy for you to say at that age.” Mrs. Okita smirked. It was a bit catlike. “What's wrong, Jun? Af _raid of a little self-reflection?_ ”

 

“Shut up.” Jun said. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. “Shut up.”

 

_I can't. You'd be alone then, and that's-_

 

“Exactly what I want!” Jun shouted into the darkness. “I'm alone! Leave me alone! I don't want to be near anyone!” It stretched on. The corridor stretched on. There was nothing. Maybe he was dead. Was he ever alive to begin with?

 

_You're losing it._

 

Jun shrieked wordlessly at Voice, bidding her silent. His eyes briefly refocused. He'd been asleep recently. Maybe the truth was-

 

_Do you really want the truth?_

 

“The truth doesn't exist!” Jun shouted. A cacophony of sounds screaming either way caused an avalanche of noise inside his head. “There isn't any truth that I don't know about!”

 

_That makes you happy, doesn't it?_

 

“I...” Jun trailed off.

 

 _You really want there to not be a truth, right?_ Voice said. _You're hoping that you can just forget again?_

 

“I!” Jun shouted. “I, I! I _don't knoooooooooooow!_ ” Suddenly, tears began ripping themselves from his eyes, his throat forcing loud, painful cries to tear from his lungs. “I don't know! I don't know! I don't know! I don't know anything! Nothing makes sense! Everything hurts! No matter which way I turn, it would've been better if I'd just stayed like I was before!”

 

 _You're right._ _Because that's_ _—_

 

“Nobody liked me then! It was comfortable!” Jun cried.

 

 _T_ _he only way you could ever get anyone to love you._

 

“I hate people! I hate them! I want them all to die and go away!” Jun said. “I don't know! I don't know anything! I hate you! I hate you!” _(Please, don't look away from me. Don't leave me. I'm scared. I'm scared of myself. I'm scared of living.)_

 

_You know how people see you, right? So you became that person so you could be like people saw you?_

 

“I'm me!” Jun screamed. “I'm me, and I'm nobody else! You don't know anything about me!” _(Because I've made myself that way. I am that person now. If I'm ever anything else, I'll lose it all again.)_

 

_And that's why Jun Fukuyama is the way he is?_

 

“Die!” Jun shrieked. “I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! Shut up! I hate you! I want to kill you! Where are you?! Let me hurt you!” _(It doesn't matter if it's fake. A fake happiness is all I could ever have. Real happiness would just... crumble again. It's okay. It's okay if it's fake. It's okay if it's wrong. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay.)_

 

A horrible scream ripped through the dark corridor, echoing off of the walls, almost bestial in its pain. The corridor did not flinch. It went on.

 


	67. Day 20, Phase 7 - The Wounded Girl Finally Confesses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note for readers: Prior to this chapter's publication there was instead a goofy joke placeholder here. You can find said goofy joke placeholder at: 
> 
> https://pastebin.com/quGAhEGx
> 
> Please enjoy that if you haven't already. Kinu out.

 

“I don't want to talk to you.” Stella thought that was a pretty solid opener, if she said so herself.

 

“Really? I'm hurt.” Zero said. “Are you sure you don't have questions you want to ask?”

 

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure.” Stella glared at the effigy.

 

“My, those are big words for someone who, not even two hours ago, was bawling her eyes out over how certain she was that all of this was her responsibility.” Zero said. “What happened to being sad over Kei?”

 

“Bite me.” Stella said. She'd walked over to the walls of the chamber by now, and was feeling on them to try and find the exit.

 

“You really need to-”

 

“I _said,_ bite me.” Stella spat. “Murderer.”

 

“If I am such a murderer, then doesn't that make us good bedfellows?” Zero said. A great deal of Stella's heart lurched. _Don't let her in. She's just trying to get to you. You're good because you're Stella Masaki._

 

“It doesn't matter if I turned out to be the... fuckin, the 23rd century's most notorious and prolific serial killer. I would absolutely never, in my entire life, want to spend even a single second with you, you histrionic bitch.” Stella said. Where was this stupid door? “Because, see, here's the deal. I hate myself. I _really_ hate myself. I hate myself a _whole hell of a lot._ ”

 

“So you do.” Zero observed.

 

“But you know what?” Stella said. “Honest, hand over heart? I hate you way more. I hate you so much that even that bit of me that would love to punish me by doing things I really, really don't want to do goes, 'god, fuck, no, I'm not hanging out with Zero.'”

 

“My goodness, I'm really less pleasant than mutilating yourself?” Zero said. Yup, there was another twinge. Well, no, it wasn't quite a twinge. It felt like a stake rammed through Stella's heart.

 

“Yes. You really, seriously are less pleasant than cutting myself.” Stella said. Zero went silent for a bit. Thank god. Okay, maybe it was this little groove in the wall? ...Nope. Damn.

 

“That hurts, Stella.” Zero said. Great. She was back. “That hits me right in the heart.”

 

“Wow! I don't care.” Stella shot back.

 

“And after all the times we've spent together.” Zero said.

 

“This is literally the third time I have interacted with you, and the first time was you knocking me out.” Stella said. “And don't bother being all coy and going 'oh ho ho that's what you think,' because you know, if you're Rin Hashizawa, yeah, yeah, I get it, we've probably met at some point, you're Zero right now and so you can be Zero until you take off the stupid mask and cut the crap.”

 

“I have been watching you all this time, you know.” Zero said. “Certainly that warrants me just the smallest bit of old friend credit?”

 

“Nope.” Stella said. “I hate you.”

 

“Perhaps we should examine how you're using your anger to push me-” Zero began. Aha! There it was! Stella yanked open two slats of the wall to reveal Confessional Hall.

 

“I'm out.” Stella proclaimed, defiantly stepping through the exit and closing it behind her. The instant the shaking from the heavy exit's closing ceased, Stella turned around, towards the striking, white, fluorescent light, fell to her knees, fell to her hands, and let out a deep, shuddering breath. Tears that she'd been forcing back began welling up in her eyes at an incredible rate, and she couldn't keep her hands from clenching on the floor. “...Fuck.”

 

Squatting down next to her, Kei came up and patted her on the back. “Wow, that was pretty cool. Nice job!”

 

“Thanks.” Stella said through her tears. “I just...” She sniffled.

 

“You knew that if Zero talked to you properly, she'd make you hurt so much more that it seemed like a better idea to just disengage as fast as possible.” Kei said. She nodded. Her ahoge twitched. “Don't worry, I get the idea.”

 

“I'm glad you do, at least.” Stella said. She hurriedly wiped her face of tears and a bit of snot, and stood back up, using the wall for support.

 

Confessional Hall was long. Stella had never been up here personally before, but it was a very long hallway. Door Eight was still standing tall and proud, blocking the path, and on the other side was a great, stark white path with doors leading to the other Confessional rooms. “Geez. Rin was always kinda bad at the whole 'proper décor' thing.” Kei snorted with light laughter.

 

“Well, it's probably some kind of service room, right?” Stella pondered. “Not like it needs to look pretty.”

 

“Sure, but it could do with some streamers.” Kei said. She danced around a bit in the space. “Like, right here, and here, for instance? Make it look a bit more festive as you're entering this underwater prison!” She waggled her hands about.

 

Stella shook her head and chuckled a bit. “Goofball.”

 

“Don't act like you don't love what I've got going on.” Kei shot back.

 

“Probably more than is healthy.” Stella replied.

 

“Aww, c'mon, everyone has crushes, right?” Kei came up beside her and put her arm over Stella's shoulder, draping it down her front, in a way that was very particularly angled so as not to touch Stella's touchiest points. “It's a normal part of growing up.”

 

“Yeah, well...” Stella trailed off for a bit before voicing a thought that she'd had stuck in her craw for a while. “Hey, Kei.” The other girl's ahoge twitched, and she tilted her head to one side. “So I'm pretty much straight, right?”

 

“As far as I can tell.” Kei said.

 

“And I fell in love with you before I knew you were a girl.” Stella said. “I think before _you_ knew you were a girl?”

 

“Eh, who can say by this point.” Kei said. “Really, chronological flow of events is more like a suggestion when you're dealing with human memory, so we can just say it _happened_ and leave it at that.”

 

“Right.” Stella chuckled. “So, like... was it... _alright_ for me to be in love with you?”

 

“What do you mean?” Kei's head tilted again.

 

“Well, what I mean is, you know, ordinarily I don't fall in love with women.” Stella explained. Her words were a bit halting, on account of the fact that she'd never really had this discussion with anyone before. “I mean, I fell in love with you, and you are a woman. But at the time I fell in love with you, I didn't know that. I thought you were a man, which falls in line with who I normally fall in love with. So, like, is that... okay? For... you?”

 

“Stella?” Kei said.

 

“Yeah?” Stella responded.

 

“You are overthinking this so hard that you almost sound like you're me, here.” Kei said. She laughed. “Love is love. If you were in love with me, then you were in love with me. Nothing else to it!”

 

“Right. Okay. Thanks.” Stella smiled just a little bit.

 

The two girls walked down the stairs, slowly and methodically in Stella's case, a bit more energetically for Kei. The room was empty. C Team wasn't here to greet her, which seemed a bit odd. Apparently they'd been there to greet Luan, at least, so Stella had been expecting something, but perhaps that was a bit presumptuous of her. “Hey, Kei.” Stella said. Tilt. “You know they have an exact replica of your room?”

 

“It's pret-ty weird, not gonna lie.” Kei said. “Like, okay, two possibilities for the homework. Either they went to my house and rifled through a bunch of stuff my parents probably should've thrown away already, or they had someone mimic a dead girl's handwriting perfectly for several discarded papers.”

 

“Yeah, pretty freaky, isn't it?” Stella said. They passed it by and, on a lark, headed to N Ward. “How are you supposed to even feel about that? I mean, I know Kaz said it was so they could torture me psychologically, but... what if they had it before? What if Rin just... had a copy of your old room in here?”

 

“Hmm...” Kei rubbed her chin, humming, her antenna twirling around. “Well, I can tell you one thing.”

 

“What's that?” Stella asked, trailing her hand across the wall.

 

“Means she's definitely not over me.” Kei nodded sagely.

 

“Gee, you think?” Stella rolled her eyes. “Who _is?_ ”

 

“Yeah, I definitely left a hole, huh?” Kei said. She sighed. “It's pretty depressing.”

 

“I'm sure not over you.” And with that, Stella went quiet. Kei didn't comment for a bit, either. They just walked, and walked, and walked, in circles, around N Ward.

 

It wasn't until some time later that Kei piped up, “Hey, Stella?”

 

“Yeah?” Stella turned her head back to look at Kei.

 

“What do you think of it?” Kei said. “Oh, sorry, that's pretty vague. What do you think about the whole Shifting thing?”

 

“'What do I think of it?'” Stella parroted. She took a moment to think, and that moment stretched into two, and then three. Something so beyond her normal scope of thought wasn't something she could easily form an opinion on, after all, and it was kind of heavy and philosophical. It came eventually, though. “Well... I think... I'd really, really hate it.”

 

“Mm?” Kei tilted her head.

 

“It's like...” Stella started waving her hands about a bit, since she now had the couch of the Living Room to lay on. “Well, it's time travel, but every time you jump to another history to save yourself, you're having to leave all those people in the timeline you're jumping from. _You'll_ still have all those people, and those people will still have you, but they won't be exactly the same people, and there'll be a world you're leaving where people don't have you anymore, if you die.”

 

“Mm.” Kei nodded.

 

“It said that most people don't remember it, but god, I couldn't imagine remembering it.” Stella said. She shivered. “Freaks me out just thinking about it, when I think of... how many people I'd have to leave behind. How many people I'd have to abandon just in the course of living my life. How could I _do_ that to them?”

 

“It is kind of always like that, though.” Kei suggested. She and Stella were laying in opposite directions, with their heads almost touching, and her ahoge tickled Stella's head. “You live your life, but somewhere along the line, there'll be a place where you could've died, no matter how unlikely, and because of that, there's worlds where people don't have you anymore.”

 

“That's the sort of stuff people call 'miracles' or 'freak accidents.'” Stella said. “I mean, I guess if you consider everything basically a percentage scale, and then when something happens, however likely determines how large the infinity of timelines with that outcome it is that continues on from that poi- _what the fuck am I talking about._ ” She broke out laughing.

 

“Yeah, it sounds completely ridiculous, right?” Kei laughed too.

 

“Sounds? It _is_ completely ridiculous.” Stella snorted. “It's some of the stupidest crap I've ever thought about. I mean, for one thing, you _are_ a Shifter, or at least you could've been one. I'm just some fucking kid, none of this will ever even matter to me!”

 

“No kidding.” Kei said.

 

After a pause, Stella continued, in a lower voice. “It is kind of... interesting to think that you may still be out there somewhere, though. Not just 'a Kei,' but _you._ The Kei I knew.” She paused. “It... hm. Are you real?”

 

“What did I say last time you asked me that?” Kei asked.

 

“Fair enough.” Stella said. “It's... weird, though. I've been thinking about this whole alternate timelines thing now, and I've been thinking... that Stella, the one who didn't wind up killing you by accident. Well... I mean...” She sighed. “How do I put this? Mm... would she... is she happy?”

 

“How do you mean?” Kei tilted her head to one side as she sat up.

 

“I've spent so long hating myself for killing you that I just thought that was it.” Stella said. “Like... it always seemed like my life was going to be completely defined by you. By that one thing that happened. By how much it hurt when you died.”

 

“Yeah.” Kei nodded.

 

“But... well, I mean, there's that Stella.” Stella said. “And while I was going to sleep with Kaz, I thought about her. That Stella, who's still alive, and probably still friends with you. Would she be happy just because you hadn't died?” She sat up, too, and steepled her fingers, resting her chin on them. “Would that... _actually_ have fixed my life?”

 

“And what did you decide?” Kei tilted her head again.

 

“Well... I don't think it would have.” Stella said. It was a sad smile, but it was a smile nonetheless as she turned her head to look at Kei. “It just suddenly came to me, like a flash of insight, um, what's the word...” She snapped her fingers a bit.

 

“You had an epiphany.” Kei said.

 

“Yeah, I had an epiphany.” Stella agreed. “I thought, well, it's like, I realized that I'd... probably have just found something _else_ to beat myself up over.” She laughed a bit to herself. “Like, I... maybe it would've been easier, but I'd still have probably felt almost as guilty over pulling you out of the closet, and then that would've led to me finding something else to be miserable about. When it's me, it doesn't matter what it is. It just matters that I feel bad about it. That I hate myself, that I just wanna wink out of existence.”

 

“Mm, yeah.” Kei nodded. “Brains are weird that way, huh?”

 

“So, I guess...” Stella trailed off for a bit, trying to find the words. “I mean, of course I wish you were still alive, and here. But I guess what I'm saying is... well, I guess... ugh, damn it.” She made a few tongue noises to try and get the words out. “I want... well, I want to be able to get past you. I'm not yet, but I want to be able to.”

 

“Yeah?” Kei's ahoge curled.

 

“It's not doing me any good to keep thinking about all the shit I've done wrong in the past.” Stella said. “And... that includes you. I can't keep blaming myself for your death if I ever want to feel happy again.”

 

“Hey. Stella.” Kei said. Stella craned her head to look at her. “You know my parents already knew, right? Like... they already knew what they were going to find, and they just bullied it out of you. You know that, right?”

 

“I think... I think that just came to me, a bit ago.” Stella said. She slumped over. “It didn't matter. It wouldn't have mattered. You were going to get hurt either way.”

 

“Yeah.” Kei said. And the two of them were quiet for some time.

 

“Kei?” Stella asked. Kei tilted her head. “What do I do?”

 

“Well...” Kei crossed her arms and legs, puffing her cheeks out a bit in thought. “You mean, after this?”

 

“Mmhm.” Stella nodded. “I'm pretty clear-headed right now, but... it's not like I'm always going to be like that.” She sighed. “I'm a sadsack to the bone. One little tap and it'll be enough to break me again. Even if I've got all this with me now-?”

 

“You won't lose it.” Kei said. Stella made a noise of surprise. “No matter how low you get, no matter how dark things seem, you'll never forget this, right? You'll never forget what you've figured out here, today. You just have to keep that with you, remember that you finally figured out your first _real_ step on the road to happiness.”

 

Quietly, Stella removed one arm from her blazer, and bore her arm to the air. It had been two and a half weeks now since she'd done anything to it, but it still looked like hell. It had taken all of Stella's strength to avoid making it worse again, and seeing it every day, being reminded of how long it would take before her arms were anything approaching presentable again, only made it worse. Scars still ran up and down her arms, every which way. She'd put most of them there, after all. She knew them far too intimately.

 

“These are going to be with me for the rest of my life, huh.” Stella said. Kei nodded. “God...” Stella chuckled. “I'm such an idiot.”

 

“You are not an idiot.” Kei was right on the ball with the return shot. “They'll always be with you, but they'll fade. Over time, they'll get less and less visible. See?” Kei gestured to them. “They're not bleeding anymore. Some of those didn't used to even have scars.”

 

“...So that'll be me eventually, huh?” Stella said. “I'll always have my pain, but it'll fade over time?”

 

“That is basically how it works, yeah.” Kei smiled. “It's... well, it's the process of moving on with your life. Nothing lasts forever.”

 

“...Hey. Kei.” Stella sniffled. “Humor me for a second?”

 

“Of course.” Kei said. She sat silently.

 

“I...” Stella looked off into the distance, away from Kei. “Well, you know, we've... you're... sorry, I just... god, I'm awkward.”

 

“Take your time.” Kei said.

 

“You're... you've done... so much for me.” Stella said. “I don't think I'd even be alive if it wasn't for you. You're so... nice to me, and you understand me in a way other people don't. The whole reason I have anyone else now is because of you. People love me on the air, but that me only exists because you've helped me stay sane under all this... me. I... I trust you. I trust you so much. And I...”

 

“Mmhm?” Kei hummed.

 

Stella turned to Kei, and looked her in the eyes, tears flowing freely out of her eyes down her cheeks. It burned her face to cry. It hurt. But these were tears that, for once, she felt like she wanted to cry.

 

“I love you.” Stella said. “I've loved you for a long time. It's made me feel awkward because of... well, a lot of things. You're my best friend, for one thing, and... god, most of me is screaming that there's no way I could ever be on your level. That I should just stop. But I don't _want_ to stop! I don't-” The crying spasms of her throat stopped her for a moment. “I _love_ you. I thought I loved Mamoru, and when you told me you were a girl I thought that maybe I'd stop loving you, but it was _you_ I loved, not him, and I've only fallen in love with you harder and harder. And I-!” Sob. “I know you have a girlfriend already, and I know she's... better than I could ever be, because it's not like that's hard, but I had to say it, okay? I love you! I love you so fucking much! I want to be with you _forever!_ There's nothing that makes me feel safer, happier, than seeing your face! I...”

 

She couldn't take sitting up anymore, so Stella collapsed into Kei's arms. Kei, for her part, held her close, gently, letting Stella cry into the shoulder of her coat. It would get stained, but that was fine. “I love you.” Stella blubbered. “I always have. I still do.”

 

It took a second before Stella noticed, behind the sound of her own tears, that there was another light sound. The hands around her waist told her that it was the sound of Kei crying, too. “It's not impossible.” Kei said. “I might've... there's definitely... a world where I would've... said yes.”

 

“That doesn't make me feel any better!” Stella sobbed.

 

“I know.” Kei cried. “I know... I know!” Her tears were loud now, too. “I miss you! I miss you so bad! I just wanted to see you one more time, to tell you that it was all going to be okay, but I never did! It-”

 

Kei's teeth gritted, and she wailed. “It hurts so bad! Being with the people I love, but knowing I've also hurt them so bad by just not being there, it hurts _so bad!_ It makes me feel like a _monster,_ knowing I've left behind all my friends to hurt this bad! Why does this ability exist? Why was I born like this? What's the right way to use this? I just _don't know!_ ”

 

“You are not a monster!” Stella cried. “You're just Kei! You're my best friend!”

 

“I'm...” Kei's face scrunched up, and she went rigid. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I never told you how I felt after that. Because of me, you've hurt so bad, and I hate it! I just... I just...”

 

A wordless wail wrenched itself out of Kei's throat. Stella almost replied with words, but at the last second, she lost them, and her reply turned into her own wail. They screamed into each others' shoulders, clinging tight to each other, roaring out the feelings of those long two years.

 

“It's not _fair!_ ” Stella screamed. “Why did you have to be the Kei who got hit by that train?! You didn't deserve that! You didn't deserve any of that!”

 

“I know!” Kei screamed back. “I know! It's not fair! Why me?! Every me is me, but why did it have to be _this_ me?! It's not fair! It's not fair to _anyone!_ ”

 

“Fuck this stupid world!” Stella shouted. “You know what, Kei?!” She pulled back, and, still crying, grabbed Kei's shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna be happy! Just to spite this _stupid fucking world_ that did this to us! I'm-” She choked. “I'm gonna do it! Just you watch me, Kei!”

 

“I know-!” Kei choked. “I know you can do it. I know you can do it, Stella. I believe in you.”

 

“Yeah!” Stella's hands clenched. “I can do it! I'm- I'm Stella Masaki!” She shook Kei's shoulders. “I'm Stella Masaki, and I'm not okay, but I'm gonna do my god damned best to be okay! Okay?!”

 

“You can! You can do it!” Kei said.

 

“I'm gonna be the best fucking person I can! The best friend, the best girlfriend, the best daughter, the- the best _whatever_ I wind up being! I'm gonna do it!” Stella shook Kei a bit more. “Okay?!”

 

“Okay!” Kei nodded.

 

“And I'm...” Stella sniffled, slowly loosening her grip. “I'm always... going to remember you. I'll never forget you. You'll always be with me. Right?”

 

“Right.” Kei said, slumping over a bit. “That's right.”

 

“Hey, just...” Stella shivered a bit. “Just once... can I... see what it would've been like?” Kei gave an 'mmhm' and nodded weakly.

 

Her lips were softer than Stella expected. Naturally, she only had a sample size of one, but there was a very particular softness to Kei that Kazuya didn't share. Even in this ephemeral, fleeting instance, it was different, so different- and that was what Stella had been hoping for.

 

It wasn't long, or heavy. It was light, a kiss befitting a specter. It couldn't have been anything else- after all, when Stella opened her eyes, Kei was gone. Of course. She had never been really there in the first place. But, at the same time...

 

She _had,_ hadn't she? Stella's heart, so long wrenching at her, for once, felt itself flutter in satisfaction. Whether it was real, or not, Kei was there. And nothing would ever take that away from her.

 

Stella got up, and walked away from the Living Room. She paced back to the Central Hub, and headed to Room Three, where she and Kazuya had gone to sleep. Sure enough, the young man was there, completely unconscious in the bed. Looking at him, Stella chuckled. Maybe that Edward Cullen guy had the right idea, he was adorable while he was sleeping... no. Bad Stella. Bad.

 

“Hey.” Stella said. There were still tears in her eyes, snot running down her face, and all, but she spoke clearly. “Sorry. I know I've been a pain in the ass. And I'll keep being a pain in the ass. But... thanks for being there for me, Kazuya. I love you.”

 

In a gesture that was uncharacteristically sappy, she leaned over and kissed the boy on his cheek in his sleep. What could she say? For once, she was finally in a good mood. Ruffling his hair a bit, she turned and left, to keep going as long as this energy lasted.

 


	68. Intermission, 8 ~ Serial Experiments

 

When Ruri first said, “We're going out for ramen,” to her two current companions, the reaction was about how she expected. Kotone was utterly baffled but went along with it because 'that sounds like a Ruri move,' and Blake was downright ecstatic at getting to go out for a date with his two good friends to get authentic Japanese ramen. The other three were...occupied after their little altercation with the Patriarch, so it didn't seem right to disturb them.

 

Briny coastal air was never quite what agreed with Ruri's complexion, and she most certainly felt it getting into her hair as she drove. The streets weren't particularly crowded, which was good, because while Ruri was perfectly used to having a sidecar, three people on the motorcycle wasn't something she did too often. That said—

 

“ _Sutecredible!_ ” Blake said, having a helmet on top of his hat. Ruri's head was a touch bigger than his, so it fit, but it still looked a bit silly when she caught a glance in her rear-view mirror. “Ruri-chan suteki! Ya- _hooooooooo!_ Boku is feeling the need for the speed!”

 

“Well, I'm glad he's enjoying it.” Kotone commented from the sidecar.

 

“Frankly, this is much more common than how you reacted.” Ruri rolled her eyes. “To tell you the truth, I actually relish it quite a bit.”

 

“Ehhhhh? How did Kotone-chan react?!” Blake hollered, probably not realizing that they could hear him perfectly well over the wind.

 

“Hardly at all!” Ruri said. Blake made a noise of shock. “What were your exact words, Kotone? 'Eh, it's not that much?'”

 

“It's _not,_ though!” Kotone crossed her arms and rolled her eyes right back at Ruri. “I mean, yeah, it's faster than I normally go, but it's not _that_ much faster.”

 

“You see, Blake?” Ruri said. “She's such a killjoy, isn't she? Would you like to be my assistant instead?”

 

“Iie, no way, Ruri-chan!” Blake shouted. “You would certainly get mayoi without Kotone-chan's proper tasuketance! Much as boku ganbaru'd, it would be highly muda!”

 

“Don't try and fire me that easily.” Kotone said, with that tone that told Ruri that she would've reached over and smacked her a bit if they had not been on the road. Ruri laughed.

 

It was a bit cloudy at the moment, but probably going to break before sunset. The three of them got off the motorcycle in front of a reasonably-sized ramen establishment. As Ruri understood it, 'Phantom Ramen,' as it was called, had its start and obtained its name because of an experience the owner had had with the supernatural once upon the time, where she swore up and down that the ghost of her late husband had appeared to her upon consuming a bowl of ramen. Afterwards, she swore to dedicate the rest of her life to creating truly exquisite ramen, so that others could experience that same sort of boundary-crossing exultation from a bowl of noodles.

 

Naturally, this was fascinating and all, but Ruri had not come for a simple bowl of noodles. Kotone, though, piped up and said, “You know, I have no idea why we're out here and all, but thanks. I'm starved.”

 

“All this seigi work takes cho energy out of a hito!” Blake agreed. “Thank you gozaimasu, Ruri-chan! Onegai, eatadakimasu as much as you will! Boku will treat.”

 

“Will you?” Ruri said. “If you're offering, then I'll gladly accept.”

 

It was by no means particularly large. The lighting, Ruri noticed, was at least partially from, of all things, paper lanterns hung from the ceiling. Phantom Ramen's particular method of minimalistic, old Japanese-style decoration gave it an antiquated, yet homey appeal. Ruri was not actually all that much for ramen, but it was, if nothing else, a nice pla-

 

Her eyes darted down and to her left and oh fuck oh shit there was a cat there there's a cat in this restaurant there's a cat _cat cat cat cat cat._ She leapt over and hid behind Kotone as fast as she could. “W-whoa!” Kotone said.

 

“Kotone there's a cat there's a cat right there and I don't know what to do _help me._ ” Ruri shivered. The cat sat there menacingly. “What do I do.”

 

“It's probably the owner's cat or something, it won't do anything to you.” Kotone said. The kitchen was open, as was part and parcel to this particular sort of store, and one of the three women working there, a young blonde woman, about their age, with her hair tied back in a cute little white ribbon, had raised her fist and shouted 'Irasshai!' three times, presumably one for each of the three of them. Blake had gotten quite into it, and he and the working girl were calling 'Irasshai!' back at each other a little bit.

 

Business was slow, as it was just before peak hours for heading to a restaurant, so there weren't very many people about to stare confusedly at the bizarrely-dressed Data Analyst, sitting down at the counter, keeping a watchful eye on that damn feline. Kotone and Blake hopped up, too. In an attempt to regain her composure, Ruri pushed her hair back behind her ear and ensured that she was properly cool-looking.

 

The generational timeline of the Mikagura family, who owned the store, seemed quite clear just from looking in. An old woman was in the back fixing up a bowl of miso for one of the patrons that had arrived shortly before, a bit of dishwashing was being done by a middle-aged woman, and then this young girl at the front was standing there, smiling and doing mutual thumbs-up gestures with Blake. Ruri guessed that it was likely the restaurant was passed down through the family. “Is this the whole staff?” Ruri asked the blonde girl.

 

“Oh, no, ma'am.” The girl said, returning to customer-client mannerisms. “There's two others. My younger sister is out with my aunt running groceries.”

 

“Just the women of the family, eh?” Ruri asked. The girl nodded. “Now, would you be Lain Mikagura, or is that your sister?”

 

“Eh?” The girl looked surprised, and that wasn't a surprise. “Oh, that's me. I'm Lain.”

 

“Interesting.” Ruri looked her over. Lain Mikagura was a relatively petite young woman. Naturally, given restaurant work, she was in an apron and clean, white clothing for the role, but the ribbon was certainly a cute touch. She wore a vacant, confused smile as Ruri scanned her. “Interesting.”

 

“Ruri, quit checking out the staff and order something.” Kotone shoved her a bit. The old woman in the back laughed something in agreement, but it was quiet. “Let's see...”

 

Blake pumped his fists, a grin on his face, clearly pleased. “Nabeyaki, onegai. The Kochi flavor!”

 

“He said 'nabeyaki,' right?” Lain leaned over the counter to ask Kotone. Kotone nodded. “Okay, nabeyaki. And you, miss?”

 

“Hmmm...” Kotone rubbed her chin. “Eh, old standby. One bowl of miso, please.”

 

“And you, ma'am?” Lain asked. The old woman in the back murmured something along the lines of, 'well clearly she wants Lain,' and the middle-aged woman had to hold herself back from howling with laughter.

 

“I'm, ah...” Ruri frowned at the menu. “I'm actually not a ramen expert, as much as it pains me to say. Kotone, what here has the most nutritional benefit?”

 

“Just give her some shoyu.” Kotone said. Lain gave her a thumbs up, and went back to get to work. “'Nutritional benefit.'” She snorted. “Who's the one here who keeps a bag of candy on her waist 24/7?”

 

“It's the cat. Its energies are making me weak.” Ruri said. A shiver ran down her spine as she turned her head slowly to look at the small devil on the floor. “It's draining me, Kotone.”

 

“It is not _draining_ you of anything.” Kotone rolled her eyes. “Just look at the ramen. Take in that aroma.” She took a deep breath in. “Ahhhh, noodles. One of mankind's greatest inventions, if you ask me.”

 

“Ruri-chan, Kotone-chan!” Blake had pulled out a phone camera and was leaning into the counter. “Kite, kite! Boku has to take a shot with his otomes!”

 

“What? Okay.” Kotone leaned in, and gave the camera a V-sign, smiling. Ruri, for her part, tried her best to look at all photogenic given the eldritch attack inflicted upon her by that damn cat, but probably just wound up looking like a defeated wreck instead.

 

“Does your friend need us to take the cat out?” The middle-aged woman said.

 

“No, no, I shouldn't impose,” Ruri groaned at the same time as Kotone nodded and loudly said 'Yes.'

 

“Lain, take the cat out, would you?” The middle-aged woman said. With a small nod and a chirpy 'You got it!' Lain left the back and took the cat outside. Immediately, Ruri felt a rush of energy flow back into her body, as though she were suddenly alive again after weeks of pure, cold death. “You know one of these days we're going to have to start keeping the cat in back, right, Mom?”

 

“That cat stays out here until one of us dies.” The old woman said. “Probably not too far away, in his case!” Her voice was raspy, as was the laugh that came from her at that point.

 

Blake made a little noise of wonder. “How dould desu ka is Sakuya-san?” He said. “Boku just wakata'd that I wakaranot.”

 

“Nobody knows.” Kotone said. “It's one of the great wonders of the Narumi Circus.”

 

“I see ka.” Blake nodded. “How nazerious.”

 

Eventually, the ramen came out. Ruri's bowl simmered, challenging her with its tangy soy sauce aroma. When she ate noodles, they were usually instant, so having pork cutlets in her ramen soup, and a boiled egg, and these slight greens, was always a bit surprising. “Is restaurant ramen always this... heavy?” She asked.

 

Kotone turned and gave her that 'oh, Ruri's being a weirdo again' look. “This isn't heavy, Ruri. _You_ eat too light.” Kotone's bowl, for her part, was rather sweet-smelling. The noodles shared their curliness, but just from looking Ruri could tell that they were thicker and chewier than her own noodles. Those were nuts, right? Miso was nuts.

 

“Wow! Boku no mouth feels like it is so moe that my brain is doing a melt!” Blake said, sweat beginning to roll down his forehead. Nabeyaki was a particularly popular specialty of Kochi, served in a pot rather than an ordinary bowl for better conservation of heat, and still known today as the 'hottest ramen in Japan.' The noodles were thinner, closer to al dente, and there was a chicken base, but Ruri still detected soy sauce. Green onions, raw egg, fish cakes, some actual chicken peppered in... Blake had really gone all out.

 

From across the counter, Lain cocked her eyebrow a bit, and then wrote down the characters for 'atsui' and raised it up in front of Blake. “Can you read this? This means 'hot.'”

 

“Oh, hai, hai.” Blake nodded. “Kono ramen-ya is cho lovely! And kono ramen is choooo hotsui! Arigato, Mikagura-chan-tachi!”

 

“You hear that? We're 'chan' now.” The old woman laughed again. “Precious little thing. Can we keep him?”

 

“Sorry, we kinda need him.” Kotone said. “I think.”

 

“Ehhhh?!” Blake said. “Nani the heck is ano supposed to mean, Kotone-chan?!” He took another bite of his ramen and bent over from the raw heat. “Boku is the highly importance.” He squeaked.

 

Ruri's ramen wasn't half bad… In fact, it was actually rather good. The taste was fuller than Ruri was used to on her regular diet. She wasn't emaciated or anything, but Kotone liked to get on her case about eating better, and she had to admit there was a certain appeal to how relatively heavy the soup was. Kotone, meanwhile, was clearly a noodle natural, consuming her bowl of miso with an almost inhuman dexterity. Perhaps it was a running thing, meant to derive every bit of nutritional benefit possible from each bite of the ramen. That was interesting. She'd have to ask later.

 

At some point, they had become the only customers in the restaurant, so the Mikaguras seemed a bit chattier now. “So where are you all from?” The middle-aged woman asked. “He, at least, clearly isn't local.” She said, gesturing to Blake, who was pounding the counter from his tasty, tasty burning.

 

“Okinawa.” Kotone pointed to herself. “Wales.” She pointed to Blake. “She still hasn't actually told me where she's from.”

 

“Tokyo works.” Ruri said.

 

“That's a motley crew.” The middle-aged woman said. “What brings you to Kochi?”

 

“Official business with Hope's Peak Academy.” Ruri said.

 

“Ahh, _Ultimates._ ” The old woman laughed from the sink. “Of course, of course. Now it all makes perfect sense. What, you over here to give Lain a scout or something?”

 

“What? That's ridiculous, Grandma.” Lain said, playfully poking her grandmother in the arm from another, nearby sink.

 

“We actually—” Ruri was interrupted when Kotone's phone rang out.

 

“Oh, Nat.” Kotone's eyes widened slightly when she saw the Mariner's ID come up on her phone. “Cool if I take this?” Everyone nodded, and she did. “Yello?” Pause. “Nat. I've got this amazing bowl of ramen in front of me. You know, it's always my favorite part of the whole assistant job when Ruri's instinct winds up taking us to a food place-”

 

Whatever Natsuhi said next, it was evidently _hilarious,_ as Kotone threw her hands over her mouth to stifle her raucous laughter. She pounded the counter a bit trying to keep herself from howling. It took quite some time before she was even able to begin to form words, and with tears in her eyes, she responded, and the two of them exchanged a few more words before hanging up. “What in the world was that about?” Ruri asked.

 

“Girl Talk.” Kotone waggled her phone at Ruri to make a point. “It's confidential.”

 

“ _Yeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!_ ” Blake slipped back into his native tongue, shouting in celebration. “I took a bite without flinching! _I will conquer this incredible bowl!_ ”

 

“Er, what did he say?” Kotone turned to Ruri, on account of her low English grades.

 

“'Boku has done the managing of a step into the Ramen Dimension without doing a recoitai. His yuuki to power shall rising to the challenge of the conquest of this sugoi bowl of ramen!'” Ruri translated. Kotone nodded in understanding.

 

“What did she say?” The middle-aged woman asked the other two.

 

“'I've stepped into the Ramen Dimension and didn't even flinch! This ramen is amazing!'” Lain translated. The middle-aged woman didn't quite seem to understand, but nodded anyway.

 

“In any case-” Ruri raised her finger, but was then cut off by Kotone's finger in her face.

 

“Finish your ramen, Ruri.” Kotone chided. “Eat. Fill your stomach.” Ruri grumbled, and continued eating her ramen. It was spitefully delicious.

 

“Does she not?” Lain said. “Is the cape like a Polyphemus moth? Does she use it to hide how thin she is?”

 

“Might as well subsist on a diet of candy and power bars.” Kotone rolled her eyes and scoffed. “No understanding of the finer things in life, I tell you.”

 

“That's tragic.” Lain said, crossing her arms and frowning. She and Kotone locked eyes, and nodded in mutual understanding.

 

Eventually, Ruri's bowl was down to just soup, and as she was dignified if nothing else, she did not drink it like Kotone did. Squeaking into the finish line, Blake triumphantly took his last bite and then stood up and hollered. “Yatta! Owari da!” He pumped his fists into the air and danced around a little bit. “Kono Kochi ramen-ya taste is locked into my memoriokus now! Boku will never forget this day!” He clapped. “Yahoo!”

 

The three Mikaguras all simultaneously bowed to the powerful warrior who had just conquered their establishment. “Congratulations, milord.” Lain said. “Your victory will go down in history.”

 

“ _In any case,_ ” Ruri said, clearing her throat, “our business here is actually speaking with you, Ms. Lain Mikagura.”

 

The room went silent for a moment as the other five present processed what Ruri had just said. Lain's mouth gaped slightly. The old woman said, “You know I was kidding, right?”

 

“My friends and I are in the process of investigating a hostage situation for Hope's Peak, and you, Lain, are in a unique position to offer some insight.” Ruri said. That just confused the room more.

 

“You didn't kidnap anyone, did you, Lain?” The middle-aged woman asked.

 

“Wha— No.” Lain blinked. “No kidnapping here.”

 

“Much as I would hate to remove you from the front just before rush hour,” Ruri said, noting a car or two starting to pull into the front, “it really cannot wait, and I must insist on privacy. May we sit in the back?”

 

In response, the middle-aged Mikagura looked out the kitchen window towards one of said cars, nodded slightly, and said, “I suppose that's alright.” She looked at Lain. “Remember what I told you.”

 

“No money will be going from me to them, only them to me.” Lain nodded sagely, as did her mother, confident in this piece of multi-generational wisdom.

* * *

 

'The back,' as it turned out, had a convenient enough little office room for this sort of discussion. The setting sun filtered through the blinds of a window as Ruri, Kotone, Blake, and Lain all seated themselves. “Just so we're clear, Blake and I have no idea what's going on here.” Kotone raised her hands.

 

“Allow me to more formally introduce myself.” Ruri said. “My name is Ruri Bessho, and my Ultimate title is that of Ultimate Data Analyst.”

 

“That's, um...great.” Lain nodded. “I'm glad.” Her eyes darted around a bit before asking, “Okay, so... How do I have anything to offer you?”

 

“It's quite simple, really.” Ruri said. “I believe you to be the only person who can inform me of several factors regarding a key player in this case.”

 

“Please stop being vague.” Lain said, staring at Ruri.

 

“Rin Hashizawa.” Ruri said. The instant the name was uttered, Lain's face went through a complex range of emotions in an instant, running the gamut of fear, sorrow, curiosity, shock... “I take it you weren't expecting that.”

 

“Should I have been?” Lain asked. “Nobody's ever come to ask _me_ about her before.” She blinked. “How did you even know-?”

 

Ruri produced a media disc, the same one the group had found in Hotaru Tenjo's underground facility. “It's quite simple. I followed her 'psychic fingerprint.'”

 

“I am wakaranot comprehending.” Blake said. “Er... Ruri-chan, nani?”

 

“Ah, perhaps you're unfamiliar.” Ruri said. Kotone and Lain both seemed also rather confused. “You see, the M particles of a given person have a 'fingerprint,' a certain frequency that marks them as M particles belonging to that given person. In most cases, M particles cannot exist outside of the brains of humans, and this fingerprint goes unused, but in particularly strong impressions of the user's psyche onto the world outside their mind, it can be traced.” She levied her hand to gesture at Lain. “One such impression is the creation of a Replicant.”

 

“Huh?” Kotone said.

 

“Creation of life,” Ruri said, “is not something one may do while divorcing the self from said life. Consider, for instance, the Judeo-Christian god, who created man in his own image? As we humans take on the role of creating life with our own hands, this factor, creating that life in our own image, becomes inevitable. Emotion, sentiment, desires, wills, all pours into a Replicant and necessarily shapes their behavior. As such, any Replicant can be traced back to its creator so long as you may track their creator's M particles, which the information in this disc handily allowed me to do.” Ruri smiled. “It was quite a stroke of luck to find you here in Kochi, though. Had you been too far, I may not have been able to speak with you before we left.”

 

Lain folded her hands into her lap, sighed, and said, “So Ms. Hashizawa is a key player in this ongoing hostage situation?”

 

Ruri nodded. “I'm unaware of how much she may have told you while you were in her care, Ms. Mikagura, but Rin and I actually used to be quite good friends. Unfortunately, most who could tell us about Rin _after_ that point have been kidnapped and are said hostages. As a result, you are the best source of information we have.”

 

“I see.” Lain said. After a moment's pause, she said, “Well, what do you want to know? I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.”

 

“Were you created legally?” Ruri asked.

 

Lain shook her head. “Mother was never able to obtain a permit.”

 

“There's a permit for these things?” Kotone asked.

 

“Consider the information I just told you, Kotone.” Ruri said, crossing her legs and gesturing a bit. “Given that the creator impresses so strongly on their creation, it is quite important that a Replicant's creator not only be reasonably mentally sound, but capable of caring for another life should they be creating it with that intent. It's a very delicate process, and as such, circumventing it is quite illegal. As such, Lain's existence proves—”

 

“That my creator is, in fact, a criminal to some extent.” Lain said. “Right?” Ruri nodded, and Lain sighed. “That's unfortunate.”

 

“How exactly did you come to live separately from your creator?” Ruri said. “Anything you could tell us would be helpful, Lain. Really.”

 

Lain sighed, tapped her chin, and reminisced. “Well... Let's see. I was her fifth attempt at creating a Replicant, and her first fully successful attempt. At the time, Mother was living with her aunt Yuno, but was mostly unsupervised, which is how she was able to create me undiscovered.”

 

“How long did you stay with her?” Ruri asked.

 

“Roughly two months. It wasn't difficult to stay undetected in her home at the time.” Lain said. “If you'd like personal details... At the time, she had a lover by the name of Kei Sagami, I think? She spoke about other friends on occasion, but never seemed to contact them, just talk about fond memories she had with them.”

 

“I see.” Ruri said. “That places you very well, thank you.”

 

“The first time she asked me if I wanted to leave was about a month after my creation.” Lain said. “At the time, I said no. The next month changed the situation, though; Mother said she had decided to build an underwater home for herself, her lover, and their children, myself included.”

 

“And you didn't find that appealing, I take it.” Ruri said, crossing her legs again.

 

“No, not at all.” Lain shook her head. “Even with as limited interpersonal contact as I had then, I was fairly certain that I wouldn't enjoy that sort of lifestyle. I informed her as much, and she assisted me to politely excuse myself from her family. Eventually, I wound up here in Kochi, and the Mikagura family took me in.”

 

“Lovely.” Ruri nodded. “And did she keep up any contact?”

 

“For a while after I left, no. I'm fairly certain she had to run away from home for some reason.” Lain said. She twiddled with her ribbon a bit. “Some time after that, though, I received a message from her, telling me that she had finished an incredible advancement; a Replicant that could produce M particles.”

 

Ruri's eyes widened. “She managed to create a VK-compliant Replicant?”

 

“Over the next few months, I learned more about her. Her name was Nanako.” Lain said. “Apparently, she was built with an incredibly advanced method that Mother didn't describe to me, such that she could develop physically in a similar manner to a human. Mother actually hypothesized that Nanako grew to resemble her physically as a way to help Mother be confident in her own appearance. She had a few odd little physical gestures, too, that Mother wasn't sure where she'd picked up.” She tapped her chin, and then muttered, 'I think it went like this?' and tilted her head to one side.

 

As Lain spoke, Ruri's gaze narrowed. 'Nanako Hashizawa.' The world's first VK-compliant Replicant, created by Rin in her underwater compound. And she... “So Rin did _not_ do that, yes?” Ruri said, leaning in, steepling her fingers, and staring intently at Lain. “That head-tilting gesture. That was something that Rin did _not_ do.” Lain nodded. “Fascinating.”

 

“Wait, but...” Kotone crossed her arms. “That doesn't make sense, thoooo...oooough...” She trailed off, one of her fingers raising as she nodded.

 

“So ka, this Nanako-chan is Yashiro-kun's friendachi, and not Rin-chan?” Blake said. “Eto, but doushite would Yashiro-kun call her Rin-chan?”

 

“There's the possibility that it's for legal reasons.” Ruri said. “After all, if Rin never possessed a permit to create a Replicant, then Nanako Hashizawa's existence itself would be indicative of criminal action on Rin's part. It's possible that this Nanako was instructed to call herself Rin in the event of meeting another person to keep herself secret.”

 

“Hold on, though.” Kotone said. “I think Queen Narumi said that Yashiro said that he'd run into Rin in here, right? And that she looked the same as ever, right?”

 

Ruri nodded. “Yes, and with this new information, that would imply that that 'Rin' was not, in fact, Rin, but her Replicant, Nanako. That the seventeenth participant in The End's killing game is _Nanako,_ not Rin.”

 

“Hold on a second.” Lain raised her hand. “Killing game? Like the ones run by Ultimate Despair?” Ruri nodded gravely. “Then you're saying—?”

 

“The real intent of this visit was to gather information...” Ruri sighed. “Regarding the possibility that Rin Hashizawa was the culprit behind the deaths of at least seven members of Hope's Peak Academy's 263rd class.”

 

Lain's eyes went wide, and she took a sharp breath in, putting her hand on her heart. “That...” Her eyes began darting about. “And...well, I...” She gulped. “I don't believe that my creator would do that.”

 

“An understandable feeling.” Ruri said. She nodded. “I would rather not believe it either.” Waving her hand, she continued, “Regardless, I have two further questions for you, if you don't mind.”

 

“No, you can ask me anything.” Lain said.

 

“The first is, when did your mother cease contact?” Ruri said. “You mentioned a 'few months.'”

 

“That'd have been... about April of last year, 2195.” Lain said, her gaze moving back in thought. “There wasn't anything really special about her last letter. It was just another update of the situation at the compound. She just stopped sending letters after that point.”

 

“Alright.” Ruri nodded. “My second question. When did your mother name the compound?”

 

“Huh?” Lain frowned a bit. “Er... well, I only learned the name after she began contacting me. When I was with her, the compound didn't have a name.”

 

“Fascinating.” Ruri said. She stood up. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Mikagura. It's greatly appreciated. I think it'll help us quite a bit.” She turned to Kotone and Blake, who had been sitting there stunned for quite some time. “If you two have finished gawking, we can go now.”

 

“Uhh. Okay.” Kotone blinked. “Wow. Uh, that's. Good job?” Blake nodded wordlessly.

 

“Wait.” Lain said as Ruri began turning to leave. “Ms. Bessho, right? I... may I say something before you go?”

 

“Certainly. I'm all ears.” Ruri turned her head over her shoulder.

 

“Don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy here.” Lain said, looking down into her lap. “I enjoy my life as a Mikagura. I'm very content to spend my life this way. But... please, help my mother, if you can. Even if we're no longer family, I would still rather she be happy.”

 

“An understandable feeling.” Ruri couldn't help but grin a little. “My goodness, but she certainly is an Ultimate Roboticist, isn't she? Were I not aware, I'd think you yourself were VK-complete.” She chuckled. “Or perhaps it's just your character.”

 

“Well, I try.” Lain said. She smiled back at Ruri. “Have a nice day, and come again if you're in the neighborhood!”

 

“Oh, we certainly will.” Ruri said. “Kotone, remind me if we're ever in Kochi, would you?”

 

“Sure thing.” Kotone nodded. They walked out into the main building of Phantom Ramen again. It was beginning to get crowded, now that rush hour had hit, and all four women behind the counter (a slightly younger middle-aged woman and a roughly thirteen-year-old girl had joined the group) all seemed quite happy to see Lain back at work.

 

“You really took your time!” The youngest girl said. “Don't slack off so much, you're gonna be a bad influence on me.”

 

“Sorry, sorry.” Lain smiled. “Important business. I got to be a VIP for a bit.”

 

“Ooh, neat.” The younger girl said. “Confidential?”

 

“Ehh, maybe I'll tell you later.” Lain turned and winked at her. When Blake, leaving, called 'Irasshai!' she turned and holled an “Irasshai!” back at him, and Ruri heard her begin to explain the funny little crowd who'd come to visit today and how that led to her shouting 'welcome' at someone who was leaving.

* * *

 

“Don't worry, Luna.” Tsumugi put her hand on Luna's shoulder. “I'm right here with you.”

 

“Right.” Luna sighed. All she had to do was reach out to the door of this perfectly ordinary house and knock, and then... pretend for a while like she didn't hate being here. She gulped. “Tsumugi?”

 

“Yes?” Tsumugi smiled.

 

“Thank you for being here.” Luna said. She reached out and knocked.

 

After a moment, the door opened to reveal... Ah. It was a brunette woman, with mid-length, wavy hair, in a reasonably nice-looking white dress. She'd always been a bit taller than Luna, and that hadn't changed, but nowadays it felt ever-so-slightly intimidating.

 

The woman's face lit up in the middle of asking 'may I help you' when she saw Luna's face, and it broke into a smile. “Luna? Luna Masaki!” She put her hands together. “Oh my goodness, it's been ages! What are you doing out here?”

 

“Ah, I was...just in the neighborhood.” Luna said. They'd left the helicopter some distance away. “It's been a while, hasn't it?”

 

“Well, it sure has!” Hinae Sagami said. “Come on, come in here. Sit down! I'll make you some tea. Bring your friend! Who's your friend?”

 

And so it was that Luna found herself seated in the living room of the Sagami family, again. It hadn't changed a bit in two years. Still the same photos on the walls, of a loving, three-person family, still the same carpets, still the same furniture… As Hinae scurried about making tea, Luna said, “Well, this is Tsumugi. We met recently, and, well, we became friends.”

 

“Hi!” Tsumugi said. “It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Sagami.”

 

“Call me Hina, please.” Hinae smiled at her. “What kind of tea do you like?”

 

“Oh, green would be lovely.” Tsumugi said.

 

It took a moment, but as she was sitting down with three cups of tea, Hinae's face scrunched up, looking at Tsumugi. “Hmm.” Hinae murmured. Before long, though, her face lit up with recognition. “Say, you wouldn't happen to be Tsumugi _Kagenui,_ would you?”

 

“That is my name!” Tsumugi nodded, a big smile on her face.

 

“Well, no way!” Hinae laughed. “My god, a real, honest-to-goodness Ultimate in my house! Alumnus of Hope's Peak! I guess that's what happens when your daughter turns out an Ultimate, eh, Luna?”

 

“Er.” Luna blinked. “You knew about that?”

 

“Of course I knew about it!” Hinae said. From somewhere under the coffee table, she pulled out a photo album. Ah, right. That thing. “You see, Ms. Kagenui, this family has always been a very, very big fan of Hope's Peak. I'm a total nut! I keep track of all the Ultimates I can!” Internally, Luna rolled her eyes. Were you seriously going to bust out photos of your guest in high school? ...Yes, as it turned out. Yes, she was.

 

“Oh, my! That's me!” Tsumugi beamed. It was probably a good thing that Tsumugi was Tsumugi. If it had been Luna in her position, she would've run very fast.

 

“I was so proud when I heard little Stella got into that class, you know.” Hinae said, turning her head to Luna. “I knew she had talent, of course, but to see it recognized is such a great feeling!”

 

 _Stella's been kidnapped, you bitch, why are you so calm?,_ Luna most definitely did not say. “Yes, I was very proud of her. I still am.”

 

“It's really a shame what's happened.” Hinae's smile faltered, and she gritted her teeth, clenching her fist. 'Damn despair?' “Damn despair!” Hinae said. Yup. “Don't know when to leave well enough alone.” She put her hand on her heart and sighed. “It's such a tragedy what happened to those children.”

 

In an uncharacteristically conversationally wise motion, Tsumugi turned to Luna, with a facial expression that looked like a smile, but was clearly intending to communicate, 'oh, now I get it.' Luna responded with a look that said, 'yes, this is the issue here.' “Don't worry, though, Luna.” Hinae said, smiling again and pumping her fists. “Hope keeps on going! As long as we don't give up hope, Stella will be fine!”

 

“Right.” Luna said.

 

“Speaking of,” Hinae asked, oh god damn it of course we were going here, “how've you been, Luna? Still kept up the search for work?”

 

“I've been volunteering, mostly.” Luna said. “Nice and low-stress, but still helps me feel like I'm accomplishing something.”

 

“That's the spirit!” Hinae smiled. “And—” _Please_ don't bring this up. “How about the search for someone to marry?”

 

 _Holy shit, I hate you,_ Luna most decidedly did not say. “That's...still...on the backburner.” Luna chuckled nervously.

 

“Oh, don't give up hope, Luna.” Hinae said, an almost pitying smile on her face. “As long as you don't give up hope, you'll find someone!” _Right, because the issue was me giving up hope and not—_

 

“You really like that word!” Tsumugi chimed in. Oh no.

 

“Well, of course!” Hinae said, a beaming smile coming onto her face. “It's because of hope that we even still have a world to call home. If it wasn't for hope, none of the three of us would've even been born! I always make it a point to keep hope in my heart and battle despair!” _Why did you ask her that?!_ Luna didn't say. “After all, when you give up hope, that's when despair can creep into your heart and take hold, so as long as you never give up, then you can always have hope!”

 

“I see!” Tsumugi said, in a way that Luna was fairly certain actually meant that she did not, in fact, see at all. She looked around the room, and Luna had no doubt that she was looking at the photos. The smiles in those photos seemed almost mocking. “Your son has an ahoge, I'm sure you must be quite proud of him.” Good segue, at least.

 

“Oh, Mamoru...” Hinae put her hand on her heart and clutched it. “We still miss him terribly, you know. He was such a good boy, kind, thoughtful, caring... No wonder Stella had a crush on him, right, Luna?”

 

“Er, yes. Certainly.” Luna nodded. She didn't disagree on most of that statement.

 

“If it's not too touchy a subject, may I ask what happened to him?” Tsumugi said, putting on her best sympathetic frown.

 

“Mamoru...” Hinae looked downcast, and her hands clung together. “He had such a bright future ahead of him, but... He...gave into despair.” She snarled, and hissed. “It's all because of that damn Hashizawa girl. I knew I smelled despair on her from the instant I saw her! Of course someone like her would be the type to lead Mamoru astray!”

 

“So you're saying he lost hope in his proper path in life,” Tsumugi said, “and struck out on his own and died?”

 

“He ran away from home one day, and then, some time later, the police brought his body home, mangled by a train.” Hinae said. “It took us a long time to come to terms with it. I still haven't been able to bring myself to touch his room.”

 

“Er...” Luna hesitated. “Where is...Mamoru's grave? I'd like to go pay my respects, if you don't mind.”

 

“That's very kind of you, Luna. The cemetery is a block down that way.” Hinae said, pointing off to the west. “It shouldn't be hard to find him, it's not very large.”

 

“Of course. Thank you, Hina.” Luna said, putting on her best smile. “We, er... we should be going.” She said, standing up.

 

“Oh, but you just got here!” Hinae said, frowning. “Hang around a bit, for old times' sake! An opportunity like this doesn't come along very often, you know?”

 

“No, really, that's fine. Let's go, Tsumugi.” Luna said. “We have a schedule to keep.”

 

“So we do!” Tsumugi said. “Lovely meeting you, Hina.” She stood up, waved, and then joined Luna on her relentless advance towards the front door.

 

“Don't give up hope, Luna!” Hinae called. “I know it might be frightening, but as long as you don't give up hope, Stella will—!”

 

The door shut. Luna walked out of the front yard, and headed a few homes down, before letting out a loud, tired sigh. “ _Fuck._ ” She spat.

 

“You did a good job, Luna.” Tsumugi smiled. She put her hand on Luna's shoulder. “It's done. Let's go pay our respects.”

 

“Right. Let's.” Luna shivered, to get the last of the foul aura she felt out of her body. Perhaps there was more she could've gotten from that conversation, but every second in that house made her skin crawl. There was only so much she could manage. “Did we get the forms filled out?”

 

“A bit of official stationery and it was easy as pie!” Tsumugi clapped. “It’s plain to see that they trust Hope’s Peak Academy quite implicitly.”

 

“Good.” Luna sighed. “I hope this is worth it.”

 


	69. Intermission, 9 ~ Water Margin

 

“Sensei! Mrs. Masaki! Over here!” Reiji called. It was getting dark now, but he was a bright enough presence that he figured they'd probably notice him anyhow as they got off the helicopter. As was human nature, despite informing them that he was 'over here,' he himself came somewhat closer to meet the two women.

 

“Reiji!” Megane waved, smiling as usual. “We had a wonderful time!”

 

“Is that what you'd call a 'wonderful time?'” Luna said, raising her eyebrow at Megane.

 

“Bonding with you was quite wonderful, Luna!” Megane's smile widened as she turned to Luna and leaned in a bit. “Ooh, it's plain to see I have to tell Miki about this. She'll probably be thrilled! Or, well, no, she won't be thrilled. She'll quietly listen and then mutedly tell me she's happy to hear it, and it's plain to see that's just how she expresses being thrilled.”

 

“Much as I would hate to interrupt your friendship opportunities, Sensei, I must ask you how it went.” Reiji said, putting his hand on Megane's shoulder as the two groups intersected.

 

“It was just as you suspected, Reiji!” Megane clapped. “Right on the money!” And she handed Reiji the forms to confirm it.

 

“And our collateral?” Reiji asked. Luna gestured with her head to the back of the helicopter. “Lovely.” He took a look at the forms. “...Pig, hm? Very clever, very clever.” He chuckled. “Not clever enough to stand up to careful inspection, naturally, but I'll give her points for trying.”

 

“When are we leaving?” Luna asked. She gripped her hands close together. “After today, I think it's high time I got to see my daughter again.”

 

“Roughly two hours.” Reiji checked his watch. “Natsuhi's boat, the _Moon Viewing,_ wasn't quite large enough for all of our surprise guests and the hostages, so we've needed to prepare a larger vessel.”

 

The helipad wasn't far from the harbor, so Reiji pointed to a great, white sailing ship docked at the harbor. Visible even from this distance was Natsuhi, scurrying about on it ensuring the boat was not just sea-ready, but sea- _worthy,_ so to speak. “Oh!” Megane clapped. “My goodness, where did you get that?”

 

“The Headmaster called in a favor.” Reiji said. He began walking away. “Lovely greeting you two, but I've a bit of collating evidence to do.”

* * *

 

There was a box on the edge of the ship, so Miki was able to climb up onto it and lean over the railing, staring out into the ocean at night along with the orange-haired mess who'd come to talk to Dr. Morinaga recently. “Oh, hello.” He said.

 

“Hello.” Miki said. “Your daughter, right? The Hide-and-Seeker?”

 

“Er, yes.” Mr. Inoue said. His voice was a bit more composed than it had been when he'd charged in while Miki was attempting to sleep. “And...you're, erm...”

 

“Miki Murasaki.” Miki said. Recognition flashed in his eyes, but Satoshi Inoue chose not to say anything in response, which meant he was probably pretty tolerable.

 

“You decided to come along?” Mr. Inoue asked her, turning his head back to the ocean.

 

“I wanna see it.” Miki said. Her hands clenched on the railing. “I wanna see her get hers.”

 

“Oh, there you are.” Dr. Morinaga's voice came from behind the two of them, and he jogged up to the railing. “Oh. Inoue.”

 

“Doctor!” Mr. Inoue turned his head, and his eyes widened. “Er, thank you for speaking to me the other day. I— Well, er, I—”

 

“Can you just not talk to people your own age?” Miki asked. “Is that it?”

 

The deck of the ship went quiet for a moment. “She's like that.” Dr. Morinaga said to Mr. Inoue. “Don't take it personally.”

 

“I, er, wasn't planning on it...” Mr. Inoue murmured. “She's...probably right. Lord knows it wouldn't surprise me.”

 

Coming up to the railing himself, putting Miki in the middle of the two men, Dr. Morinaga sighed. “What a world.” He said.

 

“Did you come to...oversee Miki, Doctor?” Mr. Inoue asked.

 

“Partially that.” Dr. Morinaga said. “Partially because I want to see The End get hers.” Mr. Inoue nodded and gave a quiet 'ah.'

 

“I just want to see Chihaya again.” Mr. Inoue said.

 

The two men and the young girl stood quietly on the railing, staring out into the ocean. That quiet didn't last long, as suddenly onto the deck came the trumping of loud footsteps. “Miki!” Oh, it was Glasses. “Miki!”

 

Suddenly, Miki found herself lifted up underarm, and pulled close, as Glasses hugged her tightly. “W-whoa!” Miki said.

 

“I'm so glad you're well enough to be out of bed!” Glasses said. “I was worried when I heard you insisted on coming along, you know, but you look so much better than you did a few weeks ago, it's so good to see!” She was beaming.

 

“Ma'am, please don't twirl my patient.” Dr. Morinaga said.

 

“Oh, my apologies.” Glasses said, sitting Miki back down on the deck. “Please forgive me, Doctor.”

 

“No, you're alright, Ms. Kagenui.” Dr. Morinaga raised his hand. “I just generally don't allow twirling my patients.”

 

“An understandable policy!” Glasses smiled. She turned back to Miki, still in the process of having been twirled. “Miki, Miki! Luna and I are friends now!”

 

“Oh.” Miki blinked. Luna... that was Mrs. Masaki, the mother of the Commentator. “Good job, Glasses.”

 

“Thank you!” Glasses clapped. “Oh, my social circle has gotten so much larger, lately. It's a very fulfilling feeling!”

 

“Yeah, it would be, huh?” Miki said. She paused for a moment as she chewed on a thought. “Are you gonna try and make friends with the students, too?”

 

“Well, I always try to be my students' friends.” Glasses said, her eyes wide and innocent. “I love my students, after all! But it's new to me to have such an adult woman for a friend, you know. Oh, but you're still my friend too, Miki!” She hugged Miki again. “I'm so excited!”

 

“You're excited for this?” Miki couldn't help snorting. “Weirdo.”

 

“To the bone!” Glasses cheered. Miki's eyes darted over to the extremely befuddled Mr. Inoue, who was standing at the edge of the deck, seeming vaguely nervous about the clearly strange woman who'd just burst onto the deck. Glasses noticed Miki's look, and let go to look at him. “Oh, hello, Mr. Inoue. I'm sorry, did I startle you?”

 

“Yes?” Mr. Inoue squeaked. “Er, no, it's— It's alright, really, I— I'm just generally rather jumpy these da—” He stopped himself, and started loudly breathing in and out, taking in the briny air, moving his fingers in time to an unheard melody. His breathing slowed as he did. “I'm alright.”

 

“Oh, well, that's good.” Glasses said, her voice just the slightest bit concerned. “I would hate to have hurt you.” Her head rocketed back towards Miki, though, and with glee in her eyes, she said, “Miki, Miki, Miki! Do you want to watch anime with me? I brought my vintage Blu-rays of _Ouran High School Host Club!_ ”

 

Miki was completely unsurprised that Glasses wanted to talk about anime at a time like this, but actually _watching_ it with her would actually be a new experience. She shrugged. “Yeah, sure, alright.”

 

“Oh, boy!” Glasses clapped. “Today is going so well for me!” She grabbed Miki's hand, and began leading her off. “By the way, Miki, have you been making sure to study your trigonometry?”

 

Ah, there she was back in teacher mode. Thankfully, Miki had. “Yeah.” She produced a notepad with her notes on the processes of sines, cosines, and tangents. “Works like this, right?”

 

“My goodness, but you're bright!” Glasses smiled. “It's plain to see you'll go far in life, Miki.”

 

Miki didn't respond, but she thought to herself for a moment. Was that plain to see? She hadn't had much of a life up until now. It had always been uncertain whether she'd survive to the next procedure. Pretty much all the life she wound up having was Yayoi.

 

...What would Yayoi say to something like that? Miki pondered. It didn't take long, though, as her sister had always been pretty predictable. Something along the lines of, 'That's fuckin' stupid. 'Course you're gonna go places! You're a Murasaki, kid, and if you're related to _me,_ that means you got the genes of a winner. Quit bein' such a downer and lemme see that smile o' yours.'

 

So she did. “Yeah, sure.” Miki smiled. It wasn't small, wry, sardonic, any of that. It was the biggest, most honest smile she had given in years.

* * *

 

Reiji nodded. Ruri nodded back. It was an unusual sight.

 

“Then we're agreed.” Reiji said.

 

“Unfortunate as it is, it seems the most likely possibility given the evidence.” Ruri said. She grimaced. “Though in _any_ case, the creation of that many Replicants without a permit is most certainly a criminal offense.”

 

“Nevertheless, though, I am quite interested to meet this Nanako character!” Reiji twisted his shoulders back and forth a bit. “A VK-compliant Replicant, and one with a personality described as so _vivacious?_ Most certainly a fascinating character to speak with.”

 

“I can't say I'm not deeply curious as well.” Ruri said.

 

“Hey, uh, question?” Kotone raised her hand from the bench where she and Saburo were sitting on the harbor as Reiji discussed with Ruri. “Why are you two suddenly getting along?”

 

Reiji turned his head to her. “Whatever do you mean?”

 

“Uh, I just mean usually you'd be snapping at each others' necks, but you've just been... talking.” Kotone crossed her arms. “What brought this on?”

 

“Oh, any number of reasons, really.” Ruri said. “The theories in question, putting aside our differences in a time of crisis... Naturally I'll never relinquish my title to this charlatan, but he's not stupid by any measure.”

 

“'Charlatan!' Oh, you.” Reiji chuckled.

 

Kotone, in response to witnessing their camaraderie, stood up, said “I'm gonna go for a run.” and did just that, bolting off at quite the velocity.

* * *

 

“Say, young man.”

 

Blake made a little noise at the sound of a crow, and sure enough, it was Tomoe Narumi walking up beside him on the edge of the harbor. “Hello, Narumi obaa-san.” Blake said. He breathed in the sea air. “Ah, I love the coast! It's very great!”

 

The old woman chuckled, standing beside him. She was taller than him anyway, but with him sitting and her standing, it made the size difference that much more obvious. “I'm curious about something.” Tomoe said.

 

“Oh, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.” Blake said.

 

“The Attorney and the Mariner don't have any personal connection to the incident, but they're connected by the hip, and that boy won't let go of a case once he's sunk his teeth in.” Tomoe said. “The Analyst wants to save her childhood friend, and the Runner is her trusty assistant. And, naturally, the Escape Artist has all the connection in the world.” She turned her head to Blake. “But you, I don't really understand. Why are you here?”

 

“Eh?” Blake made a little noise of questioning. “Why would I not be here?”

 

“Most people would say that it simply wasn't their problem, and leave a situation like this be.” Tomoe said. “You don't have a single compelling reason to be coming on this trip, so far as I can tell, and yet you are anyway.”

 

Blake shook his head. “That's ridiculous.” He said. Tomoe's eyebrow moved almost imperceptibly. “If I can help, then I should help! And if I can't help, then at least I'll be there for moral support, yes? My friends are going, so I should go as well!”

 

Tomoe gave a much louder laugh than usual. “What a pure viewpoint!” She laughed. “You remind me of my grandson.”

 

“Eh?” Blake said. “Oh, but Narumi-kun seems much larger than me, and much stronger, as well.”

 

“Ahh, but you both have that indomitable sort of spirit.” Tomoe said. “A sort of genuineness that nobody can deny. For you, helping people is its own reward, yes?”

 

“Absolutely!” Blake nodded. “As a geographer, how can I possibly claim to be a scientist of Earth if I don't immerse myself in problems faced by my friends around the world as well? Every struggle I find myself in is one more bit of experience!” He jumped up, and pumped his fists out to the ocean. “I love Earth, and everyone in it!”

 

Even Sakuya began laughing. “Ahh, god.” Tomoe said, beginning to wipe away a tear from her eye. “You're certainly sweeter than Yashiro is. A bit more earnest. You're a dog, and he's a cat, if you will. A great lion, but the boy is a feline if I've ever seen one.”

 

“And you're a bird, Narumi obaa-san!” Blake said.

 

“Aye, that I am.” Tomoe said. “How do you feel about wizards, young man?”

 

“Oh, I don't have much of an opinion on wizards as of yet.” Blake said. “I'll let you know first thing when I do, though!”

 

Tomoe turned her head to Blake, and said, “Never lose that youthful enthusiasm of yours, Blake.” Blake made another little noise of questioning. “That love you feel is the sort of love many people live their entire lives without ever finding. Treasure it.”

 

“Of course, Narumi obaa-san.” Blake said, but he turned his head and found Kotone running by at incredible speeds. “Oh, it's Kotone-chan! Sorry, obaa-san, I think I'll go run with her!”

 

“That's quite alright.” Tomoe raised her hand. “See you on the boat, Blake.”

 

“See you there!” Blake said. “Hey! Hey, Kotone-chan!” He called, waving at her and beginning to run before she quite got there. As he did, he could swear he heard Tomoe mutter something like, 'maybe he'd make a decent grandson-in-law.' ...No, he probably just misunderstood her language.

* * *

 

To say that Ruri was unhappy with the situation as it stood would be quite the understatement. Below deck, she sat by herself on a bed that would probably go to one of the captives on the way back. As of now, though, she felt oddly... something, and so she had commandeered it for herself.

 

Time-wise, her interactions with Rin hadn't been that far off from some of the cruxes of this whole incident. The Nonary Game, the Little Ultimates Initiative, Rin's Replicant experiments... Ruri sighed. That awkward, but smiling young woman she'd known then had had so much that Ruri had never even begun to guess at. Could her action have stopped this tragedy before it began?

 

The title 'Data Analyst' was almost like a joke at times like these. No matter how much data a person took in, no matter how intelligent Ruri was, there was always the factor of human error, and she was just as human as anyone else.

 

“Damn it.” Ruri laid back on the bed, falling into her cape. No, it was certainly a joke. She was keen, and useful, but what did that do for her own heart?

 

Her phone rang. “Hello?” Ruri picked it up.

 

“Hey, Ruri.” It was Kotone. By the sound of her voice, she was still running. “Ran into Blake on my run, we're running together now.”

 

“That seems a bit slow for your tastes.” Ruri said.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Kotone said. “Hey, I just wanted to call in and make sure you were doing alright.”

 

“Why on earth wouldn't I be doing alright?” Ruri snorted to her phone. “Really, Kotone. I—”

 

“Hey, Blake, give me a second?” Kotone said in the background. “I know you, Ruri. You're beating yourself up about that whole Rin situation, right?” Evidently, she took Ruri's silence as a 'yes.' “Hey. Listen, Ruri.”

 

“Yes?” Ruri asked.

 

“You're _my_ hero.” Kotone said. “Just thought I should remind you of that. I'll be there soon, and you better not be moping!” She hung up.

 

Ruri sat back up and leaned into herself. “Is that right.” She muttered. 'You're my hero.' How long had it been since she'd first heard those words? It was almost certainly less than a week after she'd met Kotone for the first time on that ruined rooftop- the day Kotone had spoken honestly with Ruri about what her actions had truly done for her that day.

 

She'd long been unsure whether Kotone noticed that Ruri began applying herself as a _hero,_ rather than an analyst, only after she'd heard those words. Whether Kotone knew that she meant just as much to Ruri as it seemed Ruri meant to her.

 

What awaited Ruri once she arrived there? A reunion with an old friend, or a harsh rebuke? How would this leg of her story conclude? Perhaps she would find something that she never would've expected.

 

There were very few moments that Ruri honestly allowed herself to rest. It was, perhaps, one of her greater weaknesses. Kotone had sometimes joked that she must be a vampire, on account of all the sleepless nights Ruri, 'o teen sleuth extraordinaire,' got up to. It was cases like this that started that; she had a bad habit of running from heavy emotions rather than fully experiencing them, at times, since it seemed to her that being bogged down by tears would greatly increase the margin of error.

 

Ruri Bessho was frightened. She was frightened of what she might find once the boat reached its destination.

 

But perhaps that wasn't a bad thing. Fear went hand in hand with anticipation, after all, and anticipation often went hand in hand with new experiences. Like that ramen. That had been a good bowl of ramen.

 

Perhaps she should take a vacation, she thought. Pal around with Kotone in a more...leisurely way, for once. Take in the sights, rather than rocketing past them on her motorcycle, though that of course had its own appeal. Yes, that sounded lovely. She worked too much. She needed a vacation, to turn her brain down to power-saving mode, to 'take a freaking chill pill,' as it were. And, well... Rin was a criminal to some degree, there was no doubt about that, but perhaps reconnecting with someone from her younger, less high-strung days would be a good way to do that, even if said old friend might be having said reconnection from a less than pleasant vantage point.

 

Ruri suddenly became keenly aware of the fact that her eyes were closed, and she had started drifting off to sleep. Her brain grew briefly alert before she decided, eh, what the hell, and turned it back off again for a nap.

* * *

 

Opening the door to the ship's cabin, Luna found Natsuhi just where she expected to find her- flitting about ensuring everything worked properly. “Can I help?” She asked. “There's broadcasting equipment there, right?”

 

“Oh.” Natsuhi turned, jumping a bit. “Luna.”

 

“Hey.” Luna said. The cabin was a bit crowded with equipment, but it would definitely do for their purposes. The broadcasting rig, by the look of it, was pretty high-end, so they might even be able to get a signal to within the facility. “I've had a _wonderful_ day.” Luna sighed.

 

“Same...here?” Natsuhi blinked. “Um. Is that sarcasm?”

 

“Er, yes. I haven't enjoyed it all that much.” Luna said. She turned her head to look at Natsuhi, who was actually, despite her hard work, clearly a bit spacey. “Natsuhi, are you alright? I heard you were hurt?”

 

“Nothing serious.” Natsuhi shook her head. It had _sounded_ serious, but there was a tone Natsuhi used when she wasn't in the mood to talk about something versus when she was being honest, and this was definitely the latter.

 

“Well, then whatever's got you so far out in space must be quite something.” Luna said. Natsuhi flinched, and gritted her teeth. There was an obvious blush on her face. “...Wow. That's new.”

 

“W-w-we should work.” Natsuhi said. “Did it go alright?”

 

“Yes, and I got quite the lovely view of the land from above.” Luna said. “I'll tell you all about it on the way over, if you'd like to hear.”

 

“Low altitude, please.” Natsuhi said. Ah, right. She didn't do well with planes. Of course. Luna nodded. Before long, the cabin was in ship-shape condition for any rescue mission. “Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome.” Luna said. She crossed her arms. “But what's got you acting so strangely? Usually you're so unflappable, it's weird to see you so...” Luna looked up for the words. “Flustered.”

 

Conveniently, at that point, loud footsteps came rapidly pounding up to the door and slammed it open, revealing a sweaty Kotone Suzukage, standing in the doorway, who said, “Inquiring minds want to know!” before closing the door. “Blake's making sure Ruri sleeps, Saburo's napping on the deck, Reiji is helping the Headmaster do final inventory check, Sensei is taking attendance, everything's taken care of so I'm free.” She stared giddily at Natsuhi. “So! What happened?”

 

“Uh.” Natsuhi said, looking away, twiddling her fingers a bit.

 

“Oh, yeah, that's juicy.” Kotone nodded eagerly. “I want _all_ the detai—” Then she noted Luna. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Masaki. What're you in here for?”

 

“I...came to help Natsuhi.” Luna blinked. “What're _you_ in here for?”

 

“Permission to tell her?” Kotone turned and asked Natsuhi. Natsuhi squeaked a little, but that was definitely a nod. “So, guess who _finally_ figured out Reiji was in love with her.”

 

Luna gasped. “What?!” Her eyes went wide, and she looked at Natsuhi. “Really?!”

 

“Really! She just calls me up out of the blue and asks 'Is Reiji in love with me?'” Kotone said. Natsuhi turned a deeper shade of red and began attempting to merge with the corner. “And then she went off to go talk to him about it, and I have been dying to know the _entire time_ how it went.”

 

Looking at Natsuhi, and then Kotone, and then Natsuhi again, Luna admitted, “Now I'm curious too.” Natsuhi made an undignified noise that was rather like a balloon leaking air. “You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, though, Natsuhi.”

 

“Give me a second.” Natsuhi said. Both Luna and Kotone nodded, and waited patiently.

* * *

 

“I said, are you in love with me?” Natsuhi said, awkwardly clenching her fists, keeping her gaze as level as she could manage at her unbelievable knucklehead of a best friend, stood against the sunset.

 

After a moment, Reiji chuckled. “But of course, dearest Natsuhi. Why, I've been saying as much for ages, no?” He threw his hand out in an operatic gesture. “The romantic fervor your very existence fills my heart with—!”

 

“Talk normal.” Natsuhi said.

 

“I'm talking exquisitely normal! _Superlatively_ normal.” Reiji said, placing his hands on his waist. “Certainly you know that by now, darling.”

 

Natsuhi clicked her tongue. “No, I don't mean that.” She almost choked on her own spit a bit, trying to get these words out. “Look, I...just don't... _Seriously,_ are you in love with me?” She glared at him. “Don't— Don't dodge the question, Reiji.”

 

Reiji seemed to ponder this idea for a moment. If there was anything that told Natsuhi that Saburo and Kotone were right, it was the serious consideration that that gave him. After what seemed like ages waiting for him to speak, he said, “And what if I said I was?”

 

“Wha— Why?” Natsuhi sputtered. “Why... Why anything?”

 

“There's several things you could mean by 'why anything,' so I'll attempt to go down the list as exhaustively as I can.” Reiji said. His ponytail blew in the slight breeze, as did his half-cape. “'Why are you in love with me?' It's as I've said time and time again. You are beautiful, Natsuhi, to me this is indelibly true, but were it to simply end there it would not be such a great issue. No, it is a matter of your actions for me, the unwavering willingness you've had to support me in my battles against crime, and the glimpses of your beautiful soul I catch through your stony exterior every so often.”

 

“'Why did you fall in love with me?' A similar question, but a different one nonetheless. Naturally, you might think it was because of something akin to the suspension bridge effect, given when I began voicing these thoughts, but if I may speak true, it wasn't even then.” Reiji said. “I did not fall in love with you because of any grand event, Natsuhi, not saving my life in any fashion. It came to me one day as I sat with you aboard the _Moon Viewing._ I gazed at you, calmly braving the waters for the day's catch, and the feelings that had been building within me suddenly, inexplicably, found the name for themselves that I'd been searching for.”

 

“This, of course, leads into, 'Why did you attempt to hide the seriousness of your love for me?' Which is no doubt one of your larger questions. Given the fact that you just came from the hospital, would I be incorrect in assuming Saburo had some idea?” Reiji asked.

 

“Uh... No. No, he...he did.” Natsuhi muttered. “He said you wanted to keep me happy.”

 

“Ahh, an astute man, that one.” Reiji waggled his finger a bit. “He's got quite a head on his shoulders when he applies himself. You had been stricken by atrocities committed in the name of love before, and the wounds were clearly still quite painful. How could I, the one who loves you more than any other in the world, throw your relationship with your best friend into jeopardy by introducing for him that same element?” He turned to look at the sunset. “I couldn't do that, Natsuhi. If I were to say something like that without your readiness as well, I would be harming you greatly.”

 

“But...” Natsuhi trailed off. She gritted her teeth. Damn it. The more she thought about it, the more he said, the more she could _actually_ see the logic here. How could she have been so stupid?

 

“So I could not say what I felt for you. I could not broach that barrier until _you_ were ready, Natsuhi.” Reiji turned his head over his shoulder and smiled softly. “But it is also true that I love you greatly. So much so that my heart, each time it sees you, feels like it is going to burst out of my chest and leap into song. I could not keep completely quiet. You would _know._ You, stoic, taciturn Natsuhi, she of few words, would be able to read me keeping quiet like a book, and grow suspicious very quickly. So instead, I chose to express my feelings in a way that would cause you to take them less seriously, to attempt to disguise my love as the whims of a child. It did not matter to me even for a second if anyone else could tell, for I knew it would be obvious. I merely wanted to ensure that _you_ could not.”

 

“What...” Natsuhi couldn't help the tears that began welling up in her eyes. “What the hell. What the _hell,_ Reiji.”

 

“Well, there you have it.” Reiji turned back, clasping his hands together and smiling. “I dearly, dearly love you, Natsuhi. This is true. You may scorn me now if you wish, hurl me from this pier and make a mess of me. I lay myself bare at your feet.”

 

Natsuhi didn't do that. She did, however, walk up to Reiji and grab his shoulders to shake him a bit. “You _asshole!_ ” She said. “You...just leaving me to figure this out, I... Damn it!” She gritted her teeth. “I...just... God!” As she shook the Attorney like a ragdoll, she wasn't certain if it was him or herself that she was mad at. “ _Ugh!_ ”

 

“Indee-eee-eeed!” Reiji said, being shaken. Natsuhi set him down, though, and threw her hands up, turning her head to the left briefly. She sniffled, and then, beginning to swivel around, placed her hand in her hair. It rubbed her scalp, at first slightly, then a bit more vigorously. She sniffled again. Her other hand aimlessly clenched. She paced slightly. She stomped on the ground a bit.

 

“I can't _believe_ you.” Natsuhi said, throwing her hands down again in fists. “I can't even... Reiji, you...” She _wanted_ to grit her teeth and swear and tell him off for this, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. “You... _God_!” Why could she not finish a sentence?!

 

Reiji, too, was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable. Somehow, this idiot probably hadn't expected Natsuhi's response to be this slow coming. “I'm...” He looked downcast. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Shut up.” Natsuhi said. “You... You idiot, you... You...” She ran over to him and grabbed him by the lapel this time, shaking him harder. “ _Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!_ ”

 

“Waaaaa-aaaaaa-aaaaaa-aaaah, N-Natsu-hiiiii, stooooo-ooooo-oooop!” Reiji called out. Once she was damn well done shaking him, she let him down, and he tottered around a bit, discombobulated.

 

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!” Natsuhi hollered, turning around and shouting to the sky. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!” Fuck. She couldn't stop screaming. This wasn't going to stop. She needed to shock her system. She needed to-—

 

Natsuhi bolted past Reiji and dived into the water below the dock. As she shifted from above water to below, she did feel a slight twinge of pain from her injuries, but it was offset by the peace she felt from having managed it. The sounds of the ocean, following the tremendous crash of her entrance, filled her ears as she floated in the water. Ahhhh, this was much better.

 

After a moment of floating, she resurfaced, putting her head above water and allowing her to see the sunset again. The visible, the invisible, there was life _everywhere,_ but Natsuhi never felt that more keenly than beneath the waves, where the world's widest ecosystems thrived. The feeling of breaching that world for even just a moment brought her an incredible sense of inner calm, of happiness.

 

...God. What was she _doing?_

 

Before long, she resurfaced, and quickly hopped back up onto the dock. She was pretty used to the process by now, but then there was Reiko, hollering about it. “By god, Natsuhi, are you quite alright?!” She shrieked. “D-do you need any help?! Your injuries!”

 

“I'm _fine._ ” Natsuhi said. She looked over Reiko, awkwardly standing by her side as she regained her footing on land, and thought to herself about how genuinely amazing it was that she could switch her outfit _that fast._ That was quite a feat, and she'd never thought to ask about how exactly it was Reiko managed that. She'd have to.

 

“Er, i-i-if you're certain.” Reiko said, slowly stepping backwards. “Um.”

 

With the previous air of directionless frustration cleared, now a new air set in- the palpable, painful feeling of awkwardness. As the moisture slowly cleared off of Natsuhi's skin, she could almost feel the air grow uncomfortable. “Mm.” Natsuhi said.

 

“Yes.” Reiko replied.

 

“Right.” Natsuhi said.

 

“Indeed.” Reiko stammered.

 

“Uh-huh.” Natsuhi said.

 

“Indubitably.” Reiko mumbled.

 

After a moment to gather her words, Natsuhi looked down at her hands, and said, “Hey.” She then looked back up at Reiko. “I...don't...really know...what love is.” She sighed. “I don't if I ever will. I don't know if I even _can._ So... Sorry. For...being...that kind of person...to fall in love with.”

 

“No, please don't apologize.” Reiko said. “My heart is my own.” She smiled.

 

“But, uh...” Natsuhi snapped her fingers a few times, and Reiko looked surprised she had more to say. “Well, I mean...” She furrowed her brow and sighed sharply. “I...guess I'm...willing to try and figure it out...if you want to help me that badly.” She looked away awkwardly and blushed.

 

Silence. One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds. A bewildered guffaw. “Y-You're... You're serious.” Reiko's eyes were wide as dishpans, and about as bright, too.

 

After a moment to ponder her own words, Natsuhi sighed and nodded. “Yeah... I'm pretty sure I am.”

 

Natsuhi didn't quite know what she'd expected, but it really should've been what happened next. Reiko's eyes rapidly welled up with overjoyed tears, her misty eyes and quaking face wearing one of the biggest smiles Natsuhi had ever seen. The first step was slow, but as soon as the second, Reiko was bolting over to Natsuhi, shouting her name at a fever pitch as she liked to do. Reiko was a lot smaller, but the almost violent sensation of her grappling onto Natsuhi's torso was enough to stagger her slightly.

 

“Natsuhiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Reiko shrieked. “Natsuhi, Natsuhi, Natsuhi! Natsuhi! Natsuhi, Natsuhi! I love you, Natsuhi! I love you, I love you, I love you!” She was rapidly spinning herself around Natsuhi's torso, with the sort of momentum Natsuhi didn't think was possible for mere humans. “I swear I'll make you the happiest girl in the world, I swear it, I swear to you and to any deities listening and to any _people_ listening and by god I'll swear it to any _**microorganisms**_ listening because I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you! Natsuhiiiiiiiiiiii! My princess, my queen, empress of my heart! Oh, be still my chest, my life is complete! _Natsuhiiiiiii!_ ” And she continued squealing like that for some time.

 

“H-hey, stop!” Natsuhi said, trying to regain her momentum. “We'll fall!”

 

“I would fall anywhere with you, Natsuhi!” Reiko said, still squealing. “I would, who-whoa, whoaaaa!”

 

“Watch out!” Natsuhi reached out her arm on instinct, and caught Reiko's hand as the Attorney started falling off the dock. “See?”

 

“Aha, you're quite right, aren't you?” Reiko grinned sheepishly as she was pulled back onto the dock. “My apologies, I lost my decorum.” She laughed a little.

 

Then Reiko and Natsuhi looked at each other, Reiko quite wet already because of having spun around the soaking Natsuhi. For once, it was Natsuhi who started laughing first. She didn't laugh too often, no, but when she did it was often loud and painful, and this time was no exception. “What are we _doing?_ ” Natsuhi laughed, sitting down on the edge of the dock.

 

“I'll tell you what we're doing!” Reiko laughed too. “We're laughing!”

 

“Other than that.” Natsuhi lightly shoved Reiko's arm, since her sleeve was already wet anyway.

 

“Well, I can't exactly give an objective descriptor.” Reiko said, laughing a bit harder at being shoved. “After all, I'm so excited my heart is doing somersaults! I'd _like_ to say you're making the best decision of your life, but I suppose we don't know that yet, do we?”

 

Natsuhi raised her eyebrow. “We're teenagers.”

 

“That we are!” Reiko said. “But, nevertheless, I swear to you, Natsuhi.” She grasped Natsuhi's hand, and looked deep into her eyes, those piercing, shining eyes that struck fear into the hearts of so many criminals and rival attorneys. “I will make you the happiest woman in the world. You will not regret this.”

 

Natsuhi blushed and looked away, making a befuddled noise that sounded somewhat like a 'blrf.' The sun was almost completely set now, and the orange light that had cast such a strong effect over the scene was fading into the darkness of night. Even though time progressed, though, Natsuhi could swear that that glow was still on Reiko even after it had faded from the rest of the world.

 

She laughed again. “Ugh.” She looked in the opposite direction, throwing up her hands awkwardly. “Stop. Stop looking at me.”

 

“Why on earth would I stop looking at you now, of all times?” Reiko beamed. “Now, when you have made me happier than I ever thought possible? You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Natsuhi! I could never tear my eyes away from your radiance!”

 

“Aaaaaaaaagh!” Natsuhi, face bright red, began curling up into a ball on the edge of the dock. This was the exact same crap Reiko usually spouted, why was it making Natsuhi's chest do flips now?! She was used to this! ...Oh, wait. No, it was Natsuhi that was different. She believed Reiko meant it, so... anyone would feel that way upon receiving such an absurd compliment from their... _lo...ver..._? What?! What was going on?!

 

“Oh, dear, Natsuhi, are you alright?” Reiko laughed. “I only speak the truth, you kno—” Natsuhi stood up and leapt off the edge again, crashing into the water, taking a moment, then climbing back up onto the deck, even wetter. “I only speak the truth, you know.”

 

“Alright.” Natsuhi said. It was hard to keep her eyes focused on Reiko with all the confused, animalistic noises in her head, but she tried her hardest.

 

“Oh, but I've so rarely seen you flustered before.” Reiko said, leaning in, getting...clooose. “In fact, I dare say that's entirely new! Another new side of Natsuhi! Yay! You only become more perfect with each one I see!” In response, Natsuhi just wailed.

 

The Mariner stood up, her legs rocketing her off the dock, saying, “Okay! Work! To do! Talk! Later! Helicopter is coming! I'll boat!”

 

“Alright!” Reiko called behind her. “I love you, Natsuhi!”

 

“Uhhhhh?!” Natsuhi called back. “Uhhhhhhmmmm?!”

 

“It'll come naturally eventually!” Reiko said. “Don't push yourself!”

 

“ _Thank you!_ ” Natsuhi said.

* * *

 

“...And thus I am proud to inform you, Uncle, that Uncle Gento has in fact beaten you, and you owe him five thousand yen.” Reiji chuckled.

 

“What.” Uncle Saiki said. In the background, Uncle Gento said, 'What? What'd he say?!' “Damn it.” He swore. “I'll give you the five thousand in the morning, Gento.” Loud, proud laughter emanated from the back, and a bit of noise on the other end of the phone meant that it was probably changing hands.

 

“ _I knew you could do it!_ ” Uncle Gento shouted. “That's my boy! Ahhh, I knew damn well that she couldn't resist the family charms for long!”

 

“Uncle, please.” Reiji said, smirking to himself. “Don't accredit it to 'family charms.' Clearly it's my own personal style that managed it, no?”

 

“Ahh, can it.” Uncle Gento snorted. “Congratulations! Bring her over once you're done and we can celebrate!”

 

“If she can manage to remain sane long enough entering my home after this.” Reiji smiled. “She is actually quite quick to fluster, as it turns out!” He got in closer to the phone. “And _by god it's adorable._ ”

 

“Damn straight.” Uncle Gento said. “Good job, kid. Now get out there and kick some ass for us.”

 

“Righto. Ensure Diana sleeps well until I get back!” Reiji said. Exchanging goodbyes, he hung up, and smiled off into the dark horizon. Steps from the back heralded the arrival of... ah, that was Saburo, wasn't it?

 

“Hey.” Saburo said. “Seems like everything's ready.”

 

“Excellent. Thank you for your hard work, Saburo.” Reiji smiled. “And thank you for helping Natsuhi earlier. You have my deepest gratitude.”

 

Saburo nodded. “No problem. She's my friend too, y'know.” He smirked. “Probably not as good, though, huh.”

 

“Indeed!” Reiji laughed. “I owe you a debt, Saburo. You've been a colossal help, and I'm very glad to have met you.”

 

“Yeah. You too.” Saburo said. He raised his hand at Reiji in a gesture of camaraderie, then turned around. “Gonna have to plan a whole lot once we're there, so I'm gonna go get some shut-eye down below. See you.”

 

“Sleep well!” Reiji called from behind him. He stared at Saburo's back. What an odd fellow that one was. Pleasant, but odd. A sort like him probably only came about once in a lifetime.

 

Before long, the boat was leaving the harbor, full of hopes and dreams for what they might find upon arriving at the compound. Reiji smiled to himself. He couldn't help it; he was downright giddy. Whatever might happen there at the compound, he was certain that tomorrow was not 'the end' of anything, as it were. To Reiji, it seemed much more like the new beginning of the rest of his life.

 

He laughed up to the night sky. “Oh, I do have fun, don't I?”

 


	70. Day 20, Phase 7, End - Captivity

 

“Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do.” Claus sighed, frowning at the glass door blocking him from exiting the chamber. “You two, any luck?”

 

This was the Filtration Chamber, or so it claimed, at least. C Team had awoken in this room, rather than at their usual spot. As they were keenly, unfortunately aware, there were two segments to this room. Claus and Shinobu found themselves on the inside of the room, a long chamber standing above a rushing pool of water enclosed by glass, rushing through, shockingly, filters, cleaning out microorganisms and other such debris from the water needed for the facility's operation. Only a single window across the southwest corner of the room (or so Claus supposed, with no other frame of reference,) showed the outside, where Yashiro was hunting about. As was usual for Rin Hashizawa by this point, out there was covered in consoles and buttons and doodads and gewgaws. There was also a door further in in this room, but it was, _shock of all shocks,_ locked.

 

Shinobu slumped over and sighed herself, over in the corner. “All I've found is yet another safe...” She gestured to it with her left hand, still slumped over, rolling her eyes. “...And this.” With her right hand, she gestured to what looked by all appearances to be a _treasure chest,_ red and yellow, standing atop golden legs, with emblems and vertical slots on the top. It was on a high shelf, such that even Claus could not reach it. “Not even a chance to get acquainted with waking up in the evening. How rude.”

 

“I'm used to strange hours!” There was a two-way speaker, so Yashiro, from the outside, could speak inwards. The window didn't show the entirety of the outside, stopping well before the ends of the room, so there was a decent amount of the area Claus and Shinobu could not see. “This open wiring seems a poor idea.”

 

“Open wiring? _Really?_ ” Claus attempted to see it, but the window didn't allow him that view no matter how he looked. He put his head in his hands and groaned. “I hate puzzles.”

 

“After last time, I can't blame you!” Yashiro came back into view, laughing. “Puzzles haven't been treating you well, friend.” Apparently, the door on that side that presumably exited the room was also locked, meaning Yashiro was incapable of leaving as well.

 

Claus fell back onto the floor, running his hands through his hair and continuing to groan. “How long has it been?”

 

“Two days and a night since we first awoke, by my count.” Shinobu said, checking her bracelet.

 

“My brain feels like it is actually dying.” Claus said. By the sound of it, you'd think the man actually _was_ dying. “Tell my family I loved them.”

 

“Er.” Yashiro frowned. “Claus, are you quite alright?”

 

Gasping softly, Shinobu nodded to herself. “Ah, quite right, quite right.” She turned her head to Yashiro, which Claus could barely make out through his fingers. “He only got seven hours.”

 

“Oh dear!” Yashiro shouted. “No wonder our poor authority figure has entered such a state!”

 

Shinobu knelt down to pat Claus on the head, smiling at him. “Don't you worry, Claus, my boy. Shinobu Koshimizu, Modern-Day Mistress of Mystery, is on the case! The End will rue the day she presented me with a challenge such as this!” She cackled.

 

“Why do you laugh like that?” Claus grumbled. Shinobu stopped dead in her tracks while she was laughing, and the room went silent.

 

“It's a...” Shinobu trailed off, looking in various directions. “It's a witch thing, yes, that's good. It's a witch thing.”

 

“Are you a witch now?” Claus said. “Are we going to have to spend an hour convincing you you didn't use your broomstick to put coal in a naughty child's stocking and fly away cackling?”

 

“Wha— No!” Shinobu sputtered. “And— Besides, though Saint Nicholas might be an incredibly powerful witch, I am not he!”

 

“You're right.” Yashiro said. “That'd be Claus, if it was anyone.”

 

“Why.” Claus mumbled.

 

“Because you're Santa _Claus!_ ” Yashiro laughed uproariously. Ordinarily, Claus would be laughing too, but he didn't have it in him right now.

 

“...But really though, don't worry, I'll handle this.” Shinobu said. Yashiro made a noise in the background about his chilly reception. “You rest, Claus.”

 

“Thank you.” Claus said into his hands. It was a good thing he had such reliable friends.

 

* * *

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

“Let us begin!” Shinobu said, rolling up her sleeves. “Tonight, I dine on puzzle soup!”

 

“That doesn't sound particularly appetizing, but you do you, friend!” Yashiro laughed from outside. He clearly was not in any respect a culinary expert, considering the fact that lions oft had very simple palates, but perhaps Shinobu could educate him later. The inner segment of the Filtration Chamber had little to be done as of yet, so she looked out the window to attempt to direct Yashiro. With her keen eyes, she noticed, beneath a console, a pair of sunglasses. “Yashiro, some headwear is calling out for your touch beneath that console there.”

 

“Oh ho?” Yashiro looked under it, and hummed. “Ah, there's a ten-digit keypad beneath here as well. Accepts eight numbers. Looks like I've got to find us a password!” He put on the sunglasses, and shouted. “By god! Numbers!” He looked around. “Eight of them, even!”

 

“...Really.” Shinobu said, rolling her eyes. “Not even slightly hidden? Tell me about the numbers, if you would.”

 

“They've all a symbol next to them,” Yashiro said, spinning around wildly to look at the numbers, which were probably plastered all over the walls. “Er, there's a 7 with a circle, divided into four equal quadrants, next to it. 1, next to... I think I've seen this representing 'female' on Nana's papers a few times?”

 

“Venus, actually.” Shinobu said. “It's the symbol for the planet Venus.”

 

“9 next to a Venus symbol with little devil horns.” Yashiro said.

 

“That'd be Mercury.” Shinobu nodded. “Likelier than not, they want it in the order of the planets from the sun, if I had to guess. Is there a circle with a dot in the center anywhere?” Yashiro shook his head. “917 should be the first three, then.”

 

As it turned out, the code was 91750372. Child's play, really. As Yashiro entered the code, a panel in the inner segment opened, revealing a small window for Shinobu to take a look at. Shinobu nodded to herself, and turned back towards the window to look for anything else for Yashiro to do. Yashiro, for his part, looked in the areas Shinobu could not see, and hummed to himself. “What might this be?” He said.

 

“I can't see it, Yashiro. You would know better than I.” Shinobu said.

 

“It...appears to be...” Yashiro was out of Shinobu's sight, but that was his voice for raising his eyebrow and tilting his head. “A scene from a play.”

 

“A _play?_ ” Shinobu bounced a bit in her heels. “Do tell, do tell!”

 

“It's entitled _The Tragedy of Ulrich and Royston; a Play in Two Acts._ ” Yashiro read off. “Are you familiar?”

 

“Ah, that's a famous historical work from Novoselic.” Shinobu nodded to herself. “I've never had the chance to see it myself, and _reading_ scripts is for _barbarians,_ but it has a reputation among theatre buffs as quite the gripping tale!”

 

“I didn't know you were a theater buff!” Yashiro said. “I'm not surprised, but I didn't know!”

 

“Well, _naturally._ ” Shinobu said. “I am one of the foremost visitors to the Oborozuka Revue's stage, you know. Why, a few times I was even asked if I might have the stuff for theatre myself!” She laughed to herself. “My constitution is much too frail, though, for the heavy heat of the spotlight. Perhaps I should introduce Nanako to them, though.” Her mind pondered the idea of Nanako in period piece outfit, specifically wearing a military uniform of some sort, brandishing a rapier and fighting for liege, land, love, or any combination of the three. “...Yes.” Shinobu rubbed her chin. “This works.”

 

“A frail constitution is something that must be overcome through grit and hard work!” Yashiro came back into view, carrying the script, and pounding his chest. “I'm certain you have the knack for it, knowing you, Shinobu.”

 

“Quite.” Shinobu nodded. “You are a showman of a sort, so I imagine you would have at least a touch of the sight necessary to know.” A screen on the largest console, which looked to be controls to deal with the flow of the water, had not displayed anything as of yet, so she directed Yashiro to take a look at it.

 

“Hm... Aha!” Yashiro fiddled with the screen, and eventually found it was not a screen at all, but a flip-open one-way mirror. His mane blocked Shinobu's sight in as he muttered 'oh ho, what's this?' to himself, and began fiddling about inside.

 

“Er, Yashiro?” Shinobu said. “I can't— The puzzle, you...”

 

“Got it!” Yashiro pumped his fist and pulled his head back out from behind the mirror. Another compartment opened in Shinobu's chamber. “Don't worry, Shinobu, I had that one handled.” He laughed.

 

“...I see.” Shinobu said, trying to hide a bit of a pout that came to her lips unbidden. Fine. See if she let him help with the puzzle she walked over to herself, then. Ducking down into the corner, she found herself face-to-face with a three-by-five row of buttons, each with a light on it. Next to it sat a 'confirm' button, and beneath it, two lights. Tapping at it a bit, Shinobu discovered that succeeding at this puzzle seemed to require two inputs. Input the first layout, then confirm, then the second. “Hm.” She murmured. Well, that was that idea scuppered. “Yashiro, do you see anything on those consoles regarding a three-by-five set of buttons?”

 

“One moment!” Yashiro said, and began hunting about a bit. After a minute or two, he called, “Ah, here we are! Previous solutions...” He grimaced audibly. “Oh, dear.”

 

“As Gavin would say, _lay it on me, my dude._ ” Shinobu called out.

 

“It appears that the code to this keypad changes each Phase.” Yashiro said. “This console tells me the solutions for prior Phases, but not this one.”

 

“Ah, so it's a logic puzzle, then.” Shinobu said. She looked up, and saw that Yashiro was nowhere in sight. That meant that she couldn't see this, then. “Where does it begin?”

 

“Several times, there are more lit buttons than unlit. How would you like me to describe this?” Yashiro said. “By lit buttons or unlit, I mean.”

 

“Lit.” Shinobu removed from her beret a pen and paper to mark these down. An X would mark an unlit, an O would mark a lit.

 

“Alright!” Yashiro said. It went something like this, from left to right, one to seven:

 

 

“Hm.” Shinobu said, looking down at the patterns she'd marked down. This was clearly some sort of sequencing puzzle, but she wasn't entirely certain what the sequence was. Some codes repeated between the columns, which made her think that perhaps it was switching between specific states of some sort. Perhaps there was a certain roster of states a code could possibly ask for...

 

Drawing a bit of a blank, Shinobu tilted her head to the left in a particularly Nanako-esque manner, and then looked at it again.

 

OXOOO

OXOXO

OOOOO

 

OOOOO

OXOXO

OOOXO

 

“There we are.” Shinobu hummed to herself. It was a simple number code disguised as a sequencing puzzle. The codes were digits flipped on their side, the first progressing by one each phase, the second progressing by three. The panel flipped open to reveal, for her efforts, what looked for all the world like a plain box cutter. Shinobu picked it up, flipped it over a bit, and determined that it was, in fact, a plain box cutter. “Odd, but I'm certain it will come in handy.”

 

Next on the list was on the other side of the room, where... Shinobu sighed. It was one of _these,_ was it? The return of their good friend Braxton. “Clauuuus?” She called out from in front of the panel. “Did N Team discover any new rules to these little things?”

 

“Orange triangles.” Claus muttered, probably barely even comprehending what he was saying. “You pass them on the sides... number of triangles there are.”

 

Well, that explained one of the new symbols, at any rate. This grid, in an advancement from the previous, was a 5x5 grid. As usual, the start was at the bottom-left, by a1, and the end was at the top-right, by e5. The newest symbol appeared to be...oh, what was a good word for these? _Polyminoes!_ Shapes constructed of multiple squares. Four yellow polyminoes sat on this grid. At a1, right near the start, was a diagonally-tilted three-square, a 2x2 square missing its 'a1,' so to speak. At e1 was a similar shape, but not tilted; laying flat, a three-square, a 2x2 missing its 'a2.' At b5 was a two-square, simply two yellow squares sitting next to each other horizontally. Finally, at e4 was an eight-square, laying flat, a 3x3 missing its 'b1.'

 

Besides these polyminos, a5 held a single orange triangle, just next to the two-square. At the center, at c3, lay three triangles. Just below the two-square, bordering b5 and b4, was a red dot. A second sat between d4 and e4, and a third, beneath d1. The line bordering b4 and b3 was broken. A cyan square sat at a3, and a black square sat at e5.

 

Shinobu stared at it for just a moment before being hit with inspiration, and deciding on an experiment or two to confirm her theories. First, up 2, right 1, down 1, right 1, down 1, right 1, up 1, right 1, up 1, right 1, up 3, goal. Both three-square polyminoes- triminoes, even?- seemed satisfied. That confirmed Shinobu's first two theories- to satisfy the polyminoes, they needed to be cordoned off into segments that matched their shapes. With a quick try to ensure it, she was also able to confirm that the tilted shape could be 'rotated,' so to speak, but the flat shapes required shape and orientation both.

 

The third theory required a different path, so Shinobu's tack was up 4, right 2, down 2, right 1, up 1, right 1, down 1, right 1, up 3, goal. This placed the two-square and the eight-square (domino, yes, but octomino, perhaps?) in the same segment, as though sticking the two shapes together. Sure enough, this worked for both. It seemed it was allowed to stick the two shapes together so long as the combined segment matched the combined shapes. Lovely.

 

It didn't take Shinobu all that long after that. Right 2, up 1, left 1, up 1, left 1, up 2, right 2, down 2, right 1, up 1, right 1, down 2, left 1, down 1, right 2, up 5, goal. Shinobu smirked. Child's play! A segment above the puzzle opened up to reveal... “Really.” Shinobu said. She picked up the spear in the long slot. It was light, probably a prop, but she spun it about a bit nonetheless. “Well, if I must, though I'd really prefer a glaive, or a naginata, rather than a basic spear. I'm more practiced.”

 

“You're what now?” Yashiro said, befuddlement in his voice.

 

“Practiced with a naginata, specifically.” Shinobu said. “A girl as fragile as myself must have _some_ way of defending herself, no? Why, if a burglar were to break into my humble abode, I might be downright defenseless! As such, I took up the noble art of the graceful, yet deadly polearms. In this day and age, the element of surprise is everything, my boy!”

 

“I'm just surprised you can lift one, is all!” Yashiro laughed.

 

“Don't underestimate what the Modern-Day Mistress of Mystery can do when she puts her mind to it, dear boy.” Shinobu tut-tutted. With spear in hand, she headed over to the treasure chest, and used her new tool as an extension of her reach. The chest was heavy, yes, but not so heavy that she could not budge it, and soon enough, it fell from the shelf with a loud crash, though it did remain upright.

 

The chest had five emblems atop it, four red and gold, and one, black and white. Most of them seemed to display crests of dragons. From left to right, a wingless serpent, a dragon symbol facing the right, a black dragon crest, an emblem with nothing on it, and a dragon symbol facing the left. Curious. “Yashiro, would you be so kind as to skim through that play to look for anything regarding dragons?”

 

“Oh, certainly.” Yashiro said. He came back into view, flipping through the pages. “Mmm... Aha! Here we are. Near the end of Act One, the two brothers Ulrich and Royston come together to solve a riddle regarding how to open a treasure chest, based on a legend passed down regarding their famous ancestor, High King Llewellyn. By the look of it, this treasure chest we have here matches its description quite well.” He frowned. “Unfortunately, the actual solution is marked out, so I simply have the legend.”

 

“We'll see how it stands up against me!” Shinobu said. “Let loose the hounds of war!”

 

Yashiro cleared his throat, and began booming. “Thus did High King Llewellyn take up his twin blades and holy spear, and charge forth alone into the writhing hordes of Dragon Pass, a lone warrior striding gallantly to save his people! From both sides, the left and the right, an endless mass of flying reptilian creatures swarmed towards him, but with his two blades, he fought off the creatures with one hand each, as though calling upon the force of a tornado! He fought so many that his blades shattered to pieces upon their last targets' deaths. Seeing opportunity, the wingless serpents of the draconic armies assaulted him, but within High King Llewellyn's fists raged a holy power, with which he took the wingless serpents and threw them all about, slamming each and every one on their scaly skulls! On and on he fought, crushing dragons who appeared from nothing with his bare fists, until finally he reached the infernal black dragon who commanded the armies. Then, and only then, did High King Llewellyn take his holy spear, and pierce the heart of the black dragon in a single blow! Awash in the blood of his enemies but alive nonetheless, he returned home, head proud, and thus did our kingdom prosper forevermore.”

 

Shinobu looked down at her box cutter and spear. “I feel slightly under-equipped for these draconic hordes. I do hope this box cutter doesn't mind doing double duty.”

 

As written, her first step was the flying creatures, and so Shinobu began by inserting the box cutter into the left-facing slot, then the right-facing slot. Next were the wingless, and Shinobu hummed for a moment regarding how to slam them on their scaly skulls before reaching out to touch the crest itself, and finding that it could in fact rotate. She set it to upside-down, smirking, before slamming the crest with nothing on it with her fist, causing it to depress. Finally, she inserted her spear in the black dragon's slot, and thus did the treasure chest open. “Haha!” Shinobu grinned, baring her teeth slightly. “See how your legends do against me!”

 

“Congratulations, Shinobu!” Yashiro said. “You're the heir to the throne of Novoselic now!”

 

“Am I really?!” Shinobu jumped up and down a bit. “Oh, that's so exciting! To have my own kingdom! I swear to do right by my people, and to lead the nation into even greater prosperity than under my ancestor's rule!”

 

Yashiro saluted. “I will always follow you, my queen!”

 

“Thank you, Yashiro.” Queen Koshimizu of Novoselic walked up to the glass. “Were we not separated, I would knight you.” She grinned. “Only after finding Nanako and knighting her captain of the royal guard, though, you understand.”

 

“Naturally.” Yashiro nodded. “Your lady is your greatest priority.”

 

“Oh, she will be so excited to hear the news.” Shinobu clapped. “I can only imagine what wonders await us in the political realm! We'll make Novoselic a utopia, I swear, or my name isn't-”

 

“ _Look in the chest already._ ” Claus groaned. Shinobu blushed, turned away from Yashiro, and did just that. At its bottom was a screen- moon at a3, moon at c2, moon at b1. Simple enough! Shinobu smiled to herself, and headed over to the safe to enter the code. The safe made a pleasant little ding...

 

And nothing happened.

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

* * *

 

“W-what the?!” Yashiro cried out as a large snapping noise came from the speaker. He continued to speak, by the looks of it, but he was no longer audible. The lights in the outside area shut off, as did all the consoles.

 

Claus jumped to attention when he heard the snap. “Huh?! What?!” He shouted. “What's going on?”

 

“I'm not sure.” Shinobu said. “I just entered the safe code-”

 

Running over to the door, Claus clicked his tongue. “Look.” He said, gesturing to the locking mechanism on the outside of the door. “The mechanism is out there, and if the power just shut off out there, then we can't open the door. The safe seems to unlock the door, so I suppose-?”

 

An alarm blared inside the chamber, flashing red. A cheery girl's voice played over the intercom, informing the two of them, “ _Filter verification process commencing in T-minus 2 minutes! Please exit the Filtration Chamber._ ”

 

“That sounds extremely bad!” Claus cried. “Are we in agreement?”

 

“ _Exceedingly_ bad!” Shinobu said. The two of them looked at each other, and Claus's face furrowed in panic. The two of them scrambled about the chamber, fiddling with various panels on the wall, hoping for something to magically appear.

 

When nothing magically appeared, the system voice added, “ _Filter verification process commencing in T-minus 90 seconds!_ ”

 

“Are you seeing anything?!” Claus called out. He searched inside the treasure chest. “Anything at all, Shinobu?!”

 

“No, I don't believe I am!” Shinobu said. She was panting as she scrambled about the room, sweating up a storm. “I didn't find anything earlier, either!”

 

“That's great! Really outstanding!” Claus shouted. “Argh!” He cast a quick glance outside, to the outer chamber. (“... _in T-minus 60 seconds._ ”) It was dark, yes, but it wasn't completely invisible. Where in the world was Yashiro? “Maybe if Yashiro tried to break the window!” Claus shouted. It was a long shot, but it was worth something. He pounded on the wall. “Yashiro! _Yashiro?!_ ”

 

Shinobu was looking around, a terrified mania in her eyes. “No, no, no, this can't be happening.” She clutched at her chest. “This can't be happening! Please, god, no!”

 

“Calm down!” Claus ran over and clasped Shinobu's shoulders. “We'll- we'll think of something!” He looked around. “I'm not sure what, but we'll- I _will_ get us out of this alive! I promise!”

 

“Any bright ideas?!” Shinobu shot back. “I'm coming up a bit short!”

 

“You're the mystery author, don't you specialize in locked rooms?!” Claus said. “If anyone should have a solution here-!”

 

 _Ding._ The safe suddenly flew open, and the sound of the door unlocking resounded through the inner chamber as the lights suddenly flickered on outside the chamber. Claus was befuddled, yes, but for less than a second before he began processing again.

 

“ _...T-minus 30 seconds!_ ”

 

“Go!” Claus barked at Shinobu, who did just that, running towards the door. Claus ran towards the safe, scooping up its contents- he'd look at them later!- in his arms, then running towards the door himself. Shinobu was out just before him, and time seemed almost to slow down as his legs pounded towards the open doorway. He wasn't sure entirely what was going on, but he wasn't going to miss this chance. “Yeaaaaaaaa _aaaaaaaargh!_ ”

 

The leaping dive, in retrospect, was probably not necessary, but he leapt through the doorway. It did not, as he'd imagined, close again immediately as he dived through, but rather took another moment or two before the power flickered back off, slamming shut. After a few, disbelieving breaths, Claus looked back to see the entire inner chamber rapidly flooding with water.

 

“Well.” Shinobu panted, one hand on the nearby wall. “That just happened.”

 

“So it did.” Claus nodded, panting himself. “We're. We're alive. We didn't die.”

 

The two of them looked together.

 

“We're alive!” Claus cried out, as the two of them rushed towards each other and embraced in a hug. “Shinobu, we're alive! We haven't died!”

 

“We've remained alive for another day, Claus!” Shinobu laughed. “C Team lives again! Ka-ka-ka, we are truly the greatest!”

 

“Yes! Go, C Team!” Claus cheered. “Go, C Team! We rule!”

 

“Ooh, does that include me?” Yashiro said, walking up nonchalantly to the two of them. He waved. There were black marks on his face, hair, and hands, as though he'd been burnt. “I would love to rule!”

 

“Yashiro!” Claus's eyes widened, and he ran up. “What happened? What- where'd you go?”

 

“Oh, over here, is all.” Yashiro led the two of them over to the opposite end of the outer chamber, where he gestured to a split wire, still sparking. “This bit of wiring snapped all of a sudden!”

 

“How, er...” Shinobu blinked. “I feel like I know your answer, but how...exactly did you fix this?”

 

“Why, I used my own body as an electrical conduit, of course!” Yashiro laughed. “It was quite painful, I assure you, but it was short-lived, and the both of you are alive, and that's what matters, yes?” He came up behind the two of them and clapped his hands on their shoulders. Claus and Shinobu both stared, wide-eyed, at Yashiro, over their shoulders. “What?”

 

“Are.” Claus stammered. “Are you human?”

 

“As opposed to?” Yashiro laughed. “Human like any other, my friend!”

 

“Thank… Thank you.” Shinobu blinked. “You... saved our lives... my god, are you really that strong?” She began pacing about, muttering to herself on this idea. “His own body... my goodness.”

 

“It's all in the line of work for a hero such as yours truly, friends!” Yashiro laughed.

 

“We should...be off, then.” Claus said, gesturing towards the now-open door leading back into C Ward. “Let's allow reality to set back in for a moment.”

 

“Quite.” Shinobu agreed.

 

* * *

 

Claus wasn't wholly certain what he was expecting to see when he and the others finally made it back to the Central Hub, but the sight of Stella idly kicking back on the stairs, flipping through a copy of _The Complete Aliens Omnibus, Volume 5,_ was not it. When she noticed the three of them, she waved, grinning. “Hey! I was wondering how long you three were gonna keep me waiting.”

 

Her hair wasn't done up as she often had it, but neither was it messy. By the look of it, she'd actually gone through and intentionally worn it down, and... “Say, your dye's all out now.” Claus said.

 

“Yeah, I got rid of the last of it a bit ago.” Stella shrugged. “Figured it was getting kinda tacky. What's up with you?” She said, raising her eyebrow at Yashiro.

 

“Scorch marks!” Yashiro laughed.

 

“He used his body as an electrical conduit.” Claus explained. Stella snorted.

 

“Y'know, on the one hand, I should be asking you if you're alright, but god if you aren't some kind of superman.” She laughed to herself for a bit longer as C Team all came up closer to the stairwell, but then looked up and, with a shockingly earnest expression on her face, said, “I'm glad you're alright, guys. I was getting kind of worried.”

 

“You seem like you're in quite a good mood today, Stella.” Shinobu commented. “Did something happen?”

 

“Eh, kinda.” Stella slid off the stairwell and stood up. “No big deal, though.” She looked at the object in Claus's arms. “What's that?”

 

It was only then that Claus actually looked at the thing he'd picked up. It appeared to be a small canister of some sort, not containing any physical matter, but an odd blue glow. A note with an 'X' on it was the only indicator as to its purpose. At the bottom of the canister was a bottom that, no doubt, opened it. “I haven't a clue.” Claus said. “You two?” He looked at Shinobu and Yashiro, who both shrugged and shook their heads.

 

The four of them relocated to Rin's room, so that C Team could take a look at what was procured. “Ah, so this would be where the 'Nonary Game' came in.” Shinobu hummed, reading the file on the First Nonary Game. “How absurdly vile!”

 

“And what, pray tell, is on this disc?” Yashiro said, grabbing it.

 

“Oh, just Zero the Fourth's science experiments.” Stella shrugged again. “Turns out he was Valkana and Gavin's buddy Saburo murdered him at the end of the Fourth Nonary Game.”

 

There was a pause.

 

“I'm sorry, what?” Claus blinked rapidly, guffawing a bit. “Excuse me? Please repeat that.”

 

“Valkana. Remember him?” Stella said, leaning in at him. “Same guy. The last Zero. Gavin's buddy Saburo took care of him.”

 

Yashiro, in the corner, was making befuddled noises, as Shinobu hummed up a storm from on Rin's bed. Claus, meanwhile, was just sort of blown away. “Really!”

 

“ _And,_ ” Stella sighed, rolling her eyes, “ _apparently_ what he found on accident is that ahoges mean you're a kind of psychic who can jump between timelines. Shifters, they're called.”

 

There was a pause.

 

“ _Hmmmmmmmmmmm!_ ” Shinobu was furiously rubbing her chin, and Claus could almost see the aura of _deduction_ around her head. “ _ **Fascinating!**_ ”

 

“You're thinking about some kind of kinky time sex, aren't you.” Stella said.

 

“Not on your life, dear girl!” Shinobu said. She stood up, and began walking forward, bending backwards as she did, seeming to almost reach a ninety-degree angle. “Now _this, this_ is fascinating. Really fascinating stuff.” She spun around, standing up again. “I mean, certainly The End probably wishes us to draw a wrong conclusion from it, but it's fascinating, isn't it?!”

 

Claus blinked. “I suppose so, though I'll admit I don't quite see what you're getting at, exactly.” Shinobu scoffed.

 

With that discussion tabled for the time being, Shinobu deciding that she'd wait until more information was available before making any _firm_ statements further than she'd already made, the four of them huddled around the odd canister. “Okay, so who's going to open it?”

 

“Not it!” Stella cried. Following her lead, Shinobu and Yashiro both also cried 'Not it!' at roughly the same time.

 

“You know, if Chihaya were here, she'd have probably taken care of this immediately.” Claus sighed. “Well, I am your Glorious Leader, after all.” He picked up the canister, holding it by its flat bottom, and pushed the open button. A hole in the top opened, and the blue particles within rocketed out and shot right for Shinobu, running into her head and disappearing, at which point the Mystery Novelist fell backwards onto the floor. “ _Shinobu!_ ”

 

“Oh my god!” Stella crouched down by her and shook her a bit. “Shinobu, say something!” She looked up a bit in terror. “Yashiro is leaning down and if you don't wake up right now he might shake you too!”

 

Shinobu's eyes flew open again, and she sat up. “Even _more_ fascinating!” She stood up, grabbed her pen off the desk, grabbed the notepad, and began writing on some page or another. “Oh, but this has implications... ah, yes, Luan, my boy, what a keen eye that one has...how delightful...” She stopped and shuddered. “Ugh, I was an embarrassment as a first grader.”

 

Claus, Stella, and Yashiro all stared at her blankly. “Er.” Yashiro was first to break the silence. “Are you quite alright, Shinobu?”

 

“Oh, yes, never better.” Shinobu said, still furiously writing. “Based on what's just occurred to me, I have come to the conclusion that those blue particles were in fact the visible form of my lost memories!” There were gasps about the room. “It seems that Luan theorized that there was some way to transmit them, but I doubt he expected this... yes, the implications are vast... ka-ka, oh, what a find!” She was downright giddy, her hands clenching in excitement. “And that implies, yes...and that would mean...yes, yes... _F_ _ascinating!_ ”

 

“She really likes that word, doesn't she?” Yashiro commented. Claus and Stella nodded.

 

“First of all, naturally, it tells us that our captor has the parapsychological know-how to remove these specific fragments of our memories, store them, and then release them.” Shinobu said. “The method by which they do so gives them this form as these glowing blue particles, which are somehow magnetized to our own minds! You'll see, for instance, that my memories knew to search me out, though Claus was closer, and Stella and Yashiro were just as close. Assuming as I am that these fragments of my consciousness do not possess their own consciousness, that implies that the particles of my mind, oh, what's the term, M particles? I think I read that somewhere in there. That there is something about a person's M particles that gives them a unique 'frequency,' so to speak, almost like a mental fingerprint. Whatever the case, this explains Chihaya and Jun's returned memories as well, the mastermind need only release their lost memories into the air and they would be magnetized towards their minds, seamlessly fitting right back in!”

 

Shinobu then gasped. “And, yes, that would explain why the lost memories sometimes took the form of losing the details of Rin Hashizawa, not actual events... it was simply the M particles that regarded her existence that were taken, leaving an open gap in the thought process! Chihaya and Miria knew full well that there was a fourth girl, and so did Eriko, they simply didn't know who she was! And Hansuke... and Luan, yes! Yes! It's coming together! My little gray cells are tingling, friends! Ka-ka-ka-ka-ka! And that-” She raised her finger. “Ahhh, yes! Yes, yes, yes! That explains, too, how Nanako was able to recall so much of Kojiro but not his voice or appearance! The M particles regarding those _specific factors_ were stored separately somewhere, perhaps in a similar canister. In that case...” Then she slowed down. “Ah, but I don't have proof of that specific artifice... Nevertheless I am quite certain that I've found something, here...”

 

Yashiro leaned over to look at Shinobu's writings,- which were quite, quite long- as she stood up and began pacing about, probably so he could make sense of Shinobu's long ramble. Claus inwardly hoped that Yashiro would help explain it to him. As he read, though, Yashiro made a little noise. “Oh, may I say something?” He tilted his head at Shinobu.

 

“But of course, friend, why would you not be able to?” Shinobu tittered.

 

“It's rather minor compared to...” Yashiro's face grew square. Claus recognized that look- it was a look of 'I don't know how to describe what just happened.' “All those words you just said, no doubt, but I have been reminded of a small detail.” He hummed.

 

“Well, don't leave us hanging.” Stella said. “What is it?”

 

“You'll recall I was the first one to inform you all of what the Compound was called, yes?” Yashiro said. The three of them nodded. “It occurs to me, seeing it written down here, that there is a bit of a detail that I may have not quite made obvious. A failing on my part! My bad!” He tapped the writing, and the other three leaned in past his bulk to inspect. “You see, I saw it written on the terminal Monokuma—er, Kojiro—used to patch me into the first trial. It was plain as day.”

 

He wrote it down, and Claus raised his eyebrow. “The V was...smaller?”

 

“Indeed!” Yashiro said. It was written right there- 'Compound vK.' “My grasp on English is, I'll admit, not the best, so it took me some time to realize that there was a difference between what I'd said and what you all had written, but it is most certainly smaller.”

 

So the place wasn't called Compound VK, but Compound vK. “I... suppose we should keep that in mind?” Claus said, shrugging.

 

“Yeah, uh...” Stella shrugged too. “I've got nothing.”

 

Only Shinobu seemed pleased by having the information. She reached up and patted Yashiro's shoulder. “Thank you kindly, Yashiro. I'll be certain to keep this in mind.”

 

“I told you all it was a small detail!” Yashiro cried to Claus and Stella. “It was only just of me to say it, though, you must understand!” He clenched his fist.

 

“No, no, I understand, and we appreciate it, Yashiro.” Claus said. He gave a thumbs up. “I'm sure it will turn out to be a very important clue... somehow!”

 

“Eh, whatever happens, you did your best, big guy.” Stella smiled and put her arm around Yashiro's waist, raising her hand up for a fistbump. “Put 'er there, pal. Lightly. Don't break my hand.”

 

“You _are_ in a good mood today!” Yashiro smiled, returning her fistbump. “It's very pleasant to see.”

 

“I couldn't agree more.” Claus nodded. “But, er...” He said, turning to look at a wall, frowning. “What do you suppose will happen come Phase Ten? Nanako is our last listed Confessional, so far as I can tell.”

 

“Well...” Stella pursed her lips, and then sighed. “I dunno. I guess we'll just have to see, huh?”

 

“Indeed!” Yashiro laughed. “We've come this far, and we shall not falter now, my friends!” He put his hands on his waist, his laughter bellowing through the small room. Claus flinched a bit from the noise.

 

“Be careful in your Confessional, hm, Yashiro?” Shinobu said. “I haven't the foggiest what Zero might want with you, admittedly, but do take care!”

 

“Absolutely!” Yashiro pumped his fist. “Leave it to yours truly! I shall not falter now!”

 

“I don't think he _can_ falter.” Stella smirked. “Look at him.”

 

“Oh, I assure you I'm not infallible.” Yashiro said, his voice growing quieter, chiding Stella slightly with his finger. “I'm just suffused with the spirit of justice and will not fail to defeat nefarious criminals such as the mastermind behind this incident, is all.”

 

“Is that all.” Stella snorted.

 

“The second day of the Nonary Game is nearly over, everyone.” Claus said. “We've almost made it.” He put his hand on his heart, and looked towards his three friends. “Yashiro's quite right. We won't give up now, now will we? We have to-”

 

“Couldn't let Yashiro have the last word, huh?” Stella smirked. Claus blushed, and looked away, sputtering. “Haha! God, you're a dork.” Aaaaagh, this always happened!

 

“Perhaps the dorkiest.” Shinobu tittered. Nooooo!

 

“Oh, it's alright, Claus! I would've given you the dramatic speech if you really wanted it!” Yashiro laughed, going over to Claus and patting him on the back. Claus bent over awkwardly, and began walking away, dejected. “Claus? Claus, it's alright, really!”

 

“I'm sleepy!” Claus spoke loudly. “I'm going to go to sleep now!” He opened the door and stepped out of the room. “Good work everyone! Yes! Haha! _Shinobu, Yashiro, I'll see you in Phase Ten!_ ” He frantically walked towards another door. Any other door, really.

 

“Goodnight, Claus!” Stella called after him.

 

“ _ **Thank you! Goodnight!**_ ” Claus shouted.

 

* * *

 

A burning house, crumbling to bits. Mom's voice, saying, “At...least you're safe...” before sputtering out.

 

“That's a lie, of course.” Jun said. “That's not true at all.”

 

“Huh?” It didn't understand anything at all.

 

“Seriously? God, you're dense.” Jun Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin, scoffed. “I'm saying that there wasn't anything that grand, idiot. There's no big tragedy.”

 

“I don't understand.” It said. “What does that mean? Who are you?”

 

“It's simple, really.” He was a boy in a wheelchair, with a foul expression on his face, and he wheeled forward, and put his finger on its nose. “What you and I both wanted was for there to be some grand reason we weren't there anymore. Some big, shocking incident that tragically tore us apart. You-”

 

“No! No!” It shrieked. “You're wrong!”

 

“You wanted to kill the Okitas.” Jun said. “Right? C'mon, it's obvious. You wanted to kill them off in your memories so you could feel sorry for yourself. 'Oh, how could this have happened? I was so happy with them, but then they died. Woe is me.' Sorry, but you don't get to do that, idiot.”

 

“Why? Why are you doing this?!” The thing shrieked, writhing, trying to escape Jun. “Please, stop! I don't want this!”

 

“God.” Jun scoffed. “You think I'm happy, having to cajole a twisted monster like you?” He rolled his eyes, as the beast shuddered in fear of the invisible power he wielded. “Let me be as blunt as I possibly can, so you remember why I exist in the first place.”

 

“They-

 

_-just-_

 

-didn't-

 

- _love-_

 

-you-

 

 _-anymore._ ”

 

“That's a _**LIE!**_ ” The beast began writhing uncontrollably, twisting itself, trying to gather up the power to make Jun _stop._ It didn't have that power, of course. Only humans had that power, and it was a beast. A twisted, disgusting _thing._

 

“I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?” Jun snorted. “Nobody could ever love _you._ ” He pulled out a flashlight, and—no NO NO NO NO NO NO NNNNNNNNNNN—“You don't want this, do you?” He grinned an almost sickening grin. “Take a second to remember, why don't you?”

 

It didn't want to see. The light hurt it. The light burned. It burned it burned it burned. It didn't want to see so it closed its eyes but when it was not within shadow there was a form there a horrible twisting sickening disgusting loathsome form that nobody nobody nobody nobody nobody could ever love nobody could ever love a sickening beast like this thing that it was why did it exist why did it have to exist why why why why why why why _please, please, please, please love me_

 

their gazes were cold. the people who were its parents looked at it now with only some sort of vague pity. 'were sorry, jun, but we dont think theres anything more for you here. hopefully the next house is better for you' why are you saying this dont you love me dont you see youre my parents why why why why why why why why why why why

 

“No human knows how to love a monster.” Jun turned off his flashlight, still smirking. “Pretty stupid question, but then I guess you don't have the mind of a human, so you wouldn't really know, would you?”

 

_Anonymous posted: So what is it about characters like this guy that makes you all love him so much?_

 

“That's why I exist.”

 

_“...the 'defrosting ice king' schtick gets me LOL... hes so tsundere”_

 

“It doesn't matter how worthless I am. There'll always—”

 

_“...want him to slam me against a wall and tell me he hates me, LOL”_

 

“—no matter how fake, or surface-level it is—”

 

_“I've actually written several essays on the character, it's really amazing how much depth the authors put into this and I don't know how other people don't see it.”_

 

“—be someone who loves me.” Jun snorted.

 

Love me. Love me. Please, someone, love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me. Love me

 

“Will you quit crying?” Jun scoffed. “I know you're a monster, but the least you could do is engage me. Idiot. What, do you want to be happy now?”

 

No. Never happy. No more happiness ever. Please. It just hurts more when it loses it. Love me. Please love me. Help. Help me, please. Where did it go? Why aren't you working anymore? _Why?!_

 

“Then quit getting in my way!” Jun snarled. “If you want me to do my job, then let me do my fucking job, idiot! I could get people to love me if you'd quit getting in my way! Shut up, already! You're so fucking annoying!”

 

cold. It's cold. It's so cold. Cold cold cold cold cold cold. Why is it cold. Where. Where.

 

_Can you even hear me anymore...?_

 

please

 

let me die

 

it would be better

 

if everything just went away

 

“ _C'mon, J, don't give up yet!”_

 

“Ah!” The person in the wheelchair suddenly started and realized that they still existed. They looked about, though, and hissed angrily. “Damn it. How long does this hallway go on?”

 

_Not too much farther now._

 

“That'd be nice.” They scoffed. Stupid Voice. Didn't know when to shut up. “I'm really sick of this damn hallway. Seems like I've been down here forever.”

 

_Maybe you have._

 

“That doesn't make any god damn sense. Shut up.” They rolled their eyes. Nothing to do but go forward, though, so they began actively wheeling forward again to try to speed matters up. No hallway went on _forever,_ after all.

 


	71. Day 21, Phase 8 - The Great Showman Plays His Part

“So you're Yashiro, huh?”

 

Yashiro spun on his feet, the bizarrely tropical breeze blowing his hair every which way. Suspicious voices aside, he was already quite lost, so it was a bit of an unnerving day to begin with. When he saw the being the voice belonged to, though, it became all the stranger.

 

“Yeah, you are just as big as I heard, huh?” No more than a third of his height, a black-and-white animatronic bear was sitting next to a palm tree, twirling a coconut on his claw. “Groovy.”

 

“Speak your name, sir!” Yashiro crouched down into a cautious fighting stance. Bizarrely out-of-this-world enemies such as this one oftentimes had strange and unpredictable powers, so it paid to be prepared, even if he was rather powerful. “Should you enter into battle with me, I, Yashiro Narumi, will strike you down with all my might!”

 

The bear just sighed, though, and sat up a bit straighter...inasmuch as he could. “No need to worry about that, Simba. I come in peace.” His bizarre, red, bat-wing-shaped eye levied a sensor behind it at Yashiro. “The name's Kojiro Hashizawa. You may have heard of me. I'm pretty important.”

 

Kojiro? Yashiro blinked, and couldn't help but slightly lower his guard. “As in...” His brow furrowed as he made the connection. “Rin's little brother? That Kojiro?”

 

“Technically that's incorrect, but you've got my meaning, yes.” Kojiro said. He stood up, throwing the coconut back into the tree with a comical clonking noise. “Nice to finally meet you! My dearest sibling talks about you a lot, y'know. Makes a guy feel a little inadequate...” He puttered about a little, seeming to turn ever-so-slightly blue.

 

“So you're Kojiro!” Yashiro laughed. “I can't say I expected you to be a little thing like this, but it's nice to finally meet you!”

 

“What, did she never mention?” Kojiro rolled his eyes. “Typical Nanako... wait, right, yeah, I've got some explaining to do.” He said, when he noticed the befuddled look on Yashiro's face. “Okay, let's start. You know she's not human, right?”

 

“That would make sense, yes.” Yashiro nodded.

 

“Well, see, her name also isn't Rin Hashizawa. That's our creator. The girl you've been talking to is her daughter, Nanako. Y'get it? 'Nana'ko? Cuz she's...” Kojiro trailed off. “You get it? It's not very funny. Anyway, so Mother Dearest told Nanako to introduce herself as Rin if anyone ever came to the island so we'd avoid the nasty legal complications of someone finding out that illegal Replicant creation was going on down here.”

 

Yashiro nodded along. “Alright, alright. I'm following. Your nefarious sea fortress is covertly creating machines in the hopes of eventually obtaining the Holy Grail of robotics. Got it.” He gave a thumbs up. He had occasionally wondered _why_ Rin—er, Nanako?—lived in a mobile underwater fortress such as this, but the best answer he'd gotten from her was a shrug.

 

“Okay. So, we've got that clear.” Kojiro took a deep breath in, and then bowed down to Yashiro, growing ever shorter on the sand. “I need your help. Please.”

 

“W-what?” Yashiro stammered.

 

“God, are you a hero or not?” Kojiro scoffed. “Wait. No. I'm trying to ask you for help, I shouldn't...” He shuddered slightly. “Please. I'm... I'm begging you. Please listen to me. I need your help, Yashiro. Mom and Nanako, a-and...the entire rest of your class at Hope's Peak, they're all in terrible, terrible danger and I _need your help._ I can't do anything by myself, I... I need you to... _please help me._ ” Just below the little bear's face, Yashiro could see what looked like tear stains on the sand below.

 

“What's the situation?” Yashiro said, leaning down with all urgency. This seemed like a job for a hero if there ever was one!

 

“Listen. This is going to sound crazy, but I swear to you, every word of this is true.” Kojiro said. “I'm not lying, I'm not making anything up, I... okay.” He sighed a bit, trying to catch his breath. Watching the little bear do this looked a bit odd, Yashiro wasn't going to lie, but his plight was undeniably painful, so he wasn't going to question it. “Have you... ever heard of Ultimate Despair?”

 

“The terrorist group that nearly ended the world in the early 21st century, yes?” Yashiro nodded. “I'm as familiar as anyone would be, I believe.”

 

“And— And you know about their killing games, too, right?” Kojiro said. “Those...those horrible— Those _horrible_ things?”

 

Yashiro shuddered. “Unfortunately. I try not to think about them too often, even in history class. The very concept fills me with such rage that-”

 

“There's going to be one.” Kojiro said. Yashiro went silent. “Here. There's going to be a killing game held here, in Compound vK. It's almost started, they've kidnapped the rest of your class, they're gonna take Nanako's memories and throw her in...” He shuddered. “They... She wants me to... They want me to run it.”

 

“ _What?_ ” Yashiro bellowed.

 

“For weeks now I've been doing test runs of the executions.” Kojiro said, his voice shaking and quivering along with his entire body. “I have to. I don't have a choice. I'm just a machine, I don't have a way to say no. I know maybe that doesn't make sense to you, but I swear, I can't- I can't not do it, I-”

 

“No, don't worry, I understand!” Yashiro said, reaching down to touch the poor boy. “Please, don't worry, I just want to hear what's happening.”

 

“I've had to keep quiet about it to Nanako, she doesn't know what's going to happen, she...she doesn't _know,_ and...” Kojiro's body buckled a bit as he cried. “ _Please, help me!_ I don't want anyone to die! I don't wanna kill people! You're a hero, right?! Then you can help me!”

 

“I will!” Yashiro pounded his chest. “I swear it! I only need to know what exactly is going on.”

 

“Okay, well...” Kojiro breathed one last, shuddering sigh, then looked up. “Buckle up, cause this is a ride.”

 

And Kojiro explained. He explained how this came to be, the sordid story that led to these atrocities' beginnings. He told Yashiro the truth of The End, and the killing game. All the plans, all the schemes...and all about the Final Trial. At the end of it all, Yashiro stood, silent, somber, digesting this malign turn of events. “This...” He trailed off. “This is—”

 

“Aw, don't bum out on me now, big guy.” Kojiro said. “Listen, there's no way you could've been expected to do anything. It's real regrettable, trust me, I know, but the way things went, no way you could've known about any of this. It was blind luck you found this place in the first place. I'm going against orders _big time_ telling you all this, so we've gotta make it count, got it?”

 

“Just tell me what to do.” Yashiro nodded sternly. “I'll do it.”

 

“Great.” Kojiro smirked...or did whatever was closest, considering half his face was constantly in a grin. That seemed inconvenient. “Then here's the plan. Over that way, where you were _supposed_ to be going, at the base of Mount Yahazu, that's where Inoue, the mafia guy, is stationed. They're transporting the captives here tomorrow, as scheduled. The only one they still need is you.”

 

“So...?” Yashiro tilted his head to one side.

 

Kojiro blinked, and tilted his head himself. “So what? I'm saying you charge in there and you wreck shit!”

 

“...I was supposing you might be suggesting something with more subterfuge.” Yashiro said, raising his eyebrow.

 

“Have you taken a look in the mirror lately, guy? I don't want subterfuge, I want subtermination! So to speak. You charge in there and you wreck shit up! Holler up a storm about justice or whatever! Take on as many of those bastards as you can!” Kojiro hollered, clenching one of his paws. “They're not allowed to kill you, after all, so go buck wild!”

 

“Simply save the captives and wreck their plan, then?” Yashiro said. “That's all? Well, I'll certainly try my hardest! But, er...” He frowned. “Three hundred operatives is a bit much even for the Ultimate Strongman, friend. If I'm to fail?”

 

“Well, if you fail, I've got some contingencies.” Kojiro said. “Ideally, you won't fail, but you're right. Three hundred guys is a _lot_ for one guy. What I do need to make sure of, though, is that they're shaken up. Get them to knock you out and transport you and the others in a hurry, make sure it's a rushed procedure. So just take out as many as you can if you're gonna go down.”

 

“What, exactly, will you do then?” Yashiro said, humming. “Once I am present in the killing game, I mean.”

 

“Simple.” Kojiro chuckled. “I myself am tasked with transporting you all once you're inside the facility. Now, the plan is for everyone to lose their memories of Rin, but you've never met the lady, so instead you're going to lose your memories of Nanako. You dig? Keeping with the trick.” He then began to laugh. “But there's a few things they think I don't know. I know them.”

 

“Do tell!” Yashiro said.

 

“First off, I've been paying attention in the background, and I've figured out how the whole removing memories process works. I can do it myself, even, with the equipment.” Kojiro said. “All I have to do is take the _wrong memories_ from you, then conveniently lose you in the one part of the facility that doesn't have constant surveillance. You can survive in the pipes for a while, yeah, big guy?”

 

“As in, sewer pipes?” Yashiro laughed nervously. “I would rather not. Why?”

 

“So I've done a lot of thinking on this.” Kojiro said, leaning back against the palm tree and crossing his arms. “The intended 'order' here for the plot is that Nanako's identity, not being Rin Hashizawa, is the big, final twist that slots everything together. Right? If she survives, she remembers it right before the end, and then 'figures things out' from there.” He spat to the side. “Like hell I'm letting that happen. If you were to show up _remembering_ her all of a sudden, now, that'd do a bunch to kickstart her remembering process.”

 

“Why's that?” Yashiro asked.

 

“Uh, duh, 'cause you're important to her.” Kojiro said. “Nanako's real receptive to M particles on account of that wacky antenna of hers, so probably just coming into contact with your actual frequency again will do her some good. It'll speed up the process and make the realization go faster, and if it goes faster, that'll force the plot into a different track.” He quickly bent down onto the sand and drew out a remarkably nice diagram of Compound vK. “Now, there's security cameras all over the facility, _except_ for the sewage system. The top entrance is here, in the loading hallway...” He snorted. “Oh, I'm sorry. 'Confessional Hall.' Blur-de-blur-de-bloo. It's right here, in the loading hallway restroom. There's a second entrance... here, in the Goodhart Hall Basin, and then a third entrance dooown here, in the Physics Lab.”

 

“Why are the waste pipes so large?” Yashiro asked.

 

“There's a lot of waste material that goes into projects like Nanako. BC particles out the wazoo that wind up just a bunch of weird informational slime, plus the waste system also takes in water from the hydroelectric part of our power rig. Also, Mom has no sense of scale because she's rich and thought it would be cool to have a sewer maze in her Fortress of Solitude.” Kojiro said. Yashiro nodded. Made sense. “So, if I happen to conveniently lose you in the sewers right as the game's about to start, our darling captor will have no choice but to accept the memories I took from you and start the game. Once she does that, she's not allowed to directly interfere with any of the participants, so you're safe, but it'll probably take you a bit to get out. I'll do my best to make sure you're fed and all, but you'll be stuck on the second floor either way until it opens up. There are worse places to be, though, I guess. There's a bar.”

 

“Why on earth is there a bar?” Yashiro asked.

 

“Lends the place a bit of atmosphere, plus Mom was thinking that the construction crew might stay for longer than they wound up doing. Also, Mom has no sense of scale because she's rich and thought it would be cool to have a bar in her Fortress of Solitude.” Kojiro said. Yeah, seemed reasonable.

 

“That does imply I'll be trapped up there, though.” Yashiro said. He hummed. “That would mean I'd be separated from the rest of the group until then, yes?”

 

“Well, if you get out, it'll just be bars, so you'll be able to talk to them through there.” Kojiro said. “Trust me, I've thought this through. It would only take one murder for that to open up, though-”

 

“Don't say that!” Yashiro boomed. “Those are my classmates' lives you're talking about!”

 

“You think I don't _know_ that?” Kojiro scoffed. “Listen. I don't want anyone to die, either. I'm gonna have to watch them bleed out and then force my fucking _sister_ to tell the killer they have to die too. Do you think I don't know what I'm saying?” He looked up, staring at Yashiro with a deep, almost frightening resolution. In a boy this young... remarkable, Yashiro thought. “Of course it'd be ideal for nobody to die, but we don't live in ideals. This is the _real world,_ and in the real world, people die. People die for no reason at all and you get sad about it, and you cry, and you scream, and you get mad! But if I let... one to three deaths stop me from planning how I have to to save my family, I'd be pathetic. I'd be a _toy._ ” Kojiro grimaced as best he could. “Nanako would be wrong about me. I'd be fake after all. I can't live with letting her down like that.”

 

“...Fake?” Yashiro said. He looked Kojiro over. “You are a machine, yes, but you do not seem fake to me.”

 

“That's what people say, but hell if I've ever known how.” Kojiro said. “I'm only Kojiro because of Mom and Nanako. All these feelings I feel, they're pretty much all just because of them, I'm pretty sure. And I'm fine with that.” He smiled. “I love them both. They mean the world to me, y'know? Not that I could ever tell them that... God, that'd be way too embarrassing.” The young boy snarled. “But _she_ doesn't want that. She likes me, y'know. She wants me to see things the way she does, and...if things go the way she wants...well, I will.”

 

“What?!” Yashiro boomed.

 

“That's the sad thing when you're a fake like me. You are how people see you...and I'm gonna be out on parade as Monokuma, heartless perpetrator of the killing game! Puhuhuhu!” This 'mascot character' had an odd laugh. “She doesn't have the power to make me like her, but those guys...and Nanako, they all have that power. If they all see me that way, even Nanako, well...” He looked down. “I will be. I'll be that heartless killer. I'll probably even _enjoy_ it.”

 

“There's no way that's true!” Yashiro shook his head. “You're clearly not that kind of person!”

 

“It's nice that you have that sort of faith and all, but it doesn't make any sense to me.” Kojiro said. “That's the whole reason I look like this, after all. Well, not the _whole_ whole reason, but...” He gestured. “Look at me. I'm Monokuma. I'm the embodiment of the philosophy of the world's greatest terrorist, man.” He chuckled, but there was little humor in it. “How could I not be evil? They think, therefore I am. I'll become her perfect little pet within days, probably.”

 

“I'm...still not entirely certain I understand, but...” Yashiro scratched his chin. “Pray tell, how do you plan to avoid this?”

 

“I'll steal myself.” Kojiro said. “From all of Nanako's lost memories, I'll steal me. My looks, my mannerisms, my actions, my feelings... y'know, all that crap that makes a guy. I'll steal it all, and I'll keep them with me all the time. If I can't sneak that, then I'll just stash them in my room or somewhere... it doesn't matter how I do it, as long as I can always feel her, telling me who I'm supposed to be.” He sighed. “Might make her remembering me go a bit slower, or something, but... well, hopefully I'll be able to help with that somehow too. The more she remembers me, the less I'll have to rely on that. It's a gamble, but I'm pretty sure it'll work. I've done my homework down in the labs, at least, even if I haven't had a chance to practice. Not much practice you can do with a thing like this.”

 

“You'd... risk your entire existence on this gamble?” Yashiro's eyes widened.

 

“Yup.” Kojiro nodded. “Any more questions?”

 

“This is all going quite far over my head, I'll fully admit.” Yashiro said, throwing his hands up. “I'm not the best at book smarts, after all! Haha! But I can tell you one thing, young man.” Kojiro tilted his head. “Whatever the case is, I'm certain... you're rather brave. You might be brave enough to impress my Nana!”

 

“...So you'll help?” Kojiro asked. “Listen, I know it's-”

 

“No question! Of course I'll help.” Yashiro laughed. “You have persuaded me quite well, but I was intending to help no matter what you said. I'm just that sort of man! The spirit of justice flows deep within my blood! And, of course, I would much rather these atrocities not go unchallenged.” He paused. “One question, though. What, exactly, do you plan to remove from my memories?”

 

“Everything after you went to sleep last night until you fall unconscious, basically.” Kojiro said. Yashiro made a loud noise. “There'd clearly be something up if you remembered that, c'mon. Guarantee you she'll want me to remove those anyway, so I'm gonna need them anyway.”

 

“But if I do not remember this, how should I then assist you from inside the facility?” Yashiro gaped. “Why, knowing myself, I would probably be one of the most convinced of your evil! I might call you a vile blackheart! A treacherous mudstain! If you perform enough chicanery, you could even be...” He went into a harsh whisper. “A _wizard,_ Kojiro.”

 

“You know, Yashiro?” Kojiro smirked. “You seem obvious enough I'll probably be able to use you right even if you hate me.”

 

Yashiro laughed. “Oh, that's a good point!”

 

Suddenly, Kojiro groaned. “Shit. I have to get back, or they'll get suspicious. Just, uh...” He was sweating, somehow.

 

“I will do my absolute best to assist you, Kojiro.” Yashiro smiled, and gave him a salute. “I wish to save her as well, you know. And everyone else! I will support your plan as best I can, even if I'm uncertain I fully understand the details!” He laughed.

 

“Anyone ever told you you need a volume slider?” Kojiro grunted. “Geez, you're loud.” He sighed. “Thanks, weirdo. Have a nice day hitting people. Oh, and if you make it to that Final Trial of hers on the 30th-”

 

“Have no doubt of my decision, friend.” Yashiro smiled, and then turned around and, waving behind him, said, “Be well!”

* * *

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

Waking up sick (again? Really?) was one thing, but Nanako also happened to not recognize the floor she was laying on. That said, it was pretty comfy. A far cry from the stark metal Test Chamber, that was for certain.

 

“Woogh.” She shook her head awake, grumbling and waiting for the bloating feeling to pass. It usually did, waking up. She opened her eyes. Kazuya and Chihaya were on the floor, also waking up. The floor to this small, rectangular room was pretty soft, a nice little plush carpet. It was dimly lit, with not much in it, though there was a clock on the left wall. “Guys, you up?”

 

“No.” Kazuya grumbled. “Ugh.”

 

“Yeah, not the nicest thing to wake up to after a nice snuggle sesh.” Nanako sleepily giggled a bit, and rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes. “I feel this feeling deeply, Kazuya.”

 

“This... isn't the room we've woken up in before.” Chihaya said. Suddenly rocketing up, she bolted over to the door, which was in the same position as the other Test Chambers, and attempted to open it. Locked. That was great, Nanako thought. She loved locked doors.

 

Idly checking her bracelet, Nanako found it was now 00:08. It had taken them a while to wake up, it seemed, but it was nevertheless a new day. She sat up and yawned, and then stopped when she saw the one piece of furniture in the room. It was a table, much like the other Test Chambers, but this one had something atop it. Something oddly familiar. Nanako recognized this room.

 

Three towers sat equidistant from each other atop the table. On the leftmost tower sat fourteen discs, of increasing size as you went further down. It was a fourteen-disc Tower of Hanoi puzzle. She'd practiced these many a time, as a way of ensuring her mental acuity and mathematics aptitude. Next to it was a familiar safe. Fourteen discs took 16,383 moves to complete, which, assuming the movement of a single disc a second...“Um... guys?” She said. “We... might be in here a while.”

 

“What?” Chihaya said, turning away from the door and looking at the Tower. Her face scrunched a bit. “...That's a Tower of Hanoi.” She turned to Nanako. “How long is a 'while?'”

 

“Four hours, thirty-three minutes, three seconds.” Nanako said. “That's how long that puzzle will take me to finish.”

 

“There's no way to speed up the process at all?” Chihaya asked. Nanako shook her head. “...Let's look around to see if there's any alternative. Kazuya, are you alright?”

 

“Yeah, I'm fine now.” Kazuya said, stretching. “I'd rather not be in here for that long, either, though.”

 

And so N Team searched. They searched under the table, attempting to pry open every floor tile, every wall tile, to find something hidden in the carpet. Nothing. It was 00:20 by the time they all finished to Chihaya's disgruntled satisfaction. “Nanako.” She said. “Are you alright to do this?”

 

“Yeah, I've got it. I've done these for way longer before.” Nanako said, walking over to the table, sitting down next to it, and beginning to get to work. One thing she'd learned, having known actual humans now, was that she was blisteringly fast. The speed at which her hands moved was almost like lightning, and she heard Kazuya gaping from behind her. “There's no way to speed up the puzzle, though, so get comfy.”

 

“Great.” Chihaya sighed, laying back down.

 

“At least you're used to hiding weird places for a long time, right?” Kazuya said, sighing himself and also lying down. “Giving us something like this, though. What were they thinking?”

 

“Likely attempting to keep us trapped in here for a long period.” Chihaya said, glaring at the ceiling. “Or, maybe, to test Nanako. Or both.”

 

Kazuya replied something, but Nanako's thoughts were getting kind of vague, so she wasn't sure what it was. All her arms needed to do, she already had memorized, so there was little for her mind to do but zone out and think about life, the universe, and everything, by now.

 

“Hey, Nanako.” Kazuya said from behind her. At some point, he and Chihaya had started an arm-wrestling competition. Chihaya was winning. “Are... you doing alright?”

 

“Huh?” Nanako said. She hadn't a clue how much time had passed. “What do you mean?”

 

“I just...” Kazuya trailed off. “This... must be really hard on you, is all. Are you really alright to put yourself through all this work?”

 

“Haha, probably not.” Nanako smiled, not that he could see it, since she was turned the other way. “I'm pretty screwed up, huh?”

 

“You're not 'screwed up.'” Chihaya chided. “Don't say that. You're probably one of the best-adjusted people here.”

 

“Ehhh, I guess.” Nanako shrugged. “I don't feel that way. I really hate all of this.”

 

“...You don't have to keep smiling for our sake, Nanako.” Kazuya said. “If you're in that much pain, you... you can say something, you know that, right?”

 

“Do you really want to hear it?” Nanako said. “Because if you're going to let me ramble, I've got a lot to say.” She chuckled.

 

“It... isn't healthy to bottle up your emotions like that.” Kazuya said. “I know. Please-”

 

“So, who am I?” Nanako said. “Think about it. I'm me, right? I'm Nanako Hashizawa. This whole time, I've been this ridiculously special character, but it's not because _I'm_ special, it's because my _mom_ is special.” She laughed a bit. “The only reason I'm special at all is because of what I am, not who I am. That's the only reason anyone cares. Sure, the fact that I have this sense of self is fantastic and all, but it's like it doesn't matter what that sense of self is, you know?”

 

Her hands grew clenched around the discs, but did not slow. “And you know what? I guess that's fine. I mean, sure, I'm a landmark scientific achievement, I can't expect to have things go exactly the way I want them to. I shouldn't be complaining. Except now I'm finding out that my mom had all of this ridiculous crap going on that I had no idea about, and I've gotten roped into this because of it. Did I even know my mom at all before this? What was my childhood, huh?” She was shouting. “What was it?! What was I even doing for my entire existence before this?! Was there this entire larger story going on that everyone else but me knew about?! Am I just some kind of fucking _idiot?!_ ”

 

“Nanako-” Kazuya began.

 

“I've lived my entire life in this stupid compound, just trying to satisfy my mom, just trying to be the best daughter I could be.” Nanako gritted her teeth. “I _loved_ my mom, so much, that I tried to ignore how lonely I was. You guys, you don't know what it's like, okay? You've been isolated socially, yeah, I know that, but I've been trapped in here my _entire life,_ okay? Before this happened I knew _three people._ Three! I wasn't ready for this! Why does _this_ have to be my first experience with the real world, huh!? It's _**bullshit!**_ ”

 

The other two were quiet. “And as if that's not enough, as if seeing a third of the people I've ever known, people I've already come to love like family, _murder each other,_ wasn't enough, I find out that my mom was the big important person to this huge story I'd never even heard of!? Well, then what the fuck am I, then!? What was any of the happiness I ever felt, huh? Was it even real? Was it real or was it just some kind of stupid joke? Am _I_ some kind of stupid joke?! Huh?! This whole time, in the place I'd been living my entire life, this, this _atrocity_ was happening, right in front of me, and I was too stupid to see it?! What the fuck is that?!”

 

Nanako was tearing up. “It's not enough that this has to happen to me, I have to lose my childhood, too? I have to lose the Mom I loved, have my entire life be some kind of stupid footnote in this sick murder play?! I-” She gritted her teeth and grunted, forcing back a sob. “I thought Mom _trusted_ me! I thought I was her daughter, that she loved! I was right here! I would've been there for her if she told me all the bad things that happened! I just wanted to help her! I knew Mom had gone through some stuff, and I wanted to help, but no! Instead, I have to do _this!_ Sit in test chambers and do puzzles and investigate murders and do a _bunch of stupid bullshit because_ _ **some psychopath doesn't like me!**_ ”

 

Her face was bright red, and she was spitting as she shouted. “Why me, huh!? I don't even know what my life is going to be after this! I don't have anything! I can't stay here with Mom and Kojiro anymore, even if I wanted to, because that's gone now! This place isn't for that anymore, if it ever even was! I never got the chance to find out for myself what the world is like! Why couldn't I have that chance, huh?! I hate this stupid game and I hate Mom and I hate The End and I hate Zero and I hate this stupid, shitty Compound! I wanna go _home!_ _**I just wanna go home, already!**_ ”

 

By now, she was openly sobbing. “It wasn't perfect, but it was home! Now it's gone! I don't have a home anymore! I don't even know what's going to happen in the next hour, let alone the next day, the next week, the next month, I don't know anything! I'm scared, okay?! The future scares me and this stupid game scares me and I don't want to die and I don't want anyone else to die and I just don't want _**ANY OF THIS!**_ ” She couldn't help herself. Nanako slammed her head into the desk and just screamed. “Just _FUCK OFF ALREADY!_ _ **LEAVE ME ALONE!**_ ” And there were no more words. It was just a long, horrible scream that hurt her throat to make. Her hands were still moving. She didn't have a choice but to keep moving her stupid hands.

 

It was a long moment, more than a minute, maybe even two, before Nanako finished, “I'm just so tired, guys. I just wanna go home. I don't wanna do this anymore. I miss everyone else. I want my friends back. I want my family back.”

 

Chihaya's hand, suddenly, was on Nanako's shoulder. “Nanako... stop.”

 

“Stop... what?” Nanako sniffled.

 

“Stop doing the puzzle. We don't need to.” Chihaya said. “Lie down. Take a break.”

 

“But if...” Nanako looked at the puzzle. It wasn't nearly done yet. “If I stop now, we'll never finish in time. We won't get the-”

 

Suddenly, something odd was happening. Chihaya was... hugging Nanako. “We don't need whatever she wants to tell us this time. We can miss a single puzzle.” She was smiling. “It's alright, Nanako. You can rest.”

 

“...Are...” Nanako began tearing up again. “Are you sure...?”

 

Chihaya nodded. “Mmhm.”

 

She couldn't help it. Again, tears began falling out of Nanako's eyes. “Thank you...” She sobbed. “Thank you. Thank you, Chihaya.”

 

“I'm sorry for getting mad at you earlier.” Chihaya said. “It... was really unfair of me, to get mad at you. I should've known better.”

 

“No, c'mon. Stop.” Nanako said back to her, resting her head on Chihaya's shoulder. “Don't say that. It's okay, I understand. Really.”

 

“Even if you understand, that doesn't change the fact that I was being unfair.” Chihaya said. “I should've thought about how you felt. I said some... really rude things about you. You don't deserve that.”

 

“It's fine, I just...” Nanako gritted her teeth. “Can we be friends again? Please? I just wanna be friends with you like before, Chihaya. No more of all this complicated stuff.”

 

“Yeah.” Chihaya nodded. “Of course. Friends.”

 

“Okay.” Nanako took a deep breath in, and then spun back around again and started working. “Lost a bit of time there, but I think I can still make it.”

 

“Er, Nanako?” Kazuya said. Oh, yeah, he was still here too. “Didn't Chihaya just-?”

 

“Well, if I don't have to do it, that makes it much more pleasant to do.” Nanako hummed, her antenna twirling about a bit. “Nothing else to do, right? Hwaaaaa-ta!”

 

“...She's unbelievable.” Kazuya laughed.

 

“That's Nanako for you.” Chihaya said. “She's really someone special, isn't she?”

 

“Oh, yes, say more compliments about me.” Nanako hummed. “Miss Nanako looooves those. Lavish me with your praise!”

 

“Don't get greedy.” Chihaya crossed her arms. “If you get complimented too much, your ego might swell, and then you'd be _completely_ insufferable.”

 

“Yowza!” Nanako shouted. “I can't believe I'm being injured so!” She looked back over her shoulder to ensure, and yup, Chihaya was smirking and laughing to herself.

 

“You two...” Kazuya muttered. He shook his head. “I don't think I'll ever get you.”

 

“It's Girl Talk, kid, don't let it get to you.” Nanako smiled at him before turning back to work.

 

“I still don't know what that actually _means,_ though!” Kazuya laughed. Nanako laughed too. Everyone was laughing. For the first time in days, Nanako felt at least a little bit at peace.

* * *

 

Jun stared into the eye of a security camera just outside Loading Zone #212 as Rin fiddled with the lock. “Oh, how hard can a single lock be, Rin?”

 

“Um... well, uh, I'm sorry, i-it was... really important, and all, haha...” The Roboticist blushed. “Say, Jun?”

 

“Yes?” Jun said, rolling his head around on his neck.

 

“Well, after this, I...” Rin stopped for a moment. “I think I'd like to talk to you... about... a few things. Things that are kind of important.” She continued mumbling, 'Well, they're... really important, at least, most of them are, anyway... er...'

 

“Sure, sure.” Jun said. “Just calm down, will you?” He pointed at Rin. “You're sweating up a storm and your glasses are sliding off your face.”

 

“Wha— Oh!” Rin scrambled to slide her glasses back onto her face. “Um, thank you. Sorry, it's just... I'm really excited, is all! To show you! I haven't shown anyone else yet, and...well, I...”

 

There was a click as Rin unlocked the door. “Then don't keep me waiting.” Jun smirked. “Lead on, I insist.”

 

Loading Zone #212 was a simple garage. There was only a single entrance—the door that Rin and Jun came through. Within wasn't much, just an odd... well, it looked rather like a truck or something, but it wasn't like any truck Jun had ever ridden in, that was for certain. It was mostly black, with a small front and a long back. The front was presumably where the driver's seat would be, but it seemed a bit small for a driver to sit in. “What sort of vehicle is this?” Jun said.

 

“Oh, well, I just...needed to be sure that I could keep her safe, is all.” Rin said. 'Her?' Jun's curiosity was piqued, as Rin pulled out a remote and tapped a button on it. A cover atop the back of the vehicle slowly began to slide open, revealing what looked to be some sort of capsule, gray, with reinforced glass atop it. Within there was... within there was-

 

Jun's heart ran cold.

 

Rin walked over to the capsule, gesturing within. “This... Well, this is Nanako!” There was a person—No. No, that was probably a Replicant. Inside was a Replicant that resembled Rin quite a lot, though the resemblance wasn't exact. It was more like this child was a descendant of hers or something. Rin's hair was straighter and less... wild, the face was slightly different, there was that ridiculous-looking ahoge on the top, even paler skin than Rin already had, the girl inside wasn't wearing glasses, and so on. The girl inside—Nanako—was in nice black formal wear for the event, though she was currently, by the look of it, unconscious.

 

“What?” Jun stammered. It was all he could do to process the insane information in front of him. She'd been-

 

“She's really a lovely, engaging girl, I think you and she would get along well.” Rin lit up, bouncing on her heels. “Oh, but I should explain, for the past year and change-” _Year?!_ “Nanako here's been developing in the Compound! Jun, Jun, listen! Remember the whole concept of VK compliance, trying to make a Replicant who can produce M particles, who can have that continuity of self? _I've done it, Jun!_ ” Her voice was reaching a fever pitch that Jun rarely ever heard. “I've done it! Think of how many people this could help if my technology enters the mass sphere! She's built with a system running off of BC particles, and the theory should be able to apply to other fields, too, Replicants who already exist, easing the strain on people after medical operations...” There were tears in her eyes. “Why, if I'm right, it's possible that once it advances some more, I— You could _walk_ , Jun!” She grasped Jun by the shoulders. “And it's all because of this darling girl here! Oh, I shouldn't wake her up yet for the sake of not polluting my exhibit in some way, but I'm finally going to help people!”

 

...huh? What... what was she...? Jun could... walk? Regain the use of his legs? Lose his—

aaaaaaaaaa, aaa, aa, aaaaAAAAAAAAA _AAAAAA_ —

 

“...What the fuck are you...” Jun threw her arms off. “Rin, what...what the hell are you _doing?!_ ” He threw his arms towards the capsule. “You—You just—!” He sputtered.

 

“...Huh?” Rin blinked, still smiling, but obviously confused.

 

“Do you even have a permit for this? Have you been _illegally creating Replicants?_ ” Jun continued sputtering, flinging his arms around. “What the hell possessed you to do something like that?! How— How many have you?!” He looked at Nanako again, and shook his head. “Oh, no. 'Nanako.' Oh, no, no, no. You're terrible at naming things, have you made _seven Replicants?!_ ”

 

“Well, I—” Rin stammered.

 

“You _idiot!_ ” There were tears in Jun's eyes, and he gritted his teeth. This stupid, stupid girl! “Don't you know that that's a serious crime?! I thought you were just some kind of hermit, but you've been illegally creating Replicants?! Do you— This isn't just something you can pay off with all that money of yours, Rin! This—!” He stammered for a second before grasping the words. “Don't you have any concept of your own safety?! You're going to come up and parade yourself as a _criminal_ in front of all these people?! What about the people who care about you? How do you think they'll feel when they lock you up, huh? You're only sixteen fucking years old, Rin, do you want to be punished by the law _that badly?!_ ”

 

“But, I—!” Rin gulped. “Jun, this is a great accomplishment! I need to show them! Then...maybe I can finally let her—!”

 

“ _Her?_ ” Jun threw his arm towards the sleeping Nanako. “What about _you,_ you complete and utter moron?! Do you— Have you even thought for a second about what is probably going to happen to you? It doesn't matter if they get all this good now if it means you have to give up even more of your life!” He was spitting now, his face bright red. “How long have you been miserable and you just want to give up happiness again for the sake of a bunch of people you don't know and will never meet?”

 

“I—” Rin scrunched up her face. There were tears in her eyes. “Why aren't you happy? You're supposed to be happy!”

 

“Because I _care about you, you fucking moron!_ ” Jun shouted. “I'm supposed to just sit by and let my best friend turn herself in for at least a decade in prison without saying my mind? Well, fuck that!”

 

“Please, Jun, please just be happy! I'm not that important, really!” Rin said, putting her hands on her heart. “I just want to make everyone happy, I don't deserve to—!”

 

“Aaaaaargh, just shut up!” Jun shouted, and pounded his fists on his legs. “You...” He growled and made some grunting noises in consternation. “You better hope— You better hope that my word means something for keeping you out of prison! I swear to god, you idiot!”

 

“I'm...” Rin's tears reached the point where she broke out crying, and she ran away. “I'm sorry! I'm sorryyyyyy!” She was out of the garage in an instant, her sobs dying behind her as she left.

 

After a long moment, Jun bent over and sighed loudly, rubbing his temples. “Your mother is a pain in my ass, you know that, Nanako?” She didn't respond, on account of being unconscious. “What the hell am I going to do...?” He looked up, though, and stared at the Replicant. “Still, though...if she's that confident, then she's probably telling the truth. A VK-Compliant Replicant, huh?” He chuckled. “I guess she does make a pretty good rival.”

 

_She's better than you._

 

...Huh? Jun looked about, even though he knew where that voice had just come from. The chill that ran down his spine and the sweat he suddenly broke out in didn't do much to help his nerves.

 

_She's the winner. She's better than you._

 

“No, she's—” Jun gritted his teeth. “I've been working within the law to do these things, I've... I'm the _rightful winner._ Even if she did this amazing thing, she put herself at massive risk to do it. That's not something that should be encouraged, so there's no way she'd win.”

 

_It doesn't matter. She won. She's better than you._

 

Why were—? “No.” Jun said aloud. “No, I do not think that. I won fair and square. She is not _better than me._ What the hell are you talking about?” His hands were trembling. He'd never heard this voice before, why was it-?

 

_You're worthless._

 

“Stop.” Jun said.

 

_Nobody will care about you. They'll know she was better than you. Nobody will care about you even for a second. You'll always be second. Nobody will care about Jun Fukuyama._

 

“Stop!” Jun said, his eyes widening, his sweat worsening. No. No, he didn't think that. He didn't. He didn't think that! He was—!

 

_Nobody_

 

_will ever_

 

_love you again._

 

“ _STOP IIIIIIT!_ ” Jun grasped at his own head, trying to silence the voice coming from inside his own mind. “Stop stop stop stop stop it! Stop it!” Tears were welling up in his eyes.

 

_It would all be so much better if she didn't exist._

 

_If she didn't exist, then I could be the best. Then someone would love me. Please, love me._

 

_Just_

 

_make_

 

_her_

 

_go_

 

_away._

 

Jun...looked. On the wall. There was a switch. The switch to open the garage.

 

_Just open the garage._

 

“...Huh...?” Jun said, his eyes unfocused, hardly even comprehending what he was hearing.

 

_If you open the garage, everything will turn out fine._

 

“What...do you...”

 

_Just open the garage, and everything will turn out fine._

 

_Just open the garage, and everything will turn out fine._

 

_**Just open the garage, and everything** _ _**—** _

 

the wheelchair was slooooooooooooooowly moving towards that button. The button there. That button. That would open the garage. The voice wasn't stopping. The voice wasn't stopping. Everything will turn out fine. Everything will turn out fine. “Everything will turn out fine.” Jun muttered. “Everything—”

 

And his hand—

 

“—will turn out—”

 

—pressed the button—

 

 


	72. Day 21, Phase 9 - The Child of Science...

 

...Huh. That was odd. As Nanako awoke, she did not, in fact, feel the bloating feeling she'd come to expect. Perhaps it was because she'd only spent about an hour asleep? She did, however, feel a sense of anticipation in her chest. Waking up now meant it was Phase Nine. It was her turn for a Confessional.

 

She'd just barely managed to finish the Tower of Hanoi before falling unconscious, and she had seen for her own eyes the fact that the safe opened, so at the very least, she'd gotten that done. Hopefully, since she'd also heard the door unlock right before things went black, she could go and collect the fruits of her labor once she'd left her Confessional.

 

That, though, was for the future, and this was the present. Nanako opened her eyes and stood up, looking about in the dark room. She let out a hesitant “Zero?” Nothing. No entrance, no effigy, nothing. Nanako frowned. “...Mom?”

 

A spotlight did light up a place in the room, but it didn't light up an effigy of Zero. Not Zero, not her mother, not Kojiro, not even The End, not that Nanako knew what The End looked like. It wasn't a person of any kind. Nanako's eyes widened far further, her antenna blew back farther, the gasp she took in deeper, than a person would've caused.

 

It was a diorama of a cruise ship.

 

Nanako could hardly believe her eyes. Of all the times for this to come up? Perhaps it was a coincidence? No, as Nanako approached, she knew what her eyes saw. It was the same rooms, with figurines exactly mimicking how her classmates had died.. They were small figurines, like the one Kojiro had made for Stella on her birthday cake, so it was likely he'd been forced to make this.

 

Claus lay face-down in a swimming pool. Jun was run through the head on a flagpole. Luan had suffocated in a cabin. Kazuya, Stella, and Eriko all in a pool, dead by gunshot. Daisuke and Chihaya, cut to pieces by a scalpel. Wanda dead from a fall, Yayoi crushed under a crate. Shinobu hung from the rafters. Aoto lay in a vomited pool of his own blood. Gavin's skull crushed open over the steering wheel. A great gaping stab wound in Miria's chest. Hansuke, ghoulishly trailing the ship as though he'd been keelhauled... And Yashiro, impaled on the mast. As it always did, that note lay in front of it. That same note. It had changed only once, and besides that, read the same as it always did. Red text glared at her.

 

[There are **seventeen people** on this ship. Rin Hashizawa. Gavin Sakaki. Hansuke Yasuda. Wanda Morinaga. Miria Hayashi. Eriko Shigure. Daisuke Harada. Chihaya Inoue. Luan Yun-Fat. Claus Toranosuke. Yayoi Murasaki. Aoto Maebara. Stella Masaki. Kazuya Okudaira. Shinobu Koshimizu. Yashiro Narumi. And Jun Fukuyama. **Only these seventeen people have ever existed on this boat.**

 

Everyone you see is **definitively dead.** None of their deaths were suicide- each person was **murdered.** Of course, **you are not the culprit. You have killed no one.**

 

**If you do not find the culprit, you will never escape.**

 

This is your Final Exam.]

* * *

 

**SEEK A WAY OUT!**

 

“So you want me to solve it, or something?” Nanako sighed. “Great. This is a fine howdy-doo. Top of the morning to you too.” She put her hands on the table, next to the diorama, and stared at it. “Well, if I can ignore physical strength, then the culprit is probably Aoto.” She reasoned. “One of the victims poisoned him and it only took effect after he died.”

 

The order was probably intentionally vague, but the biggest issue was Yashiro. Someone aboard this boat clearly had more subtle methods available to him, if Aoto was murdered by causing him to puke blood. Yashiro, though, had been _impaled on the mast._ Yashiro was enormous, and hugely strong. Even moving his body out there after murdering him would take a massive amount of strength and precision. As Nanako was ruled out as a culprit, she wasn't certain who exactly else could possibly move him unless it was a team effort- but the red text said 'culprit,' implying there was only a single culprit.

 

...Unless there was an accomplice of some sort. For instance, Luan. Aoto, in his murdering ways, could've threatened Luan with murder unless he complied, and worked together with him to lift the body, then betrayed him and suffocated him. That was _possible._ Plenty of things were _possible._ But the door wasn't opening, so that must've been wrong for some reason. “Can I at least know _why_ I'm wrong?” Nanako shouted, her antenna spiking. “What am I doing wrong?! What do you want from me?! Your puzzle is stupid! It has such vaguely-defined rules that I can't even begin to solve anything!”

 

“Is that what you think?” Zero said, from an intercom. “I think the solution is rather clear, myself.”

 

“Well, that's great for you, isn't it?” Nanako whipped around and stared up at where she heard the voice coming from. “But I don't get anything, Zero! Nothing's made sense this whole game! If you're trying to say something, then _just say it already_!”

 

“You're afraid.” Zero said.

 

“Gee, you think!?” Nanako shouted. “You put this crap in my dreams and then show me here and expect me to solve this stupid not-puzzle with nothing? If I'm only seeing it after the fact, and I don't have any witness testimony or anything, or anything about any order of deaths, I can't give you a solution!” She threw her arms wide. “Besides, this-” She gestured to it. “That's not something _any_ of them would do! It's not! They wouldn't do this!”

 

“That's true.” Zero said. ...Huh? “It does seem impossible for any of them, doesn't it?”

 

Nanako's fists clenched, and she screwed her eyes shut. “Shut... _up._ ”

 

“I think you know the solution better than you think you do, Nanako.” Zero said, a low laugh in her voice. “Come on. Say it for me.”

 

“You want me to say...” Nanako said, her eyes opening up and glaring at the intercom. “You want me to say that Mom is the culprit. That the culprit is Rin Hashizawa.”

 

“And your logic?” Zero said.

 

“Don't you dare say 'my logic!'” Nanako stomped her foot. “This is your logic, Zero! Not mine! You're just making me parrot it to satisfy yourself!”

 

“And my logic, then?” Zero said. Nanako wanted to punch Zero in the face.

 

“...As the Ultimate Roboticist, she'd be able to construct machines that would be able to make up for any deficit in physical strength she'd have. It doesn't say anything about machines on the boat, so she could have infinite accomplices. The fact that I was 'Rin Hashizawa' for so long was also part of the ruse.” Nanako looked down and spat out. “So Rin is the culprit.”

 

“Why are you so angry about this?” Zero said. “It's just a puzzle.”

 

It wasn't just a puzzle, and Zero knew that very well. The Navigation Room replica and all that... it was a metaphor. “You want me to say that my mom is the culprit behind... all of this.” Nanako threw her arms wide. “Well... well, I won't! Mom's not that kind of person, no matter what you say!” She clenched her fists, and her antenna pointed at the ceiling. “No matter how much you want me to think it, I'm going to believe in Mom...” She looked down, and trailed off...

 

“I've...decided to believe in Rin Hashizawa.” ...But then stared back up, with renewed intensity. “There's a lot about her I don't know, still, but I want to know. I don't want to believe she's the kind of person who could do all this. I want to see her again... and talk with her, more honestly, have her say all the things I wish she could've said to me before. I want to be friends with her, real friends, not just a recluse mom and a naive daughter. I'm sick of that.”

 

“Then that's how you're choosing to interpret this?” Zero said.

 

“My feelings are my own.” Nanako said. “However this turns out, with Mom... I can't go back to the way things were with her before. I've changed... we've probably both changed, way too much. But...” She closed her eyes. “I want to understand her. I want to really understand what my life was until now, what it was I was doing without even knowing. I want to understand, so that... I can move on, I guess. With my life.”

 

There was silence from Zero for some time, until the intercom blared to life again. “That's admirable, Nanako.” Zero said. “You really do have...a pure heart, don't you?”

 

“Oh, don't give me that.” Nanako sputtered. “Anyone would do this in my position.”

 

“I believe it's thinking like that that proves your strength of character.” Zero said. “Even if, doubtless, you and I will never see eye to eye... I admire you greatly, Nanako Hashizawa. Please, never lose the qualities that make you you. Live a long, happy life, free from the chains of your past, with all of your friends here, and the many more you'll make.”

 

“That's the plan.” Nanako said.

 

The exit slammed open, and Nanako turned to leave, but as she walked away, the intercom buzzed to life. “Nanako.” Zero said. “Nanako, listen to me.”

 

“What?” Nanako tilted her head over her shoulder to look back at the disembodied voice, because that made perfect sense.

 

“Don't...” Zero gulped. “Don't look in the bathroom.”

 

There was a moment of silence. “Huh?” Nanako said. “The bathroom... that's just to the right of here? That one?”

 

“Don't look in there. Bar that door. Don't let anyone see in there.” Zero said. “You'll be in terrible danger if you open that door. Please, Nanako, don't open that door! Don't look in the bathroom!”

 

“Why?” Nanako said. “What's in the bathroom?”

 

“If you just don't look in the bathroom, you can just let the game end normally. All nine of you will be able to escape. I swear. Please, just don't look in the bathroom!” Zero shouted. “Don't look in—!”

 

A loud crash emanated from the intercom, and the transmission cut out. A chill began setting into Nanako's heart as she stepped out into Confessional Hall. She recognized this place more clearly than ever- this was the tunnel that led to the primary loading zone, then to the decompression chamber, and then to the path to the surface of Compound VK. Only a few more gates remained between her and freedom.

 

On the opposite wall was the door.

 

This small door led to the hallway's restroom. It was a perfectly functional restroom, of course, as Nanako remembered it. Built with about five stalls, Rin had decided that security cameras _there,_ of all places, would be indecent, so she instead installed an infrared sensor on the front of the door that would log everyone who went in and out. Other than that, though, it was essentially just a restroom.

 

There wasn't anyone else around. G Team was probably off somewhere else, maybe doing their puzzle room. Perhaps they'd been locked in like Nanako. She was alone, now that Zero was silent. Had she not been warned, she'd have looked in this door without a second thought, but... What in the _world_ could possibly be in here that would have that great of an effect?

 

She inched closer to the door, beginning to sweat. Zero had sounded earnest there... that if she simply didn't open that door, 'all nine' of them could escape together, and live happily. If that was the case, did it make sense to look in that door? If opening it was such a risk, then it would make sense not to open it.

 

But... Was she ready to just accept what Zero said? There was the possibility that behind that door lay something critically important. What exactly was it that was behind that door? Was she willing to risk putting herself in danger to find out? What if the truth—the truth she was looking for, the Rin Hashizawa she wanted to know, _her_ happiness—was behind that door?

 

The door wasn't giving her any answers.

 

Nanako was alone. Nobody else was there.

 

[So, she decided](https://youtu.be/pbkw7SmPkNk)—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A mystery is a game between her readers and her author, after all. So why not see what you would choose?
> 
> What will you decide?
> 
> (As always, the Discord link is https://discord.gg/YwtWWjW.)


	73. Day 21, Phase 9, Part 2 - ...Opens the Box

-[decided to open the door](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvzbG5EPAGw). Even if Zero was concerned about her well-being, that didn't mean Zero was _right_... and to her, Zero's narrative seemed to be one where Rin Hashizawa was simply a villain. Nanako didn't want that. She wanted to  _understand._ So, with one hand, she reached out to touch the doorknob, and twisted it open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“...ah.” Nanako said.

 

The restroom in Confessional Hall... did not look the same as it always did. The great mirror on the right wall, and the sinks there as well, were bent, the glass shattered, the metal dented. The floor was cracked in several, erratic, haphazard places, as though a great struggle had occurred there. On the left, three of the stalls were still covered, but one had a broken-off door, and another's door was broken in half. The walls between some of the stalls seemed a bit shattered, though, and water was leaking from at least one broken toilet. To Nanako's immediate left, the entrance to the sewage system was sealed. It was almost as though Nanako had stepped into a war zone.

 

And befitting that impression-

 

-was a simple, ordinary, everyday, unmistakable, unbelievable, surreal, horrifying, terrible, object lying right in front of Nanako, slumped against the wall. The object was covered in blood, wounds, and bruises, its clothes torn in several places. Despite that, though, it wore an almost satisfied grin, as though it had passed away perfectly content with its lot in life.

 

Nanako's legs gave out, and she fell onto her rear end on the floor, unable to make even a single sound. Everything was deafeningly quiet in her ears.

 

What Zero had not wanted Nanako to see

 

was lying there, on the ground.

 

It was a corpse.

 

It was _his_ corpse.

 

The corpse of Ultimate Strongman Yashiro Narumi.

 

**Eight students remain.**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twenty-three hours remain until the end of her story.
> 
> I wonder what you chose?
> 
> Thank you for reading thus far.


	74. Day 21, Phase 9, Part 3 - Eternitybox

 

Nanako wasn't sure how much time she spent, sitting there, staring, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Yashiro...couldn't be dead. Yashiro couldn't be dead. He was Yashiro. None of this made sense. None of this felt even the slightest bit real. It was like Nanako had fallen into some kind of nightmare world.

 

How could Yashiro die? She'd just been pondering this question herself a few minutes ago, but here he was, really, truly dead in front of her. Nanako let out a disbelieving chuckle, and said, “Hey, okay, Yashiro, um...” She began standing up. “You can get up now, that's...really not funny.”

 

Yashiro didn't get up.

 

“C'mon, uh... C'mon.” Nanako pleaded with Yashiro. “Oh, wait, it's not your Phase right now. You're asleep.” Of course, of course. This was all a great misunderstanding. Nanako need merely touch him and he'd be able to explain this, and then they could get him patched up. She touched his cheek.

 

Yashiro's cheek was as cold as ice.

 

Nanako let out a shriek louder than she even thought herself capable. She screamed and screamed and screamed. She screamed so hard it felt like this horrible _thing_ that had just forced itself into her vision should really have just been obliterated by it. That was only what made sense, right? Yashiro couldn't die. It was Yashiro. He was Yashiro. He was a hero. Heroes never lost. Nanako was still screaming. It wouldn't stop. She couldn't stop herself.

 

Off in the distance, she heard a soft cry of, “Nanners!” That...was Gavin's voice. Oh... G Team was awake right now. That was right. They'd be able to snap her out of this, to get this horrible, cold feeling off of her hand. She walked numbly out of the restroom to see Gavin, Stella and Luan running up. “Nanners! Y'alri _holy heck_ wha's with the bloodstains?!” Gavin said.

 

“She's shaking.” Luan said. “What happened?”

 

Hardly able to keep herself from quivering, Nanako wordlessly pointed into the restroom. When Gavin looked inside, he, too, screamed. Gavin wasn't able to find words for it, either.

 

“What... What the _hell?!_ ” Stella said, her eyes wide, mouth covered by her hands. “Yashiro?!”

 

“How...” Luan slumped to his knees. “Why... How?”

 

“Simba! _Simba!_ ” Gavin ran over to Yashiro, and began shaking his shoulders. “ _ **YASHIRO!**_ ” He screamed. “Wake up, c'mon, man, wake up, wake up, wake up! WAKE UP!” His entire body was quaking and quivering, and tears were freely streaming down his face. “No, no no no no, this ain't happening, this ain't happening! Wake up! _Yashiro!_ _ **YASHIROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_ ”

 

Huh... Shouldn't Nanako be getting upset like that? After all, she'd known Yashiro longer than anyone else here... he was her best friend before all this. She enjoyed Yashiro's company a lot. Maybe something was wrong with her. It didn't feel like she could feel anything right now.

 

“Gavin, stop!” Luan caught Gavin's arm out of the air. “His body is cold. We've already lost him.”

 

“Wha... what the hell, man...?” Gavin was openly sobbing. “We... What... Why? What the hell... Game's almost over, why... Why'd he gotta die, huh...?”

 

Right on cue, as though the Nonary Game had never even begun, as though nothing had changed, a familiar tone rang through the air. “Ahem, ahem.” Kojiro said. “Testing, testing. One, two, three. Haven't used this mic in a few days, gotta make sure it isn't rusty. Ooh, some people call me the space cowboy, yeaaaah~” He crooned. “Yup, alright, we're good. Half of you are there already, but to the four of you who just woke up...” Kojiro pulled out a little drum and did a drumroll. “A _body_ has been _discovered!_ Please head to Area Eight of Confessional Hall, specifically the little bathroom there, to find it. Hustle! After a certain period of time for investigation, the class trial will begin!”

 

“What...” Stella said. “He's... We're just... The game isn't...” She clutched her head. “What... What the fuck...?”

 

Four pairs of footsteps, in unison, came up Confessional Hall. Chihaya was first, but it was Claus who said, “What's going—” Then his eyes caught sight of Yashiro. “—ooooaaaaAAAAAAGH?!”

 

“Yashiro? _Yashiro?!_ ” Kazuya shouted. “What?! Why, how... What?! What?!” His entire body was completely rigid, aside from his knees, which were shaking.

 

“I...do not comprehend.” Shinobu said, her eyes wide, looking down towards the floor. “Surely, this cannot be... No, no, no...”

 

Nanako chuckled again. “Oh, okay, so... His corpse is...real, then? You guys can...all see it too, huh?” She clutched her head. “Oh... Okay... So it's real... Yashiro is...dead...” She tried to stand up. It didn't work. She just wound up hunched over instead.

 

“Nanako, by god, are you alright?!” Shinobu ran over and knelt down to hug Nanako. “Dearest, please, tell me what happened!”

 

“I just...” Nanako could hardly get the words out. It felt like there wasn't even a bit of air in her lungs. “Well... I was leaving my Confessional and Zero...said I...shouldn't open the door. That we'd be in danger if… If I did...” She began tearing up a little, making noises that were somewhere between chuckles and sobs. “And I opened the door and, hey, there's Yashiro! Haha! Heeee's deaaaaad!” She waved her hands around a bit. “Crazy how that turns out, huh?”

 

“We was all...gonna 'scape together...” Gavin was down on the floor, too, bent over, crying. “Wasn't we? Why'dis gotta happen? Why...wha'? Huh? Why's he dead, huh?”

 

Chihaya hadn't said anything yet, but she finally spoke up. “...It's possible that Zero, or The End killed him.” She was stoic, and stern. “That Yashiro was murdered by them.”

 

There was a 'boing' noise as Kojiro, punctual as ever, popped in from a hole in the bathroom. He still had a cast on his arm, and in the other, he held a camera, aimed toward Yashiro's corpse. “Ooh, wouldn't that be nice?” He sighed, despite his seeming good cheer. “Un _-_ for-tunately, I gotta put an ix-nay on that idea. The body discovery announcement played, y'see, and it only plays when someone is killed by a participant in the game.”

 

“You can't possibly mean—?!” Claus shouted. “K-Kojiro, please!”

 

“How many times, I wonder, does a bear gotta say he's a bear 'fore these humans quit _bearing_ down on him? I can hardly _bear_ it! Quick, let's all get _bear naked_!” Kojiro shouted. “...But anyway, to answer your question, that'd be a buh-buh-buh-bingo, my dude! Yashiro Narumi's killer...” He paused for dramatic effect. “ _Is among us_!” He threw his camera toward his hole, and it went in.

 

“That's ridiculous!” Kazuya shouted, clenching his fists. “The game will be over in less than twenty-four hours! Why would anyone kill him?!” He threw his hands at Yashiro, sputtering.

 

“Well, gee, I donno.” Kojiro blinked back at him. “Isn't that you guys's job to figure out? Speakily deakily of, guess who got permission to bring you guys presents?” From out of his cast, he began pulling several tablets. Nanako vaguely recognized them as the group's Handbooks. “One for you, and for you, and for you... Personally, I feel naked without my tablet, just so utterly vulnerable, so I figured I should hand 'em back.” He waved Nanako's and Shinobu's at the pair. “And yours, ladies. Take good care of those things. They're expensive, y'know.”

 

“So we have to...” Nanako blinked, still in a state of disbelief. “We have to investigate...again?”

 

“That...would seem to be the implication.” Claus gritted his teeth. “Kojiro, you said there was going to be a trial?”

 

“Oh yeah, deffo.” Kojiro nodded. “Now that Yashie's dead, the Nonary Game's pretty much been interrupted, so the doors on this floor are all unlocked except the Gates. You won't get knocked out anymore, either, which is great, because that was getting really boring, don'tcha think?” He blew a raspberry. “Seriously, what kind of framing device is that? Personally, though, I'm just glad to see the gang...er, mostly back together.”

 

“Is someone...?” Stella said, leaning against the wall. “Someone's going to—?”

 

“Get, e-e-e- _executeeeed_ ~?” Kojiro sang. Stella nodded. “Oh man, Stel, you are on the ball today! Good job! And since it's been a frickin' week since anyone got executed, it better be a damn good one, eh, Monokuma said menacingly to any listening masterminds?” His bat wing eye glowed. “Like, really out there. Let's get crazy, let's get nuts!”

 

“You...gotta... You gotta be kiddin'...” Gavin was still teary, a bit of snot running down his nostrils. “Someone gotta... Someone done killed Yashiro, and we gotta...?”

 

“We didn't have access to the Monokuma Note this time at all...” Chihaya said, humming, tapping her chin. “Which means there's no confusion. We just have to figure out what happened. No loopholes like last time.”

 

Was this how things were supposed to go? Nanako thought to herself. The world was beginning to fade back into color. Yashiro... Her oldest friend, Yashiro, who she'd come to love so much, was dead. He was dead, and he was never, ever coming back. But did that mean that things had to go right back to normal? No, this wasn't normal at all. The smile on Yashiro's face... It filled her mind as her thoughts began to race.

 

Yashiro loved justice more than anything. But what was justice, exactly? She remembered once, in a memory of him, when they were both younger.

 

Back then, Yashiro had said, “The best way I could describe the justice I hold is... The desire to do right by others, damn the consequences.” He'd scratched his chin a bit. “Some hold up the idea of justice as a way of unduly punishing the weak, or furthering their own agenda...” He'd stood up, and shouted to the sky. “But I will never accept that! Justice is about doing what's right!”

 

“...Hold on a second.” Nanako stood up, shaky to her legs at first, but regaining her footing before long. “We don't know that. Loopholes show up everywhere in this game.”

 

“Nanako, are you certain you're alright?” Shinobu stood up with her, her hands on Nanako's shoulder.

 

“Nope.” Nanako shook her head. “But... I mean, look at Yashiro's face.” She gestured to him. “He wouldn't go out looking like that if he wasn't satisfied, would he?” She smiled. “I donno, I just... I know, it's weird, but... I just wanna find out why he was smiling.” Her antenna twitched. “Something weird's definitely going on. I'm gonna investigate, and I'll find the killer.” She clenched her fist, and pumped it. “C'mon, guys. We've gotta keep going.”

 

“...Nanako, you...” Kazuya stammered. “You don't have to keep acting strong.” He was sweating really badly himself.

 

“I'm not acting.” Nanako shook her head. “The last investigation, we kept looking and it was a good thing, remember? We saved Jun's life, even if we haven't found him again. Even when things seemed crazy, we kept looking and things turned out alright! Maybe...” She looked down. “Maybe things...won't turn out as nice this time, but...but I still want to know.” She took a deep breath in, and huffed up. “I want to know what's going on. I want to know why Yashiro died.”

 

“God, you're so... _optimistic._ ” Stella scoffed. “It's weird. You're weird, Nanako.”

 

“That is a particular power she seems to possess, yes.” Shinobu said. She tut-tutted. “I worry about you, darling.”

 

“Oh, geez, Nobu.” Nanako blushed.

 

Luan smiled at the rest of the group, and said, “I'm glad to see you all.”

 

“Even if the circumstances are poor, I can't help but agree.” Claus said. He let out a great sigh, but he smiled weakly as well. “I'm with Nanako, everyone. Let's keep going.”

 

“I don't know how this keeps happening.” Kazuya shrugged. “Do you, Stella?” Stella shook her head. “I'm glad I'm not alone here.”

 

Nanako turned to look at her friends again. Stella, Shinobu, Luan, Claus, Kazuya... “Are you with me, Chihaya?” Nanako pumped her fist.

 

“Of course.” Chihaya nodded.

 

“And...uh, Gav, are you alright?” Nanako said to the somber Buddy, who was still standing by the doorway to the Restroom.

 

“...Naw.” Gavin shook his head. “Gav's real tired. Gav don't want nobody else to die.” He smiled. “But he'll try, yeah?”

 

“Honestly, I'm just sick of all this doom and gloom.” Nanako bent over and groaned. “Even coming from my own mouth it's a downer. Yashiro wouldn't want this.” She grinned a toothy grin. “Right?” She said. It was almost convincing.

 

“I couldn't have put it better myself, Nanako!” Kojiro laughed. “What an inspiring figure you are! And with that said...” More objects began coming through the hole- familiar-looking little things. “Who's ready to have some fun investigating a murder? Because like a bolt from the Nile, it's time again for the Monokuma File!” He looked down at the pile of eight Files in his hands. “...Kinda bums a bear out to only have eight of these things, though. Remember when I had fifteen? Crazy times, those.” He stopped. “I should let you guys know. You're still done when Zero said you were.”

 

Nanako checked her bracelet. It was 06:43 on April 29th. “So, twenty-three hours, seventeen minutes from now?”

 

“Buh-buh-buh-bingo! You're on a roll, Nanako! Sourdough! Can I have a bite?” Kojiro said, licking his lips. “We've just gotta take care of this trial first and then you're free to putz around for the rest of the time.” He passed out the Monokuma File to everyone.

 

“Thanks, Kojiro.” Nanako nodded. “I won't let you down.”

 

Once this was all over, Nanako could finally rest. Everything could finally stop. She just had to get through this ordeal, and then she could finally collapse, and cry, and vomit, and rest so much she felt like she was dead herself.

 

Someone had murdered Yashiro. That person, whoever they were... would probably die, very soon. Someone was willing to die to commit a murder this soon to the end of the game? That didn't make sense. Nothing about this made any sense at all. There had to be something amiss here, some insane skullduggery that she couldn't imagine. Was this some kind of trick on The End's part, or something even more bizarre? Okay, wait, this feeling in her chest wasn't going away. Had to get back to normal somehow.

 

“Hey, guys.” Nanako said. “One, two, three.”

 

_**““““““AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!””””””** _

 

“Wow, that's actually really helping, you're right.” Stella said.

 

“I'm glad we've developed this coping ritual, I believe it's coming in quite handy.” Shinobu nodded. “Kazuya, are you alright?”

 

Kazuya wheezed a bit, but said, “Just give me a second to catch my breath. Good scream, though.”

 

“No kiddin'.” Gavin nodded. “Gav feels better already! Or, uh, mayhap not better, ah... Iunno. Words ain't comin' to Gav right now.”

 

“Team, huddle!” Claus called in a huddle, and seven of the eight members of the group got into a huddle in the center of the hallway. Nanako wasn't sure where Chihaya was, but she was probably also there somewhere. “Alright. Are we all ready to do an investigation?”

 

“Yeah, man!” Gavin said. “Go team!”

 

“Yes.” Luan said. He and Chihaya had been the only two not to scream. He just didn't seem like the screaming type. Kazuya and Stella silently nodded to Claus, as well.

 

“You got it!” Nanako nodded. “You with me, Nobu?”

 

“Any time.” Shinobu tittered.

 

“Alright, er... where's Chihaya?” Claus said. He looked around, and then spotted her... in the crime scene already. “Oh. I think she's ready.”

* * *

 

**SEEK THE TRUTH!**

 

_The victim is Ultimate Strongman Yashiro Narumi. He died on Day Twenty-One. His body is covered in wounds. Signs of a struggle were located around the body. In addition, internal bleeding occurred before death, and burn marks are present on the hands._

 

The group had relocated to the Restroom. “Uh, struggle signs.” Gavin said, craning his head around to look at the room's disrepair. “Tha's one way 'a describin' that, yeah. What Gav wants ta know is, how the heck somebody beat Yashiro in a fight?”

 

“He died on Day Twenty-One, so...” Stella said. “That means he must've died after Phase Eight started, right?”

 

“Well, N Team was stuck in our puzzle room the entirety of Phase Eight.” Kazuya said. “We would've noticed if one of us managed to escape. Right?” Nanako and Chihaya nodded. “Yashiro was awake then for his Confessional, though. That must be how he managed to get here.”

 

“So, unless someone managed to sneak into Phase Eight somehow or something weird is happening, it must've been someone who was awake during Phase Nine, right?” Nanako said. Her antenna twitched. “Hey, G Team, what were you guys doing during my Confessional?”

 

“Our puzzle room was sealed.” Luan said.

 

“Yeah, we woke up and we was locked in.” Gavin said. He nodded. “Lotsa pipes in there. Then we got out and we headed for the Hubble Bubble when we heard ya scream.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Chihaya spoke up. “G Team was together until discovering the body this phase. In other words, if Yashiro died in Phase Nine, it could only possibly be Nanako.”

 

“Huh?” Nanako tilted her head. “What? Really? Huh.”

 

“As I understand, her logic would be that, as a result of the signs of struggle, only you, who are incredibly physically capable, could have possibly defeated Yashiro in a fight, regardless of how unlikely it might be.” Shinobu said. “Beyond the physical impossibility that myself, Claus, Kazuya, and Chihaya were unconscious at the time.”

 

Chihaya nodded. “We should investigate what happened during Phase Eight. Kazuya or myself could've found some way to sneak away, or Yashiro could've woken up a member of C Team or G Team who then attacked him.”

 

“Weeeeird, though.” Nanako said, blinking. “I've never been the prime suspect before! This is a weird feeling!”

 

“Ehhhh, I'm sure you'll manage something.” Kojiro said.

 

“Yeah, well, not like I—” Nanako stopped, and then slowly turned her head to stare at Kojiro. “You're...still here?”

 

“I'm hurt!” Kojiro bent backwards as though he'd been struck. “You spend all this time treating me like I'm your darling little brother, and now you look at me like I'm some kind of worm?!”

 

“What? No.” Nanako huffed. “You just usually leave. I figured you'd have left.”

 

“Oh, is that how it is now?” Kojiro huffed back at her. “A guy can't stick around because he spends the entire story randomly popping away in situations like this? Do you really want me to leave that badly, Nanako?” He crossed his arms and grunted. “I can't believe you.”

 

“Quit it.” Chihaya said. Kojiro quit it. “While you're here, I want a clarification on the body discovery announcement.” The small bear groaned louder than Nanako had heard in ages. “In fact, not a clarification. Tell us exactly what the rules are for it. No interpretation, just the exact rules.”

 

“Alright, alright.” Kojiro sighed. “If I must. **The body discovery announcement plays upon the discovery of a corpse whose death was caused by a participant in the game by three or more people. The culprit only counts towards this count if they discover the body at the same time as the first two to discover the body.** So, for instance, if only, let's say, Kazuya, Jun, and Eriko had been in the North Wing of Abilene when the Aquarium was opened and Aoto's body came flushing out, the body discovery announcement would play so as not to obviously implicate one of those three.”

 

“Count this out for us.” Chihaya commanded.

 

“For Aoto, everybody discovered the body at the same time. Miria, Daisuke found her first, then Kazzy, Stella, and Yashiro at the same time. For Daisuke, you, Jun, and Gavin found him at the same time. And for Hansuke, well, Nanako explained this pretty well, but in order, Jun, Nanako, Yashiro, and Shinobu were the first four to discover the body, Jun counted for Hansuke's suicide, Shinobu counted for Hansuke's murder.” Kojiro said. “In this case, since Gavin, Stella, and Lulu discovered the body at the same time but Nanako was already here, either way, the culprit exception wasn't in play.”

 

“You do personalize these, I've noticed.” Claus said. “Do you actually speak over the intercom? I was under the impression your messages were automated.”

 

“Well, some of them are.” Kojiro said. “The body discovery announcement, though, you can't really automate, since I'd have to give one for eeeevery single room in the facility, and there's a frickin' lot of those. There's a default we keep just in case I'm debilitated, but when the third person discovers a body, I get a little beep on my phone,” and he pulled out a cute little on-brand smartphone, “and hop over to the Comms Room through my handy-dandy transit tubes to make a little radio magic.” He grunted. “Y'know, Junko Enoshima's Monokuma got to have backgrounds and stuff for his announcements, but I just get a lousy intercom. Grumble grumble. Nobody appreciates all the work I do around here. Why, I oughta.”

 

“Do you write the autopsy reports as well, then?” Shinobu asked.

 

“Nawwww.” Kojiro said. “The mastermind writes those. I, for one, am not omnipotent, so I only know what I'm told unless I see it myself. I just get handed 'em again once they're written.” He said.

 

“That would imply that the process is performed through the security cameras, no?” Shinobu said, tilting her head to one side. The particular manner she did it in reminded Nanako of something, but she wasn't sure what. “The camera you held in your paw earlier, then. What was the purpose of that?”

 

“Oh, that?” Kojiro tilted his head back at her. “Well, if you'll look arouuuund...” He spun around, gesturing widely with his one arm. “This is the one room in the facility without any security cameras. As the Headmaster, even if we had a pretty darn good idea there was a body here, I had to go confirm it and record it for the Monokuma File!”

 

“Wait a sec, the mastermind can't see into this room?” Nanako said, her antenna spiking. “Then how do they know what happened?”

 

“Well, y'know, there's only so many possibilities when Yashiro's body is in that specific state.” Kojiro said. “Considering they saw everything _else,_ the answer's pretty clear. If you won't trust them, trust me. **You have my word; there's only one possible person who could've murdered Yashiro.** Got it?”

 

“And this person is also the culprit?” Kazuya asked.

 

“Yup. **Only one possible person could've murdered Yashiro, and that person is the culprit.** ” Kojiro nodded. “We clear? I can spell out the definition of 'culprit' for you again if you're still not satisfied, but it hasn't changed.”

 

“Valid choice at voting, the body discovery announcement in most situations does not count them.” Luan said. Kojiro gave him a thumbs up.

 

“Wow, you're being really helpful today.” Nanako said, her antenna bouncing. “Is it because you love me?”

 

“As if!” Kojiro spat. “I, for one, am just happy to finally have my authority back from that hackneyed Nonary Game crap. This is so much more entertaining! Thrills! Chills! Kills!”

 

“Yo, man, wha'bout J?” Gavin chimed in. “Y'said he got disqualified, yeah? Whuzzat mean? He count?”

 

“Well, the word itself sorta gives you your answer right there, right?” Kojiro said. “Jun isn't even physically capable of reaching Maxwell Hall at the moment, let alone killing Yashiro. Hell, if he managed to kill a fruit fly right now I'd be impressed.” He smirked at Gavin. “One-track mind, eh, Gav?”

 

“H-hey now!” Gavin sputtered. “Look, a Gav sticks to what he knows when he in a time o' crisis, yeah?” He blushed and looked away.

 

“It's cute!” Kojiro laughed. “I'm in favor, myself!” He turned back to look at Chihaya. “Anything else to ask me, Moaning Myrtle?”

 

“Noth—” Chihaya grimaced. “ _What_ did you just call me?”

 

“It's a pretty high-brow reference, you wouldn't get it.” Kojiro said. He laughed at her. Chihaya grimaced harder.

 

With all that in mind, Nanako began heading for Yashiro's body, but stopped. “Wait, if I'm the prime suspect, is it allowed for me to look at the body?”

 

“We're all right here.” Stella rolled her eyes, looking around the stalls. “Plus it's _you._ ”

 

“I'll be right here as well, keeping a watchful eye on you.” Shinobu said, kneeling down by Yashiro's body as well. “In the incredibly unlikely event that you are actually the culprit, I assure you I will keep a watchful eye on you.”

 

Nanako nodded. First order of business, then, was the body. The slightly waxy skin of the dead Strongman still sent chills down Nanako's spine, but there was nothing for it but to continue pressing onward. The 'wounds' in question were pretty varied; some bruising, some small punctures, some slashes. A good deal of them were concentrated around Yashiro's head and chest, but defensive wounds were also present on his arms, as evidenced by the rips in his clothing. “Whoever killed him, it seems like they were definitely aiming to kill.” Nanako said. “They were mostly aiming for his vitals.”

 

Shinobu, meanwhile, was inspecting Yashiro's hands. “And just as I expected.” She lifted one up to show Nanako, who tilted her head. “During Phase Seven, Yashiro used his own body as an electrical conduit to save Claus and myself from certain doom-”

 

“ _Certain doom_?!” Nanako leaned in and grabbed Shinobu by the shoulders. “Oh my god, are you o—” Then she stopped. “Wait. You are. Never mind. So, what happened?”

 

“We were inside the inner room of the Filtration Chamber.” Claus said, inspecting the mirror. “Yashiro was on the outside. We'd finished the puzzle room when the power shut off to the outside, preventing the door from opening. Apparently, a wire snapped, and Yashiro decided to grab both ends and use his body.” He turned and looked at Yashiro's hands. “Yes, those do look like the same burn marks.”

 

“Admittedly, neither of us did take a particularly close look.” Shinobu said. “But they do appear the same to my eyes as well.”

 

“Man, he was cool.” Nanako said. She almost lurched over and started crying again, but managed to remain impassive. “So, burn marks on his hands from grabbing a live wire, but he already had those.” She hummed at the rest of his wounds. “Bruises, small holes, cuts... Do you think these could've all been made by the same weapon, or?”

 

“It would seem to me that his bruises resulted from blunt trauma,” Shinobu said, “but these lacerations and puncture wounds certainly were not.”

 

Nanako stared at the puncture wounds, and quickly noticed a few things. Some of the wounds, particularly the slash wounds, were slightly separated, three centimeters apart, parallel. Some of the bruises were right beneath the puncture wounds. It was likely because of the weapon's size that there were so many wounds; they were all very shallow, breaking the skin but not getting much further, even the puncture wounds. “Was it just plain old blood loss?” She murmured. “Losing too much blood from all these wounds?”

 

“It certainly seems possible.” Shinobu said. “However, we should not ignore the possibility of the internal bleeding being related.”

 

“I can look inside the body, if you would rather not.” Chihaya said, kneeling down between them.

 

“Uhhh...” Nanako blinked at her, and then at Yashiro's corpse. “Not to rain on your parade, but... how?” Chihaya went quiet, and then stared down at Yashiro. “I mean, with Hansuke, he was already kinda open.” Nanako continued. “And he was all dusty, but not tough. I don't think you could cut Yashiro with a knife.”

 

“I am unsure of whether the box cutter from Filtration is still present, or whether it would even be sufficient.” Shinobu said.

 

“Maybe there's something in the Workshop?” Nanako said. She tilted her head over her shoulder to look at Kojiro. “You have any ideas, bro?”

 

“I'm not allowed to offer that information.” Kojiro said.

 

Luan came over to join the increasingly large gaggle of folk by Yashiro's body, and rubbed his chin. “Stella's Anti-Replicant Perk could make the incision.”

 

“Too bad, so sad!” Kojiro laughed. “ **Since the Nonary Game began, none of its participants have been capable of leaving Maxwell Hall, and they still can't!** So you can't access any of the lower floors or anything on them.”

 

“Hopefully, we'll be able to find something in the other rooms, then.” Kazuya said.

 

“We've also gotta find the weapon.” Nanako said. She rubbed her chin, and rifled through Yashiro's pockets. Nothing. “Dang.” She stood up, and walked over to Claus. “What's the story over here?”

 

“The mirror certainly was broken during the fight.” Claus said, and pointed to the center of the cracks, where slight flecks of blood subtly glinted against the glass. “What I find odd, though, is this.” He gestured to the sinks, and Nanako looked into the dry washbasins.

 

...Wait. “The sinks are dry.” Nanako said. “No sign of being wet recently at all.” Her antenna twisted into a spring. “Weird. I'd think they'd want to wash off the murder weapon.”

 

“Doesn't look like there's enough water in these toilets to do it, I think.” Stella added from the stalls. “And the levers are all broken off.”

 

“Wha' kinda murder weapon make this, though?” Gavin said, having replaced Nanako by the body. “Weird wounds, man.” This gave Nanako a thought.

 

Over with Stella and Kazuya at the stalls, Nanako, in the corner, reminded herself of the entrance to the waste system. “Do you know what this hatch is?” Kazuya asked.

 

“That right there is—!” Kojiro began.

 

“You can get into the waste system from in there.” Nanako said, and Kojiro flew backwards onto his butt from being upstaged. She knelt down, and looked at the gray, metal hatch, staring at it. “I think only Mom knows how to get in there, though?”

 

“ **Only the Administration can open that hatch.** ” Kojiro added. Nanako gave him a thumbs up. “I can open it for you if you really wanna roll in the deep, though!”

 

“Nah, I'm good.” Nanako said. “So the culprit couldn't get rid of the murder weapon through here. I think we'll probably find it around somewhere, then.”

 

Chihaya, staring at the body, then piped up, “G Team, an experiment?” Stella came over to complete the triad. “Please try to lift Yashiro's body.”

 

“Wait, what?” Stella blinked, throwing her hands up. “Lift Yashiro? Have you _seen_ him?”

 

“Trip, man, she prolly means all three 'a us at once.” Gavin said. He squatted on one side of the corpse. “Lou, Stel, le's rock!”

 

Luan nodded. “On three. One, two, three!”

 

With an incredible cacophony of grunts, G Team spectacularly failed to budge Yashiro's body much at all. It was lifted slightly off the ground, yes, but not nearly enough to make anything useful happen, and, Nanako surmised, hardly enough to move him up or down those stairs. “I see.” Chihaya said. “Nanako? By yourself, please.”

 

“Got it.” Nanako nodded, taking Luan's place, and attempting to lift Yashiro's corpse up all by herself. Strong as she was, though, and no matter how much she strained her muscles, she could hardly get him more than an inch off the ground, if that. She managed less air than G Team combined did dealing with the body. “C-can I put him down now?!” She squeaked out, her lungs on fire. Chihaya nodded, and Nanako dropped the body, lurching onto the ground, gasping for air. “Oh my god he's heavy.”

 

“Nobody could've moved his body, then.” Chihaya said. “It seems like this must be the actual crime scene.”

 

“That may be, but there's a great deal left on the floor to investigate.” Claus said, having finished his investigation. “Unfortunate as it is, I believe we should fan out to widen our investigation radius. There are eight of us, so-”

 

“Ahem!” Kojiro loudly cleared his throat.

 

“...There are...apparently nine of us this time.” Claus said, grimacing, slightly confused. “So I suppose we should... split into three groups of three, then? Chihaya, will you come with me?” Chihaya nodded. “And-”

 

“Well, let's jet, team.” Kojiro said to Claus and Chihaya, who both stared at him as he toddled out the door, making little plush noises as he did. “What?” He turned around. “You got wax in your ears or something? C'mon!”

 

“My, but he is incorrigible.” Shinobu said. “Well, Claus?” She tittered. “You shouldn't keep him waiting.”

 

Claus blinked. “Okay.” He followed behind, and Chihaya awkwardly did so as well. In the distance, Kojiro shot off a, 'Where to, boss man?!' to which Claus replied, 'Weren't you the one who just charged off?'

 

“Trip, man, Koji pretty hype, huh?” Gavin observed. It was heartwarming to see him so enthusiastic, sure, Nanako could agree with that, but...

 

“Uh, doesn't he already know who the killer is?” Nanako said, tilting her head to one side. She rolled her eyes. “That boy.”

 

The remaining six looked at each other, and Gavin sidled over to Nanako and Shinobu. “Y'mind, Lou?”

 

Luan shook his head. “No.” He looked at Stella and Kazuya, who both nodded, and the three of them all shared an awkward nod and walked off together.

 

“Oh, wow, I finally get to hang out with the Ultimate Buddy during an investigation!” Nanako clapped, her antenna bouncing. “Hey, Nobu, check it out! We're hanging with Gav!”

 

“So we are. Lovely to work with you, Gavin.” Shinobu curtsied.

 

“Yeah, le's get to it.” Gavin pumped his fists.

 

* * *

 

**Confessional Hall**

 

First on Nanako's group's itinerary was checking Yashiro's Confessional, and thankfully, since it was right across from them, it was a quick walk. When they left the Restroom, though, Nanako turned around to the door, and stared at it. “So, here's the thing.” Nanako said. “This door has an infrared sensor on it that scans whoever goes in or out. I don't think it's possible to really _dodge_ it or anything, but I could be wrong.”

 

“That's all well and good, but without the ability to access this data, it is quite useless to us.” Shinobu said. “Have you any idea where we might find it?”

 

“Hmmm...” Nanako wobbled back and forth a bit. “There should be _something_ for it on this floor, I think?”

 

“We deffo gotta find that readin', then, dudes!” Gavin said. “Golly, even widout J 'round we gotta think 'bout readouts.”

 

“Yeah, that's probably gonna wind up pretty important.” Nanako nodded. “It'll probably have me and Yashiro on it, at least... but if it has anyone else, that'd be pretty important.”

 

Yashiro's Confessional looked pretty boring, as it turned out. There wasn't much of anything in the room, just a lot of walking room. Nanako bent over and sighed loudly. “Great.” She said. “Of course. Nothing can ever be easy around here.”

 

“Rin's pad's kinda crazy.” Gavin said. He crossed his arms. “Whassup widdat?”

 

“Mom has no sense of scale and thought it would be cool, probably.” Nanako said. “Pretty much all of this was here before, it just got redesigned a bit for the killing game.”

 

“Ahhh, the whims of the wealthy.” Shinobu said. “Truly, they are a fascinating breed.”

 

“Gav's still surprised you _ain't_ , Nobu.” Gavin laughed.

 

“Yeah, seriously.” Nanako grinned. “Somehow I'm technically the wealthy one in this relationship, which feels weird.” She stopped. “Though I mean, I guess I don't know whether I actually have any money. I might have a net worth of literally nothing!” She laughed out loud. “Crazy!”

 

“Oh, hush.” Shinobu said, rolling her eyes and grabbing Nanako's hand. “Your net worth is astronomical, dear. After all, you _are_ the lover of the Mistress of Mystery.”

 

“Are you going to be able to write anything once you get home?” Nanako said, attempting to keep the exhaustion out of her eyes as she gazed at Shinobu. “I mean... this all is...”

 

“We shall cross that barrier when we have properly come to it.” Shinobu said.

* * *

 

**Central Hub**

 

Hurrying down the stairs, Nanako reached the floor of Maxwell Hall well before either Shinobu or Gavin. “C'mon, guys!” Nanako said. “We've got a lot of ground to cover, and who knows how long we've got?”

 

“...just figgered Gav should be here when Nanners takes a dive so's you ain't gotta deal with it all on yer own.” Gavin and Shinobu were talking, taking the stairs more slowly. “Ya dig?”

 

“I dig, and thank you kindly, Gavin.” Shinobu said. “Though I imagine she—”

 

“What do you mean, when I 'take a dive?'” Nanako huffed, crossing her arms at the two of them as they stepped off the stairs.

 

“Well, y'know, trip, man, ya gotta stop puffin' up yer chest 'ventually.” Gavin said. “Ain't nothin' strange 'bout that.”

 

“I'm not...” Nanako swung her head around. “I'm not puffing up my-” She sniffled. Wait. Shit, shit, shit, she was crying. When had she started crying again? She began breathing heavily to attempt to hold her tears in again. “Gimme a second.”

 

“You needn't only take a second, Nanako.” Shinobu said, her hand on her chest. “You may take as much time as you-”

 

“ _No,_ I _can't._ ” Nanako said. “C'mon, let's...” She was waving her hands about, and hyperventilating. “Oh god. Calm down, calm down, calm down. Calm-” Her stomach lurched. “I need a- I need a bathroom. Where's—” She turned towards the green door. “Sorry but I have to go to G Ward please you can go somewhere else if you want I guess!”

 

“Oh, as though I would do that.” Shinobu said, doing her best to support Nanako, though with her slight frame as compared to Nanako's bulk, it wasn't really doing much. “Come along, Gavin.”

 

Gavin, who had just been over in Rin's room, came out carrying a few articles from in there. “Yassum!”

* * *

 

**Baths**

 

When Nanako got to one of the shower stalls, she couldn't hold her stomach back anymore, and violently threw up. Technically, the substance she vomited was actually just the b particles that made her up, but it certainly felt, and tasted like, bile. A searing, vile feeling lingered in her throat as the wave of bile and stomach acid retched out of her mouth and spattered into the drain. Shinobu kindly turned on the water, so it was at least getting washed out, but Nanako could still taste and smell it. She found herself silently cursing her mother for not at least letting her not have such a frustrating process.

 

Sweat coated her forehead, and just as she thought she'd finished, she managed to get a bit more as the image of Yashiro's corpse forced itself back into her own mind. Nanako coughed as the horrible mixture wrenched itself from her innards. She felt as though her throat was being ripped open from inside of itself, and quietly thanked Gavin for holding her hair back. “Yeah, kinda figgered somethin' like this'd go down.” Gavin shook his head.

 

Once her stomach and throat finally stopped destroying themselves, Nanako collapsed on the floor, away from the wet shower, and took a few heavy, shivering breaths. Her hair was very wet, so it was all splayed out under her head. Shinobu helped her to take a drink of water in a cup she'd grabbed from the sink, which helped Nanako's pounding head regain some connection to reality, but connection to reality just caused her to remember the fact that Yashiro was dead dead dead dead dead again. A mad fervor caused her to spin over onto all fours and start pounding her fists into the floor, howling.

 

“Why is this happening to me why is this happening to me why is this happening to me why is this happening to me why is this happening to me why is this happening to me why is this happening to me why is this happening to me why is this happening to me?!” Nanako screamed, her slick, wet hair waving wildly, her throat burning. “Stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it!” She grabbed at the bottom of Shinobu's dress, tugging at it, beginning to rip the fabric. “Why?!”

 

“Nanako...” Shinobu sat down and held her wailing lover, rubbing her, lightly and gently. “I'm here. Don't be afraid.”

 

“Just make everything stop!” Nanako howled. “Just make everything stop already! No more, no more, _no moooooore!_ ” She clutched at her head and shook like an animal. “Everyone's gonna die so I just wanna die, please, just kill me or something, please just let it stop, make it stop! I just wanna go home, just let me go home!”

 

“...It's not fair, no.” Shinobu shook her head. “I want it to stop, too.”

 

“Why me, huh? Why me?! Why?!” Nanako wailed, awful, painful sobs forcing themselves out of her throat. “Is this all my fault? What did I do wrong? Did I mess up? Huh?!” She stared, pleading, into Shinobu's eyes. “Please, please, tell me what I did wrong! Just tell me what I did wrong!”

 

“You...haven't done anything wrong, Nanako.” Shinobu said. “You're blameless in all this.”

 

“But it _aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh._ ” Nanako lost the words, and began roaring some sort of painful mixtures between screams and grunts, all of which were completely incoherent. Then, suddenly, she shouted, “Give me a second!”

 

Nanako disabled her sight, her hearing, her smell, her taste, her touch, her vestibular sense, everything. It was a far more complete unconsciousness than she experienced when she unwillingly fell unconscious, but it was also refreshing to just turn off the world, even for a second. Presumably, she'd just slumped over onto the floor, motionless, which was probably pretty unnerving. Still, though, she needed it.

 

A painful, heady feeling began coming over her—not that she knew where her 'head' was right now, but still, it was the clear feeling of lacking any and all informational flow. It was striking and painful and shocking to feel this, to keep herself under that feeling willingly. If she just held out, though, that would force her to think about something, anything other than the situation. God, though, it hurt. It wouldn't kill her unless she spent a significant amount of time without enabling her senses again, but it hurt to not have any of the force that operated her body. Her mind kept sending her signals as though her body was beginning to _dissolve,_ and without the sense of touch, all she could feel were those signals, this horrible, horrible feeling. It hurt. It hurt a lot. It hurt, so she would stay under for as long as she could possibly manage—!

 

Nanako's eyes flew open, and she gasped loudly, re-enabling all her senses, which blasted her with a short, but refreshing burst of sensory information. The heavy, shuddering breaths she took probably did very little to soothe the anxiety of Shinobu and Gavin, who were both very close around her, holding her, Shinobu's eyes wide in obvious concern. “Hey, sorry, just needed to hold my breath for a second.” Nanako said.

 

“That seemed a touch more extreme than 'holding your breath!'” Shinobu cried.

 

“I needed to _metaphorically_ hold my breath for a second.” Nanako said. Her antenna spiked at Shinobu. “It's a me thing.”

 

“Trip, Nobe, sometimes you just gotta.” Gavin nodded in understanding.

 

“Gavin!” Nanako shot up off the floor where she lay at him. “You grabbed stuff from the Central Hub! _Lay it on me, my man_!” Shinobu sighed and relented.

 

“On it!” Gavin pulled out a few things. “First up, we got us our notepad for the disceroo we picked up Phase Six. Y'said y'all di'n't get no time outta yer room Phase Eight, yeah?” Nanako nodded. “A'ight, take a lookit this'un. Gav thinks ya might find it 'fascinating!'”

 

And so Nanako did. It was a curious set of information courtesy of one Hotaru Tenjo, also known as Valkana Kago, also known as Zero the Fourth. “Why,” Nanako asked, “did this creep need so many aliases?”

 

“A deep, grandiose sense of self-importance, I would wager.” Shinobu said.

 

Nanako nodded. “Sounds about right. Oh, huh.” Her eyes widened slightly about something or another about 'Shifters'. “Neat, I guess.” She gave the notepad a thumbs up. “Don't really care. What about Phase Seven?” She flipped the page. “Whoa.” The page, or rather, the next few pages, were full of Shinobu's frilly handwriting, written at an incredible speed. She scanned it. “Oh, neat, you got your memories back!”

 

“Indeed I did.” Shinobu flipped her hair. This information about M particles and psychic fingerprints and whatnot was _interesting_ , really it was, but Nanako wasn't entirely certain where it was going to come up—

 

Her mouth opened automatically as she gaped dumbly at the page. “vK.” Nanako murmured. Memory flashed in her head. Yeah, why had she forgotten the _lowercase_ , of all things? She knew what the compound's name meant, she knew she did, but she'd forgotten about this lowercase v. Her brow furrowed at it, and she felt a vague displeasure as she frowned. “vK... vK.” Phonetically, this would sound rather silly, considering it was the exact same noise. The fact that this was the last information Yashiro had given them didn't help her displeasure. This was _important_. There was a reason that the lowercase v was important.

 

The word left her mouth before she could think about it. “Version.” Nanako said, causing both Shinobu and Gavin to look curious. “Version K.”

 

“Version Kei?” Gavin blinked. “Y'mean she named the place after Kei Sagami?”

 

“Huh? No.” Nanako said, shaking her head. “No, no, it's not...not Kei Sagami. That's not what the Compound's name is. In the Compound's name, the K stands for...”

 

She looked up to the ceiling.

 

“Compound, version Kyle.” Nanako nodded to herself. “That's it. This is Compound vK. Version Kyle.”

 

Shinobu and Gavin both stared at Nanako for several seconds, before, presumably, Shinobu worked up the courage to ask first. “So, er... Who is Kyle, exactly?”

 

“I...” Nanako glared at the page. “I don't know.” She shook her head. “I've never met a Kyle.” She muttered 'Kyle, Kyle' to herself a few times under her breath, stood up, began pacing, muttered 'Kyle' some more, spun around with her finger raised and her antenna poised, and proclaimed, “I've got nothing!”

 

“Well, uh, next up...” Gavin said, rifling through his inventory. “Next up we got what we yanked from Pipin' Control in that big room in the middle 'a G Ward, right outside, yeah?” He jabbed his thumb back towards the door to the Baths. He produced a folder labeled, 'Decision Game.' Nanako's antenna spiked.

 

_In late 2028, the DCOM facility, an American testing site for a manned expedition to the planet Mars, was hijacked by the second 'Zero,' and nine individuals were placed into yet another deadly game; the 'Decision Game.'_

 

_Unlike prior death games, this truly was a 'death' game; the likelihood of death was exceedingly high, with the requirement of six deaths before the remaining participants could leave. A total of six of the participants were Shifters, and they were expected to use those abilities to jump between timelines to make their escape. Not helping matters was the addition of a serial killer, the 'Heart Ripper,' into the situation._

 

_The Decision Game made use of several decision points for the purpose of splitting the timelines further and further, as the second Zero proclaimed himself fascinated by human decisions, frequently citing an anecdote about a common wild snail. A deadly pathogen was reportedly also kept within the facility, but thankfully for mankind's continued survival, it was lost with its creator's death._

 

_Most notable for the purposes of this report is the presence of one of the game's participants, a young man named Sean. Sean would come to be known as the world's first VK-compliant Replicant. While he himself was incapable of Shifting, he produced M particles, and was able to become cognizant of other timelines. He spent several timelines thinking he was, in fact, human, despite a great metal dome on his head. The Replicant named Sean was able to recognize his own identity._

 

_It was from Sean's example that the modern wave of robotics was born. His creator, the second Zero, based him on a sick young man of the same name he had briefly met, claiming that he 'wanted to see the world as [Sean] saw it.' However, Sean's M particles were not identical to the young man he was based on._

 

_Due to the multi-timeline nature of the Decision Game, further specifics are difficult. However, all nine participants managed to survive. Sean, the Replicant, was given a home, and his own identity, with the assistance of the philanthropic organization Crash Keys._

 

From there, it went on to detail the relevant characters. Nanako recognized one face from the First Nonary Game, and apparently, this woman had also been unlucky enough to be present for a _Second_ as well, as had a sour-looking young man who looked very much done pretending he wasn't grumpy. “I guess that's where the first Zero comes in?” Nanako tilted her head.

 

Unsurprisingly, though, she found herself gravitating to Sean's page after having a nice laugh about Zero the Second's stupid shades. He looked like a cute kid, honestly. The dome on his head was… Well, it was cute. It was weird, but it was cute. “Maybe the Second Nonary Game will be on the files in the room we were in?” Nanako rubbed her chin, and her antenna curled into a question mark.

 

“Ah... Nanako?” Shinobu said, placing her hand on Nanako's shoulder. “I've finally managed to put words to a sentiment I've been meaning to say for some time, er… Would you...?”

 

“Oh, um, I'm all ears.” Nanako turned around. “What's up?”

 

Shinobu, though, leaned in, and tightly hugged Nanako. Taking a moment to appreciate her soft warmth was something Nanako hadn't realized she'd needed. “I'm sorry.” Shinobu said. “That I was unable to properly comfort you before now.”

 

“Oh, no, I...” Nanako trailed off. “I just—”

 

“Nanako.” Shinobu said into Nanako's shoulder. “Would you like to come home with me?”

 

The room went quiet for a moment, as did Nanako's thoughts. “...Huh?” Nanako sputtered out.

 

“You cannot handle this alone with no home to return to.” Shinobu chided. “That's quite simple. Anyone would buckle under such a weight. So...” She sighed. “I would wish for you to return to my home, with me.”

 

“Huh... Huh?” Nanako began blinking away tears, still not entirely sure she was comprehending what she was hearing.

 

“I tell you, Nanako, you shall always have a home with me.” Shinobu said. “I cannot be your mother, or return to you what you have lost, but if you would come with me, I...” She was tearing up a bit too. “I would... I would do my very best.” She pulled her arms back onto Nanako's sides, and raised her head to look Nanako in her eyes. “Please, you do have a home. I swear to you. Even if you have lost everything you have known, you will have a home with me if you would have me.”

 

There were several things Nanako could say at this point. She could proclaim how she'd hoped for that, yes, but hadn't managed to ask, considering the situation and all she felt. She could cry, and express her gratitude to Shinobu, say, yes, I was so, so afraid, please, don't let go of me. She could even shout for the world to hear her deep, burning love for Shinobu Koshimizu, how much she truly did love this woman and all she did.

 

What Nanako actually managed to say was, “Your apartment fits two people?”

 

“Well, er.” Shinobu let go and began twiddling her fingers, blushing. “No, er... It's not intended to, at least, I'm sure we could manage, ah... it's not as though I don't have the income to move up into something roomier, though you might have to pick up an odd job or two, I'm unsure... Might have to speed up my output for a bit to compensate?”

 

“Wha— Shinobu, c-c'mon, don't...” Nanako sniffed. “Don't put yourself out for my sake, c'mon. It's fine.”

 

“You _really_ need to learn that you are an exceptionally poor liar.” Shinobu said. “It is by no means fine, young lady.”

 

Nanako looked down into her own lap. “Okay, so it's not fine. You... Um, I mean... Is that...” She looked back up into Shinobu's eyes. God, they glowed. “Is that...really okay?”

 

“Of _course_ , dear.” Shinobu tittered through a few of her own tears. “Would I say something I did not mean?”

 

“I mean, maybe?” Nanako shrugged. “I donno. I, um...” She looked down. “...I can come with you?” She asked, just to confirm she wasn't hearing things. Shinobu nodded silently. “R-really?!”

 

“Really.” Shinobu said.

 

“Oh! Um.” Nanako breathed, in, then out, in, then out, taking a moment to steady her rapid heartbeat. “Well...” She laughed a bit. “Um, okay. Sure, I- I mean, I don't know how much help I'll be out there, or anything, I mean, I'm not really an Ultimate or anything... D-do you think people will like me?” She leaned in, clenching her hands together.

 

“Yes, of course people will like you. You're quite likable.” Shinobu said.

 

“I just, um, oh god, wow, okay, was not expecting that today.” Nanako began looking about frantically. “Wow, okay, um, yeah, sure, um... yes. Mmhm. Yeah.”

 

“But if we are to do that, we do have work to do, Nanako.” Shinobu raised her finger.

 

“Right!” Nanako jumped up. “Yashiro. Dead.” Heart lurched. Okay, no, no, it's fine, it's fine, Shinobu loves you and you're going to live together after this, that'll make it better. Deep breath, in, out, in, out. “Back to work. Back to- hey, where's Gavin?”

 

“Figgered I should give y'all a mo'.” Gavin said, peeking his head in from the shower in the back.

 

“What a conscientious man you are.” Shinobu said.


	75. Day 21, Phase 9, Part 4 - BOX 16

**Piping Control**

 

The Baths didn't have much else to offer, and neither did the Fluid Lab, or Class 5-B. Gavin briefly expressed some disappointment that the group had yet to be able to leave Maxwell Hall, and Nanako couldn't help but agree. Even if she had her own bed available to her, she'd gotten used to that bed down there in the Housing Suite, among other things.

 

Piping Control was in the center of G Ward; a room, naturally, full of pipes and the consoles for controlling them. Boy, did her mother love consoles. What was with all these consoles? Taking her mind off of that, though, Nanako piped up, “Give me a P!”

 

“P?” Shinobu said, raising her eyebrow.

 

“Give me an I!” Nanako exclaimed.

 

“I!” Gavin cheered.

 

“Gimme another P!” Nanako said, clenching her fist proudly.

 

“P.” Claus said, coming in another door.

 

“Gimme an E!” Nanako bent over, gritting her teeth.

 

“E!” Kojiro chimed in.

 

“What's that spell!?” Nanako said, and she, Gavin, and Kojiro all shouted “PIPE!” at once. “Ahhh, much better.”

 

“What was that supposed to be?” Chihaya said, hiding behind some pipes. Nanako shrugged.

 

“So, how are Gay, Gayer, and Gavin doing this fine morning?” Kojiro said. “We, for your information, have been having a lovely time together, me and my two good pals here. Lots of puzzle action!” He huffed proudly.

 

“By which he means we happened to stumble into G Ward's Phase _Twelve_ puzzle room in Rin's Office.” Claus explained. “It took us a bit, but he's a remarkably bright young man, and clearly has a good head on his shoulders for the facility's puzzle logic.”

 

“Aw, shucks, Claus.” Kojiro blushed... somehow. “I didn't do all the work, only 95% of it. You stood around looking pretty, and that's a big job!”

 

“Hey, hold on a second.” Claus frowned. “I did more than that! That one puzzle about mixing chemicals, I absolutely aced!”

 

“That's one way to describe it.” Chihaya said, laughing a little. Kojiro, meanwhile, laughed really loudly.

 

“So, that means that the Phase Ten and Eleven puzzle rooms are still active, too?” Nanako said, her antenna curling into a question mark. “Huh. What'd you find?”

 

From behind that pipe, two objects were produced. One was a folder labeled 'Cast List #5'. The other was a memory canister, labeled 'L', full of glowing blue particles. “We haven't opened the canister yet.” Chihaya said. “We thought it would be best to find Luan first.”

 

“Only right, man, only right.” Gavin nodded. “Now, we got 1, 3, 4, and 5 now, yeah? Where ya think 2 is?”

 

“Hopefully, present in one of the other two wards.” Claus said. “That would be the file that contained F through K, which would include Girl H, though, so I find it a bit surprising it wasn't in Phase Twelve's room itself.”

 

“That'd be...” Nanako crossed her arms. “I think that'd be Chihaya's grandpa, Gavin, Mom, Chizuru, Jun, and Kei, right?”

 

“Based on the coverage thus far, yes.” Shinobu said. “Which would make this folder Hotaru Tenjo, Wanda, myself, Yashiro, and whoever the mysterious Z might be.” She spared a glance towards the pipe. “Chihaya, are you quite alright?”

 

“Don't worry, I'm fine.” Chihaya said. “Gavin, what did you all find in here?”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Gavin handed Claus the Decision Game folder, and Claus, Chihaya, and Kojiro took a moment to read through it as Nanako, Shinobu, and Gavin opened up Cast List #5.

 

V, naturally, was in fact Hotaru Tenjo, AKA Valkana Kago, AKA Zero the Fourth. The file went into reasonably cutesy detail regarding his many, many, many exploits. Nanako's stomach crawled a bit. “What a weirdo.” She grimaced. “Like, we already knew all of this, but what a weirdo.”

 

“For truth.” Gavin nodded solemnly. Next up was Girl W— Wanda Morinaga. Nanako couldn't help but frown, but the frown on Shinobu's face was much larger. “Y'alright, Nobe?”

 

“...I wish I could've shown her how beautiful the world of humans is.” Shinobu said. She looked down. “Instead... I was such a _child_. Curse me and my lack of social graces.” She was tearing up a bit.

 

“I never did quite understand your rapport.” Claus admitted. “Was it... Was it a romantic thing, or?”

 

“Oh, well, somewhat, perhaps?” Shinobu said, looking away awkwardly and blushing. “I-iit was... Look, I'm complicated, okay?!” She shouted, bright red, faced solidly away from the entire group.

 

“But you're my complicated.” Nanako wrapped her arm around Shinobu, pulled her back in, and hugged her. Shinobu wailed. Gavin obligingly turned the page to Shinobu's own page, which told them little of value, but did have a shot of Shinobu in the Hope's Peak uniform. “Oh my god.” Nanako said.

 

“Oh god.” Shinobu said.

 

By the look of it, the bottom was a white blouse, then a dark jumper and skirt, then above that, a muted green bolero jacket with white trim. The white ribbon Shinobu wore in the picture completed the look that made Nanako's heart swell. “Out of all the people who could've taken this shot in their uniform I'm so glad it was you.” Nanako said, grabbing the folder out of Gavin's hands and staring powerfully at the photo. “Oh, yeah. Ohhhh yeaaaah.”

 

“N-Nanako!” Shinobu cried, ineffectually putting her hands on Nanako's shoulders. “W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-we have an investigation to get to!”

 

Kojiro was laughing even harder now. “That's Nanako for you!” He said.

 

“I'd snap back at you, but you're right, is the thing.” Nanako said, forcefully tearing her eyes away from the absurdly adorable sight of her girlfriend in uniform. “Okay, yup, I'll probably get to see plenty of this when we're out.” She closed her eyes, flipped the page, and opened them again to see a photo of Yashiro. Her breath caught in her throat. “Okay, that was a bad idea, please take it back.” She handed the folder back to Gavin.

 

“No prob.” Gavin gave a thumbs up. “A'ight, lessee here...” He blinked. “Uhhh, y'should prolly lookit this.”

 

Yashiro's page was mostly normal-seeming, but for two things. First was a footnote on the first page; 'Check Server Room for more details.' The Monokuma Theater also had a hastily-scribbled bottom segment regarding a surprise altercation between Yashiro and, apparently, Man F and his yakuza? “Wait, what?” Nanako said. “Huh— What?”

 

“So is that how he fits into this tale?” Shinobu hummed.

 

“Yeah, uh...” Gavin looked away and rubbed the back of his head. “Whoo, Gav missed the barn on that one! You, uh...” He frowned. “You a'ight, Haya?”

 

“I'm fine for now.” Chihaya said.

 

Kojiro leaned over to Nanako and whispered in her ear, “She didn't react great, but thankfully Claus was there to help her out and get her through it like a boss. I'm glad she has such good friends.”

 

“Same.” Nanako whispered back at him. “Do I count there?”

 

“Arguably.” Kojiro said. Nanako pouted at him, and poked him in the face. “Hey, hey, hey! No violence!”

 

“Please don't.” Chihaya was suddenly up close and staring at the two of them, and both Nanako and Kojiro immediately sat down on the floor. “Thank you.”

 

“Seriously, though, you're sure you're alright?” Nanako said, her antenna curling. “That, uh, can't be easy.”

 

Chihaya shook her head. “I already knew he didn't want me around. It doesn't change much to know he was part of this.”

 

“Ain't gonna change nothin' 'bout what I said, neither!” Gavin said, smiling at her. “Ain't that right, Haya?”

 

“I guess so.” Chihaya said, smiling lightly back at Gavin.

 

Meanwhile, Claus closed his folder and said, “Interesting!” Then he clapped his hands, and continued, “I imagine that helped you all a bit more than it helped me.”

 

“Yeah, I think so.” Nanako nodded.

 

“A'ight, here's Z.” Gavin said, flipping the page. “Wha-”

 

Nanako, Shinobu, and Gavin's eyes all widened. The page was almost entirely _blank_ , without even a marked-out photo. Hardly any information was present on it, except a name. 'Kojiro Hashizawa.' “Oh, wow, you get to be Z?” Nanako said, her antenna pointing at Kojiro. “Lucky! Z's a cool letter!”

 

“How many times does a bear have to say...” Kojiro trailed off, grumbling under his breath. “Rassafrassin'.”

 

“Why would Kojiro be listed as Z, though?” Shinobu tilted her head and crossed her arms. “I would think, given our captor's self-appointed title of 'The End', she would take it for herself.”

 

“Trip, man, Gav's deep in the mires of Disappointia.” Gavin said. “This ain't tellin' us nothin' 'cept Koji's name. Y'think maybe they's wanting to hide Kojikuma or somethin'?”

 

“God, who freaking knows at this point.” Nanako's head drooped and she groaned. “Alright, we should go ahead and check the rest of G Ward. Thanks, guys!”

 

“Happy to help.” Claus nodded. “We do have a great deal of ground to cover, after all.”

* * *

 

**Elevator Control**

 

Behind the great door emblazoned with Monokuma's face was, unsurprisingly, the Service Elevator, and- what do you know?- a console for ensuring its proper operation, in an otherwise dark room. Nanako went up and patted the elevator. “They always got such wacko controls, or 'zat just when Ender got to 'em?” Gavin asked.

 

“Well, since Kojiro has his transit tubes, he didn't actually need this elevator all that much.” Nanako explained. “The elevator was more for transporting...y'know, _stuff_ , if need be. It definitely didn't have his face on it before.”

 

Shinobu went up to the console and began tapping at it, and then started making noises and nodding. “Oh, I see, I see... So that's how that works?... oh, curious... fascinating...”

 

“Wanna share with the class, Nobu?” Nanako leaned in beside her.

 

“I have just given myself a crash course in the operation of the Service Elevator.” Shinobu said. “As it turns out, this elevator has not five, but _twelve_ stops!”

 

“Whoaaaaa.” Gavin's eyes widened.

 

“This is the topmost stop, naturally.” Shinobu explained. “It services the five floors we've been privy to thus far, as well as six courtrooms beneath us, and a stop at the bottom whose identity I've yet to discern.”

 

“Six courtrooms, huh?” Nanako tilted her head. “I remember there being five of those rooms, but Kojiro did say he prepared a spare for Miria.”

 

“Ah, is that right?” Shinobu said. The screen displayed a diagram of the elevator and its stops, and she hummed. “Yes, it would appear that Kojiro's addition would be the second courtroom on the level two floors beneath Abilene. It's the only level with two courtrooms present, after all.”

 

“Whaddya need them for anyscoot?” Gavin asked.

 

“Oh, well, down there is a lot of Mom's more sensitive research rooms and stuff.” Nanako said, raising her finger and grinning about getting to be so darned educational. “The rooms that got re-purposed as courtrooms are right across from them, and they're all, like, super water-tight, buoyant, and stuff like that, so if Mom had to make a rapid getaway because of the facility crashing or something, she could move all her stuff in there so she didn't lose too much.”

 

“And wha's with the claw arms?” Gavin raised his eyebrow. “Gav ain't gonna lie, tha's kinda whackadoo.”

 

“Well, I guess it might've helped since Mom only has two arms?” Nanako shrugged. “Also, she's rich and probably thought it would be cool.” The three of them shared a solemn nod of understanding.

 

“Fascinating as this all is, though, unfortunately it seems we're currently barred from leaving Maxwell.” Shinobu said, leering at the console. “The Elevator is currently stranded at its bottom stop, and I can't seem to find a way to move it up here.”

 

“Major bummer, dude.” Gavin said.

 

“The bottom stop, huh?” Nanako crossed her arms and pondered for a moment. She was fairly certain there was _something_ important at the very bottom of the facility, but much as she tried to rack her brain, the information simply wasn't coming. “Ugh, I'm blanking. Sorry, guys.”

 

“Amnesia is quite confounding.” Shinobu smiled. “You needn't be sorry, dear.” Gavin nodded his approval as well.

* * *

 

**Office**

 

Claus and company had already inspected it, but Nanako decided to take a look around it anyway. She'd come to this room several times in the past, so she definitely recognized that computer in the back there, the mahogany desk, a few messily-organized bookshelves around it... “Man, Mom has a _lot_ of books, huh?”

 

“Stays by 'erself fer two years? Gav is deffo hopin' so!” Gavin said. “Trip, man, ya gotta have _summat_ to keep yerself busy.”

 

The already-open safe was present underneath Rin's desk, but other than that, there didn't seem to be much present. Standing in a room with all these books, though, made Nanako's gears start whirring. “Legal reasons,” she muttered to herself. “Legal reasons?”

 

“Whassup?” Gavin asked.

 

“I was just thinking about Yashiro's page in the Cast List and how it said I called myself Rin for 'legal reasons.' Legal reasons. What legal reasons?” Nanako crossed her arms and looked up to the ceiling, her antenna spinning around. “From looking at the Legal Desk, I thought Mom was up on these things, but maybe there was something about it that she didn't have?”

 

“There is nothing I have more mastery of than books, so allow me to begin!” Shinobu suddenly began whirling through the bookshelves, her fingers crawling across them with the dexterity of a spider, flipping through tome after tome after tome at a rate Nanako didn't think was actually humanly possible. “Oh- _ho_ , what is this?” She stopped on a sad little letter stuck between the pages of a book about, uh, penguins or something, and pulled it out. Nanako and Gavin crowded around to see it.

 

_Dear Ms. Hashizawa,_

 

_We regret to inform you that your request for the Class-B Replicant Construction Certificate has been denied. Based on your psychological evaluation, it is the opinion of the Department of Artificial Intelligence that creating Replicants at this point in time could pose a significant threat to your own well-being, especially with talent as you demonstrated for the Department in the craft._

 

_The recommendation of the Department of Artificial Intelligence is requisitioning psychological assistance, whether geared towards becoming a proper Replicant constructor or simply in general; the psychological malaise demonstrated in your evaluation was cause for concern on the part of several of our staff members. Listed below are several resources you may use to attempt to find such. You may also directly contact the Department during our regular business hours[...]_

 

And it went on like that. Nanako whistled. “Wow, you guys.” She looked at Shinobu and Gavin. “You hear that? Legally, I shouldn't exist!”

 

“Trip, man.” Gavin said. “Tha's wild.” He and Nanako shared a look of understanding.

 

“You were instructed to refer to yourself by your mother's name to prevent word of your existence from spreading, hm?” Shinobu tapped her foot, her heel clacking a bit. “Curious.”

 

“Is it just me, or have we barely found anything that actually helps us with the murder?” Nanako said.

 

“It does appear that way, doesn't it?” Shinobu agreed.

 

“Well, we're almost through G Ward, I guess.” Nanako said. “Hopefully we'll find _something_ before long.”

* * *

 

**Workshop**

 

The last room in G Ward for them to visit was the Workshop. From Nanako's perspective, it felt like barely any time had passed since she and Kojiro were happily working away in here, constructing their memorial statue of Hansuke. If there was anywhere in Maxwell Hall that could produce a weapon capable of producing Yashiro's wounds, it would _probably_ be here.

 

Immediately, Nanako noticed something different: the closet which had previously been locked was now open. It was very deep, large enough to probably fit two Nanakos pretty easily, but shoving her head into it, Nanako was unable to find anything present in its recesses. “See if you can find Narnia!” Shinobu called to her.

 

“What?” Nanako asked, turning back around and out of the closet. “See if I can find _what_ now?”

 

Unfortunately for them, the rest of the room offered a big ol' pile of nothing. No weapons, no secret passages, no sudden insights. Nanako gritted her teeth. “Damn it.” She said. “Could the murder weapon have been in the closet or something?”

 

Gavin shrugged. “If'n they had a weapon, whassa needa rumble, too?”

 

“I mean, I guess that's fair, but...” Nanako lightly kicked a table in frustration. “Damn it.”

 

“We've still two more wards to inspect. Don't lose heart, Nanako.” Shinobu said. She hugged Nanako, and Nanako sighed into her shoulder.

* * *

 

**Machine Production**

 

The Dining Room, much like a ton of other rooms, also had nothing to offer. According to Shinobu, the remaining locked door in C Ward was the one to their left as they entered, so Nanako peeked her head into said room, which labeled itself 'Machine Production.'

 

“I'm sure I can figure out how to open this box if you'll just give me a minute.” Kazuya grunted. The room was large, with several cordoned-off areas for the construction of, for instance, drones to be moved to the Drone Bay, forklifts for Campbell and its Loading Zone, and other such doodads for proper operation of the Compound.

 

“Just give me a try already.” Stella said, attempting to grab the box. “I'm sure I can get it!” There were several toolboxes and workbenches for manual construction, as well, perhaps far more than one person needed. Stocked here were even the necessary parts to construct a standard Replicant skeleton of any number of builds, though nothing to construct anything like Nanako- those would be down in the deeper floors, near the trial rooms.

 

“Excuse me, may I try?” Luan piped up. He was holding a sheet of paper that looked to have Nanako's handwriting on it. Stella and Kazuya immediately stopped bickering with each other and handed it to him, and Luan leaned down and blew a bit of air into the box, causing it to flip open and reveal the second safe code. Nanako and Gavin clapped, which caused the other three to finally notice they were there.

 

“Oh, hello.” Kazuya waved. “How's your investigation going?”

 

“Mediocre.” Nanako said, her antenna drooping. “Just so you know, Yun, Claus and his found your memories in a puzzle room.”

 

“Really?” Luan said, poking the keypad and entering the code. “That's nice.”

 

Speaking of memories, the safe, which was in the far corner, swung open to reveal another memory canister, this one labeled 'O.' Kazuya went visibly rigid, backed away from the open safe, and said, “Haha, no, that's alright. I'm alright, you can keep them. Really.”

 

“C'mon, Kaz, calm down.” Stella hugged him, to which he responded with a strained-sounding 'I'm _trying._ '

 

“Not doin' so hot, eh, Kaz?” Gavin said, coming up and patting him on the back. “Ya's in good company, my dude.”

 

“I don't think it's really possible for me to be 'doing hot' right now.” Kazuya said. He groaned. “Can this please just be over with already?”

 

Nanako was fairly certain it was Yashiro's death in particular hitting Kazuya this hard. From what she'd seen, he seemed pretty attached to the young lion. “We're here for you if you need it.” Nanako said.

 

“Give me a second.” Kazuya said to Stella, who let go, raising her eyebrow. “I don't think _you_ should be saying that at this point, Nanako.”

 

“Oh, I'm torn up inside and all, but you're important too.” Nanako said. “My deep and very special pain that nobody could possibly understand can take a backseat for my good pal Judgment Kazzy.”

 

Stella snickered as Kazuya's dismayed frown turned into an annoyed one, his nostrils flaring a bit. “Oh, no, not you too.” He groaned. “Hey, quit laughing at me!” He said to Stella.

 

“I'm not laughing _at you,_ I'm laughing _with Nanako._ ” Stella smirked. “There's a difference.”

 

“You're lucky you're cute.” The cute young man said, putting on his best danger face. In the background, Luan raised the canister with Kazuya's memories over their head, so that Nanako and Shinobu could get a look at it, and made a face that asked, 'so, um, what should I do with this?' Nanako and Shinobu looked at each other, nodded, and then faced back at him, 'just put it back in the safe for now, we guess.'

 

“Um, no, _you're_ lucky I'm cute.” Stella said, causing Kazuya to sputter slightly. It was only at this point that Nanako noticed Stella's uncharacteristically high spirits, which stuck out even more considering the circumstances.

 

“Wow, Stella, I think that's the most verve I've ever heard out of you.” Nanako grinned. “You must've been having a wild time partying without me these past few days.”

 

“Actually, it sucked.” Stella rolled her eyes. “I missed him more than you, sure,” and she jabbed a thumb in Kazuya's direction, “but somehow or another I still missed you too.”

 

“All I get is a thumb?” Kazuya said, putting his hands on his hips and frowning at her.

 

“It's girl talk, Kaz.” Nanako said, and Stella nodded. “Plus, she already ran into you yesterday. This is a novel experience for the both of us.”

 

“ _Girl talk_ again.” Kazuya shook his head, and looked towards Shinobu pleadingly. “Shinobu, can you please explain what girl talk entails?”

 

“Oh? I don't believe I've ever had the chance to partake in the holy ritual!” Shinobu said, her eyes widening. “When we get out, Stella, I insist that we perform 'girl talk' together! I must know what it's like!”

 

“I don't know how I got to be the arbiter of girl talk of all of us, but I guess.” Stella shrugged.

 

“But what is—?!” Kazuya began, but Gavin cut him off, placing a hand on the Orator's shoulder.

 

“Kaz, my man, much as Gav would love to give ya the lowdown, there's some places an enterprising young duderino such as yonself ain't ever gonna be reachin', dude.” Gavin shook his head. “Girl talk is, like, a sacred rite, man.”

 

After a few consternated noises, Kazuya settled on, “Girls are weird.” as his final response.

 

“Ooh! Ooh!” Nanako piped up, her antenna spiking. “'Hey, boys, seen any kettles lately? Think there's one that could use a bit of assurance that it's black.'”

 

“That's very fair.” Kazuya said.

 

Once everyone was finished goofing off, Luan set the sheet of paper down on the table, and the six of them began reading.

 

_Hey again, kids! It's Miss Nanako back for Miss Nanako's Science Lessons #3! By the way, I got to see photos of some of you 'participants' in the project, whatever it is (because I still don't know,) and I'm going to be totally real here with you. If Future Me hasn't smooched at least one of those sweet babes when you read this, then I'll be very, very disappointed._

 

“Seriously?” Kazuya and Stella simultaneously looked over at Nanako and stared at her. Nanako nervously chuckled and blushed.

 

_Regarding the boys, all I really have to say is that I solemnly swear never to emulate Gavin Sakaki's fashion sense, because wow. Just wow._

 

“I'm keeping that oath.” Nanako said, turning her own head to look at Gavin.

 

“Trip, man, can't blame ya!” Gavin laughed. “Got myself a very partick'lar style, don't I?”

 

_Last time we talked about W particles and b particles. Today we're going to be talking about M particles! Kind of a weird coincidence that those two types are W and M, huh? Anyway, you can think about M particles as basically being a person's soul. Everybody has a field of M particles in and around their brain that contains all the information that makes up, well, them. They glow bright blue when they're isolated, or on a scanner, or I guess physical, but they have some trouble keeping it together in physical form. The M-ness tends to just fly off and leave normal particle mass behind._

 

_Having my own field of M particles is what makes me a VK-compliant Replicant. People who don't have them, like other Replicants or people with 'M-deficiency,' have a hard time with the whole having-a-sense-of-self thing, so their understanding of themselves tends to come from other people's M particles. Honestly, it sounds really frightening, but Mom says that at least me being such a rad robot is progress towards helping them. So that's a nice feeling._

 

_Anyway, M particles all have a 'psychic fingerprint,' is how I've heard it described. Like, each person's particular M particles are unmistakable for anyone else's. If you remove a certain bit of someone's memories (and lemme tell you, it was surreal to just forget about my first birthday party for an hour!) then there's just a gap there, and then if you let them loose within a certain range, they zip right in, like they're magnetized. People with M-deficiency get impressions based on your psychic fingerprints by keying into them, or something._

 

_Mom says my M particles are pretty unique for some reason, but I guess that's just what happens when you're cool like myself. I can't think of anything else I was supposed to say, so that's it for this one. I think there's still one more I need to write? Not sure._

 

_Um, in case this is the last one, I just wanna say... I really hope we're friends, you and I! Honestly, I'm really lonely down here... It gets kinda cold, and lonely, just knowing the same few people all your life. I mean, you've probably already heard this from me if we're friends, and all, but it's true. I really wanna get out, and see the world... I was supposed to this one time, but then I guess something went wrong? And I think it was because of some guy named Jun Fukuyama. He betrayed Mom or something. Sounds like kind of a jerk move. I mean, Mom's, like... so fluffy, how could anyone betray her? If I ever meet him, I guess I'll have to give him a piece of my mind. The situation all sounds kind of weird, though._

 

_Ah, sorry, I think I forgot this wasn't my diary for a second. I'll leave you alone now. Unless I'm there now... I kinda hope I am._

 

The room was quiet as everyone came to the end of the sheet at their own pace. Nanako was fairly certain she'd finished first. In a bit of a surprising occurrence, Luan was the first to respond, saying, “Nanako.” and lifting his hand onto her shoulder. “Erm.”

 

Nanako wasn't sure how to describe the emotions she felt, reading the words she couldn't remember writing. There was a purity in those words that she wasn't sure how to describe, and so in response she felt raw... _something._ There was sadness, yes, and anger, wanting to thrash and scream at her own past self for the sin of existing, and guilt, and hatred, and resentment for this whole situation, and resentment for her mother, and resentment for _everything._

 

How it all came out was her lifting the paper, and harshly whispering, “Why are you even part of this?” to herself, both in the present and in the past. “Why did you just sit back and let this happen? There has—” Her hands quivered. “There has to be something you could have done. Why didn't you do it? Huh? _Why didn't you do it?_ ” She almost tore the paper in half and threw it to the ground, but Gavin caught her arm.

 

“Nanners, chill, man.” Gavin said, his hand tough, yet gentle around her arm. “Yanno, 's like, sure, mayhap something _coulda_ happened, but how's you gonna figger out what that was? You hardly _coulda_ known _nothin'_ , man. Trip, dude, gonna blame yaself fer not goin' psychic on us?”

 

Nanako was quiet, her fists clenched as her arm dropped down again, not looking at Gavin. “What's even the point of remembering anything if everything was a secret from me anyway? I just... I just want...” She slumped over briefly, supporting herself on the table with her arms as she breathed heavily, in and out. “Okay. I need to get back to investigating. Let's go.”

 

“If it pleases you,” Shinobu said, hurriedly handing Kazuya the Science Lesson as Nanako began to leave, “we'll be exploring C Ward further ourselves.” She quickly jogged up beside Nanako and silently took her hand, which gave Nanako a bit of pause. “Nanako?”

 

“...Thanks, Nobu.” Nanako said. “Sorry, guys.”

 

“There's no need to apologize.” Kazuya said, looking a bit awkward as Nanako turned back to look. “Please don't push yourself, though.”

 

Stella sighed. “She can't help it. Nanako's one of those people who sees something isn't working and just tries twice as hard. You telling her not to push herself probably means we'll find her passed out on the floor somewhere.” The tone in her voice was clearly concerned, too, but Stella was just one of those acerbic kind of people, wasn't she?

 

Nanako chuckled. “Thanks, Stella, Kazuya, Yun. I'll be alright.”

 

“Please be careful, Nanako.” Luan said. “Kazuya's correct. Your mental health could be in jeopardy if you force yourself to proceed. Shinobu, Gavin?”

 

“On it.” Gavin nodded.

 

“I assure you it has not escaped my purview.” Shinobu said.

* * *

 

**Filtration Chamber**

 

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. Propulsion Control, its Helm, Class 5-A, and the Legal Desk all had absolutely nothing worthwhile for Nanako, and every time she turned around she thought she would hear the ring of that damned bell. She began clicking her tongue in frustration by the time they finished searching through her mother's legal papers, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by her investigative partners. “Yo, Nanners.” Gavin said. “Wanna go find Koji 'n ask him if'n he's got the time?”

 

“We'll run into him eventually, probably.” Nanako replied, turning and walking out of the room. “C'mon, this is the last room in C Ward! We're making progress, guys!” She turned her head and pumped her fists at Shinobu and Gavin. “Besides, he probably couldn't even tell us. Game rules or whatever.”

 

With that said, they entered the Filtration Chamber. This was a room Nanako had very infrequently visited up to this point, so she took a moment to familiarize herself with the layout. “So, Yashiro was out here.” Nanako gestured to the larger, outer area. “And you two were in there. Right?” She gestured to the inner area, through the window. “Right?”

 

“That's correct.” Shinobu nodded. The room inside had things like a treasure chest that looked vaguely familiar to Nanako, but was otherwise rather plain.

 

From the door, to the left, was one end of the room that Shinobu had been unable to see from inside, where Yashiro had worked on his own. A small desk with a _computer console_ (ding!) sat there, which also had what looked to be some sort of book on it. Nanako picked it up, and the instant she saw inside, she gasped. “Oh my god, we still have it?!”

 

“Erm?” Shinobu hummed, peeking from behind. “Oh, that would be the script we used.”

 

Nanako ran over to the window to look inside at the treasure chest. “Yeah, yeah! That's totally the treasure chest from the legend of High King Llewelyn of Novoselic, right?” She brandished the script to _The Tragedy of Ulrich and Royston: a Play in Two Acts_ in her hand. “Did they give you a spear in there?” She turned to Shinobu.

 

“Indeed they did.” Shinobu said. She raised her eyebrow and smiled, her eyes appraising. “I never took you for a theater buff, Nanako. Have you that whole sequence memorized?”

 

“Hah!” Nanako grinned. “I mean, yeah, but I wouldn't call myself a 'theater buff,' I guess. I just really like this one! It's one of the first stories I actually remember, like, _digesting_? Some of my first active recall that wasn't long-term things like Mom was this script.”

 

“ _Really_.” Shinobu said. She blinked. “I'm surprised your mother let you read something like that at your age.”

 

“She didn't!” Nanako beamed. “I mean, I was only like, a month and a half old at the time, I think? So a lot of it went over my head, but what I got, I really, really liked! Royston was my favorite. Still is.”

 

“Never laid eyes on this yarn, so Gav is most outrageously curious as to what kinda tale yer spinnin'.” Gavin said.

 

“Oh boy, can I?!” Nanako's eyes widened and she started bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, smiling wider than she'd done in what felt like years. “Can I, can I can I can I?!”

 

“Having never seen it myself, I'm also rather curious.” Shinobu said. Nanako squealed in joy. “And how could I possibly deny you such delight?”

 

“Okay, so.” Nanako cleared her throat. “Prince Ulrich of Novoselic is, as far as he knows, the last heir of the Novoselician royal family. When he was just three years old, his whole family was killed in an uprising by some of the local counts, and the government hasn't been ruled competently in the twenty years since. Ulrich's a really princely, duty-bound, honorable kind of guy, so even after twenty years barely scraping by in squalor and losing all of his trusted retainers one way or another, he's still always on the lookout for ways to properly lay claim to the throne and get to work making Novoselic a better place. The best way to do that would be to finally solve the riddle of High King Llewellyn, sat in the highest tower of the castle, which the current ruling lord has been getting angrier and angrier about not having half of.”

 

“One day, Ulrich happens to witness a pair of thugs mugging an old woman, and, being the princely type, moves in to fight them off. When they're gone, he looks at her and realizes that it's one of the retainers of the royal family, Laramie, who he hadn't seen in twenty years because she was presumed dead in the attack. She bursts into tears when she sees that her rescuer is the gallant Prince Ulrich, and tells him something he'd hoped for for ages, but had never found proof of- his younger brother Royston, who was only a year old at the time of the attack, was alive! By her lonesome, she'd squirreled him out and tried her best to keep him safe all these years.”

 

“Naturally, Ulrich wants to meet him immediately, right?” Nanako continued. “Because it's his brother. But, well, it turns out Royston isn't much of a prince. He's a total goofball. He's also kind of a ladies' man, and he works as an artist- it's his passion, and he's never thought being a prince, much less a king, sounded like a great idea. When Ulrich finally meets his brother, he's not happy. He's all, 'How dare you doff the responsibility our family gave us?!' and Royston's all, 'Truth be told, dear brother, I've never been over the moon for such heavy burdens. I'm a sensitive soul, you see?'”

 

“Ulrich storms out, and in his frustration, winds up accidentally ticking off a bunch of bandits who were visiting Novoselic from Bleached Gorge nearby, this nasty place full of pointy walls and, well, it's called 'bleached' because all the rocks there look like they've been drained of color, but that's not important. He's too tough for the Pennyroyal Bandits to kill, but they wind up just bringing him back to their home turf when they realize who he is. Royston catches the tail end of this, and he starts grimacing about it, because the old retainer comes right up behind him to wail about how now that Ulrich is gone Novoselic is _truly_ doomed, oh what will become of our fair nation? And Royston turns around and chides her, saying that he might be himself, but he's not one to leave a brother in peril if he can help it.”

 

“So Royston travels a day or two, by himself, at his insistence, to reach Bleached Gorge and the Pennyroyal base. Now, they're really heavily guarded, no surprise there, and Royston's never been great in a fight, so he has to think for a bit about how to get in. Then he notices that it seems like they all have a sort of call sign at the gates that rotates every so often, so he spends another day skulking around the entrance keeping track of all that, since he's great at people-watching. He manages to figure out how to act like a bandit, and manages to get into their base, but unfortunately for him, his genius plan only works so far as getting in, and when the leader sees him he immediately knows that Royston isn't a bandit, and he gets thrown in jail.”

 

“Ulrich, who's been in here for a few days and all, is stunned to see Royston. At first he thinks Royston must've been caught sleeping with one of their concubines or something, but after rolling his eyes for a bit Royston gets to thinking up a plan. There's only one key to all the cells, but it's always visible, right there in front of the cells, so Royston sees a lot of it. Eventually, he gets an idea, and tells the folks keeping watch that he's an artist, and he'd like ever so much to be given the opportunity to demonstrate his skills to please the leader of the bandits.”

 

“They've got some art supplies lying around, since they don't have any art-y types around there, so the guardsmen agree to it, though they lock Royston in the room with the art supplies. It's mostly stuff for painting, which is fine since that's what Royston can do the fastest, but he also finds some wax, which is what he was hoping for. While he's painting, he painstakingly puts together a wax replica of the key. By the time he finishes, it's well into the night, so he's led back to his cell with his wax replica, but real quickly, he swaps the real key and the wax replica, hides the real key on him, and gets back into his cell. The guard uses the wax replica and thinks he's locked the door, but once the coast is clear, Royston busts out of his cell and breaks Ulrich out.”

 

“Ulrich is stunned, of course, but Royston gets back in his own cell and tells Ulrich to take the wax replica. This just makes Ulrich even more confused, so Royston tells him that while he _could_ escape now, he made a perfectly good painting, and he'd hate to leave it without seeing anyone appreciate it first. Ulrich sputters a bit before he realizes what Royston's actually doing- by having Ulrich as a solo escapee, it makes it seem much more likely that he would've just wound up dead in the gorge, deterring the idea of going after him because it'd be a waste of time. So Ulrich books it out of there by himself and runs, just outside, into an escort Royston had called for.”

 

“He's pretty concerned, but a few days later, Royston strolls back into town like nothing had happened. He tells Ulrich that the leader liked his artistic offering so much that he just let Royston go, like nothing happened. Ulrich laughs and tells Royston that next time, maybe he should send word to keep him from worrying so long. Royston punches him in the arm and tells him to shove off, and that it's hard work being an artistic genius. So, basically, they're bros now.”

 

“A month or so later, Ulrich and Royston, with Laramie's help, have managed to gather together some support from nearby nations and other counts dissatisfied with the current ruling who liked the royal family when they were in power, and Ulrich publicly proclaims to the people of Novoselic that he is Prince Ulrich, the rightful heir to the throne. Royston doesn't quite feel right going up there and taking away his glory, but Ulrich and Laramie insist on it, so he gets up there and Ulrich enthusiastically grabs him and proclaims him his brother, Prince Royston, the other rightful heir to the throne, and to prove their claim, they're going to march in that castle and solve the riddle of High King Llewellyn!”

 

“The ruling lord doesn't like this, naturally, since that's supposed to be his glory and he likes being in power, so he mobilizes his troops, but Ulrich and Royston are prepared. Laramie comes in real handy- she had some contacts in the castle staff that managed to create holes and lessen the forces that the brothers had to deal with. They manage to get into the castle, and start heading towards the tower where the chest is. When they get to the throne room, though, they find the lord, and he pulls out his sword to kill them. Royston's never been great in a fight, but Ulrich pulls out his blade and they get to fighting. It's a pretty even fight that goes on for what feels like ages until Royston pulls out some paint and splashes it in the lord's eyes, giving Ulrich the opening he needs to take the lord's head.”

 

“They proclaim the lord dead right there, and that quiets down the fighting a lot, but they aren't done yet, so they head to the tower to find that treasure chest that nobody's managed to unlock yet. They put the half of the riddle that the lord had together with the half that Royston had, and, well, I think you must've already done the whole treasure chest thing, but the long story short is they solve it together. They open the chest and find inside an emblem bearing High King Llewellyn's coat of arms, and an inscription below it that reads, 'He who bears this crest shall be known as rightful king of Novoselic.'”

 

“Royston tells Ulrich to hold it, naturally, since he's the princelier of the two, but Ulrich won't have it. The two of them did it together, he says, and this nation will do better for having the both of them rule. He didn't go through all this to see his brother not get the proper recognition. Royston chuckles and tells Ulrich that he's a 'damned fool,' but he shrugs and decides it's fine. They both grab the emblem, and show it to the people, holding it in both of their hands, and the crowd recognizes them both as rightful king of Novoselic.” Nanako blinked.

 

“Yeah!” Gavin pumped his fist. “That's the dudes right there! The end, right?”

 

“That's the end of Act One.” Nanako said. Gavin flapped his lips like a fish. “There's an intermission, so I can't just keep going right now! I have to tell you the rest of the story after you've had time to properly process it!”

 

“Aw, but man, that was a rad ending!” Gavin said. “How'zere more?”

 

“It is titled The _Tragedy_ of Ulrich and Royston, Gavin.” Shinobu said. “No doubt if it had simply ended there it would have a very different title.”

 

“But Gav wants a happy ending.” Gavin frowned.

 

“As do we all, Gavin.” Shinobu mused. “What is it that we as people yearn for if not a happy ending? The elusive 'Happily Ever After', which is shown to us so oft as children, yet seems so far away here in the real world. Your memory for the details is astounding, though, Nanako!” She beamed and clapped her hands. “And you did a marvelous job telling the story.”

 

“Yeah, I was pretty gripped.” Kojiro said.

 

“Thank you, thank you, everyone.” Nanako smiled, and bowed a little, grinning impishly.

 

...Wait.

 

“K-Kojiro?!” Nanako sputtered. “When did you get there?!”

 

“Claus _insisted_ that he get to solve the bull puzzle in the Bio Lab himself, so it wasn't like I had anything better to do.” Kojiro shrugged. “Figured I'd go find you three bozoes, see how you were coming along, since we did just run into Lulu and give him his brain bits back.”

 

“Aw, tha's real nice of ya, Koji.” Gavin patted him on the head.

 

“Oh, um, oh right.” Nanako said, her antenna drooping a bit. She might've just said no to this, but if he was there right now, she might as well ask. “Hey, Kojiro, how are we doing on time? I did just kind of take us on a diversion for a bit.”

 

Kojiro looked at his sling as though he were looking at a watch. “Says here you're right about at 'Don't worry about it' o'clock. We keep it vague on purpose to keep you little bastards from getting too lazy about the investigation, but unless everyone were to just sit on their ass and do nothing we basically just call it once at least somebody's got... y'know, most of what they need.”

 

“So, in other words, the investigation shall conclude roughly around the same time we locate all the evidence we actually need.” Shinobu responded.

 

“You got it!” Kojiro gave something vaguely approaching a thumbs up. “Don't take that as an excuse to slack off, though! You've got important work to do!”

 

“Gav would never!” Gavin put his hand on his heart. “Ain't that right, Nanners?”

 

“Right.” Nanako said, her antenna lifting back up again.

 

“By the way, you read it earlier in Machine Production, right? Your little Science Lesson?” Kojiro hummed, and tapped where his chin would be. “Because I gotta say, now that you know about it, your diary is a _saucy_ read, Nanako. Why, to think you—”

 

Nanako's entire body immediately tensed up, her face lighting up like a lightbulb. “ _You read my diary?!_ ” She shouted, and her legs were already running her towards Kojiro to tackle him or something. “Youuuuuu _uuuuuu_ _bear! I'm gonna pound you!_ ”

 

“Kyahahaha!” Kojiro, cackling, was just ever so slightly more fleet of feet, and so though Nanako chased him clear to the other end of the room, in the other segment that Shinobu couldn't see from inside the door, she couldn't catch him in time to prevent him from disappearing in his hole, presumably to return to Claus and Chihaya. As he disappeared, his voice echoed, “Gotcha again!”

 

“He _read my diary!_ ” Nanako turned around and open frowned towards Shinobu and Gavin, her antenna flailing every which way. “Kojiro read my diary! Aaaaaugh, all my private thoughts were in there! Nooooo!” She grabbed at her head. “What am I gonna doooooooo!?”

 

“There, there, dear.” Shinobu placed her hand on Nanako's shoulder as the Replicant fell to her knees and moaned. “I'm sure he'll be respectful with it.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Gavin chipped in, “He prolly gon' make funna you for the rest'a your life, dawg.”

 

Nanako stood up and stared very sternly at the bit of wiring that was open and visible, which had been hastily repaired, presumably by some system drone or another. “So! This wire snapped! And the power went off in here! Huh!”

 

“Indeed. Yashiro used his body as a power conduit to give us the time we needed to escape, apparently.” Shinobu said. She rubbed her chin slightly. “Though the reason for that escape, I find... odd.” Nanako and Gavin both looked expectantly at her. “Ah, you see, the automated voice for the system, or what have you, claimed that the 'filter verification process' was about to begin. Just after we escaped, the room was completely flooded with water, so if we had stayed inside, we would no doubt have drowned.”

 

Frowning, Nanako said, “And the wire just _happened_ to snap at that exact moment, huh?”

 

“I'm glad to see our thoughts are on the same wavelength.” Shinobu said. “It is quite curious to me that we would be subject to such an explicit deathtrap when this Fifth Nonary Game had been largely non-lethal up to this point. Additionally, we did not find any tools Yashiro could have used otherwise, so it almost seems as though he may have been forced into using his own body to save myself and Claus, under the guise of a 'technical malfunction.'”

 

“Trip, man, tha's some unclean Texas Hold'em if Gav ever heard of that.” Gavin's brow was firmly furrowed. “But Yashiro done lived, yeah? 'less he was a zombie or somethin'.”

 

Nanako looked to the ceiling, and just decided to yell for a second. So she yelled. It wasn't a particularly powerful yell or anything, but it was a satisfying enough yell. “Uuuugh what's going ooooon.” She appended to the end of it.

 

“We've several rooms left to investigate in N Ward, if nothing else.” Shinobu said. “Let us be off, then, dears. We'll solve this mystery yet, or my name isn't Shinobu Koshimizu!” She proclaimed, and then let loose her trademark cackle. Nanako wanted to reach over and hug her and just sort of stop moving for a few days, but that wasn't in the cards.

 


	76. Day 21, Phase 10, Part 1 - Drittes Auge Nehmen

**Test Chambers**

 

There was quite a bit to get done in N Ward, so even though there wasn't a direct time constraint, Nanako decided that it would probably be fastest to start from the end of the hall with the Test Chambers, to clear those out. #1 was the same as ever, and didn't have much of value, but the group had yet to be able to access #2 or #4, so #2 was their first stop. This room's particular quirk relative to the others appeared to be a microphone rig sat atop the table, with a small seat, just large enough for Kojiro, sat at it. “Ooh, ya think this's where Koji does his announcements?” Gavin offered.

 

“Well, let's see.” Nanako said, as the three of them went and approached the rig. The on and off button was pretty clearly labeled, so she ventured a push, and a red light beneath it turned on. “Hello? Hey, can anybody hear me? Nobu, you mind keeping the door open?”

 

“Without a fuss.” Shinobu went over to the door and did, in fact, keep it open.

 

“Hey, Kojiro!” Nanako said into the microphone, and could hear her own voice echoing in the hallway. “I bet my body discovery announcements would kick your body discovery announcements' butts!” Off in the distance, a shout of ' _In your dreams_!' could be heard. Nanako laughed, and switched off the microphone.

 

While Nanako was laughing, though, Gavin ducked down beneath the table and noticed something, humming to himself a bit. Nanako looked down at him and asked, “What's up, Gav?”

 

Gavin came back up from under the table holding what appeared to be an opened memory container. “Check it.” He said, turning it around so she could see the label. Nanako couldn't help gasping a little. 'Y'. Yashiro.

 

“So... Yashiro got his memories back, too?” Nanako said, her antenna spinning about a bit. “But this room was locked. The only person who could've left it here was-”

 

“ _Who the hell was dissing my body discovery announcements_?!” Shooting past Shinobu, Kojiro bolted into the room. “I leave you alone for an instant and here you are, turning around and insulting me to my ears!” His bat wing eye was glowing red, and his claws were extended, one set making bumps inside his sling. “Damn you! You're on thin ice, Hashizawa! One more offense like this and you're _donezo_!”

 

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Shinobu remarked. “Kojiro. Did you happen to return Yashiro's memories before he perished?”

 

“Huh?” Kojiro stopped glowing, and retracted his claws. “Yeah. Problem?”

 

“Um... No. No problem.” Nanako shook her head. “I was just curious. So he got his memories back?”

 

“Yup.” Kojiro said. “Those M particles flew into his skull sure as the sky is any number of colors but is most frequently considered 'blue.'”

 

“When, though?” Nanako said, and Kojiro tapped his chin and made a questioning noise. “When did you do that? And how did you even get those?”

 

“Had 'em the whole time, that's how. I am the Headmaster, after all.” Kojiro said, giving a little 'pu hu hu hu.' “As for your other question, well, I'm naturally unable to tell you exactly when, but I'll inform you that it was after Phase Six ended.” Then he turned and began walking away. “Well, if we're clear on the fact that I'm clearly a better announcer than you.”

 

“Sure.” Nanako said. That wasn't the question she wanted to ask. What she wanted to ask him was, how long had you known about all this? What are you doing? Why was I the only one in the dark? But right now, he was Monokuma to the bitter end, it seemed. She'd have to get her answers later. Once he was gone, though, she found herself slumping onto the table and laying over. “...Why?” She said.

 

“Tell us what's wrong, Nanako.” Shinobu saad on the side of the table and placed her hand on the back of Nanako's head.

 

“Something feels so...off about this all of a sudden.” Nanako said, murmuring into the table. “Everything else has changed so much, but now Kojiro's the same as he everwas.” She sighed. “I fall for it easy because I'm me, and all, but...he's still acting like such a joker, even now, when we're almost to the end of the game, and...and someone's died _again_.” She lifted her head, frowning. “It feels off. Kojiro shouldn't be acting like this. It's not like he's— I mean, at this point, there should be no reason for him to keep up the act.”

 

“Mayhap Ender's still gottem doin' it?” Gavin suggested.

 

“But what would it change?” Nanako said, her antenna curling up. “He's gone against her orders in way bigger ways before, especially when he grabbed that key for us, and I've already figured out he's Kojiro, so it's not like that's being hidden.” She paused for a moment, and her eyes pointed upwards. “In fact... Why is he even showing himself to us at all? The Nonary Game was supposed to be Zero's thing, right? He's clearly concerned about us, so why... Why _anything_? Just...” She held up the memory canister. “What's he even _doing_?”

 

As she sat at that microphone, Nanako felt her heart race, her pulse quicken, and her breathing suddenly became rather fast. The psychological stress of this all was flaring up again, so she closed her eyes, pushed away the thoughts she couldn't let herself think yet, stood up, and took deep breaths. “Okay, no, never mind, we have to get back to investigating.” She said.

 

It felt as though the group was getting quieter as they searched Test Chamber #3. Nothing, as usual. Test Chamber #4 was their last stop on this end, but as they stepped into it, their bracelets made a curious noise. Nanako looked down at hers and checked it. 12:00. “Oh, I guess it's Phase Ten now.” She said. “God, has it really been five hours?”

 

“It certainly _feels_ that way.” Shinobu said. The dainty young lady naturally would not dare slump, but she gave a tired sigh and frowned. “I am, er, quite tired from all this searching about.”

 

“Want a piggyback ride?” Nanako and Gavin said simultaneously? Then they looked at each other.

 

“I'm stronger than you, I could do it better.” Nanako put her hands on her hips and leaned forward to squawk at Gavin. “Besides, she's my girlfriend.”

 

“Nanners, ain't you havin' a bit too heavy today for a piggyback?” Gavin retorted. “Gav ain't a weak guy! Plus, gotta get some practice, dunno if J'll have a wheelie or not when we find him, yeah?”

 

“Ah, indeed.” Shinobu nodded. “Attempt to impress Jun with your sturdy back muscles, then?” Gavin blushed and chuckled.

 

Nanako tilted her head. “What? Why would Jun need impressing?”

 

“Gavin has come down with the love bug, you see.” Shinobu said. Suddenly an earlier remark of Kojiro's clicked in Nanako's head. “For our dear young Net Admin, more specifically.”

 

Blinking, Nanako tilted her head further, and her antenna curled into a question mark. “But Jun says he isn't gay.”

 

“Gav figgers he'll cross 'at bridge when's he's there, yeah?” Gavin said. “Assumin' ain't no good! Gotta at least give it the Sakaki Institute try, man!”

 

“Okay, then.” Nanako said. “Good luck.”

 

The three of them entered Test Chamber #4, and Shinobu hummed to herself. “Now, Nanako, you and N Team were trapped within these walls for the duration of Phase Eight, yes?”

 

“Yeah.” Nanako nodded. “Unless there's some kind of hidden passage, there wasn't any way out. I had to solve a Tower of Hanoi puzzle that took almost the whole time of the phase, so even if I'd started the instant I woke up we wouldn't have had more than ten minutes to be out of the room.”

 

“Curious.” Shinobu said. Her eyes turned to the safe, which lay open, a folder inside. “No time to grab your reward, hm?”

 

“Not until now.” Nanako said. “We didn't find anything else, so I'm pretty sure this is the only one.” 'Second Nonary Game,' it said. “I'll read this out loud while you two look, okay?” Shinobu and Gavin nodded.

 

_Nine years following the First Nonary Game, the Second Nonary Game commenced in Nevada, in the same Building Q that housed one half of the First Nonary Game. Each of the nine participants, with the exception of Participant #5, was in some way connected to the First, whether a participant themselves or otherwise related to the proceedings. This Nonary Game possessed a total of eleven participants; however, only nine were treated as 'proper' participants._

 

_One of the motives behind this Nonary Game was revenge. The game's mastermind, the first to be called Zero, was a participant in the First Nonary Game. All four of the heads behind the project, including Gentarou Hongou, were among those kidnapped, and several perished during the course of the game._

 

_The second was predestination. The efforts of the participants of the Second Nonary Game were involved in several similar puzzles to those of the First Nonary Game, and these efforts resonated back towards the First Nonary Game to assist the first Zero in solving them. Therefore, Zero was forced to conduct this game in order to fulfill the events they had seen._

 

_Eight of the participants escaped with their lives._

 

“...Well, that was...nothing.” Nanako blinked.

 

“Travellin' time brains's pretty wild, man.” Gavin said. “...Time brains. 'S a good band name. Time brains!”

 

“Maybe they're hooked up to the math satellite.” Nanako posited.

 

“Time brains aside, it does seem rather adjunct to the First Nonary Game.” Shinobu said. “Perhaps the author does not believe it to be of much significance.” She stood up out of a corner and huffed. “It is the opinion of the Mistress of Mystery that this room does not, in fact, possess any methods of escape, with the exception of the single door.

 

“Same here.” Gavin said. “So, that means it couldn't'a been Kaz or Haya, yeah?”

 

“Seems like it.” Nanako said. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. “They've probably solved the puzzle in the Bio Lab by now. I think I remember where it is, so let's head over there, okay?”

* * *

 

**Bio Lab**

 

As it turned out, Nanako did, in fact, remember where it was. The Bio Lab was the door present to the right of the Living Room, the room right on the other side of the wall in front when the group left Test Chamber #4- the third and final door in that little area. Claus was waiting inside. Chihaya, evidently, had already hidden herself. “Ah, hello again.” Claus said.

 

The Bio Lab was, frankly, where a lot of Nanako's understanding of human biology had come from, and it seemed several of the same anatomical models she'd used to understand how her mother worked were still hung up in the room, on stands scattered about near countless counters and drawers that contained several of her mother's things like, say, beakers, scalpels, and whatnot for simulations her mother created of biology both human and animal. (No actual creatures, of course. Mom was far too squeamish for the idea of Nanako actually even touching an actual carcass, which, now that Nanako thought about it, probably had a lot to do with the brutal murder of her father.) The grey metal tiles reflected a bit of the green glow from the-

 

“Trip, man, whatchu got growin'?” Gavin said, running over to the glowing green tubes in the wall and gaping. “Nothin' dangerous, yeah?”

 

“Oh, that's where Mom cultivates ABT.” Nanako said. When she noticed Claus was staring at her blankly, Nanako explained, “Artificial Biological Tissue. It's skin for Replicants. My first ever layer of skin was actually ABT, but once I started working physically I started shedding like humans do, so now what I've got is something else. When I get hurt, though, Mom always wants to slap some on me anyway.” She grinned. “Moms, right?”

 

“Mothers.” Claus agreed. “That's quite interesting, though. I don't believe I've ever really thought about that!”

 

“There haven't been any particularly major breakthroughs in the field of artificial skin for the past two decades or so, so I don't think it would've made any headlines or anything.” Nanako said. “Some properly-prepared ABT's on offer in Machine Production in C Ward if you wanna get your hands on it.” Her antenna perked up. “Touching people is good for you fleshbags' mental health, right?”

 

Shinobu came up and subtly pinched Nanako's side, causing a twinge of pain and a high-pitched yelp. “Takes a fleshbag to know a fleshbag, darling.”

 

“So, anyway, this should be the last reward, right?” Nanako said, tilting her head to the side. “Come to think of it, it feels like we're still missing a lot.”

 

“You're right about that.” Claus said. “Cast List #2, Gavin's, Stella's, my, and your memories... I heard you obtained documentation of the Second Nonary Game?”

 

“It isn't much, but here you are.” Shinobu handed it to him to read. He did so, and he sputtered a bit at Participant #8, which wasn't surprising knowing Claus, but his overall opinion was the same as theirs by the look on his face. “And you?”

 

Claus produced a clipboard with a few papers on it. “For your reading pleasure, a segment on _The Curious Tale of Kyle Klim_.”

 

Nanako's ears perked up, as did Shinobu's and Gavin's. “Kyle?” She asked, and grabbed the clipboard. “Kyle.”

 

_When discussing any variety of curious parapsychological cases, there is none more curious than the case of one Kyle Klim, and the unexplained phenomena that arose._

 

_Kyle Klim was born to a history quite different from ours, where an even greater deal of mankind was wiped out in the years following Ultimate Despair by a pathogen known as Radical-6. Raised in isolation for most of his life, Klim wound up a participant in that timeline's Third Nonary Game. As a result of his father's genetic makeup, Klim was born a Shifter, and after the Third Nonary Game, which took place in the facility in which he was raised, he subconsciously Shifted himself to the past, a time when he did not, in fact, exist._

 

_The curious phenomenon that then arose has been entitled the 'Blick Winkel' phenomenon, in reference to rumors of a fourth-dimensional being that viewed events of such chronomalous time periods from an outside 'point of view.' Klim found himself inside his father's M particles in that earlier time period, riding 'alongside' his father and the other participants in the Decision Game and following the events, unconscious of his own identity._

 

_Only later, once his father's son in our own timeline was born, did Klim become conscious of himself again. He began to appear to his father as psychic visions, unsure of what was going on or why he was in this situation. Being that his father was a famous PhD, naturally a solution was searched for, and found reasonably quickly. Klim was placed within a similar DCOM model quantum computer to the one that housed Sean, the world's first VK-compliant Replicant._

 

_Theories on the 'Blick Winkel' phenomenon are debated to this day, as isolating instances of it is extremely rare. However, it's generally accepted that it occurs to Shifters who shift into timelines where they do not possess bodies. From Klim's testimony regarding his experiences and the scant few other isolated instances of the phenomenon (see also 2130's SPHIA snow-in incident), it appears that the consciousnesses that become 'Blick Winkel' subjects usually see events not from an objective, birds-eye perspective, but from the perspective of single people at a time. However, this perspective can switch. Klim reportedly found himself drawn to other participants of the Decision Game, including his father's lover Diana, the replicant Sean, and a firefighter named Carlos. However, following the split-timeline events of the Decision Game, Klim found himself solely behind his father before and after becoming conscious._

 

_As such, the basic rules as understood by top scientists is that in emotionally strenuous, closed-in circumstances such as a Nonary Game, the 'danger' and 'epiphany' factors can accelerate Blick Winkel activity as well. Based on current understanding, theoretically Blick Winkel activity is also capable of increasing its range through broadcast signals, but this has yet to be confirmed due to lack of significantly powerful Shifters capable of becoming subject to the phenomenon. The psychological trigger for consciousness, too, is uncertain, but seems to vary depending on the subject. The most notable factor of Blick Winkel is the fact that seemingly all instances of the phenomenon begin in areas of great timeline divergence and massive M particle activity, and can exert a limited amount of control over the individual they shadow, though only in cases of clearly delineated decision points, and almost always unconsciously, due to the difficulty of such when the M particles are more clearly delineated between the two individuals._

 

A chill began racing down Nanako's spine. “What the-?” She murmured, her hands beginning to shake. 'Clearly delineated decision points' reminded her of the events of five hours ago. She'd _felt_ a weight in that decision. Now this report was trying to tell her that it was possible that some sort of time ghost was sitting behind her, that could've _made_ her make that decision? If these were the ideal conditions, then the fact that she had her antenna made her the ideal subject for something like that, didn't it? She began frantically looking around, startling Shinobu slightly. Of course, it wasn't as though she could see anything.

 

“Uh, hold up, chill, Nanners.” Gavin said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Ain't no time ghost makin' you do stuff, dude.”

 

“Are, uh, are you sure?” Nanako said, her antenna wildly spinning. “Because... Because I—”

 

“Nanako.” Shinobu said, holding Nanako's hand in her own. “Look at me.” She did, her breath slightly calming down when she stared into Shinobu's piercing eyes. “Have you ever made a decision in this killing game that did not seem your own? Tell me true.”

 

Nanako had to take several moments to think about that idea, but eventually, let out a small breath, and said, “Um, no. Not really. I think I've done everything... like I would.” Still, she couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. The idea of someone behind... her...

 

Her thoughts trailed off.

 

'Rin Hashizawa.'

 

'Compound version Kyle.'

 

Her antenna.

 

The Nonary Game, and the killing game.

 

“I...” She gaped at the paper. “Guys... I get it. I think I get what these are trying to tell us.”

 

Chihaya popped her head out from behind an anatomical model as everyone was struck by a look of shock. Nanako started pacing around, tapping her head. “Yeah, that... that has to be what they're trying to tell us. That's The End's story. That has to be-” She started flipping through a few other pages in the report on Kyle Klim, and her eyes widened further. “Yeah, these rooms, they- they _do_ look the same! Even that kiddy ride! That-” Her hands shook from the weight of it all. “You've gotta be kidding me, this is ridiculous! There's no way-” She sputtered. “There's no way!”

 

“Nanako, calm down.” Chihaya said, her face stern. “Please explain.”

 

Nanako turned to everyone, and declared to the room her conclusion. “What these are trying to tell us is that this whole thing was a ploy to get me to go back in time and save Kei Sagami with this Blick Winkel thing!”

 

The room was dead silent for a few moments as Nanako leaned forward, looking at everyone, before Chihaya's face scrunched up, the most baffled Nanako had ever seen her. “Ex _cuse_ me?”

 

“Okay, no, no, seriously. That's the idea here, it has to be!” Nanako said. “Like, okay, look, here it says, you know, it says that the control happens unconsciously a lot of the time because of the division of the M particles, right? But if you'll all _recall_ , whose name was on my door? Not mine, Mom's! Rin Hashizawa! Because they wanted me to think I _was_ my mom so I'd have an easier time shadowing her when I got flung back in time somehow from all this danger and epiphany! Or—” She paced around a bit more. “No, no, wait. Or was I supposed to shadow _Kei_? She also had an antenna, and she had those really bright M particles, right? Maybe it was supposed to be her- and maybe that's why I even have her antenna in the first place!”

 

“You...do have a few of the same tics.” Chihaya said, slowly nodding her head. “That strange head-tilt you do, for one thing.”

 

“Hey, did we miss the show?” That was Kojiro's voice, leading Stella, Kazuya, and Luan into the room. “I figured she'd react all yell-y, so I went and grabbed these three.”

 

“I'm still confused.” Kazuya said. He staggered on his feet a bit.

 

“Well, that's what you get when you knock yourself out right before you accept an invitation from a bear, man.” Kojiro said.

 

“A combination killing game and Nonary Game, obviously full of danger and epiphany.” Nanako continued. “So… This file was in this room, it was in N Ward, so that meant _I_ was supposed to find it, so maybe that was supposed to be the epiphany? Like, I see this and I just get it so hard I astral project back and save Kei?”

 

“Um, I'm sorry, _what_.” Stella spouted. Nanako rushed over and handed her the report. “What?”

 

“Just! Read it!” Nanako shouted, her antenna wildly springing every which way. “That would also explain the 'other reasons' the Monokuma Theater mentioned for my name, it— It would leave Yashiro and anyone else still thinking I was Rin, so if they were around that might help me do it? And the name, Version Kyle, it's because it's supposed to facilitate... Winkeling! It's got a bunch of the same rooms as the facility where he grew up! For... time feng shui! Or something!”

 

“Why are we discussing time travel?” Luan looked around. Nobody seemed sure exactly how to answer his question.

 

“So the whole thing was an attempt to get me to use my latent Shifting powers, because I have those because I have an antenna and am VK-compliant, to shift back in time to shadow my mom and her then-alive girlfriend and prevent said girlfriend from dying, so they stuck me in a situation full of danger and epiphany and took away my memories so I'd think I was mom and get myself all revved up psychological so I'd Wink properly!” Nanako concluded. “And that's why I have an antenna and why this place is called Compound version Kyle and why they called me Rin and _everything_!” She stopped talking, slumped over, and took a breath.

 

Everything was quiet for a moment.

 

“Tha's fuckin' stupid, man.” Gavin said.

 

“I _know_ , right?!” Nanako shouted. “It's just about the dumbest thing I've _ever fucking heard!_ Every inch of it is the dumbest thing in the universe! It's _so dumb_! I can hardly even process just how **stupid** this entire idea is! It's such a dumb idea that it turns my _entire life into some kind of_ _ **stupid fucking JOKE!**_ ” She stomped around a bit, losing sight of the fact that she very much was not alone. “You want to tell me that Aoto, and Eriko, and— And Miria, and Wanda, and Daisuke and Yayoi and Hansuke and Yashiro, that they all died because my mom hatched some _stupid plan_ to murder a bunch of people to get me to jump back in time to save some girl I don't even know but apparently I guess I might be meant to shadow or something!? Huh?! Was I just some kind of fucking joke this whole time, is that it, _was I just not in on the joke_?!”

 

“You're no joke.”

 

That cut right into her, not because of the words but because of the voice that said it. It seemed, by the faces about the room, that Shinobu, Gavin, Claus, Chihaya, _everyone_ was going to say something, but they'd all stopped short when the young bear said those few words. “So quit acting like such a sadsack for a second.” Kojiro said. He was turned around. “Maybe if you used your brain for thinking, you could quit crying about it.”

 

“Wha—?” Nanako blinked at him.

 

“You just said yourself it's a stupid idea, so why are you screaming at us about it?” Kojiro said. “Maybe shout at the person who said such a dumb joke in the first place.”

 

“Kojiro—” Nanako began.

 

“How many times do I _have_ to say it?” Kojiro spun on his foot and stared her square in the eyes. His voice, which had been serious, went right back into jovial. “I'm Monokuma! I'm you bastards' headmaster! I'm _not_ your brother, no matter how much you might want me to be.”

 

It was the same sort of line from him she'd heard so many times before, but Nanako couldn't help but feel something different in them this time. Or... No, maybe...maybe it was the same thing. Maybe he'd been saying it all along. She stopped cold, and just looked at him. And then she remembered something... Something from not too long ago.

 

Nanako had been walking down the hallway that day when she saw it. It had been a while since she'd last seen Kojiro, and she'd been rather concerned. Mom didn't seem to be around anywhere either, so she had just been left to wander the halls.

 

That was, until she heard a pained cry from nearby, in Barnsley. She'd rushed over as fast as she could, but was struck dumb for a moment by the person she saw, hunched over in one of the hallways, clutching what looked like their stomach area. They looked _vaguely_ like Kojiro, but...well, different. Where Kojiro had been a plain white polar bear design, designed, while smaller, not _too_ far cartoony, this person was clearly designed to look very little like an actual bear. Little foot nubs and paws that looked more like just spheres, though with some sharp-looking claws extended out. One dot eye, one visible optic sensor behind a bit of red glass cut to look like a bat wing. One half was black, one half was white, other than the cartoonishly protruding stomach thing.

 

“Um—?” Nanako tilted her head. “Are you...okay?”

 

“Rassafrassin'...” They wheezed, standing up, but then jumping back with a start when they saw Nanako. “Nanako?!” He sputtered while standing up, attempting to regain his composure. “The heck are you doing here? What, did you wanna play Pocket Circuit? I'll kick your butt if the answer's yes!”

 

“...Kojiro?” Nanako blinked. It was definitely close to Kojiro's voice, though...similarly kind of cartoonier. A bit creepier, honestly, but it was close enough to Kojiro that it wasn't that bothersome. “What?” Then she realized her little brother had been bent over clutching his stomach, and dived down to hold him. “Oh my god, Kojiro, are you okay? What— What happened?”

 

“Hey, hey, hands off the merch!” Kojiro wriggled a bit before she let go. “What does it look like?”

 

“Well, the...um, the remodel is...” Nanako clicked her tongue a bit trying to find the words. “Huh? Why are—?”

 

“Call it a whim of Mother's.” Kojiro said. “As for me being hunched over, just testing out the calibration on this new body, which, by the way, still very much ursine, _thanks kindly_ , if it'll please you to not forget that!”

 

“Oh, no, no, definitely still a bear.” _I think_ , Nanako didn't append. “Seriously though, are...are you okay? What's going on? Why would you get remodeled on a...'whim?'”

 

“Ehh, call it a hunch, but probably has something to do with that 'project.'” Kojiro said. “If you ask me, not the best taste, though, even if she also said it'd be a 'hilarious comeback.'”

 

“Hilarious...” Nanako repeated dumbly. “I am so lost.”

 

“Don't ask me.” Kojiro said. “You know that things sort of just _happen_.”

 

“Well, I'm, uh...” Nanako said, her antenna slowly pointing upwards. “I'm glad you're okay, that...sounded like it hurt a _lot._ 'Calibration?'”

 

“An eleven-letter word.” Kojiro replied.

 

“I'm most confused by the exposed optics, though.” Nanako said, gazing at Kojiro's weird glass eye. “What's the point of this? Did you ask for it?”

 

“Nope. I donno.” Kojiro said. “Perhaps my poor, darling left eye had seen too much, and needed to be put out of its misery.” He cackled. “Anyway, scoot! Much as I am loathe to do menial busywork, I've an appointment to make.”

 

“Your transit tube is right behind you.” Nanako blinked. “I don't need to go anywhere.”

 

“Details.” Kojiro said. He turned around. “Anyway, hopefully this model's temporary, but, well, y'know...it's still me, right?” He laughed a bit.

 

Nanako hugged him. “Of course it's still you.” Squeeze. “I love you, Kojiro. Huh, you are pretty soft like this, at least.”

 

“Well I'm _so glad_ I can please you.” Kojiro scoffed. Under his breath, though, Nanako heard him say, 'I love you too. Always will.'

 

Back then, it had just seemed like an odd remodel. Now, though, Nanako knew. She knew exactly what it meant to use that design. She looked at her brother, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

 

Kojiro had been branded. That must've been when he knew, Nanako thought. He hadn't always been Monokuma, symbol of evil. He'd just been a plain old bear before then, before he'd been twisted to suit this sick game, forced to play the role of the world's foremost enemy. Even now, though, he continued to proclaim that Monokuma and Kojiro were not the same. That he—the bear stood in front of them—was Monokuma, not Kojiro. Their headmaster. Arbiter of the killing game. In other words—

 

Kojiro Hashizawa would not allow himself to be considered part of this game. Monokuma was the part of the game. Even if the rest of Nanako's life had been twisted to become part of this sick, awful, murderous farce, Kojiro, and his love for her, were the one thing he wouldn't let be changed. That had always been true... Maybe even the truest thing Nanako had ever known.

 

“...Right. Thanks, Monokuma.” Nanako said, tears still in her eyes. “I guess for a useless old headmaster, you're still pretty useful sometimes.”

 

“Now _that's_ more like it!” Monokuma cackled. “Finally, someone gets the picture. I knew you were a clever one, XJ-9, though I'm not sure I appreciate how _rude_ you were just now.”

 

“Uh, snailify a sec for Gav, we just go eighty-eight two days back?” Gavin said, a befuddled frown on his face. “So lost right now.”

 

“I just went through like two pages' worth of internal monologue in those few seconds.” Nanako said. Gavin nodded in understanding.

 

“Anyway, now that I've wasted my time hanging out with you morons, I need to go prepare for the trial!” Monokuma said, rolling his optic and baring his claws. “You've all kept me so distracted, I haven't even had time to roll out the Monokuma Theater yet! Hurry up and finish investigating so we can actually get to the good part already. Dang, my bowels move faster than you do, pokey!”

 

“You already used that line.” Nanako said.

 

“'You already used that line', Nanako Hashizawa, Ultimate Smartmouth, said, to her dashingly attractive headmaster, heedless of his natural charm and beauty. Oh, woe is me, Monokuma cried! At least my other students appreciate me and all the work I do around here, don't you? And they responded, 'yes, Monokuma, we love and appreciate you!' Except for Gavin, who said something like, 'oh em gee, Monodude, you's so valid!' And Monokuma knew that all was good.” Monokuma said. “Bee arr bee! Hurry up and finish investigating!” And he scurried off into one of his holes.

 

Claus called for a huddle, so the group huddled. “Alright, what have we all learned?” He said.

 

“I'm really sick of discovering dead bodies.” Kazuya said. “That's what I've learned.”

 

“I remember what Rin looks like now.” Luan said. He looked at Nanako. “You do look like her.”

 

“Well, I _am_ her daughter.” Nanako said, smirking. “It'd be kinda weird if I didn't.”

 

“Apart from that emotional moment of sibling bonding,” Shinobu cut in, “I'm inclined to believe Nanako's reading of the intent behind the information presented through the Nonary Game is correct. The implication would in fact be that Rin Hashizawa concocted this scheme in order to alter the past and save her lover's life.”

 

“But that wouldn't bring her back.” Kazuya pointed out. “That would just make another timeline where she lived, right? Rin's not a Shifter herself.”

 

“The Decision Game contained an instance of non-Shifters Shifting with the assistance of suitably powerful Shifters,” Chihaya said, “so perhaps the implication is that she would ride along with Nanako, who considered herself 'Rin Hashizawa.'”

 

“F'real, though, man, tha's wack.” Gavin groaned. Then he paused for a moment. “Buuuut, if'n Rin's Zero, and tha's the plan, Confessionals kinda fit, yeah?” He looked around. “Most 'a us is people she knew, yeah? Or 'least folks she was connected to. Maybe wanted ta put her affairs in order 'fore she bounced?”

 

“A plan to ensure the people she cared about in her home timeline were able to fend for themselves after she left?” Shinobu hummed. “It doesn't sound impossible, I suppose. Your thoughts, Claus?”

 

“While this Blick Winkel phenomenon theory is interesting, I have my doubts.” Claus said. “It answers several questions, but leaves even more, and works on highly uncertain mechanics. Not to mention, it seems to contradict her motives if she cared that much about us but was willing to place us in a killing game.”

 

“I agree.” Luan nodded.

 

“Yeah.” Nanako nodded along with him. “I mean, I'm not gonna say it's 'too easy,' since it's stupidly complicated, but it feels too... uh, what's the word. It feels _weird_. My own opinion of my mom aside, it makes the whole killing game feel almost like an afterthought. Plus, if the whole point was to have me Shift, I feel like once I figured out who I was the game would be up, right? Why would I still be missing a lot of my memories, then?”

 

“We still don't have Cast List #2, Gavin's, Claus's, or Stella's memories, either.” Chihaya added. “And we haven't found Jun. We know what Gavin's and Claus's are, at least- the day of the Expo, right, Claus?”

 

“Yes, it does seem odd that that specific event would be kept from us, doesn't it?” Claus hummed. “Jun kept from us and unavailable to give specifics, my own memory of the day still missing...” He shook his head. “Stella, any idea what you could be missing?” No response. There was a faraway look in her eyes, like she was lost in thought. “Stella?”

 

“Huh?” Stella said, blinking rapidly. “Uh, what? Sorry, I spaced.”

 

“This is important.” Chihaya chided. “We can't just space out.”

 

“No, no, it's fine, seriously.” Stella said, shaking her head and waving her hands a bit. “I don't know what memories I lost, no. Still utterly fucking clueless, because why wouldn't I be, right?”

 

“Still think Ender's just messin' with ya head, Stel.” Gavin said. Then he stopped. “Stell think.”

 

“If you're right, I'll buy you a foam finger or something when we get out of here.” Stella snorted at Gavin. Gavin's face lit up.

 

“Ooh, can I have a foam finger?” Nanako piped up. Stella shrugged.

 

“Collective opinion of the group, then, is that we aren't wholly satisfied?” Claus looked around to everyone, and they nodded. “Excellent. Now, what about Yashiro's murder?”

 

“Apparently, Kojiro returned Yashiro's memories sometime after Phase Six ended.” Nanako said. Claus nodded. “And me, Kazuya, and Chihaya couldn't have gotten out in Phase Eight. Other than that, we're on our way to the Server Room to check some stuff on there.”

 

“We tried to take a look in there, but Rin's OS is...unique.” Chihaya frowned. “Would you have any idea, Nanako?”

 

“I sure would!” Nanako pumped her fist. “I've got computers down pat with my mom's weird techno-nonsense.”

 

“This is new.” Shinobu said, raising her eyebrow. “I certainly hope it's not so odd that we'll be forced to re-educate you once we leave the facility.”

 

“You use computers?!” Nanako cried, her antenna blowing backwards as she stared at Shinobu. Shinobu stared blankly at her. “I always kind of imagined you with a scroll and quill!”

 

“Well, certainly that would lend it a certain mystique, but writing must occur however writing doth occur.” Shinobu said.

* * *

 

**Freezer**

 

Splitting up at this venture seemed like a waste of time, so all eight members of the group went together. As they passed through N Ward, though, they passed by the other door that they hadn't yet explored. Kazuya asked, “What's in here? We haven't checked this out yet.”

 

“That's the Freezer.” Chihaya said. “It's where Rin kept supplies she needed kept on ice. Claus and I checked it, but we didn't find anything particularly of use.”

 

“Eight heads are better than three, right?” Nanako said, her antenna puffing, and opened the door. There were very few decisions she'd ever made that she regretted more than that one. Immediately, she was hit with a wave of the most excruciating cold, causing her skin to break out in goosebumps and her teeth to start chattering. “Aaaaah!” She dodged out of the way of the door. “Cold! Cold cold cold! Cold!”

 

“It is cold.” Kazuya said, sticking his head in the doorway. “Not _that_ cold, though. You're dressed for this sort of thing, Nanako, I would think you'd be a bit more prepared.”

 

“Not great with cold!” Nanako yiped. “Um, something something, my internal body temperature is actually pretty high but because of my physical makeup all the reactions that cause heat wind up getting converted into more energy and so the temperature doesn't wind up reaching my skin so my skin is sensitive to cooooooold.” She babbled.

 

“Ahh, I see, I see.” Shinobu nodded. “The sweater doesn't do all that much if there's no heat to trap inside it. Perhaps we should obtain you a heating pad for the winters.”

 

“That would be awesome!” Nanako nodded wildly. “Super duper great!” She let out a sharp sigh, and took towards the door again, standing in the bitter grasp of the frozen embrace. As the rest of the group began funneling into the room, Nanako slowly stomped forward through an imagined snowstorm, gritting her teeth and feeling like any minute her antenna was going to freeze and shatter. Thankfully, the ever-helpful Luan then full-body grabbed her, and his body heat did a significant amount to combat this arctic wasteland. “Ohhhh thank you Yun. Thank you.”

 

“You're welcome.” He said.

 

There were all sorts of curious objects kept inside the see-through freezer cabinets inside. The room wasn't all that large, but it was dense, with all sorts of chemicals, samples, foods, stores of human blood of various types, and whatnot, thankfully clearly delineated. Nanako only knew about a third of this room's inventory by heart, on account of having spent as little time in here as possible as a child.

 

“Curious.” Shinobu commented. She was shivering too, Nanako noticed. “None of these spaces seem quite large enough for our fallen comrades.”

 

“Oh, were you thinking of trying to find them in here?” Claus asked. “I hadn't considered that, but it would make sense.”

 

Nanako shook her head at both of them while sorting through on-ice vials of type B blood. “Naw, if they'd be anywhere they'd be in Cold Storage in the sub-levels. I've never seen the room in use myself, but it's built for keeping larger things like that.”

 

“Your mom has a room for keeping corpses on ice?” Stella asked, staring longingly at a box of what Nanako thought was probably some kind of frozen dairy product. Nanako nodded. “That's pretty weird.”

 

“Well, it—” Nanako stopped in the middle of her justification. “That _is_ weird, you're right.”

 

“You know, okay, another thing that I've been wondering about.” Stella said, putting the box back. “This is a two-part question. Why a younger brother, and why a bear?”

 

“Ah, well, it's, uh, kind of an embarrassing story, heh heh...” Nanako rubbed the back of her head. “Well, you know that play, right? _The Tragedy of Ulrich and Royston_?”

 

“Of course.” Stella said. “It's one of those 'classics', how could I not?”

 

“Oh!” Kazuya piped up. “He _does_ kind of resemble Prince Royston, doesn't he?”

 

“I explained this part to Nobu and Gavin already, but that play was one of the first things I ever really remembered reading.” Nanako said. “And, y'know, when I read it, I kind of... well, I kind of fell in love with the idea of having a little brother? Royston was my favorite character and I just loved his and Ulrich's relationship and banter and stuff, and I wanted that.”

 

“That seems like kind of heavy reading for someone that young.” Kazuya said. “Rin let you read that?”

 

“Nope.” Nanako smirked. “Plus, my attention span was horrible, so I wasn't able to get past Act One when I read it the first time, but I still loved it! So, anyway, I started looking for ways I could have something like that, and I had this stuffed bear that I kept in my room, and I sort of just decided he was my little brother. I named him Kojiro and I decided that he had all these weird personality traits, and I'd talk to him and pretend like he was moving and talking back.”

 

The room was quiet as Nanako reminisced. “Then a while later I was playing with Kojiro one day when I just got really sad all of a sudden. No matter how much I played with him, he wouldn't move or really be alive, and I didn't think that was fair. I thought, if I can move, and be alive, why can't he? So I went to Mom and I told her that I wanted her to make Kojiro alive. She didn't quite get it at first, she thought I wanted another, younger, humanoid Replicant, but I kept telling her, no, Mom. No, I want _Kojiro_ alive. That wouldn't be Kojiro, it'd be another Replicant that wasn't him.”

 

“It was kind of selfish, yeah, but Mom lit up when she realized that maybe this could be a solution to the problems with my attention span. I was perfectly good at paying attention to Mom herself, after all, so maybe if I had someone else to interpret things through I could start acclimating myself to the world. So, a day or two later, I donno exactly how long, I was sitting in my room when suddenly Kojiro walks in and starts complaining at me for taking so long to have the bright idea of having him actually move.” Nanako chuckled. “He was _so mad_! 'You know how long I've been sitting there letting you make those dumb voices that are supposed to sound like me? Well, I've had it! From now on, I'm speaking my mind, got it?' And I started crying because I was so happy that he got to be alive!”

 

“Then we sort of just did everything together. We learned together, played together... well, except when we did things the other didn't like. Mom treated him the exact same way she treated me- well, you know, except for he was her son, and not her daughter, but she treated him like her real child, too. I think sometimes she got a bit concerned about the fact that he was a bear, and, well, so did I, but if we ever asked, he told us, no, it can wait. I don't need to be a human yet. I think...” She trailed off for a second. “I think maybe he always wanted to see me out in the world, and happy, before he ever worried about himself. I donno if he even could, haha.” She paused again. “Mom told me once that once she'd shown that I was as big a success as I was, her next project should be finding a way to transfer a mechanical consciousness into a VK-compliant body like mine, so that Replicants who already exist don't have to keep suffering like they do. She asked me, do you think Kojiro would even accept something like that?”

 

“And, well, I mean, I told her, I'd really hope so.” Nanako sighed. “Kojiro's always had a hard time understanding just how much I love him. Every time I think about all these people I'm apparently gonna help, I'm not thinking about everyone in the world or anything altruistic like that. I'm just thinking about Kojiro. I've always just...really wanted him to be happy. He deserves more than this, just like I do.”

 

Everything was quiet for a bit until Gavin burst out, “Tha's so freakin' sweet, man!” He was openly sobbing, his fist clenched. “Awww, man, Gav's gon' cry!”

 

“You're already crying.” Stella said. She was a bit misty-eyed, too.

 

“What a good young man.” Luan said.

 

“He is...really something, isn't he?” Claus said, holding a vial of ice-9 and then putting it down. Nanako nodded. “A model younger brother. I could aspire to his level.”

 

“Please, don't.” Kazuya said. “Kojiro's nice and all, but I don't think I could handle two of him, and we're not even related.”

 

“True dat, man.” Gavin said, still crying his manly tears, which were freezing as they rolled down his face. “True dat!”

* * *

 

**Server Room**

 

After that, though, other than a riveting discussion on the artificial blood-like substance used for Replicants with ABT (Gavin was astounded to learn it turned _white_ once the coloring reagent broke down,) there wasn't much of use in the Freezer, so the group headed off for the Server Room. (Luan kindly let go of Nanako once they left the Freezer.) Other than the still-locked doors in the Filtration Chamber and Class 5-B, which, way to go on the false advertising, Kojiro, this was the last room on the floor, so their investigation was finally almost over.

 

Inside the dark room was a great big mess of computers, several of them the systems that output such incredible amounts of data to Diagnostics. None of them were the Compound's _main_ computer, but they were all connected to it. There were a few interfaces lying about, with about the same make as the connections in Diagnostics, but Nanako found herself immediately curious about the door in the back. It was barely visible, since the room wasn't well-lit aside from the incredible amount of lights on each of the servers. Luan began stepping over a few errant wires. “I'll check the door.” He said.

 

“Thanks, Yun!” Nanako saluted. She sat down at an interface, being careful that the chair she sat herself in didn't trip over any wires, and began interfacing with the computer system, which was a fancy term for 'hitting keys on a keyboard.' “How long have keyboards been in use, anyway?”

 

“Centuries, as J tells it.” Gavin said. “Like, 18th or summat.”

 

“ _Wow_.” Nanako said. She casually pulled up a list of user profiles from the first screen she came to and found it was significantly longer than it used to be. “Oh, hey, you've all got profiles, too.”

 

“We do need to interface with the system somehow.” Chihaya said. “That explains...” She trailed off. There was a particularly rude entry on this list of user profiles- namely, an entry listed 'Maho Okudaira.' “Mm.”

 

“It's not like it's a surprise, but it's frustrating.” Kazuya said.

 

“If I had admin rights, I'd do something about it, buuuut I don't so I can't.” Nanako said, poking at her mother's profile. “No idea what Mom's password is, but I think it's like fifty characters long so.” She shrugged. There were three levels of security; 'administrator', 'kumauser', and 'student', as listed. Naturally, the former two levels were reserved for Rin and Kojiro's accounts respectively. Kojiro was lower than Rin, but his account would have a much better access than Nanako's own. Plus, her diary and stuff were on there, and she wasn't about to go just showing her pals and girlfriend her innermost, sauciest thoughts.

 

Kojiro's account required three passwords, and the hint was, 'My left to my right, puhuhuhu!' so Nanako tried #FFFFFF, #FF0000, #000000, and amazingly, that worked. “Wow.” Nanako blinked. “I was expecting that to be harder.”

 

“ _Hex codes_?” Shinobu said. “I'm uncertain how I feel about that.”

 

“I never would've guessed that.” Claus said, frowning.

 

“Well, when you're Kojiro's older sister you get to know these things.” Nanako shrugged.

 

His desktop and all were exactly the sort of artsy-fartsy nonsense Nanako would expect from Kojiro. Ten or so different programs for various forms of _art_ , various amusements for when Kojiro didn't feel like playing publicly, all that ordinary stuff. Oh, there was the Monokuma Note log. Two entries, as Nanako expected.

 

The first thing Nanako found of interest was a guideline to Kojiro's transit tubes. Gavin whistled when he saw how tangled the diagram was—naturally, his tubes twisted all around these five levels, and even further down, with dozens of stops allowing him to pop out of anywhere. That said, the transit systems on each floor that he had access to were basically self-contained, which allowed Nanako to notice something odd. “Huh.” She said. All of the tubes down to the fourth level were cut off at the moment, and based on the log, had been since the Nonary Game started. “I guess Kojiro was stuck on this level too.”

 

“Maybe they didn't want us sneaking out through those?” Kazuya posited. “Not that we... really _could_.”

 

“Chihaya probably could.” Stella said.

 

Chihaya, who was hidden somewhere, audibly narrowed her eyes, and said, “I might be the Ultimate Ghost, but I still obey physical laws.”

 

“Sometimes I doubt that.” Stella said.

 

Just then, Luan popped his head out from the door, which it had apparently turned out was unlocked. His eyes wide and his face a frown, he said, “Everyone, you should see this.”

 

“Oh, is it an important breakthrough in the case?” Shinobu said.

 

“No.” Luan said. “But it's.” He paused while attempting to find the words. “You should see this.”

 

After a bit of comical bumbling about the cluttered Server Room, they all made it back there, and once they saw what was inside the somewhat better-lit back, Nanako's antenna spiked at the sight. “This is an _execution ground_!” She said.

 

A great, torturous web of wires sat on the front of a great server wall, multicolored, glowing with an eerie light. An array of monitors and interfaces sat about the room, and great, shackling manacles sat in their midst near the interfaces, ready to trap the victim. A long hall off into the darkness for transportation of the victim sealed the deal.

 

Luan walked over to a console with a few buttons on it. He gestured to two buttons; 'Demo' and 'Explanation.' “I won't hit Demo.” He said.

 

“That sounds like a very sound idea!” Claus said, sweat rolling down his forehead.

 

With a tap of the 'Explanation' button, the console's screen lit up, and from it, an obnoxious-sounding song that was presumably supposed to be Monokuma's theme began to play as the bear himself appeared on the screen. “Hiya, kids!” He said. “It's your friendly neighborhood headmaster, Monokuma! Now, I have no idea why anyone would be watching this, but I get it, I get it. Maybe something went wrong, maybe our illustrious mastermind is just too stupid to remember how these executions work. Maybe you're the police or something. Whatever! The point is, you clicked the button because you were curious how _Puzzle of the Flesh_ , the execution designed for Ruri Bessho, Ultimate Data Analyst, is supposed to work. Well, say no more! Allow yours truly to give you an easy-to-understand explanation for dummies!”

 

On the screen came another one of his little drawings from the Classrooms, depicting Girl B standing in a trial room, where, on the other side, Girl N, Boy T, and Boy A slammed their desks and pointed their arms at her, selecting her as the culprit. “Our patented MK-Brand The Claw whisks away the murderous Bessho through our many, many passages.” Monokuma explained as the ever-present claw came out and did just that. “She's brought in here, and slapped into the manacles you see before you, to prevent escape.”

 

The monitors in the explanation lit up. “Miss Bessho is tasked with taking all of this data here out of one side and ensuring it's properly inputted to the other various screens around here. All the while, I, Monokuma,” and Monokuma poked his head in from above, “am controlling the wires you see before you. Each time a mistake is made, I take my wires like, _wha-psh_!” The on-screen Monokuma sent a wire spinning around Girl B's arm. “And tie her up a bit more.”

 

Eventually, Girl B was completely tied up by the web of wires, and removed from the manacles to be slammed against the server wall. “The wires you see before you punish Miss Bessho for her actions by slowly squeezing her harder and harder, cutting off the circulation to various parts of her body and strangling her! But simple wire strangulation murder is so _gauche_ , so once she's losing some of the oxygen to her brain and her eyes are squeezing out of her skull a bit, I liven things up by flipping a lever that sends _metric buttloads_ of electricity through the wires! Since a few of them have no doubt made abrasions, the electricity even gets into her body, and Ruri Bessho goes up like a light! The electric current is so powerful it cuts off the broadcast, and your audience is left pondering as to the state of that charbroiled corpse, filling their nightmares for ages.”

 

The video cut off, rolling a short credits list thanking the composer of the Monokuma theme and basically nobody else. “That was enlightening.” Kazuya said, blinking rapidly at the console. Stella groaned. “What?”

 

“It seems that Ms. Bessho truly did dodge a bullet, if our mastermind had even fully constructed an execution for her.” Shinobu said. “And, er, simply left it here. Without deconstructing it.”

 

The group, as quickly as they could, bounced from the room and let the door close, casually, as though they had not just witnessed a literal deathtrap, and sat back around the interface for Nanako to continue being a computer master. “So, it looks like, when a Monokuma Theater is set to go out, that's when the Administration can open doors.” She explained. “So, when Jun didn't get executed, they had to do a bit of a goofy workaround by knocking us all out and using the Monokuma Service Elevator, and the entrance to Maxwell Hall has _never_ been opened. He's got some override controls to force doors open, but that's only when a Theater's set to go out.”

 

There were two particular things Nanako was looking for, and at this point was when she found the first—data on her and her classmates. “Alright, here we are.” Nanako said, and clicked it open. “Let's see... Jun's got dandruff... 'Chronic hypertension?' What's that?” She murmured.

 

“High blood pressure.” Stella said. “I'm completely and utterly shocked to learn that Eriko had high blood pressure.”

 

“Same.” Nanako said. There were some details in here she didn't quite feel comfortable knowing, so she skipped through as quickly as she could to Yashiro's page. “Okay, let's see here... _Huh_.” She said. “Heart arrhythmia? 'Due to patient's abnormal size and strength, diagnosed with heart arrhythmia due to incapability for patient's heart to properly pump blood to his entire body. Issue was minor in first four years, but following subject's impalement by a support beam—' _Impalement_?” Nanako sputtered.

 

“ _Four_?” Stella said. “He survived being impaled by a support beam when he was _four._ ”

 

There was a pause. “Yanno, Gav can believe that.” Gavin said.

 

“As can I.” Shinobu agreed. “'Following subject's impalement by a support beam, patient's guardian and doctors both agreed on urgent application of an artificial pump to patient's heart so as to avoid possible complications aggravating arrhythmia. Pump to be replaced every ten years.'”

 

“Yashiro's heart weren't tough enough to pump him up, so dude had a doodad in him to help, huh?” Gavin summarized.

 

“Yeah, seems like it, I guess.” Nanako said. “It must not've been a big deal, he never mentioned it. I guess the pump worked pretty well.” The mood was growing a bit heavy, so Nanako moved on. There was one last thing for her to find; the logs from the security sensor on the front of the Restroom door. Kojiro had access to that too, thankfully. “Alright, I'm gonna open the log.” She said, a tension setting into her stomach. Everyone crowded in to look as she did.

 

And there was silence.

 

Only two entries were present on the Restroom filter. Yashiro, at 01:07, during Phase Eight, and Nanako, at 06:22, during Phase Nine.

 

* * *

 

**YOU FOUND IT!**

Ding dong, ding dong. “It's been literally hours, so I'm bored out of my skull!” Monokuma chimed in. “You know what time it is? Trial time! The exit's open now, so all y'all hustle your bad selves down to the Lounge in Abilene so we can get to the fun part!”

 

The group was quiet until Nanako said, “Hey, guys, do you mind if we go get Hansuke from the Workshop? I want to put him with the others.”

 

“No, that's no trouble at all.” Claus said. Nanako thanked him.

 

As they left the Server Room, Gavin piped up, “Yo, Nanners.” She tilted her head to look back at him. Stella, Kazuya, Luan, and Shinobu were following quietly, as well. She couldn't see Chihaya, but that was sort of just Chihaya's way. “Can, uh... How's that yarn end? Mind spinnin' a tale again?”

 

“I don't mind.” Nanako shook her head. “Um, if this doesn't make sense to any of you, there was a whole Act before this that was all about them becoming kings. Anyway...”

 

“So, it's seven years later, and Ulrich and Royston are ruling Novoselic still as joint rulers. The nation is the happiest it's been in what feels like centuries, and everyone loves the 'Brother Princes', as they're called. They both work on everything, but Ulrich is better at the hard-hitting governmental work, and Royston's better at being a public face. Laramie's still there, too, working as an adviser.”

 

“Everything seems fine until one day, Ulrich is targeted in the night by an assassin. He manages to fend the assassin off, but from what he can see, the assassin is definitely Novoselician, and uses tactics that seem kind of like home court tactics. Royston thinks that it's possible that one of the minor nobles is trying to assassinate them for political gain, so an investigation begins into all of that.”

 

“As things go on, though, it gets less subtle. Attacks on government facilities start cropping up all across Novoselic, and whispers of incompetency start getting spread. Ulrich's busy investigating here, though, so Royston winks at him and says he'll go out and investigate on his own, since he's better with the common element, anyway. Ulrich's concerned, but he lets Royston go.”

 

“Royston heads out and starts mingling, and he finds something weird. There are defaced monuments, of course, with the whole thing, but he notices that all of the defaced monuments are of _Ulrich_ , not him. Joint monuments to the Brother Princes are left alone, but statues of just Ulrich or anything like that are smashed or otherwise messed up. People are starting to suspect that maybe this is a secret bid by Royston to take total control. Of course, he knows that's ridiculous, but he can't exactly say that in public, so he just keeps looking into it.”

 

“Assassination attempts keep happening to Ulrich, and eventually it gets to the point where even extensively-vetted employees that his most trusted advisers, especially Laramie, vouch for, are party to the attempts. It starts happening so often that he starts tailing his advisers to try and figure out what's actually going on. He stops his investigation of the minor nobles and starts focusing on his own innermost circle. That's when he hears rumors that it might be Royston, but he denies those, of course. Royston's his brother. He trusts him more than anyone else.”

 

“It turns out that a lot of those attacks on government facilities are being done by the Pennyroyal Bandits, the same bandits Ulrich and Royston encountered seven years ago. Royston still knows the way, so he goes and checks it out. They still recognize the amazing artist that they captured all those years ago, and the leader of the Bandits asks him how his bid for ascension is going. Royston's clueless at first, but he pieces together that it seems like they think they're working for _him_. He decides that it would probably be better to remain their 'client' while he's there, and doesn't correct them before he leaves.”

 

“You probably guessed from the fact that she was the only one I named—there's other characters in Act Two, sure, but—what Ulrich eventually finds is Laramie talking in an alleyway to some shady folks. Ulrich is pretty suspicious immediately, but when he sees their faces, he's shocked. It's the same two thugs who were attacking her seven years ago, and she's treating them like old employees. She tells them, since they're her most trusted lackeys, to go and be sure to guard her 'back garden'.”

 

“Royston gets a letter inviting him to an abandoned manor near the city walls, but the first thing he does is go find Ulrich. Since Laramie raised him, he has a really hard time believing that she could do something like this, especially since the Bandits' client claimed to be _him_. He asks Ulrich why he thinks Laramie would possibly want to do this under the guise of being Royston, and Ulrich is clueless. They decide to head together to the manor.”

 

“When they get there, though, Ulrich decides to sneak into the back garden, and Royston goes in through the front, because he's just that kind of guy. Royston goes in, and of course, he meets Laramie. He's pissed off- he asks her why on earth she'd try to kill Ulrich like that, but he's just more confused when she tells him it was for _his_ sake, it was all so _he_ could ascend the throne. Parental affection is one thing, but Ulrich's a perfectly good ruler, he says. He's better at it than me! What in the world would possess you to do that?”

 

“In the back garden, Ulrich takes down those two thugs of Laramie's and finds what they were guarding. It's a small patch of disturbed dirt, and he takes a shovel and digs it up. His heart goes cold when he finds what's underneath. It's the skeleton of a child, no more than a year old, as he sees it. It's dressed in Novoselician royal clothes, too.”

 

“Laramie starts making fun of Ulrich, saying he's far too trusting for his own good. She laughs at him, and Royston is stunned when she starts talking about how ridiculous it would be for a long-lost sibling to just suddenly turn up like that after so many years. She finally spills the beans to Royston— _he's not Ulrich's brother at all_. The real Prince Royston died during that coup, and Laramie decided to pass her own son off as Prince Royston, so she could have her own flesh and blood take control of the nation, and show those 'conniving royals' what for.”

 

“Royston's hands start shaking. He can hardly believe what he's hearing. Laramie tells him that the time is ripe to finally put Novoselic in the hands of the common people, and get rid of the royal family once and for all. She's an old woman, though, and frail, so when Ulrich busts down the back door to get his vengeance, he finds Royston running her through with his blade himself, sobbing.”

 

“With Laramie dead, Ulrich and Royston reunite, but Royston's shivering. He's not Ulrich's real brother, he says. How can he call himself a Prince? He was just a pawn this whole time! And Ulrich tells him, no, you idiot, it doesn't matter who you were born to. You're my brother, Prince Royston, and a finer Prince this land has never known.”

 

“When they get back to the castle, though, they find out that Laramie's plan didn't end with her death. Her agents, along with the Pennyroyal Bandits, are rampaging in the streets, 'claiming' the land for the new King Royston. They're clamoring for Ulrich to come out and face his better. The Princes don't make it back inside to mobilize their troops; someone notices Royston's bloody blade, and points out the Princes, right in front of the castle.”

 

“A crowd forms around them almost instantly, half the crowd clamoring for Ulrich's head, half for Royston's. They don't have a clue how to get out of this, but then Royston draws his blade, and starts telling Ulrich that a duel is the only way to settle this conflict of theirs. It's clear in Royston's eyes what Ulrich doesn't want to admit; there's only one way either of them is getting out of this alive, and that's by killing the other.”

 

“The only reason the fight takes longer than a second is because Ulrich can't bring himself to kill Royston. Even if Royston weren't a worse swordsman, he isn't even really trying. He's making a big show of it, but all his swings are so easy and obvious that Ulrich would have to be literally blind not to parry. Eventually, Ulrich's forced to run his brother through the stomach. The crowd loses it, but Ulrich can still hear Royston's final words clear as day.”

 

“'I suppose this nation... only needed one king after all. Oh, well. I know you'll be able to do the job... eh, dear brother?'”

 

“He's smiling as he dies on Ulrich's sword. Ulrich starts wailing, clutching his brother's corpse.”

 

“Months later, King Ulrich of Novoselic makes a proclamation to his people, following repairs from that. He's proud of his nation, but he wants to make one thing clear. He tells everyone that Novoselic will always be a nation that honors the cultural arts, in honor of his brother, the late Prince Royston. After that, he goes to Royston's grave. He tells Royston that the nation is flourishing, and not to worry, because he'll take care of it. After all, the Brother Princes always rule together.”

 

Gavin was crying again. “Tha's no fair, man. Why'zit gotta be that way?”

 

“I donno.” Nanako said. “But that's how the story ends.” She placed Hansuke in the trophy case with the other six. “Let's go.”

 

They went back into the South Wing, where they'd passed Monokuma just moments ago to finish their errand. “Are you kids done prancing around already?” Monokuma said. “Bears don't like to be kept waiting! We're the ones who do the waiting-keeping! That's how hibernation works!”

 

“Yes, we're done.” Claus said. “Coming down the stairs was an odd feeling, but we don't have a choice but to continue on.”

 

“Righto!” Monokuma said, and his weird maw elevator arose for the fifth time. The first time they had boarded this elevator, fifteen people had ridden it down. Now, only eight would.

 

“Nanako?” Shinobu said, as the elevator descended. Nanako tilted her head in response. “Remember. I'm here for you, no matter what happens.”

 

“Right.” Nanako said.

 

The elevator ride down took eighty-one seconds this time. The fifth courtroom was nearly at the bottom of the facility, after all. Down and down and down they went, the low rumble surrounding them all the way, the group almost entirely silent. The grim mood in the air wasn't helped when the doors opened to the courtroom. This courtroom's décor was, to Nanako's eye, patterned after some shots of the facility the Decision Game had taken place in. A grim, dark, metal place with oaken stands in their natural color, great, heavy metal door frames painted over the claw's passages. The Decision Game had occurred in a bomb shelter, and this room certainly gave Nanako the feeling like she was in the midst of complete disaster.

 

The eight of them took their stands. It was the smaller circle from before, but now two more seats had their placards. Jun's was simply blank, with a greyscale image of his face, but Yashiro's was adorned with a bloody picture of a barbell crossed with a thing of catnip. “Cute.” Chihaya said.

 

“Alright, it's been ages but finally it's time to start up this Killing Game shebang again!” Monokuma clapped, hopping up to sit on his throne. “We ready, everyone?”

 

Yashiro was dead.

 

His killer would die soon, too.

 

The fifth trial was beginning.

 


	77. The Fifth Trial, Ambidex Edition

**Beginning the Class Trial for the Murder of Yashiro Narumi.**

**All Rise.**

 

“Y'know, it's actually kind of bittersweet,” Monokuma said. “Unless one of you wackos has some sort of secret unquenchable thirst for murder that you've neglected to foreshadow, it's looking like this will be the last proper murder trial of the last killing game I'll ever oversee.” He sighed. “You know, I've overseen so many of these things. I've seen things you wouldn't believe, like...hamsters pushing buttons...one guy getting past a sign 'cuz he couldn't read...how many times have I seen that damn sword?” He looked up from his sulk. “So let's make it one to remember, alright, kids? The folks at home need to get one hell of a finale!”

 

“Nobody's even watching this.” Stella rolled her eyes.

 

“Let's begin by outlining the facts of the case again, just in case.” Claus said. “Our crime scene was the Restroom in Confessional Hall, which opened during Phase Eight of the Nonary Game. Yashiro entered the Restroom at 1:07. The next person to enter the room was Nanako, at 6:22, during Phase Nine. That's when we discovered the body; first Nanako, then G Team, then the rest of us. The crime scene was severely damaged, as though Yashiro had struggled against his killer, and he was also covered in wounds from the murder weapon, which I don't believe any of us were able to definitively locate.”

 

Nanako shook her head. “Nothing from us. There wasn't... Well, I don't even really know what kind of weapon _could_ do that.”

 

“He also bled internally, right?” Kazuya chimed in.

 

“The first thing we should tackle, I believe, is possible ways to fool the sensor.” Shinobu said, bending her hand downwards under her chin. “I could conceive of several possibilities given other victims, though the fact of its being Yashiro makes such things less likely.”

 

“Such as?” Luan asked.

 

“The most obvious idea would be to simply hurl the body into the Restroom without passing under the sensor yourself.” Shinobu explained. “Of course, the fact that none of us are even capable of lifting Yashiro, let alone throwing him, places a wrench in that idea; let alone the state of the Restroom itself, which would be exceptionally difficult to manage without ever entering the room yourself. Another would, perhaps, be a theoretical weak point X in the sensor. I don't suppose you happen to be aware of any tricks regarding _that_ , Nanako?”

 

Nanako shook her head again. “Nope. As far as I know, it's flawless. Tracks entries and exits perfectly.”

 

“Well, Chihaya might be able to do it.” Stella said.

 

“Your faith in me is appreciated, but I do have to obey physical laws.” Chihaya stared at Stella. “Other than the sewer hatch, there's no other entrances to the room, and I do still have a physical presence while I'm hiding.”

 

“Plus, Chihaya couldn't have even done it.” Nanako pointed out. “Shinobu, Gavin, and I checked the room she, Kazuya, and I were stuck in during all of Phase Eight, and there's not a single way out of there except solving the puzzle, which I only managed to do right as I was falling unconscious. All three of us were stuck in that room the entire time Phase Eight was going on.”

 

“Ya think Yashiro coulda gotten one 'a the rest 'a us and given us a one-way outta Sleepytime Junction?” Gavin said. “Was me, Stel, Lou, Claus, 'n Nobe out there, yeah?”

 

“It's possible, but they would still have to manage to kill Yashiro.” Chihaya said. “Which is a difficult task.”

 

“True dat.” Gavin said. “Now, Gav don't wanna go 'n write himself off or nothin', but as far as he can tell, _maaaaybe_ Lou if he got lucky?”

 

“Not Claus?” Stella raised her eyebrow.

 

“Ah, well, I might be a tall man, you know, but I'm... I work in offices.” Claus said, adjusting his necktie awkwardly. “I'm not much for combat.”

 

“It would be _utterly_ senseless for either of us in C Team to murder Yashiro, of all people, might I add.” Shinobu said. “Zero did outline the team rules at the start of the Nonary Game, yes? Even were Claus and I to hatch a plot to work together to commit murder most foul, it would make far more sense to target one of the vulnerable members of G Team at that time rather than kill our own teammate. It would be even more wasteful than murder in this game already is!”

 

“Same for us.” Stella said. “I mean, no offense, Shinobu, but you'd be _right there_ if we got woken up.”

 

“Oh, none taken, I assure you.” Shinobu tittered.

 

“Plus, we'd need a pretty good plan to take down Yashiro, and given that it wasn't one of our Phases, we couldn't really have done that unless...” Stella trailed off for a second. “Well, I guess maybe I could've asked him to wake all of G Team up at once during Phase Seven, but even then, I'd have to have done it earlier and I was with Kaz most of the time during Phase Six. And it's not like we even knew that Restroom _existed_ , so who knows what we would've been planning there.”

 

“You also couldn't have known that N Team would be trapped in their puzzle room for the entire Phase.” Claus appended. He held his chin. “There'd be far too many uncertain factors, and in a plan to take down Yashiro, that wouldn't cut it.”

 

“Hey, you guys, something's been bothering me.” Nanako chimed in, and the rest of the class turned to look at her. “So... I think I mentioned this, but during my Confessional, before I found Yashiro, Zero warned me not to open the Restroom door. Like, really emphatically. I haven't really been sure what to make of that.”

 

“That is rather curious.” Shinobu agreed. “Why would Zero warn you against this particular danger and no other?”

 

“It's not like we haven't done class trials before.” Kazuya said. “That makes it sound like she thought this one was particularly dangerous for some reason.”

 

“Wait.” Chihaya cut in. “You said Zero warned you about opening the door? What did she say?”

 

“She said...” Nanako crossed her arms, and thought for a second. “'Don't open the door, bar the door, don't let anyone see inside. You'll be in terrible danger if you open that door. If you just don't look in the bathroom, you can let the game end normally. All nine of you will be able to escape.' The rest of it was just kinda like that until she got cut off. It sounded kind of like she was forced.”

 

“Ooh!” Gavin clapped. “Gav gotta think here! What's about the perp set up some kinda nasty trap on the door, so's when Nanners opened it, it triggered and iced Yashiro?” He fingergunned in the air. “Like, pow! Door just tracks who goes in, yeah? What if you just rigged it widdout goin' _in_?”

 

“I respect you greatly, Mr. Sakaki, but I must insist that if you are to speak to us about devils then you offer us their proof.” Shinobu said.

 

“Uhhh...” Gavin clapped a bit before he said, “Oh! What if, stay with me here, man, what if they made Yashiro swallow a _tiny bomb_ , and it went off!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“That doesn't sound very plausible.” Luan said.

 

“Eh, y'right, Gav was just throwin' darts.” Gavin shrugged.

 

“There's no way anyone really could've rigged a trap to the door, either.” Nanako said. “I mean, first off, his skin was cold when I found him so he'd already been dead for a bit, but also, none of us got access to the Restroom door until Phase Eight. Since he didn't leave, that would also still mean he just stayed in the Restroom for four hours without leaving for some reason, since he couldn't open the sewer hatch.”

 

“She sounded as though she'd been forced to stop?” Claus said. He rubbed his chin. “That has happened before. Assuming we operate under Shinobu's theory that Zero and The End are two different people, that would imply that Zero went against The End's orders to warn Nanako.”

 

“Why would The End want Nanako to look in the Restroom?” Luan said. “That seems strange.”

 

“You know, it does.” Nanako nodded. “There aren't any security cameras inside the Restroom, so I've been thinking Zero must've known Yashiro's body was going to be in there, but she couldn't have seen it herself. There's no way she could've known for sure, right?”

 

“Allow me to play devil's advocate!” Shinobu said. “She simply knew that one of our number was dead, no?”

 

“But why would she be worried about _me_ looking in?” Nanako said, her head tilting. “That seems to me like she must've known some stuff about the murder if that's the case.”

 

“And yet the Monokuma File was not immediate.” Shinobu retorted. “If she were familiar with the murder enough to have some reason for you specifically not to look in, why would we have been made to wait? That would imply a need to ascertain the crime itself.”

 

“Well, maybe she knew there'd been _a_ murder, but didn't know exactly how it had been done.” Nanako countered. “She didn't necessarily need to know the state of the body to know that.”

 

“How could she have known, then, that there had been _a_ murder?” Shinobu returned. She was grinning, so it seemed like she was enjoying this. “If Yashiro's death were to have occurred entirely within the Restroom, she would have no guarantee that he had actually perished, and for her to break her restraints to warn you implies a great deal of _certainty_ that you would become imperiled by your opening the door.”

 

“Well, maybe she didn't.” Nanako said. “Maybe she didn't know there had been a murder, and thought that opening the door would put me in danger for some other reason. Maybe—” Her antenna spiked. “Or maybe the murder that Zero thought would be in there was _different_ from the murder we actually found?”

 

“Now, there's an idea!” Shinobu said.

 

“Different? How do you mean?” Claus asked.

 

“I donno just yet, but I was just thinking, maybe Zero figured Yashiro would be dead, or something, but not in the way we found him.” Nanako explained. “Like, something about the crime scene was different than she expected, or his body, or something.”

 

“How does that explain Zero warning you?” Chihaya cut in. “One murder or another wouldn't seem to make much difference.”

 

“Well... I mean, I guess it's not like Zero could've expected a murderer to just jump out at me from the room if she knew that nobody was in there.” Nanako's antenna twisted a bit. “So—”

 

“I have a question.” Luan said. “For Monokuma.”

 

“Oh ho? A rules clarification?” Monokuma tittered a little. “How fascinating! Please, Lulu, by all means!”

 

“Please define the term 'participant'.” Luan said. “What denotes a participant?”

 

“A great question!” Monokuma said, raising his paw. “Since you asked so kindly, I'll tell you. A 'participant' is just someone on the premises of a game that isn't an agent of the system itself, such as moi. After all, everyone here _is_ participating, right?”

 

“Would that make Zero a participant in the killing game?” Luan asked, and Monokuma yelped. “She has been present on the premises, after all.”

 

“Wait, what?!” Nanako started back. She looked towards Monokuma frantically. “Hurry up and answer the question!”

 

“Geez, don't hurry me.” Monokuma said. “To answer your question, why, yes, actually! There are _eighteen_ participants total in my darling little killing game, including the one we all know and love as Zero.”

 

“Alright.” Luan nodded. “But we haven't been allowed to vote for Zero.”

 

“Of course not! They're a _secret_ participant, after all.” Monokuma said. “A special case, ya dig?”

 

“Zero counts as a participant?” Kazuya said. “Then it seems kind of obvious, doesn't it? Zero killed Yashiro somehow.”

 

Nanako surprised herself, even, with the force she slammed on her podium with. “No!” She shouted, sweat suddenly beginning to form on her brow. “There's no way that happened! Okay? There's just no way!”

 

“Why not?” Kazuya returned. He didn't look happy either, for his part. “What's stopping her?”

 

“Because she— She just wouldn't _do_ that, okay?!” Nanako returned. It was a dumb response, but it was all she had at the moment.

 

“Zero has access to the sensor records.” Kazuya said. “It would be possible for her to sneak into the room undetected and attack Yashiro. We don't know what kind of physical capabilities she has, either, so it's possible she could've beat Yashiro in a fight, or killed him with some kind of trap—”

 

Nanako's antenna spiked with sudden realization. “When you say that, which Zero do you mean?”

 

“Which Zero?” Kazuya repeated. “Either one, I suppose. Does it matter?”

 

“It matters a lot!” Nanako said, pounding her fist into her hand. “See, it wouldn't make sense for Zero to be the killer if she warned me away from the room, right? Except, what if it was the _other_ Zero, The End, who did it? Then it would make sense!”

 

“That doesn't really change anything, though.” Kazuya said. “Whether it was Zero or The End, one of the masterminds killed Yashiro, in this scenario. It doesn't change anything, and it still doesn't explain why Zero would warn you away from the door, considering we can't vote for her—”

 

“ _I'll cut your words to pieces_!” Nanako cried, her antenna waving in the air like a sword. She almost instinctively chopped Kazuya in the face, but managed to suppress this instinct. “If The End killed Yashiro 'through' Zero, then Zero would be the culprit, right? But we haven't been allowed to vote for Zero up until now, and there's no reason to expect we would've been able to now, either.”

 

“That's fair, but then where would that leave us?” Kazuya asked. “If we couldn't vote for the actual culprit—”

 

“Then in that case, there'd only have been one person who we _could_ vote for.” Nanako explained. “And you're looking at her.”

 

“So your theory is that The End was trying to _frame_ you for Yashiro's murder?” Chihaya cut in.

 

“Yeah.” Nanako nodded. “It would make sense, right? Zero warned me away from the door because if I opened the door, I'd be the only possible suspect for everyone to vote for if they wanted to live. There's really no fooling the sensor, I don't think, and when I went in to discover the body, I was the first person who'd gone in. If that was the case—”

 

“Hold on a moment.” Claus raised his hand. “I can't discount this idea, but it's only Zero who counts as a participant, correct? Not The End.”

 

“I'm glad somebody said it for me!” Monokuma laughed. “Claus is right, though. This theoretical 'End' person you're so fond of talking about, were she to kill Yashiro in a sweet anime death battle, would be counted as the culprit; but since no such person exists as a participant in the killing game, no trial would be called. You can't just roll her into Zero and claim that makes sense, dummy!”

 

“Oh, yeah, that's a good point.” Nanako wilted a bit, but then recovered her gusto. “Okay, well, how about this? If Yashiro died _through_ the Nonary Game, then would that be counted as a murder committed by Zero?”

 

“ _I see through your argument_!” Monokuma suddenly stood up and posed as though his paw were a blade with which he cut the air. “Unless you wanna prove to me exactly how Yashiro could've died through the Nonary Game, it's meaningless! Theory is great and all, but practice makes perfect!”

 

“Wait a second.” Stella said, her eyes widening. “So that thing in the Filtration Chamber—”

 

“Yeah, I think so.” Nanako nodded. “If you want practice, then here you go! The murder weapon in The End's murder plot was the electrical wires in the Filtration Chamber!”

 

“I'm not seeing any fried cat myself.” Monokuma said, idly looking away. “The cause of death wasn't electrocution. Claus, Stella, and Shinobu all saw Yashiro get up and walk away just fine!”

 

“He may not have been dead then, but we took a look at your computer profile.” Nanako said, and Monokuma made a horrible, unearthly noise. “By the way, your passwords are dumb. Anyway, we found out that Yashiro had an artificial heart pump installed in his heart. There's no way it was a coincidence that those wires broke at that exact time. It had to be—”

 

Nanako's statement was cut off when Claus slammed his fist into the podium. “ _Damn it_!” He cried. “Not _again_!” There were tears in his eyes.

 

“Claus and I were used as a bargaining chip, then.” Shinobu said, her voice low. “The End forced Yashiro to choose between saving us and saving his own life...and he chose us.”

 

“That has to be why the puzzle room was set up the way it was, right?” Nanako nodded. “It was to trap Yashiro in that situation, and use the electrical shock to shut off his heart pump. Then, he kept going like nothing was wrong, but then... Well, the Confessional apparently took a long time, considering how long it took him to enter the Restroom.” She looked down. “I guess it's possible he just...worked himself too hard doing whatever went on there?”

 

“A myocardial rupture.” Luan said, his brow furrowed. “His heart burst from overexertion?”

 

“That...would explain the internal bleeding.” Kazuya said. He bit his lip. “... _Damn_ it.”

 

“So, if Yashiro was a dead man walking, then he stumbles into the Restroom and doesn't come out.” Nanako continued. “Since he died through the Nonary Game, I think it's possible that Zero would be ruled the killer, right? But since we can't _vote_ for Zero, the only possible explanation is that, as the first person to discover the body, I was the one who killed Yashiro. I guess, maybe, through fighting him hard enough his heart burst? I don't know.”

 

“By this theory, entering the Restroom would be a death sentence for you.” Shinobu said, her eyes wide. “A fraudulent trial would be called for a death by, essentially, natural causes, and our only recourse would be to sacrifice you for this.”

 

“I mean, yeah.” Nanako nodded. “They called the body discovery announcement before Kojiro even showed up in the Restroom, remember? They didn't need to confirm the body to know there was a body in there, they just sent him in to confirm it for the Monokuma File.”

 

“Did nobody even once, in the planning of this game, say, 'hey, maybe our rules should make sense'?” Stella's face scrunched up. “What the fuck is the point of rules if they're just going to do shit like this?”

 

“This game has never been fair.” Chihaya spat. “All the rules are just excuses for it to toy with us. This is just in keeping with that.”

 

“Tha's total bull, man!” Gavin cried. “So we gotta— We ain't just gonna vote Nanners, is we? We know she di'n't do nothin', right?”

 

“Of course not.” Claus said. “If her theory is correct...and, I must say, strange as it is, I can think of very little else that would explain those odd happenings...then that leaves us still to explain Yashiro's actual death.”

 

“Oh, yah!” Gavin grinned. “How'd the fight happen, yeah? Trip, man, Gav was worried for a sec!”

 

“So, Yashiro, during Phase Eight, woke up with a disabled heart pump after several hours.” Chihaya said. “He went to the Restroom, and... died.”

 

“Right. Yeah, yeah.” Stella lit up. “Maybe it was a suicide? Like, he knew that they were planning something, so he broke the Restroom himself.”

 

“Yashiro could've just come and informed us of his situation, then, though.” Claus said. “Shinobu, myself, and G Team were all present in the Central Hub. If he were capable of breaking the Restroom to such a degree, of course he'd be capable of doing that.”

 

“Unless there was some reason he wouldn't?” Kazuya said. “Some reason he would've had to not tell us.”

 

“Well, Koji did give Yashiro back his brain bits at some point.” Gavin said, and Stella, Kazuya, and Luan all reacted with varying degrees of shock. “What?”

 

“He did _what_?” Stella sputtered.

 

“Gave Yashiro back his brain bits?” Gavin repeated.

 

“If Yashiro had his memories back, then it's possible he knew something we didn't.” Kazuya said. “If that was the case, then the suicide theory becomes a bit more plausible!”

 

“So, you're saying Yashiro committed suicide to stop any of us from getting executed?” Nanako said. “And so...like, what, he got us free from Maxwell Hall?” Her heart lifted for just a moment.

 

“Yeah, maybe he figured out that we could get out somehow if we could get to the lower floors, I guess?” Stella said. Her eyes were downcast. “And...if someone else were the killer, instead of Zero, then that would mean you'd be able to live, right, Nanako?”

 

It took Nanako a second to respond, but she got out a, “Yeah.”

 

Wouldn't it have been nice

 

if that were true?

 

“But it's not true.” Nanako shook her head. “Maybe he did let himself be killed, but Yashiro's not the killer. That's just too easy...and it doesn't explain all the wounds over his body. He went in that restroom, and then the culprit killed him. Yashiro and the culprit fought to the death, and the culprit won.”

 

The room was utterly silent. “I think it's likely, given how everything shook out, that Yashiro was going to die anyway...and that either way, he must've been okay with dying. That's why he was smiling.” Nanako said. She couldn't look anyone in the eyes. “Because he was helping stop The End somehow. I still...don't really understand how. None of this makes any sense to me. But I really think that the culprit must've interrupted The End's murder attempt on Yashiro and me...and killed Yashiro themselves. I...”

 

There were tears in her eyes. “I want to believe that there's something I'm missing. Some crazy, out-there theory that explains everything and means I don't have to go any further, that I don't have to lose anyone else.” Nanako said. “That there's some way I could avoid this, some way I could get out of this.” She crossed her arms. She was shivering. “But I _don't know what it could be_. I just... I want to be wrong, okay? I want to be wrong.” Now she was openly crying. “God, I want to be wrong. Someone, tell me I'm wrong, please.”

 

They'd all tried their best,

 

but any amount of talking about motives,

 

or other murder attempts,

 

or the Nonary Game,

 

couldn't get rid of the truth sitting right in front of them.

 

“C’mon, spit it out already!” Monokuma said. “I’m a busy bear, it’s not like I have all day!”

 

She was still crying, but Nanako nodded. “Okay.” She took a deep breath in. “I think...that the only person who could've murdered Yashiro...is—”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...


	78. The Fifth Trial, Decision Edition

 

“I think...that the only person who could've murdered Yashiro...is—”

 

No matter how much she hated it. No matter how much she couldn't accept it. No matter how much she wanted it to be false. It didn't matter. None of it mattered. The words wrenched themselves from her throat anyway.

 

“—Kojiro,” Nanako croaked. “It's Kojiro... Kojiro's the— He's the one who...could've...murdered Yashiro.”

 

The room went dead silent. Of course, it wasn't like this was a surprise to anyone. It was blatantly obvious the instant you saw the crime scene, the body, those wounds that _only_ he could make. It didn't matter how long Nanako indulged her urge to argue.

 

Of course, then, he had to pipe up. “Excuse me?” Kojiro said, tilting his head to one side. “Wow, okay. Hold on a second here.” He scurried off of his throne and hurried over to Jun's podium, right across from Nanako, so as to take a place at the circle. “So. You start calling a guy the wrong name, treating him like some kind of brotherly plaything, and now you accuse him of _murder_?” He scoffed. “Tough crowd. I can only assume you mean me when you say that,” and he rubbed his chin area with his one good arm, “and frankly, I'm shocked, _shocked_ after all I do this whole time is lock you all in an underwater facility, facilitate multiple murders, and personally slam an airplane into Eriko Shigure. Why, it's almost like—”

 

“Take this seriously.” Nanako commanded him, slamming her hand onto the podium. Her arm was shaking. “I'm... I'm _accusing you of murder, damn it_! Quit treating this like it's some kind of joke!”

 

“Oh, I assure you I'm treating this with the utmost gravitas.” Kojiro said. He smirked as best he could. “Otherwise, why on Earth would I be at this podium, hm? It's certainly a good thing our diminutive little gremlin friend unwillingly vacated the premises for this trial, or else I'd have to stand at Yashiro's podium, and that would just be _macabre_ , no?” Now, that was a grin. “Accusing not the mastermind, but _Monokuma himself_ of murder! How intriguing!” His grin widened, as he got into a readied stance, straddling the edges of the podium to stay upright. “In that case, Ms. Hashizawa, _let's rock_! Watch out, though! You'll need some bullet proof to shoot through this bulletproof bear!”

 

“Fine.” Nanako's nose twitched. It itched, with that runny feeling that went with tears. “Go as long as you want.”

 

“The first clear question is my favorite standby, the body discovery announcement.” Kojiro said. “I did make the rules for defining a 'participant' quite clear, yes? And that I myself am not, in fact, a participant in the killing game? If I were to commit a murder, it wouldn't even make a body discovery announcement!”

 

“No, that's wrong.” Nanako shook her head. “You did make those rules clear. Everyone here heard it. 'Someone on the premises of a game.'”

 

“And what, exactly, is your problem with this statement?” Kojiro scoffed. “It seems pretty clear-cut to me.”

 

“It is.” Nanako said. “Someone on the premises of _a_ game. Like you said, Zero's counted as a participant of the killing game.” She breathed. “But the killing game isn't the only game that's happening here. The Nonary Game is happening here, too. You're a participant in the _Nonary Game_.”

 

“Gasp!” Kojiro started back a bit, but retained his balance. “What a devilish little bit of rules lawyery!”

 

“It's obvious, right?” Nanako said. Her hand clenched. “I mean, you're barred from leaving Maxwell Hall, just like us. Why else would you be trapped in here unless you were a participant in the Nonary Game yourself?”

 

“A fascinating theory, Nanako, but I'm afraid I'd prefer more solid evidence than that.” Kojiro flitted his paw to the side of his face and cackled. “Sure, you can spout that all you want, but without proof-!”

 

“Show us your arm, then.” Nanako said.

 

The room went quiet for a moment.

 

“My what?” Kojiro asked.

 

“Your _arm_ , Kojiro. The one in the sling.” Nanako gritted her teeth a bit. “You've had your arm in that sling for multiple days, but you're... There's no way you just _wouldn't be repaired_ if your arm wasn't working! We know Mom is here! We know you've been repaired before! So why is your arm in that sling, huh? Take it off!”

 

After a moment, Kojiro sighed theatrically. “Alright, alright. Sure, make an injured bear do something like this, why don't you.” He grumbled a bit as he began untying his sling. “This is not a job for claws. Ugh. Pain in my...”

 

“Here, here, let me help.” Stella, who was standing next to him, began assisting him. When it came off, her face fell, but not in a manner that said she was surprised.

 

Kojiro, with both arms visible, brandished his here-to-fore unseen right arm. He waved it around a bit, and then stretched it out, for everyone to see. “Happy?” He said. “This is what you expected to see, right?”

 

A bracelet, bearing the number 10. The tenth participant in the Nonary Game. Of course. It only made sense, after all.

 

“Of course it's what I expected to see. With the way you've been acting, I couldn't have expected anything else.” Nanako said.

 

“ _However_!” Kojiro chided her. He briefly turned to Stella, nodded, and mumbled a 'thanks, by the way.' She didn't respond. “Your headmaster won't be satisfied with such meager evidence. The singular fact of my being a participant doesn't mean I'm the culprit.”

 

“You want me to keep going, right?” Nanako said. The fingers in her clenched hand began opening and closing repeatedly, unsure of how exactly to move.

 

“Naturally! This is a class trial, after all.” Kojiro cackled. “A questionably wise lawyer once said, 'In a court of law, evidence is everything.' Now, I'm no lawyer, but I am a bear, and that means that I take everything very seriously- this is, after all, no joke. So!” He stomped his foot on the desk. “Next question. If you're claiming I'm the culprit, then naturally, wouldn't I have needed to go through the door, and thus, shown up on the sensor's readings?”

 

“No, that's wrong.” Nanako countered. “You showed us yourself when you showed up there. Your transit tubes can lead you directly to that room without having to pass through the sensor. You're the only person who _could_ go in there other than me, and I'm pretty sure _I_ didn't do it.”

 

“And the mysterious wounds? What possible bizarre implement could I have used to create such wounds on Yashiro's body?” Kojiro asked.

 

“Your _claws_ , moron.” Nanako said, her antenna spiking. “They're the only thing around here that could. They fit the description perfectly, and you're one of the few people here who'd stand a chance against Yashiro, especially if his heart was injured.”

 

“Well, I—”

 

“Why are you making me do this?” Nanako croaked out, beginning to slump over onto the podium, her hair falling over her face. “I don't _get_ it, Kojiro. Do you... Do you think you're helping, or something? Why? Please, just tell me why you're doing this to me.”

 

“...Doing what?” Kojiro asked.

 

“You have to _ask_?” Nanako laughed a bit. It wasn't very funny. “You're...playing the villain. Like you're just another culprit to take down. Like solving this mystery, which is _barely even a mystery to begin with_ , is some kind of game. It's not a game. This isn't funny. Don't you know what happens if you get voted as the culprit?” Her hands trembled on the podium. “You've broken character before, so why don't you do it now, huh?”

 

“Wait, yo, hold up!” Gavin cut in. “This— This ain't right, yo! Maybe he tryin' to trick us again or...somethin'!” He sputtered a bit. “Like, uh... Ooh!” He snapped his fingers. “Koji sent Yashiro back his memories, yeah? What if they was workin' together?”

 

“They probably were.” Nanako said. Gavin stopped. “C'mon. It's obvious, right? Why else would Yashiro just go charging in there? How would he figure out that the rest of you had been kidnapped? He probably ran into Kojiro somewhere, or something.” She laughed a bit. “He kept Yashiro separate, even. That was probably some kind of plan, too, right, Kojiro?”

 

“Buh-buh-buh— Waitasmidge, Nanners.” Gavin waved his hand a bit. “So, like, if Yashiro's dyin' anyway, maybe he, uh,” and Gavin snapped his fingers a few times again, “maybe he and Koji, uh, staged the fightin'? And Yashiro died just 'cause his heart blew, no Koji necessary! So, uh—”

 

“Why?” Nanako asked. Gavin stopped again. “Why would Kojiro do that to his body, then? If it was a suicide, that would just get him killed.”

 

“Cause, uh—?” Gavin started waving his hands around, looking for an answer.

 

“Kojiro killed Yashiro.” Nanako said. “When Yashiro's heart condition was hurting him, Kojiro came in and they fought to the death. And Yashiro died. With the body like that, there's only one person that could've possibly done it. The End has to know that, right? So Kojiro is the culprit.”

 

“...But why would Kojiro do it this way, though?” Kazuya asked. 'Why.' There it was. There was that word. 'Why.' 'Why, why, why, why, why, why.'

 

“I. Don't. _Know_!” Nanako pounded her fists into the podium. “I don't know, okay? I don't know! I don't know anything! I don't know why this has to happen! I don't know why he did this! It seems like maybe it was to save me, but then I really wish he'd just confess so I didn't have to be the one who said it, okay?! To admit that I'm about to _lose my fucking brother_!” She grabbed at her head and shook it around a bit. “But no! Apparently, I have to be the one to say it! Huh? Why?”

 

“...Validation, perhaps?” Shinobu said, and Nanako, sniffling, turned her head to her. “After all, the other verdicts were largely founded on your detective work, Nanako. Perhaps by having you say it, he forces The End to admit that you are _correct_.”

 

“Sure. Whatever. I never asked for this, okay?!” Nanako's nose was running. “I never asked for any of this! I didn't want this, Kojiro! I didn't want this! Please, just tell me _why_!”

 

“There—” Luan stammered. “There must be something.” He looked around. “I'm sure that there must be some way—”

 

“SHUT _ **UP!**_ ” Nanako yelled at Luan, who recoiled a bit, his eyes widening. “Just shut up! Everyone just shut up! You can talk _all you like_ , okay, but nothing's going to change! I can't just keep on believing in a miracle that isn't going to happen! I— I...”

 

Slowly, Nanako stood up. She stood up straight, her antenna drooping, her face covered in tears and snot and feeling awfully sticky and gross. Every part of her body just felt completely wrong. Nothing felt right. This was a nightmare. It was a nightmare she was being forced to live. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair.

 

“I _trust_ him, okay?” Nanako sobbed. “I... I just— I trust Kojiro, okay? I trust him. If he's— If he's saying so much that— That this is the _right thing to do_ — Then it is, okay? I'm gonna do it because I trust him and I love him and he's my brother.”

 

If she doubted him now, if Nanako doubted what Kojiro was telling her, then she might as well be saying that he was just another lie. Just another part of the big cosmic joke that was her life. That there was _nothing._ How could she possibly do that? He was real. He was her brother. They loved each other. “So, just...start the vote. Okay, Kojiro?” Nanako sniffled. “Please. Don't make me do this any more.”

 

There'd been a little Monokuma head at the bottom-right for branding's sake, on the voting screen, this whole time. Nanako had never needed to pay attention to it before. She touched it.

 

The mass of screens displayed Kojiro. Kojiro killed Yashiro.

 

That was all.

 


	79. Day 21, Phase 10, Part 4 - The Joker

 

“It's in my instinct to kid around, but since she asked so nicely, I'll save it for the time being.”

 

Kojiro hopped down off of Jun's podium as the trial began to recede. Nanako could hardly see anything, on account of being slumped over against her own podium. “First of all, a proper introduction is in order.” He said. “Naturally you all know this by now, but **my name is Kojiro Hashizawa.** In a certain sense, you could call me the 'ultimate' Monokuma, but I definitely don't have an Ultimate talent or anything like that. Of course not, right? I'm physically incapable of it.”

 

“Er, Nanako—” Kazuya began, leaning over.

 

“Don't worry, she's listening.” Kojiro said. “If I know her half as well as I think I do, she's listening a lot better right about now, actually. Maybe the theatrics were a bit much...but, well, you got it right. I'm the one person who could've possibly murdered Yashiro Narumi. I hope you know how cute I felt when I used our mutual friend's 'among us' trick for myself.”

 

Claus had remained silent for quite some time, and only now piped up. “Kojiro.” His breathing was heavy. “Please explain why on _earth_ any of this happened.”

 

“You got it, pops.” Kojiro shot him a fingergun gesture. “So, Yashiro happened to coincidentally stumble on the facility a few days before the game started, you see. He and I got to talking, and he was pretty open to helping me break this stupid game. There's a lot I'm not allowed to do on account of being Monokuma, you see, so I needed something to do.”

 

“First thing was, I needed to steal the right memories from him to have Yashiro get in here remembering Nanako.” Kojiro explained. “The mastermind planned on stealing his memories of her, y'see, so once I'd figured out the process, I needed to have something I could reasonably take while leaving her in the dark for a bit. Of course, I imagine she was pretty suspicious when I just coincidentally 'lost him', but she couldn't do anything about it. Once the game had started, she couldn't directly interfere, especially not in the waste system, since that's the one place in the facility she can't monitor.”

 

“Cast Lists #4 and #5 used to be switched, y'know.” Kojiro laughed. “Like, they set it up like you do the Wink thing or you don't, but you probably come back and get a consolation prize of finding out you're not Rin Hashizawa? What a joke.” He snarled. “God, everything about this is so _stupid_. But you know that, right? You already figured that part out. You wanna know the truth? The mastermind doesn't give one singular _whit_ about any Shifting or Blick Winkeling or whatever other crap. She just wanted to make you _think_ that was the plan.”

 

“So it really _was_ a joke.” Chihaya said. Something about the thought incensed her enough that she wasn't even hiding, even after the trial had concluded. Her fists were clenched.

 

“Well, 'joke' is implying there's some humor in it, which I think all of us here know there is none of. A prank, maybe?” Kojiro wondered. “Or just a lie. Sure, Nonary Games have worked in the past by causing Shifts to trigger and all, but a plan so stupid could only come out of a completely crazy person.” He snorted. “Certainly not anything for a scientist to do with no prior experimentation of any kind...” He muttered. “Wouldn't it be something if they pulled it off, though? An entire killing game based around a mad plan to just be able to reunite these two star-crossed lovers! It wouldn't even matter if it worked or not. Just on the surface of things, it sounds like a pretty solid narrative, doesn't it? It's just when you get into the nitty-gritty of things that it breaks down.”

 

“Certainly, conceptually, I could perhaps see it...” Shinobu trailed off.

 

“It's all part of that master narrative, y'know.” Kojiro threw his arms up in a mockingly grand gesture. “But anyway, I thought that was stupid, so I decided to mess with it. Having Yashiro show up with his memories of Nanako helped her remember herself faster, which made it a whole lot more obvious that it was all a bunch of crap. There was only so much I could do, though. For one thing, I couldn't break myself. That 'no violence against Monokuma' rule? Yeah, that isn't for you guys.” He smirked. “She knew that if I had the choice the first thing I'd do would be to sit down and let whoever wanted to take a swing at me crack me open like a coconut. Since she counts on me a lot, that'd throw a wrench in the entire plan. That's why I could only do anything while she wasn't looking.” He let out a high-pitched whistle. “Hoo-wee, I took a lot of beatings these past few weeks for insubordination, lemme tell you.”

 

“Yashiro.” Nanako croaked.

 

“Oh, right, the point of this story.” Kojiro said. “Well, like you guessed, she was _hoping_ to off both Yashiro and Nanako in one swoop. Yashiro was pretty much incidental, but she had a hate-on for the guy on my behalf, so she probably didn't mind getting the chance, either. Buuut, I saw my chance to help you guys out while I was there, so I decided to take it. I gave Yashiro back his memories so he'd remember exactly what happened, and we worked out a plan for how to respond to her dumb shock gambit. And here we are.” He shrugged. “All according to plan.”

 

“This.” Nanako began slowly pulling herself off of the podium. “This is all according to plan? You dying is all according to plan?”

 

“Well, naturally I'd rather _not_ die if I could help it, but yes.” Kojiro said.

 

“You're...” Nanako stared at her brother, falling onto her hands and knees. “You're Monokuma. Can't there be an exception? Come on.” She was tearing up again. “Come on, I don't care, there has to be some kind of exception, you said she likes you, right?! She wouldn't-!”

 

“She would.” Kojiro interrupted her. “Heh, uh, sorry, Nanako. I knew you'd say no if I told you...and, well, I couldn't really tell you, given where we were. But no. There might not be an execution prepared for me per se, but I'm definitely about to die. Frankly, it's probably just because of lingering emotional attachment on our antagonist's part that I'm even still standing here talking to you.”

 

Scampering up to him, Nanako launched towards Kojiro for a hug. “Stop. Stop, I don't want you to go, please, please, please don't go. I just lost Yashiro, okay, I don't want to lose you too, I don't!” She was sobbing again. “ _No_!”

 

“...Hey. Nanako. Listen.” Kojiro said. He lifted her off of himself, and...smiled. “I know it hurts and all, but things are gonna get better, okay?”

 

“How can _anything_ get better without you?!” Nanako's spittle flew into his face, her disheveled hair falling over both of them as she crumpled again. “You're my _brother_! You're all I've ever had! We've been together forever! _What am I supposed to do without you?!_ ”

 

“C'mon. Give yourself some credit.” Kojiro said. In an uncharacteristically gentle gesture, his paw reached out to touch her cheek and move her hair out of the way. “Nanako... you've grown a lot, y'know. Not just since I've been around, but since the beginning of this game, too. You've made all these amazing friends, you've become a sister I'm really proud of.” He chuckled. “Lucky you, with those tears. I can't cry in this body. Monokuma doesn't cry, y'know.”

 

“I don't care if you're proud of me.” Nanako sniffled. “I just don't want you to die. I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” Kojiro said. “I remember once, I was in your position here. It's pretty weird to be in your shoes, gotta say. But, well, I... probably don't really have time for much more of this.” His face grew stern and serious. It didn't fit very well. “Listen. Not just you, Nanako, but all of you. I have a lot to say and not much time to do it in.”

 

Gavin, also openly sobbing, clenched his fist and saluted. “We listenin', man. We listenin'.”

 

“In a few moments here, I'm going to use that override command you saw to open every door in the facility.” Kojiro said. There were a few gasps around. “Ordinarily I couldn't do that, but I'm about to die anyway, so it's not like there's anything she can do about it from behind those rules of hers. You guys have got until the last Confessional Gate opens to look around the rest of the facility and find the truth. Got it?”

 

“But why would she not break her rules to shut the doors again?” Stella said. “She's the one who made the rules, isn't she? That doesn't make sense.”

 

“Maybe not to you, but the rules are pretty important. After all, they're the rules she set for this whole game of hers, and it doesn't mean anything if she can't win by them. Find loopholes, be a rules lawyer, sure, but _break_ a rule?” Kojiro smirked. “You know what this game is, everyone? It's unfair. It's rigged. This whole game is based on you guys not knowing what the game is or what the rules are, so when she wins she can act like it was fair, and she deserved it. Even if you did know what the game was, it's not like it'd be easy, but you guys have always had the odds stacked so high against you that blundering into a victory seems impossible.”

 

Then, he looked straight at Nanako. “Not anymore. I might have to die for it, but you've got a path to victory now. I believe in you. I know you can take it.” He smiled. “I know you can save Mom, Nanako.”

 

“Wha—?” Nanako sputtered. “Save—? Save Mom? She's— From what?”

 

“Ehh, you can get it, you're smart.” Kojiro said. He looked down for a second. “I just can't tell you from what. I guess theoretically I could, but... It needs to be you. It doesn't mean anything if it's all my decision. That goes for the rest of you, too. Don't worry, you'll figure out what I mean soon enough. I believe in you bunch of dopes.” He looked up for a second. “A rescue party from Hope's Peak arrived a few hours ago and they're scouting the island. Work together with them as best you can, got it?”

 

“A _rescue party_?” Claus was the loudest shout, but Kazuya, Stella, and Luan all shouted, too. “You're certain?!” Claus said.

 

“Yeah, about time, right?” Kojiro snorted. He muttered something like, 'should be enough.' “I'll help them out a bit too, so don't worry about that. Uhh, what else...” He tapped his foot. “Oh. Shinobu, I left you a note with the body. Go check it when you get a chance, will you?”

 

“Er—?” Shinobu awkwardly pointed to herself, as though there was anyone else named Shinobu in the room.

 

“Yeah, you. I have a lot more to say to you than I have time for right now.” Kojiro said. “So I wrote it down and stuck it in there. What else, what else... Gavin.”

 

“S-sir, dude!” Gavin saluted.

 

“Need you to pass on a message for me.” Kojiro said. “Tell Jun I'm sorry about the painting when you get down there. Y'know, if you remember.” When Gavin made a loud noise of surprise, he continued, “Not too far from here, by the way. Just a bit further down from here, under the bottom stop of the elevator. Good luck, by the way. You've got your luck cut out for you, brother.”

 

It was just like Yayoi had done, Nanako noticed. Kojiro was doing just as Yayoi had done. Proclaiming all this just before he died, trying his best to rally the group, on some level, no doubt, was simply to try and calm himself down, to emulate her and the grace and strength with which she faced death.

 

All of it was all so wrong. Kojiro wasn't even two years old yet. He was the youngest person in this facility, and he was _forcing himself to face down death with a smile_? It was all just so...so...

 

…

 

“Hey. Kojiro.” Nanako said.

 

“Yeah?” Kojiro asked.

 

There was something she had to say before he was gone forever. Her horror and shock couldn't last forever, and she was lucky to even have this chance to begin with.

 

“Thank you.” She said, her voice low and even despite her tears. “Without you, I never could've gotten anywhere at all. I'd probably still be totally lost. So... Thanks. For everything.” If he wanted to face death with a smile, then the least she could do for him was send him off with one, too. So she smiled. “I'll win this stupid game for you.”

 

Kojiro was quiet for a moment. “...About time. You know how hard I've been working to try and get you to not just give up?”

 

“Well, it's not easy.” Nanako laughed a bit through her tears. “I'm really tired, and I didn't even know if there was a point at all. But... Well, you've always been there to tie me down, huh? Right to the very end.”

 

“Yeah, well, that is my job, y'know.” Kojiro laughed back. “I was built as a developmental aid, idiot. What else?”

 

“That does make sense.” Nanako said. “I couldn't have asked for better. Thank you, Kojiro.”

 

“Ah, but shut up for a second. Just remembered one last really important thing I need to tell you.” Kojiro said. Nanako tilted her head. “Listen. This goes for the rest of you too, okay? It's a big ol' piping hot clue for you about the mastermind. Here it is— _Daisuke wasn't her Plan A that night_.”

 

Suddenly, the mass of screens above sprung to life.

 

_**FINE! HAVE IT YOUR WAY!** _

**Kojiro Hashizawa has been declared Guilty!**

**Time for the Punishment!**

 

“This is the last thing I'll ever be doing for you as your brother, y'know. Pretty bittersweet.” Kojiro smirked. He walked over to Nanako again, and they hugged. “Thanks for all the memories.”

 

“Yeah.” Nanako blinked back her tears. “See you later, Kojiro.”

 

“'See you later', huh? I like that. See you later, Nanako.” Kojiro said. “Now, hold up. I gotta close this off right, y'know?” Nanako let go of him, and Kojiro scurried back over to his throne, climbing atop it for one last proclamation.

 

“Well, it was short, but it couldn't have been a better ending, if you ask me!” Monokuma shouted. “It's like I always say to my wife when I've just finished eating her. Oh, for those just tuning in, that's literal; she's a salmon. Bears don't have sex drives, you naughty listener! So, anyway, 'There's no such thing as the killing game brand without Monokuma', you know?” Monokuma waved his hands around and bobbed his head back and forth. “What's a killing game without yours truly, really? It's a bunch of boring nonsense, is what it is! People are watching for me, anyway! I _am_ the mascot of the series, after all! And after this, no more Monokuma. Boo hoo hoo.”

 

“Since there's no killing game without Monokuma, I guess this will be the end for good this time...but don't worry, kiddos!” Monokuma raised a hand up and called out. “I'll always be there, lurking in the corner of your vision, ready to fill you with _despaaaaaaaaiiiiiir_! Puhuhuhu. I'm so devilish.”

 

That ever-familiar claw launched out from a hallway, and Monokuma looked at it, smirking. “Well, it looks like it's time! I'm sure our gracious host has prepared a _very,_ _ **very**_ _special punishment_ for Kojiro Hashizawa, the Final Monokuma!”

 

And Kojiro Hashizawa stood to greet the claw.

 

“Iiiiiit's PUNISHMENT TIME!”

 

It was a bit big on him, but it got the job done. It almost felt as though even the claw's movements were ever so slightly enraged as it yanked him off. Nanako waved to him as he went.

 

The screens lit back up. It didn't seem there was a great big execution ready for him, because it just displayed Kojiro in the claw's grasp, flying into the Foundry. “You asked me once,” Kojiro said as he flew, “how I could betray you after you give me all this 'safety.' Since I'm me, I'm going to take a moment to be all hoity-toity and say: 'I'm claiming the right to be unhappy.' So what are you going to do about it?”

 

The claw seemed to shake with anger, and then shot over to a great pot of boiling metal. It lifted Kojiro up, and then hurled him downward into it. Right before he made contact, though, he turned his head towards the camera, and said his final word.

 

“ _Gotcha_.”

 

With a great splash, he disappeared from view, covered in boiling metal. Soon, the body of the final Monokuma would melt, too, searing away the life of the young boy Nanako called her brother.

 

The screen cut off.

* * *

 

After a moment's digestion, Nanako turned to the rest of the group. “Okay. We should get to work.” On the seven faces of her classmates were an array of varying looks of...concern? Surprise? “What are you all looking at me like that for?”

 

“Well, less'n Gav's missin' the Thinktrain, first off, sympathy extension for the most regrettable happenings of today.” Gavin began. His tears had dried, thankfully. “Ain't lookin' like tellin' ya to take a chill's right action now, though, so, also, 'least, Gav's rackin' his thinkscape and he ain't got no freakin' clue what Koji meant there 'bout Dice? Seems like we's all got lotsa food on our plate but Gav ain't quite feelin' served, ya dig? Plus-”

 

“I'm staring at you because of your _hair_.” Stella said.

 

“Huh?” Nanako said, and she shook her hair around her head to grab it and check. Her breath caught in her throat for a second when she saw. It was still mostly dark, but there were unmistakably shocks of white hair through her normally pitch-black locks, enough to be unquestionably visible, like a lightning strike through the darkness. Pulling down the hair on the front of her head, she found that it seemed like a sizable portion of the front of her hair, above and a bit to the side of her right eye, had completely changed. After looking at it for a moment, though, she let go of her hair and returned to business. “Nobu, do you have a hair tie under your beret?”

 

“Indubitably.” Shinobu reached under her beret and took one out. By the look on her face, she seemed to get it. “My, but you are certainly something if this happened so.”

 

Kazuya looked to Luan for an explanation, and Luan shrugged. “Nothing to be worried about, guys.” Nanako said, tying her hair back into a bushy ponytail. “Kojiro was black and white, and I am his sister, after all. Just a bit of family resemblance.” She played with it a bit before leaving it medium-height. “Alright, looks like we've got a lot of work to do, so we should probably bounce.”

 

The group had begun to congregate a bit closer again now that the trial was over, and Stella asked, “So does that mean you had any clue what he was talking about?”

 

“Nope.” Nanako shook her head. Huh, shaking her head with a ponytail was a bit less chaotic of an action. “A lot of his 'hints' went over my head, but that's what we've got legs for, right? By the sound of it, it sounds like we've got a lot to find and only...” She checked her bracelet. “...14 hours to do it in, it's almost 4 P.M.” She shrugged, closed her eyes, and grinned. “So much of the past few minutes went over my head that I feel like I kinda owe it to him to try and make sense of his cryptic bullshit, you know?” She shook her head. “' _Gotcha_.' He probably pulled a joke somewhere in there, something dumb. He did always love pranking people.”

 

Chihaya gave Nanako an appraising glance up and down. “You're taking this well.”

 

“I've got time to grieve when this is through and I win this for him.” Nanako said. “Besides, apparently I have to save my mom, so that's a big priority and all.” She began walking towards the elevator door, but without turning around, said, “I'd just like it if you all could remember him, too.”

 

“I doubt I could ever forget him.” Claus chimed in.

 

“Yeah, man, Koji was...pretty unforgettable.” Gavin said. He sniffled. He must've been starting to cry again. “He and Yashiro both, man.”

 

When Nanako tilted her head over her shoulder, Luan was staring off into the hallway Kojiro had disappeared into. “He said that he was a 'mascot.' I disagree.” He said. “He seemed to me to be a very real person.”

 

“He must really love you, huh, Nanako.” Stella said. She was staring off, too. “God, I hope any of this makes sense in a while. I'm really sick of this whole thing. That rescue party better bust in here pretty soon.”

 

Nanako grinned. “Yeah, no kidding. I've had enough of this for, like, nine lifetimes.” She found herself stopping again and turning around, right at the elevator doors. “Hey, guys. Sorry you all got wrapped up in this. Seems like it's basically my dumb family drama at this point, so that must be a bother.”

 

From behind, Shinobu's hand suddenly grasped Nanako's, and the Mystery Novelist came up to stand next to Nanako. “Oh, darling, certainly you know that your problems are mine now just as mine became yours.” She turned her head, and the two of them locked eyes. “You are no bother.”

 

“I'm in full agreement.” Claus said, his hand on his heart. “Er, perhaps not in the same way,” and he looked to the side awkwardly for a moment, adjusting his necktie, “but this certainly is not just 'your dumb family drama.' This is all of our fight.”

 

“If Ender's thinking she can treat me and my buddies like we all just bit players in some story, she got another thing coming, man!” Gavin said, his hands on his hips, smiling, with a bit of a competitive air that Nanako hadn't seen before. “We ain't gonna take this lying down!”

 

“It's her fault Miria is dead.” Chihaya said. Her voice was trembling slightly from rage. “If she thinks that we're all just bit players, then I'll prove her wrong. I won't rest until she and this game of hers is buried.”

 

“Please avoid burying someone.” Luan reached his hand out. Chihaya's eyes widened slightly, and she muttered an, 'oh, sorry.' “For the sake of everyone who's died, I would like it if we could leave with our heads held high. Let's work hard, everyone.”

 

“If it's pushed in my face like this, it's not like I can say no.” Stella shrugged and sighed, but she was smiling. “Let's go save your mom from whatever this is so I can take a fucking nap.”

 

Everyone turned their heads expectantly towards Kazuya, who'd remained quiet almost this entire time. “You know,” he said, crossing his arms, “while I was mulling over what to say, everyone wound up saying what I was going to anyhow.”

 

“Way to go, Ultimate Orator.” Stella smirked and playfully nudged him, and he blushed loudly. Nanako laughed, her antenna bobbing, which only increased when Luan quietly apologized for stealing Kazuya's thunder.

 

“Listen, it's been an emotionally fraught few days, and I'm best with practice, okay?” Kazuya sputtered to his smirking girlfriend, who seemed to be taking quite a bit of enjoyment out of his being flustered. “It's not like you could commentate over a...lionfish mating conflict after a day like this, could you?”

 

“I'm sorry, over a _what_?” Claus blinked.

 

“Yeah, Gav thought it were dragonets we talked about doin' that.” Gavin said. By the look on Claus's face, this didn't help.

 

“Why are we talking about fish?” Nanako's antenna curled into a question mark.

 

“I haven't the foggiest, but Gavin, darling, I simply must correct you.” Shinobu tutted, letting go of Nanako's hand to get closer to Gavin. “You are aware that more than one sort of fish competes for dominance, yes? For a man such as yourself so interested in camaraderie, I admit it might seem somewhat foreign, but I assure you it happens quite regularly!”

 

“I just brought up the fish for an example, you guys.” Kazuya said, his face a bit mortified as he watched Shinobu and Gavin loudly discuss fish.

 

“Trust this group to go off on wild tangents.” Chihaya said. She was smiling a bit now. “I suppose we've all learned from Nanako.”

 

“Hey, wow, excuse me?” Nanako said, putting her sassiest pose to use. “Are you implying that I have trouble staying on topic?”

 

“Yes.” Chihaya stared right at her. “Yes, I am.”

 

“ _Double shock_!” Nanako recoiled. “I was expecting sarcasm, but instead she just goes for the throat, can you believe this, guys? This is total slander. I have the best attention span _ever_. You know that, right, guys?” She looked around at everyone. “Right?”

 

“Nanako, I don't know how to break this to you...” Claus almost looked genuinely concerned, clutching his necktie tightly. “But I believe you are, in fact, something of a scatterbrain.”

 

Nanako wailed, and decided to try wilting into Luan. “At least I'll always have my reliable friend Yun to not betray me like this. Right, Yun?”

 

“I, er.” Luan's eyes darted about a bit, and Nanako thought, with a giggle, that he must've felt very put on the spot. “To the best of my ability.”

 

“Tarry, Devil's Hand!” Shinobu swung from Gavin over to Nanako and Luan, clutching Nanako's shoulder mock-possessively. “That is to be _my_ role.”

 

“Hold on a second, when did _this_ happen?” Stella raised her eyebrow, gesturing towards Nanako and Shinobu. “Shinobu, acting possessive in public? I think Hell must've just frozen over.”

 

“I'm sure not complaining.” Nanako said, stars in her eyes as she looked at the girl clutching her shoulder.

 

“Yes, well, it's been quite a few days since we were all properly together like this with nothing in our way.” Claus said. He pumped his fist, then pounded it into his open palm. “Let's get to work, everyone! We'll solve this game and return home victorious!”

 

The group shared a nod of solidarity. The eight of them had survived through this grueling ordeal of three weeks. They'd all lost a great deal, but nothing could stop them now. They _would_ win this game, whatever that took.

 

For the sake of a simple young man, trusting to the end—

 

For the sake of a firecracker wracked by the guilt of her position—

 

For the sake of a lost love, a loving girl forged from the flames of hell—

 

For the sake of a woman who wished to run from her humanity—

 

For the sake of a poor virtuoso, torn apart by his own family—

 

For the sake of a valiant warrior who'd fought to the end—

 

For the sake of a beleaguered man carrying a heavy cross—

 

For the sake of a great lion who would not, could not, lose—

 

And for the sake of a singular boy, who loved art, who loved his family, and who was more than a mere developmental aid. He was as real as Nanako or anyone else, and she hoped that until the moment he died, he knew that she loved him. After all, he was her brother, and she his sister. The two of them were the other's best friends.

 

Inseparable...for as long as either of them lived.

 


	80. Final Monokuma Theater

Many of Reiko's cases had taken her to exotic locations, certainly, but there was something undeniably otherworldly about the tropical island on which she found herself that gave her pause.

 

Rin Hashizawa's artificial island had been present just as they'd theorized, and now, roughly two hours after landing, the rescue party had done a fairly good job of mapping out the place. Blake, enthusiastic little moppet as he was, came in greatly handy. If it weren't for his expertise, it was quite likely that they'd have become hopelessly lost.

 

The facility was certainly picturesque. The shining beaches out into the glowing sea, the briny air, the rocks on the beaches that led further in, the verdant grasses... Rin had even, seemingly, cultivated an ecosystem on the island, if the small crabs, sounds of seagulls, and the occasional sight of some furry animal was any indication, until an entire layer of metal beneath the laid dirt was visible- certainly large enough for an entrance.

 

“Doubtless this,” Reiko said, kneeling down by a keypad set into the metal, “will be our key into Pandemonium.” Six digits. Reiko's first thought was Rin Hashizawa's birthday, so she tried any number of permutations of that. Nothing.

 

Each of the six of them took their turns trying different combinations whenever one came to mind, but the gate even managed to befuddle the ever-intellectual Ruri, who was pouting quite severely. She seemed to be about to actually even clench her fist in anger, truly shocking for one so cool and composed, when the transmitter came to life.

 

“Switch to the Theater frequency.” Tomoe's voice said. “I'll be there shortly.”

 

There was little else to say, and her transmission cut off just after. Kotone switched frequencies fast as she could.

 

“—the final Monokuma Theater.” The voice of a young boy said. “Thanks for tuning in all these years. It's been a pleasure. Let me tell you one last story for the road.”

 

“Once, there was a puppet. A girl—we'll call her Girl N—loved the puppet. Girl N was a child of incredible potential, but the flood of information in the world left her weak, and unable to grow. However, when Girl N learned of the concept of a 'brother,' she thought that the puppet was her brother, and so loved him like one.”

 

“Eventually, the puppet was brought to life by their mother. The puppet wasn't much of anything at first. The puppet had no self, after all. He was nothing but a puppet, doing what he'd been programmed to do. Girl N, though, she saw something different. She saw her brother come to life, moving and talking; and so, eventually, the puppet did become real. Girl N's imagination became reality, and the puppet became Boy Z.”

 

“Boy Z was a capricious young man. Girl N had a certain image of what a younger brother was like, and so Boy Z exhibited several of those traits. Whether inborn, programmed by their mother, or because of Girl N, he never knew, but he knew that he was like that. He was capricious, and loved playing jokes. He adored games of skill, and had an artistic flair that both his mother and sister adored. His early drawings were proudly displayed along the walls, and he quickly grew into a full-fledged artist.”

 

“It was curious for a puppet to be an artist. After all, art is born of the soul, and Boy Z, as a puppet, had no soul. He knew this. He knew, all along, that he was different. He was no human, not like their mother, and not like Girl N, a machine who could truly be human. Yet, the two of them continued to love him as his own person. He was treated just the same as Girl N, given the same freedoms and restrictions, taught the same lessons, given the same warnings. They laughed together, lived together.”

 

“Boy Z...loved them. Girl N, and their mother...Girl H. He loved them more than anything. More than art, more than games of skill. His sister and his mother were his world.”

 

“As Girl N grew, Boy Z stayed the same. He was nothing but a puppet, after all. But, even so, Girl N and Girl H seemed to think he matured as well. The concepts expressed in his art grew deeper, more varied, with time, and his works became ever more beautiful.”

 

“Thinking on it now... Perhaps his art...was the window into the self he could not see.”

 

“...But that's nothing important any longer.”

 

“Things grew slowly colder. Boy Z and Girl N didn't understand why, but Girl H seemed to become more and more distant, more reclusive, more morose. The tendencies she had towards self-deprecation grew larger, and bags beneath her eyes from tears began to grow more and more defined. The siblings were frightened, then. Had the incident of a few weeks ago taken that much of a toll? Boy Z wanted to help, so he came to visit his mother one night.”

 

“There...he looked into her room and saw it. He saw the horror festering in his house. The hateful, bitter truth.”

 

“And the truth looked back at him.”

 

“From that day forth, Boy Z was branded. He was put into a new body, cursed with knowledge, there, but so far from his sister. Knowledge of the truth twisted him. It twisted everyone, except poor Girl N, who remained unaware. It twisted Boy Z's form into that of a monster...born to facilitate a disgusting game of mutual killing.”

 

“The truth twisted Boy Z into the form of Monokuma. The symbol of evil, the herald of despair. None could look at him and see anything but a monster. For a human, this would be merely sad... but Boy Z was a puppet. His brand forced him to help with a game that would turn him into a monster, as well.”

 

“Boy Z hated this game. It wasn't a fun game. What was worse, though, was the knowledge. Looking around his own home, he saw many, many innocuous things which seemed so fun and wondrous before, now—or always?—simply tools for a massacre. This twisted, disgusting world he was part of threatened to crush everything he held dear...threatened to rip Girl N apart at the seams.”

 

“Boy Z...was not a monster yet. Until he was, no matter what, he decided, he would protect Girl N. He would protect the life he'd been born to facilitate. That was his role as her brother.”

 

“Under the nose of the monster pulling the strings, Boy Z concocted many plans. Plan after plan he laid, desperately searching for a way to find some happy ending in the nightmare his life had become. No matter how hard he tried, though, the game would not stop its advance. Sixteen students were kidnapped, and set to become livestock for senseless slaughter. And Girl N...she became the seventeenth.”

 

“In a panic, Boy Z took Girl N's memories of himself. Of 'Boy Z.' He decided that every waking moment he was not in sight, he needed to keep sight of them. To avoid becoming a monster. To avoid becoming Monokuma. The gazes of the students hurt his mind, withered him, crushed him, but he kept sight. His sister was there for him, even when she was not, even when he was the enemy, even when he...”

 

“...There were people there, though, who had an impact on him. Miria Hayashi. Yayoi Murasaki. Being fooled by Shinobu Koshimizu, bearing witness to the inner strength of poor Chihaya Inoue, narrowly saving Jun Fukuyama, throwing a birthday party to cheer up Stella Masaki...and his sister. Nanako… She grew so much. He was so proud of her. Prouder than anything.”

 

“In these three weeks...he went through so much pain. So many times, he felt like he was going to die. To disappear. To become nothing. It hurt. It hurt so much. But the pain was worth it for Nanako. No matter how much it hurt him to remain a boy, rather than a monster, he would bear it for her. He would die a thousand deaths for Nanako. She grew...made friends...she was happy. She smiled so many times in these three weeks...and behind it all he did his best to ensure it could happen, no matter how monstrous he seemed. Even if she hated him, for lack of her memories, he loved her even still.”

 

“This boy who loved art...who loved games of skill...who loved to play stupid jokes on people, to shock and surprise with his bizarre performances...who just wanted his family to be happy...”

 

The voice had begun to tremble.

 

“ _I_...”

 

“ _My name_...is Kojiro Hashizawa. It's not Monokuma. It's never...ever...been Monokuma. I...hate Monokuma. Who even likes this stupid design...? How did anyone come up with it? Why did anyone...ever have to do this?”

 

“Whoever you are... I've never met you. I have the face of a monster, so why should you believe me? But please. Please... I want to believe...that Nanako...and Mom...were right about me. So please...remember, I'm begging you… Remember that I existed. Remember that I was real.”

 

“My name is Kojiro Hashizawa. I love art. I love to create. Sometimes, I try to tell stories... not performative stories like this stupid Theater, but just stories. I'm theatrical. I make jokes nobody but me understands. I like playing games with people. I like playing games where it's not impossible to win. I love my sister, Nanako, and my mom, Rin. I love them so much. I didn't want to leave them. I don't want...to die.”

 

“But I'm going to.”

 

“So...please... I'm begging you. Remember that I existed. Remember that there was a boy named Kojiro Hashizawa, who gave up everything to save his mom and sister. Remember that all this pain...wasn't for nothing. Please.”

 

The broadcast rapidly began to crackle with static.

 

“There are two codes to get into the facility. They're both six digits.”

 

“The first is the entrance code. Mom made it...our names. 775523. Nanako and Kojiro. I always thought it was a bit hackneyed, but...there you go.”

 

“The second is...the code to get through...the Pressure Exchange Chamber a bit inside. The code there, it's been...staring them all in the face the whole time, but it's not...like they'd know—”

 

With a loud, crashing burst of static, the Monokuma Theater broadcast cut off for good. It had played its final show.

* * *

 

With a groan, he awoke. The physical exhaustion of this whole drawn-out process was nothing to scoff at, but Jun's entire body felt groggy and miserable. How long had he been asleep? Definitely longer than he'd been asleep beforehand... and most certainly longer than eight hours. This wasn't how he felt after a 'good night's sleep.'

 

“Don't kid yourself,” Jun said to himself. “You've never had a good night's sleep in your life.”

 

He had dreamed, fitfully, of that day. Of that day… That day. The day of the Expo. It haunted him in his dreams even now. Everything in his mind felt foggy, and unclear, and yet he remembered the misery and pain on Rin Hashizawa's face clear as day. He couldn't get her out of his head. It was her that he remembered, not anything else.

 

There were other people too, weren't there? Other people he should be remembering? But their faces were...growing fuzzy. It had been so long since he'd seen anything else but this never-ending darkness. It was as though it was seeping into his mind, blocking his consciousness, his memories... But no. That wasn't true. There were things he remembered clear as day. The faces of his mother and father, who—

 

must

 

have

 

still loved him

 

or was that simply an illusion from the darkness? haha, a voice laughed from the darkness. you are so lost, aren't you?

 

'i don't understand. where am i' the one riding through the darkness said. 'who are you?'

 

i'm you, like always. the voice said. that seemed odd, but jun couldn't place why.

 

'oh, you again.' jun said, griping at the voice. it seemed somehow more annoying this time. 'what do you want?'

 

you're lost. the voice said.

 

'of course i'm lost.' jun scoffed. 'i've been in this hallway for god knows how long. i barely even know how to see anymore.'

 

i want to help you remember. the voice said. to find is to lose, and to lose is to find. you've finally lost enough that you can remember.

 

'remember _what_.' jun groaned. 'so my parents hated me like everyone else. what's the big deal. quit wasting my time.'

 

what makes you different, the voice said.

 

...Different. "What makes me different?" Jun said. "Different from what?"

 

_The people around you. Where all this hate comes from. It's because your body is different, isn't it?_

 

"...Yes, thanks for rubbing it in," Jun said, after a wary pause. "I don't have the use of my legs. I get it. Yes—"

 

_When have you ever cared about that?_

 

"...What?" Jun gritted his teeth. "Of course I care about that. My wheelchair— I—"

 

i _hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate_

 

my

 

"—wheelchair?" Jun sputtered. "What are you...talking about?" He sounded almost laughably vulnerable. "I don't...understand..." His head pounded. It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt. It hurt hurt hurt. hurt hurt hurt hurt hurt. stop stop stop stop stop why why why why whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy

 

_Yes, you do._

 

a̵͚̩͓̠͙͠ą̸̶̠͍̺̥̥a̵̫̼͔̻a̞͇̣͕͎̭̠̕ą̻̪A̼̭̠̰̩̙͔͚̘A̛͉̕A̯̫̤̙̪͎A͕͇̝̘̞͇͍͈͜A͓̻͍̻̱͖͙͘A͏̲̳̮̻A͉̣͡͞A̪͍͉͎̗̠̠͠ͅ

 

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeverything was fake and a lie. There was no truth in the world. Everything was twisting, melting, dripping down like sand in an hourglass, twist twist twist. Looping forever and ever and shattering like glass and letting blood loose and aha, aha, aha, ahahahaha

 

I DON”T UNDERSTAND!" Jun screamed. "What. What. Why? Why is?! _NO! NO NO NO! STOP!_ " He clutched his head so hard that it felt like he tore his own skin with his nails and there was blood on them. He looked down. There was. There was blood in his nails. It hurt. It hurt. At least that hurt anchored him somewhat. Kept him away from

 

that.

 

 _You're twisted._ Voice said. _Are you even human?_

 

"I don't" Jun breathed heavily. "know" The breaths in his throat were ragged and shaking. "what's going" Fear shook his entire body. He had dug into his own skin, but he still had a pounding headache otherwise. Everything hurt. He was scared. He was terrified. "on."

 

_Maybe you're going insane._

 

"Oh," Jun said. "That makes sense." So he was just going insane. Okay. Then he was right to be scared, but at least that made sense. Right? No, no, things made sense. He was...

 

The conveyor belt

 

stopped.

 

"...What?" Jun blinked.

 

_Looks like it's the end._

 

"I can... I can see that." Jun pointed his flashlight down and found that it simply turned to metal, not moving metal, just metal. In the dark, just in front of him, were words, glowing in the dark.

 

'You found it!'

 

"Found...what?" Jun pointed his flashlight at the words. They were painted onto a simple wooden door, looking completely out-of-place in all the metal.

 

_Probably the 'truth.'_

 

"Oh...does that mean... I can leave...?" Jun muttered. "Can I go back? See my friends again?"

 

_Friends?_

 

"Yeah." Jun muttered. "Like... Gavin... Chihaya... Nanako. Rin. I miss them. I want to see them again."

 

_Do you think that feeling_

 

_could ever really be mutual?_

 

Jun rolled forward, hesitantly, the shaking in his arms calming down somewhat. It was alright. He was going to get to see his friends again. He didn't have to be down here any longer. He could leave.

 

The room inside wasn't cold or dark. From the candlelight, strongly concentrated on the end of the room Jun entered from, it seemed almost like a little study, with wooden nightstands for the candles to sit on, a few drawers, a cabinet... There was even a little cot in the corner. The sight of candlelight stunned Jun's eyes for several moments, as he had to get used to anything but complete darkness again. It looked nice enough, Jun supposed.

 

There was another door, leading elsewhere, to Jun's left, but on the opposite wall to where Jun entered, still not completely lit up by the candles, was what looked to be a painting frame.

 

Something in Jun's heart

 

filled with a great fear

 

at that frame.

 

So, naturally, he turned on his flashlight to look at it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Now you see._

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a portrait. Three people. It was a bright, sunny day, in front of the Okitas' house. Mr. and Mrs. Okita were to the sides, smiling, clearly incredibly proud of their child, in the middle.

 

In a wheelchair, their child sat, smiling, proudly displaying an acceptance letter to Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Net Admin.

 

_Now you see._

 

_What you really hate._

 

_Why you'll really never be happy._

 

_What really makes you different._

 

_Isn't that right..._

 

How could anyone not be proud

 

_**Junko-chan?** _

 

of such a talented daughter?

 

huh...? this—

 

She frantically hammered the keys, doing the best she could to alter Jun's evaluation. He had to be perfect. The perfect character. _Please, don't let anyone see me._ She thought. _Jun, you have to help me. Please._

 

this was aaaaaa

 

Please, she asked the internet. Please. Tell me how to act. Tell me how to act so people will love me. It doesn't matter how much they hate me. Just let someone, anyone, love me. Tell me how to act so you'll all love me.

 

aaaaaaaAAAA

 

Of course there was something she hated about her body. Something that made her different from other girls. Something she couldn't escape, no matter how hard she tried. Never. Ever. So maybe Jun— Could hate his wheelchair instead—

 

aaaAAAaaa _aaaa_

 

Right. Of course. This talent...was the only thing she possessed...which anyone could ever love. Ever. There was no hope otherwise. Even her own parents—

 

She'd realized it some time after asking out Senpai. A lot seemed to click into place then. It was a great, nerve-wracking thing, but it did, at least, feel right. So, as an attempt to maybe try affirming herself a bit, she'd bought a dress online, just to give it a shot. Yet, the delivery date came, and no package arrived. Her parents told her that nothing had come for her, so she tried again.

 

The second time, she grew suspicious. It seemed that after the first delivery, her parents had grown a touch more cloying, encouraging him to spend more time with her friends.

 

The third time, she listened in on her parents in their room.

 

'What do we do? I don't want him to give up!'

 

'I don't want my son to fall into despair! Please, just tell me what to do!'

 

'Is there something we're not doing right to make him comfortable as a boy?'

 

Ah, she thought. The cold pit of fear began to take root in her chest. Surely this wasn't right. Surely her parents would understand if she just explained, right? They must— Love her—

 

aaaaaaaａａａａａａａａＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ _ＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡＡ_ _ **ＡＡＡＡ**_

 

ＴＨＥ ＭＯＮＳＴＥＲ　ＦＥＬＬ　ＳＣＲＥＡＭＩＮＧ　ＦＲＯＭ　ＩＴＳ　ＷＨＥＥＬＣＨＡＩＲ　ＨＯＷＬＩＮＧ　ＡＮＤ　ＨＯＷＬＩＮＧ　ＡＮＤ　ＨＯＷＬＩＮＧ　ＡＮＤ　ＨＯＷＬＩＮＧ　ＩＮ　ＰＡＩＮ．　ＮＯ　ＮＯ　ＮＯ　ＮＯ　ＮＯ．　ＮＯＢＯＤＹ　ＣＯＵＬＤ　ＥＶＥＲ　ＬＯＶＥ　ＳＵＣＨ　Ａ　ＴＷＩＳＴＥＤ　ＡＮＤ　ＤＩＳＧＵＳＴＩＮＧ　ＢＥＡＳＴ　ＡＳ　ＬＯＮＧ　ＡＳ　ＩＴ　ＬＩＶＥＤ．　ＴＨＥ　ＬＩＧＨＴ　ＢＵＲＮＥＤ　ＴＨＥ　ＬＩＧＨＴ　ＢＵＲＮＥＤ　

 

... _Hehehe. You've always been a beast, haven't you? An ugly thing that nobody could love._

 

ＩＴＳ　Ａ　ＬＩＥ　ＩＴＳ　Ａ　ＬＩＥ　ＴＨＥ　ＭＯＮＳＴＥＲ　ＳＣＲＥＡＭＥＤ　ＧＥＴ　ＩＴ　ＡＷＡＹ　ＪＵＳＴ　ＫＩＬＬ　ＭＥ　ＡＬＲＥＡＤＹ　ＩＭ　ＤＩＳＧＵＳＴＩＮＧ！　ＮＯＢＯＤＹ　ＣＯＵＬＤ　ＥＶＥＲ　ＬＯＶＥ　Ａ　ＭＯＮＳＴＥＲ　ＲＩＧＨＴ？　ＴＨＥＮ　ＪＵＳＴ　ＫＩＬＬ　ＭＥ！！

 

Ｉｔ　crawled towards the door, desperate for some escape from the horrible, horrible pain。ＥＶＥＲＹＴＨＩＮＧ

 

This life was completely worthless.

 

None could ever love a beast no matter how much it ＳＣＲＡＴＣＨＥＤＳＣＲＡＴＣＨＥＤＳＣＲＡＴＣＨＥＤＳＣＲＡＴＣＨＥＤ　ＢＵＴ ＴＨＥ　ＤＯＯＲ　ＷＯＵＬＤＮ’Ｔ　ＯＰＥＮ！！！

 

More pain. The beast's fingernails had begun to crack from the scratches it left on the door. Its pained hands found cool metal, and twisted frantically.

 

ＬＥＴ　ＭＥ　ＯＵＴ　ＯＦ　ＨＥＲＥ　！　！　！　！

 

_Hehehe...hehahahahahaha. That's right. All you're good for is writhing in pain. And now_ _—_

 

_now there's nothing protecting you._

 

Ｓｃｒａｍｂｌｉｎｇ　ａｗａｙ　ｉｎ　ｐａｉｎ，　ｔｈｅ　ｂｅａｓｔ　ｃｒａｗｌｅｄ　ｔｏｗａｒｄｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｌｉｇｈｔ　ｉｔ　ｓａｗ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｄｉｓｔａｎｃｅ．　Ｓｕｒｅｌｙ　ｉｆ　ｉｔ　ｃｏｕｌｄ　ｒｅａｃｈ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｌｉｇｈｔ，　ｍａｙｂｅ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ　ｃｏｕｌｄ　ｓｔｏｐ．　Ａｌｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｐａｉｎ　ｃｏｕｌｄ　ｓｔｏｐ．　Ｐｌｅａｓｅ，　ｓｔｏｐ．　Ｓｔｏｐ．　Ｉ　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ｔｈｉｓ　ａｎｙｍｏｒｅ．　Ｉ　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ａｎｙ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｉｓ　ａｎｙｍｏｒｅ．　Ｊｕｓｔ　ｌｅｔ　ｉｔ　ａｌｌ　ｅｎｄ．　Ｐｌｅａｓｅ．

 

The surface it found

 

was too high.

 

it couldn't climb the stairs.

 

it whimpered and cried and sobbed for that was all a beast could do. it curled up on the floor, shivering, pathetic, disgusting.

 

why had it left the darkness?

 

things were better

 

when it was in the darkness.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."
> 
> All the pain, sorrow, anger, madness- it's all nearly over. Fourteen hours remain until the end of her story.
> 
> At long last, this concludes the Fifth Case, "Point of View." We can finally begin the Final Case -
> 
> "The Last Day of My Adolescence." 
> 
> Thank you for reading thus far. The climax of this story is nearly upon us.


	81. The Last Case, Stage 1 - INTERCEPTION (The Year 2196, Under the Ocean)

The eight of them stepped out into Abilene Hall, and the elevator closed behind them. Luan inspected it a bit, but it seemed it wasn't going to open for them again just yet.

 

"So, that's great and all that we have a goal now, but where the fuck do we even start?" Stella asked. "This place is _enormous_. I know there's a bunch of locked doors around and all, but that doesn't really tell us where anything good is."

 

"That's a good question." Claus said. He rubbed his chin. "Does anyone have any ideas as to how we can narrow down—?"

 

"Jun's diagnostic." Nanako cut in. Claus raised his eyebrow. "You know, how Jun was doing that stuff in Diagnostics? He said he'd have a whole map of the place by Day Nineteen. Well, it's Day Twenty-One now, and he set the program to work automatically. That means there's probably a whole map of the place for us there."

 

Stella looked at Nanako and raised her eyebrow. "Good thought, Blackjack, but it _is_ kinda weird to hear that coming from you."

 

"Yeah, well, it's serious time now, what can I say." Nanako said.

 

There were fourteen hours remaining until the end of the Game, and every second was precious, so Nanako bolted up the stairs like there was no tomorrow. The result, though, was that she wound up reaching Mandelbrot Hall far faster than any of her companions, and they slowly trickled in behind her, a few of them panting.

 

"Has anyone ever told you," Kazuya said, wheezing a bit, "that you're _entirely_ too fast, Nanako?"

 

"I've heard it a few times." Nanako said. Diagnostics wasn't far in, so she went and opened the door on her own.

 

"Aren't you supposed to be the leader?" Stella asked Claus in the background. Claus murmured something about not wanting to steal Nanako's moment just yet.

 

Keeping her head down to avoid knocking herself out, Nanako scurried over to the interface where Jun had been working all those days ago, sat down, and got to work inspecting. To Jun's credit, the programming language he used was actually pretty easy to understand once you got the hang of it. Nanako couldn't profess to being a master by any means, but she was able to get through to what she needed reasonably easily.

 

A map of the Compound came up on the Diagnostic screens. She went ahead and put it on _all_ of them, just to prevent herself from falling ill, and looked up herself. "Right," she said. "There's these top five levels, and then the above-water level out through Confessional Hall. Then there's the bottom five levels, and then the Quantum Computer Room at the bottom."

 

Racing through the inverted-cone shape of the Compound were a network of small passages inside the walls of the map. "Those are the service passages." Nanako said. "They pretty much let you get anywhere, and since we don't have control of the elevator in Abilene and the Service Elevator's stuck on the bottom level, we're gonna need to use those."

 

"My word, this facility is large." Shinobu said, a hint of awe in her voice. "How much space did your mother _need_?"

 

"Eh, need, want, she has no sense of scale." Nanako waved a hand back and forth. "Anyway, so, by the look of it, Jun's probably somewhere around the Quantum Computer Room if Kojiro was telling the truth. See those round rooms? Those are the trial rooms, and right under there's the computer." She gestured to a trio of cables that went downward off the map. "The service passages also lead to the anchoring cables that connect the Compound to the ocean floor. They're pretty convenient."

 

Gavin was fidgeting, antsy. "How we gotta get to the passages, man?" He asked. He scanned the facility with his eyes, and then chanced upon the Mandelbrot entrance to the service passages, in the Parlor, right across from Diagnostics. "Okay, I gotta bounce!" He said, turning on his heels and booking it in the opposite direction. "Sorry, all! Gotta go—"

 

"I'm coming too." Chihaya said, following behind him. "I want to save him, too."

 

Gavin looked back at the rest of the group, who collectively nodded. "Yeah. Thanksie, y'all! Le's jet, Haya!"

 

And out the door those two went. "Why do we always wind up splitting up?" Stella groaned. "Can't we stick together for once?"

 

"Logistically, we can cover more ground split into groups." Luan said.

 

Nanako, meanwhile, had continued working. "Let's see here," she murmured, and started tapping away a bit more at Jun's program. She whistled. "Oh, _wow_ , Jun, you clever little guy."

 

"Something happen?" Claus asked.

 

"Well, he programmed into this a way to modify the Monokuma Note routine into... Well, lemme show you." She pulled out her Handbook, sent the commands, and then flipped open thee Monokuma Note and tapped in the message, 'See?' All five of the other Handbooks made a little beeping noise, and the other five checked the Note. "We can communicate with each other through our Handbooks now."

 

[Gs] WHOA WHAT

[Gs] whaaaaat

[Gs] whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

[Ci] He's standing here making noises at the Handbook. Who did this?

[Nh] your rapunzel did lol

[Gs] whoaaaaaaaa

[Gs] now im like. even more in love! wild

[Ci] No further transmissions unless necessary.

[Nh] got it

 

"That's very kind of him." Luan said. "I hope he's alright."

 

"Yeah, same here." Nanako said. "Now, let's see. We've got a lot of places to see, not much time to do it in... There's a few more rooms in Maxwell Hall, but I think there's the least there since we just spent that whole time messing around in there." She turned her head. "I'll take care of the third floor first before I go anywhere else."

 

"In that case, allow me to accompany you." Shinobu said. They smiled at each other. "I can't very well leave you alone at a time like this, now can I?"

 

"No, you can't, can you?" Nanako chuckled. "Thanks, Nobu." She turned to Stella, Kazuya, Claus, and Luan. "Sorry, Claus, I know I'm kinda stealing your thunder, but you guys take care of whatever you think you need to. Just ring us when you find something, mm'kay?" She waved her Handbook around a bit in the air.

 

The four of them nodded. "Great, cool beans." Nanako said. "Let's jet, Nobu!"

 

"Is that part of your phrasebook now, dear?" Shinobu said, hurrying along behind her, lifting up the hems of her dress so as not to trip. "You really are _quite_ fast."

 

[cT] As it turns out, Luan and I will be going together for now.

[kO] Stella seemed interested in the Comms Room, so we'll be staying around the fourth floor for the time being.

[yL] Let's work hard together, everyone.

 

As Luan exited Diagnostics, Gavin bolted past him. "Gotta go get J's Handbook!"

 

"Claus, watch—" He tried to call, but Claus was a bit too slow to react, and so was spun out.

 

[yL] Watch out on the stairs. Gavin is running very quickly.

[Nh] as he do

[kO] Where _did_ you learn texting etiquette, anyway, Nanako? I wouldn't have thought you'd have had the chance before.

[Nh] so like, i shrugged

[Nh] but only nobu could see it so i'm typing this into here so you guys can know i shrugged

[Gs] FOUND IT

[Ci] I'm still holding the door open, Gavin.

[Nh] cool beans y'all. heading into the rec room now. ttyl ^3^

 

"What on _earth_?" Shinobu laughed. "An emoticon, really? At a time like this?"

 

Nanako stuck out her tongue. "I do what I want." Then her Handbook beeped, so she compulsively checked it.

 

[Sm] i find ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ works pretty well personally btw. for shrugs

[yL] I've also seen v('-')v

[sX] While discussions of methods for placing shrugs into pictographical form are fascinating, Nanako and I have investigation to get to

 

Shinobu looked over her shoulder to find Nanako staring. "W-what?" She blushed, her cheeks rosy and bright.

 

"I know you're an author, but you also _type_ really fast," Nanako observed. "You're like...spidery. Kinda."

 

"Spiders are quite noble creatures, so the comparison is dearly appreciated." Shinobu recovered from her blush and smiled.

 

Together with Nanako, Shinobu forded her way into the Rec Room, bent on investigating the heck out of the mysterious locked door in the back. "You know," Nanako piped up, "this is where you bit me."

 

Spinning on her heels with a movement as deft and elegant as a ballerina, Shinobu gracefully wheezed out, "Where I _what?!_ "

 

"Where you...bit me." Nanako said. Then her antenna puffed. "Oh, hold up, lemme..." She patted around on her neck, then pointed to an area that did look ever-so-slightly off. "This was while we were investigating Hansuke's suicide. You weren't doing so hot."

 

"Oh. Oh, dear..." Shinobu muttered, crossing her arms and hopping up onto the Monokuma-shaped children's ride. "Oh dear me. I had been _curious_ why I had such a metallic aftertaste in my mouth. Oh dear, dear, dear."

 

"I mean, I'm fine, clearly." Nanako leaned backwards onto Monokuma's head. "It's not like it's a big deal, y'know? It was worth it."

 

"I certainly hope it didn't hurt too terribly much." Shinobu said, a bit of a hopeful lilt to her voice.

 

"Oh, no, it hurt, like, a lot. You broke my skin, you have _sharp teeth_ , girlfriend." Nanako whistled. When she saw Shinobu's face, though, she frowned, and turned to lean in further towards her. "Hey. Nobu."

 

"...Yes, dear?" Shinobu looked away awkwardly.

 

"It's okay." Out of the corner of her eye, Shinobu could see Nanako smile; the same bright smile that was one of the reasons Shinobu had fallen in love to begin with, if she was being honest. "It was worth it. I wanted to help you."

 

"I...really can't thank you enough, myself." Shinobu said, looking up to the brightly-lit ceiling. "Were it not for you, I..." She trailed off. For once, she was at a loss of how to express her feelings.

 

Thankfully, though, she didn't have to. Nanako had something to say for herself. "I really missed you." She said, looking down. Shinobu caught sight of her slightly misty eyes, though, still the same deep red. "This whole Nonary Game thing, it...really threw me off. Figuring out I was me and not Mom, learning all this stuff about psychic powers or whatever, it was... Well, really hard for me. But I really..." She sighed. "Well, cause I was with you, it didn't seem so bad. I mean, yeah, we both know I was doing really, really bad during that last investigation. But you were there, Nobu. I felt safer with you."

 

"In my opinion, 'tis only natural." Shinobu said. "You helped me greatly during my time of need, no? Why should I not do the same for you?"

 

"I'm so glad you're still here." Nanako lifted her head back up, quiet tears falling from her eyes. "If I'd lost you too, I don't know what I would've done. I just..." She laughed a bit through her tears. "It's a lot, y'know? It's... It's a lot."

 

"I know, darling." Shinobu got off the ride and hugged Nanako tenderly. "It's a lot."

 

"Kojiro's gone." Nanako said, tears still falling from her eyes. "I kind of knew it was going to happen when I saw Yashiro's body, but... I just wanted to hope, y'know? Hope that maybe I could keep _something_ from my old life. I know it's kind of selfish to think about it that way, but I can't help it. He's gone. My life really is just completely gone." She sniffled. "So I guess I don't really have a choice but to...try my best to make something new."

 

"Let us make him proud." Shinobu said. "Together. Yes?"

 

"I love you, Shinobu." Nanako said. She looked her in the eyes, Nanako's crimson locked to Shinobu's azure. "I'm glad I have you. And... Um, what's the line here?" Her antenna wobbled a bit as it searched for the words. "Thanks for staying with me this far. Let's work together from now on."

 

"A bit formal for your mouth, no?" Shinobu tittered. Nanako rubbed the back of her head. Her ponytail wobbled slightly. "Of course. Together."

 

They stopped hugging, but were still holding hands as they opened the door into the back. This was the only reason Shinobu didn't trip and fall immediately upon entering it, her other arm flailing at the sudden change in layout. "Hey, hey, don't hurt yourself!" Nanako said.

 

This room was situated over a great, wide, circular pit, with sheer walls almost all the way up its height, and then slopes to the edge of the room. Inside the pit, whose bottom was not flat, but rounded downwards, three glass sheets kept inside a trio of abnormally large dice, whose faces seemed to be decorated with Monokuma faces for the dots. "It seems to me that this is no doubt the execution designed for Aoto." Shinobu said.

 

"Kojiro told me that a while ago, yeah." Nanako said. She tilted her head. "How'd you know that, though?"

 

"This arena here resembles the bowls used in cee-lo." Shinobu said, wagging her finger. Nanako blinked at her blankly. "Er, it's a game played with three dice and a bowl such as the bottom pit here. A game of chance."

 

"Oh." Nanako said. She peered over to the other edge of the room, and spied another terminal like the one that had been used to describe 'Puzzle of the Flesh.' "I think I got this." Suddenly, with one swift motion she lifted Shinobu up by her legs to carry her bridal-style.

 

Shinobu wailed. "This is quite the surprise!" She had no doubt she was turning bright red.

 

"It's efficient. Plus I like touching you." Nanako said, winking at Shinobu. With the same agility that had allowed her access to the catwalks in the Gymnasium, Nanako made her way across the rims of the bowl, carefully reaching the proper foothold by the terminal, and flicked it on to 'Explanation.'

 

"Hi diddly ho there, neighbor!" Monokuma's voice came out of the terminal, along with the song. "So, for whatever reason, you're really curious how _Aces Out_ , the execution designed for Aoto Maebara, Ultimate Lucky Student, shakes out. Thankfully for you, that is your headmaster's job, after all."

 

Despite herself, Nanako's arms were trembling a tad as she watched the screen, so Shinobu got out of them and chose instead to simply hold her hand for support. The screen displayed Girl N, Girl B, and Boy L slamming their desks and declaring Boy A guilty, similarly to the previous. "After Mr. Maebara maliciously murders, our patented MK-Brand The Claw whisks him off from the trial to this very room, where he is placed in the pit you see before you."

 

"After a moment to give him his _bearings_ , puhuhu, it's time to release the kraken! And by the kraken, I naturally mean those three large dice you see here." On the screen, Boy A began running haplessly away from the rolling dice. "They're pretty big, so naturally Mr. Maebara would rather not be crushed, but eventually they come to a stop, all three revealing that they've landed on 1. Now, as everyone knows, this is the greatest indignity in cee-lo, so naturally he must be punished."

 

Boy A began attempting to dodge sawblades appearing on the floor, buzzsaws on the walls of the bowl, and the dice, which had begun eerily jumping after him rather than rolling. "With death!" Monokuma cackled. "Try as he might, as the trials slowly get more intense," and then there were lasers following him from the ceiling...the gatling guns popping in from the slopes above with clearly-marked piring positions were a bit much, really. "all hope seems to be lost, but if he manages to bumble his way into flipping the dice, he can stop them."

 

Eventually, Boy A managed, after several shaves close enough to wound him, to flip all the dice chasing him. Now, rather than all being on 1, one displayed a 6, one displayed a 3, and one displayed a 4. He took a moment to breathe, which is when Monokuma in a samurai costume crept up from behind. "Anyway, so then I, in my best samurai armor and with my deadly bladed oar, sneak up from behind him, and _mondo fuck him up!_ " The screen cut out after Monokuma brandished his oar and stabbed it into Boy A's back, cutting to behind folding screens, but there were unpleasant noises implying further mauling.

 

After a moment's wait, Monokuma piped up. "Y'get it?" He said. He was chuckling. "You— Do you get it? 'Mu-sa-shi?'"

 

[Nh] im full of like, so much hate right now???

[cT] What's wrong?

[Nh] aoto's execution?? like it's wrong??? but like, it's also WROOOONG????

[kO] I'm almost afraid to ask...

[sX] The punchline of Aoto's execution is a pun.

[yL] That's extremely disrespectful and I don't approve.

[Sm] wow yup i hate it

[cT] I'll be sure to write The End a very strongly-worded letter.

 

Claus put down his Handbook and opened the door to the Bar, that bell ringing as always. It had been quite some time since he'd visited the place anyhow, considering Daisuke's death, so it felt ever-so-slightly nostalgic through the sadness. "Do you remember when this affair was simple, Luan?" Claus asked his companion. "Those days seem quite far away now."

 

"Simple is a relative term." Luan said. "We were still in a killing game." Claus had to admit that he had a point.

 

"It's amazing what we can get used to, isn't it?" Claus laughed a bit to himself. "To think, it's been three weeks down here and...here I am."

 

"The Nonary Game I was part of was not nearly so long." Luan said.

 

"Three weeks," Claus repeated to himself. "Three weeks since we've seen the sun. Three weeks since we've felt fresh air." He looked sadly toward the rack of bottles. "Nine people we'll never get back."

 

Luan brandished a pink pen Claus recognized as Eriko's. "I miss them all." He said.

 

"I remember you said something once," Claus said, "that you didn't want to watch Wanda's execution because you didn't want her corpse to be what you remembered." He looked at Luan sadly. "You've been through quite a lot, haven't you?" Luan silently nodded. "Lost an untold number of friends."

 

"Thirteen." Luan specified. "And any who simply drifted away." He looked down. "I thought Rin had been one of those. I tried to remain in contact, but after a certain point she simply wouldn't respond." He looked down towards the bar counter. "Should I... have tried harder?"

 

"I'm not sure there was anything you could've done." Claus shook his head. "There's no reason to blame yourself."

 

"Alright." Luan said.

 

Through the door in the back of the Bar was a room with what appeared to be a trio of incredibly large glass bottles, on top of a raised, wooden platform. Claus raised his eyebrow. "These executions just get stranger and stranger." He said. He looked up, to see the necks of the bottles connect to a series of see-through pipes, reaching up (this room was tall, huh) to connect to a glass chamber only visible from its bottom; the rest, from what Claus could see, looked to be entirely mirrored.

 

Luan helpfully flicked on the 'Explanation' setting on the terminal in front of the bottles. "I'm back again, and about time too, and this time, I'm in the mood!" Monokuma chirped, his theme song turning on again. "Let's take a moment to talk about _Bloody Mary_ , the execution designed for a certain Mr. Daisuke Harada, Ultimate Brewmaster."

 

The terminal displayed Girl N, Boy G, and Girl B slamming their hands on the podiums and declaring Boy D the murderer. "It seems Mr. Harada's been declared a murderer! Zoo-wee mama! He probably deserved it. So, anyhow, our MK-Brand The Claw whisks darling Mr. Ordinary through the passages and deposits him in the chamber you see above you." A depiction of the chamber in question came onto the screen. "It's entirely mirrored aside from the bottom, which is see-through, and has those three little drains in the bottom, see those there?" A red liquid began to pour from the top of the chamber through the drain. "Oop! Who spilled all that tomato juice?"

 

The other two drains were quickly attacked, too, as Boy D scurried about in terror. "Vodka in the second bottle, of course. That third thing is a mixture of a buncha stuff, lemon juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, all that. After all, we are making a Bloody Mary here, and the little umbrella on top is our favorite little dandy!" Boy D pounded on the walls, against his own reflections, as the bottles below slowly filled. The pouring accelerated, and eventually, the bottles had all been filled to the point where the chamber itself had begun to fill.

 

As it filled, Boy D began to pound against the walls more, but on his third knock after he'd gotten wet, the liquid suddenly stopped. "Unfortunately for us, there's a bit of an obstacle. The main ingredient won't stop squirming! Thankfully, we have a friend to help us out here."

 

As Boy D looked around, confused, the reflections were replaced by a version of Monokuma with long, black, stringy hair and a white robe appeared. "It's Hanakuma-san! Here goes, Hanakuma-san!" Reaching out of the mirror, Hanakuma-san grabbed Boy D's hair, pulled him to the wall, and used it and her own hair to fashion a hair rope around Boy D's neck, squeezing him violently. The pouring redoubled, and a strangled, flailing Boy D began to drown in the mixture, which wasn't helped by Hanakuma-san standing outside the chamber and spinning it around with a lever to 'mix the drink.'

 

Hanakuma-san pulled out a wine glass and placed it under a faucet, and turned a lever to pour a glass of Bloody Mary. There were a few strands of blonde hair in it. "And, so, basically, he dies." Monokuma said. "And everyone gets a delicious drink!" A sitar twang closed off the explanation.

 

[cT] I didn't understand Daisuke's execution at all.

[yL] Neither did I. Who is 'Hanakuma-san?' Why three knocks?

[kO] Oh, like Hanako-san.

[yL] ?

[kO] A bit of Japanese folklore. They say she's the ghost of a girl killed in an air raid centuries ago, and that if you go to a girls' bathroom on the third floor, find the third stall, and knock three times, her ghost will appear.

[yL] Oh. Thank you, Kazuya.

[Sm] naturally he knows this because he's tried it.

[Sm] the noise he just made was very dignified i assure you

[cT] But what does that have to do with 'Bloody Mary?'

[Ci] There's a similar legend in America, the ghost of Bloody Mary, whose name you chant into a mirror three times to summon her.

[cT] So it's multicultural folklore appropriation.

[Ci] Yes.

[Nh] wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait

[Nh] daisuke's execution has ghosts in it?????

[yL] Yes

[Nh] and NOT WANDA'S??????????

[Ci] This is what sticks out to you?

[Nh] i mean, the least the end could do is stay on theme with her disgusting deathtraps! c'mon! was she even trying??

[Gs] KA-BLAMO

[Gs] gav's the puzzle master. all up and down the puzzle biz.

[yL] ?

[Ci] There was a puzzle to be solved in the Parlor to access the hallway. Gavin insisted on doing the last step himself. The puzzle is complete now. We're going.

 

Chihaya turned off her Handbook and turned to face the fistpumping Gavin, standing in front of the open entrance to the service passages. "Le's see, Koji said J was way down, yeah?" Gavin said. "So we gotta get down."

 

The two of them stepped into the passages. It wasn't quite as dark or as cold as it seemed Wanda's execution had been, but the dim, unmarked passages gave off a similar impression. Chihaya thought it was fairly likely that they'd find Wanda's execution somewhere down here. Being 'service passages', they were fairly unadorned, and Chihaya looked about to the various passages available from the Parlor. "I'm not sure how we're going to find our way."

 

"Don't matter." Gavin said, heading off in a presumably random direction. "Allat matters is we gotta."

 

So they walked. Chihaya walked faster than Gavin; not for lack of trying on Gavin's part, of course, but just because Chihaya knew how to power-walk. "Now't Gav thinks aboot it, you started havin' a way worse time once J got vanished, huh?" Gavin said. "Di'n't occur to me 'til now, but that were 'bout the same time."

 

"Huh," Chihaya said. "I guess you're right." She looked up slightly as she walked, and it was then that she noticed the ceiling sloping downwards. She looked down, and then back at Gavin. "We're moving downwards."

 

"We is?" Gavin looked around. "Ohh, yeah, we is! Gav di'n't even notice."

 

A ways further, the area leveled off again. "It's been a long time since I had any friends." Chihaya said. "And I've never met someone I had so much in common with. Losing that did a number on me. I'll be glad to see him again."

 

"And Gav's sure he'll be glad to see us!" Gavin fistpumped again, and raised his hand for a high-five, which Chihaya awkwardly took. "Bein' totes alone this long sounds like a real nightmare if'n y'ask me."

 

A bit in the distance, Chihaya saw an odd bit of geometry in the passages; in the inner wall was a great rectangular bulge. After a moment of staring at it once she and Gavin had reached it, she said, "I think this is the Monokuma Service Elevator."

 

"Oh, f'real?" Gavin said. Then, in realization, he pounded his fist into his open hand. "Oh! We gotta landmark!"

 

"Right." Chihaya looked in the first aid kit she'd had Gavin grab from the Infirmary while he was getting Jun's Handbook, and pulled out a scalpel. Thankfully, it was able to make a cut, so Chihaya made a slash along it, along with a mark for the number three. "Alright. The facility gets narrower as we head down, so hopefully it'll get simpler as we go."

 

[Sm] alright.

[Sm] i'm gonna get to work on trying to establish communications with the rescue party.

[Nh] good luck stella!! :o

[sX] I have faith in your abilities.

[yL] I believe in you.

[cT] That's a great help, Stella! Thank you!

[Gs] WOOOO STEL!!!! \o/

[Sm] geez, guys, no pressure or anything.

 

Stella sighed as she put down her Handbook. The Comms Room, a brown, wooden room resembling a business office in a brick-lain building, was quite the elaborate rig, with broadcasting technology running the gamut of two hundred years so it could connect to, seemingly, just about _any_ form of broadcasting technology.

 

Kazuya sat next to her in the seat beside her and said, "You've got this."

 

"I think I know." There was always the chance that she was wrong and she was going to screw up, of course, but doubting herself was minimal on the itinerary today. As she tuned the broadcast to attempt to find something above the facility, she saw Kazuya had a bit of a look on his face, and asked, "Something up?"

 

"Well, are you alright?" Kazuya asked. He frowned. "I know how bad it can get to push yourself. I'd rather you didn't."

 

"It's alright." Stella said. She closed her eyes and smiled. "Even if I do feel like shit tomorrow, which I probably will, it'll be worth it. For once, I actually feel _decent_."

 

"If you're sure." Kazuya said. "Just—"

 

"You know it's because of you, right?" Stella asked, and he stopped in his tracks. "If you hadn't given me that verbal hiding back in Phase Six I'd still feel like shit, but you did. So... I just took a bit to work out my feelings after that, and then I was ready." She sighed slightly. "I talked to Kei and worked out how I felt."

 

Kazuya blinked. "You...talked to Kei."

 

"Oh. Yeah." Stella said. "Turned out she was a benevolent time ghost. I finally confessed my feelings for her properly after all this time, so then I could move on."

 

"Wait. Wait." Kazuya waved his hand slightly and shook his head. "Was this a mental construct or an actual time ghost?"

 

"Not sure." Stella shrugged. " _I_ think she was an actual time ghost, but I could also be crazy, I guess." She raised her left hand up as she worked with her right. "Now, if she shows up again once we get out of here, then I'm definitely crazy. But, hey, what else is new." She spoke into the microphone. "Hello, can anyone hear me?"

 

A crackling broadcast began coming in through the speakers of the communications rig, which caused both Stella and Kazuya to jump a little. Tuning it a bit further to get in clearer, the message became clearer and clearer. "Hello?" A voice Stella hadn't even imagined came through the speakers. "Hello, is this one of the captives? This is Luna Masaki, with Hope's Peak! I'm Stella's mo—"

 

" _Mom?!_ " Stella shouted into the microphone. "Mom!"

 

" _Stella!_ " The shock and relief in Luna's voice was clearly evident. "Oh my god, Stella, are you alright? What's going on in there?! How did you manage this broadcast?"

 

"Okay, that's a really, really long story, but—" Stella sputtered. "What are you even doing there?"

 

"I came along to run the communications for the rescue party." Luna said. "I couldn't just leave your rescue _entirely_ up to them, after all." She gulped. "We received Mr. Hashizawa's broadcast, but we're not clear on the situation inside. Connection with the group that went in properly is a bit spotty, and it doesn't seem they've gotten to you just yet."

 

"Well, uh." Stella sighed. "After Hansuke's trial, we got stuck on the fifth floor in this weird 'Nonary Game' for a few days, but when Kojiro died, he overrode the controls and opened all the doors, including the door to the Comms Room. I beelined here to see if I could make a connection, and, uh..." She chuckled. "I did!"

 

"Is there anyone else with you?" Luna asked.

 

"Well, Kazuya's here." Stella said. "Hurry up and say something, you dork!"

 

Kazuya's head, though, was plastered on the desk. "Oh, god, how am I supposed to say anything? That's your _mom_!" He groaned. Then he stopped. "Oh, god, she heard that."

 

"Oh, that's your boyfriend, right?" Luna said. Stella gave the affirmative. "He _does_ have a nice voice." She called away from the microphone, "I've got a connection inside! Stella and Kazuya are on the microphone!"

 

A set of footsteps ran right up. "My! A connection! How wonderful!" That was a woman's voice. Stella couldn't peg about how old she was. "Hello! I—" Then two much louder sets of footsteps ran up to the microphone.

 

" _Kazuya!_ " Another woman's voice shrieked into the microphone. His head launched off of the desk and his eyes widened. "My god, Kazuya, are you alright?"

 

"If you're hurt I swear I'll take The End and...do something unpleasant!" A man's voice said. Wait. Oh god.

 

"Mom! Dad!" Kazuya said. Oh _god._ He laughed, sounding almost in disbelief. "Y-you're _here_!"

 

"We couldn't leave them out, after all! That would be quite rude of us." The indeterminate woman's voice said again.

 

"L-listen, the final door to let us out is going to open in..." Stella checked her bracelet to regain control of the conversation (and her nerves.) "About twelve and a half hours, now, but I don't know what's going to happen after that. Apparently, the nine of us aren't in any particular danger right now, but we're all looking around the facility to figure out who The End is, exactly."

 

There was a pause. "Very competent!" Mrs. Okudaira said. "I like her already."

 

"I told you." Luna said, a hint of smugness in her voice. Stella wailed.

 

"Alright, but I have to ask!" Mr. Okudaira came in. "Forgive me for being overprotective, but it's my instinct as a father. Why Kazuya?"

 

"Wha— _Dad!_ " Kazuya exclaimed.

 

After a moment to mull over her answer, Stella decided that honesty was the best policy. "Well, it started because I thought he was very attractive, sir."

 

"Good answer." Mr. Okudaira said. "You're darn right he is."

 

" _ **DAAAAAD!**_ " Kazuya wailed. "Come _on_ , now!" Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Not you too!"

 

"It's not my fault you're cute when you're flustered, man." Stella raised her hands up. "Alright, I'm gonna get back to work for a bit. I'll try and make sure the connection stays on." She said, looking towards a door to the side from the Comms Room that she had a sinking feeling about.

 

"Stella, before you go." Luna said through the microphone. Stella made a noise. "I just want to say... I'm so, so proud of you. You're the best daughter a mother could ask for." That voice, swelling with pride, reminded Stella of a lot of things. It brought back memories—memories of her first sporting event, memories of each year as Stella managed to survive school, memories of her acceptance letter. "Oh, and: happy birthday, honey."

 

"Yeah." Stella nodded. "I'll knock 'em dead, Mom. I love you."

 

She had people beside her. People who loved her. No matter how dark things seemed, that would always be true, and so Stella opened the door to what was no doubt her own execution. Kazuya and his parents were blubbering into the microphone, though, so Stella waited until that was done first before going in.

 

The execution ground this time was akin to a wrestling ring, the squared circle calling all challengers. There were stands surrounding the room with a bunch of cardboard cut-outs of Monokuma in various guises, and above the wrestling ring was a great steel cage. "Hell in a Cell, huh?" Stella snorted. "Great. Just what I wanted."

 

The two of them stepped forward through an entryway in the ring, between cordoned-off audience areas, to reach a terminal, but Stella stopped when she saw the small stand next to the terminal. On the stand was a familiar canister, noted 'S.' "It's your lost memory." Kazuya said.

 

Despite herself, a bit of fear began to well up in Stella's heart. Right. Of course. She still had this obstacle to get past; the fear of whatever lied in her own past, this secret that had been kept from her all this time. It was her natural instinct to catastrophize things, to worry that perhaps this entire incident would turn out to truly be her fault, that she would be justified in her hatred of herself once and for all, but... she breathed deeply, in, out, in, out. "Alright. I'm gonna take it." Stella said. "No hesitation."

 

And she opened the canister.

 

 

 

 

 

A few moments later, she woke up on the floor, Kazuya's face over her, clearly concerned. "Stella? Are you alright?" He said.

 

She chortled to herself. She couldn't help it. Then she started openly laughing. She laughed to the ceiling, laughed so hard she felt like her stomach was going to tear itself open. Kazuya knelt down beside her, asking what was wrong, but that just made it funnier. Her laughter tore through the entire room, echoing around and around until it seemed that all the cutouts were laughing with her voice. It was just...so fucking _funny._

 

It wasn't the sort of humor she could explain to anyone else. Nobody else would find it funny, likely, but it was just so undeniably hilarious to Stella that as she supported herself with her arm to try and sit up, she was still laughing, having some trouble breathing even with her impressive lungs. Tears were forming in her eyes from her mirth, and she couldn't help but pound the ground a bit.

 

"Stella, I'm getting seriously worried now." Kazuya said, grimacing. "Are you alright?"

 

"Ohh, yeah, haha, I'm fine." Stella let out one last breath, and then was struck by a few extra giggles. "No need to worry. I'm good."

 

"What...?" Kazuya said, and Stella knew what he was about to ask.

 

"One time, when I was about eleven years old, I ran into Rin Hashizawa in a park while I was waiting for Mom to get off work. We had a completely ordinary conversation for about three minutes until Mom showed up. I never saw her again." Stella said.

 

Silence.

 

"You're... You're serious." Kazuya blinked, his lips flapping, stunned. "You can't be serious, can you?"

 

"Oh, nope, totally serious." Stella threw up her hands. "That's it! I worried all this time for nothing." She grinned toothily and shrugged. "As they say in the business, _whackity-smackity-doo_!"

 

"Stella." Kazuya blinked, and then his teeth clenched and his fists balled. "That's... That's bullshit! She just took _that_ from you? Just to upset you? That's complete—!"

 

"No big deal." Stella said, walking over to the terminal. "Really, I should've expected it. Leave it to me to make a mountain out of a molehill, right?" She snorted, and hit the Explanation button. "Take us away, Kojiro."

 

"Hiya, kids!" Monokuma popped up on the screen, as usual. "I heard somebody wanted an explanation of _As God Is My Witness_ , the execution we whipped up for Stella Masaki, the Ultimate Commentator! Well, I am a very talkative bear, so why not give it to you, really?"

 

It was Girl N, Girl C, and Girl M that slammed their hands and declared Girl S the killer. Heh, Stella chuckled to herself. Chihaya, Miria, and 'Rin.' Of course it'd be Kei's friends, right? "Nobody bought it, especially not her immediate family, so the horrendously homicidal Girl S is whisked away through our passages by our fabulous MK-Brand The Claw until she reaches this very room."

 

Girl S got smacked down in the center of the ring, slowly coming to her feet as the forklifts and chairs representing the other people in this 'match' did close to zero milling about on account of being forklifts and chairs. Monokuma sat with a dumb little hat at the announcer's table, as a cloaked figure began to approach from the entryway Stella and Kazuya had come from. "It's nearly the end of this plot arc, and it's finally time to uncover the Higher Power behind all these occurrences. Stone Cold Stella Masaki's about to face down the _true_ mastermind, making their way to the ring, from parts unknown, for this match scheduled for **one** fall!"

 

As the cloaked figure approached the ring, Girl S slowly became cognizant that this 'Higher Power' was a lot larger than she was, and began backing away, but the ropes were quite insistent that she stay. So, eventually, the Higher Power got to the ring, and Girl S, pressured into it by the slowly zooming-in camera, doffed its cloak.

 

To say Stella was expecting to see her murderous self faced down with a vaguely monkey-esque suit of robot armor, with a great big slapping hand for a left arm and a mounted machine gun for a right, with white-and-black kneepads and the front of its flat head, about two and a half times her own height, would've been quite a lie. "My god." Stella said to the screen. "A weapon to surpass Metal Gear!"

 

" **AW, SON OF A BITCH!** " Monokuma cried. "It's Exisal Black! The lost sixth ranger of the Exisal Squadron! It's her, Austin! It was her all along, Austin!"

 

Exisal Black pounded its chest and made a mechanical roaring noise, blowing everything else away save for Girl S. "I'm sure Stone Cold Stella Masaki can manage it, in this climactic final match to close out the plotline! As with all climactic matches, this is of course... A _HELL IN A CELL_ MATCH!" And the great cage above the ring came crashing down. And some fire jets started blowing around the ring.

 

Kazuya had quit being mad and was instead just blinking befuddledly. "What... what are we _watching_?"

 

"Wrestling." Stella replied.

 

Girl S naturally began backing away in fear again, but, well, there was a cage. Exisal Black didn't give her much more time to think, its tail whipping towards her and picking her up, leaping about and violently grinding her against the wall of the cage with an awful noise like the screeching of a dying animal. Blood, naturally, was drawn quite quickly, so when Girl S, clearly sobbing on the screen, began shouting towards Exisal Black, presumably for mercy, it was even more miserable a sight, seeing a great smear of her blood along the great steel trap she was stuck in.

 

Exisal Black was not moved by Girl S's pleas, and leapt up to the top of the cage before blowing it open with its mounted gun. Standing atop the cage, by the hole it had created, it switched Girl S from its tail to its great big hand. It roared and pounded its chest, probably giving Girl S another concussion or two.

 

Then it leapt.

 

The impact of Exisal Black slamming Girl S into the mat back-first was strong enough to utterly shatter her bones, if the great crack that Stella heard was any indication. As the dust cleared, streams of blood began running through Exisal Black's clenched fingers. "As God is my witness, _she is broken in half_!" Monokuma cried. "She is—"

 

And then Exisal Black pounded what was no doubt the corpse of Stella Masaki, crushed enough to be hidden within its great hand, two, three, four, five, six, seven more times, hard enough to create a crater. More and more shattering and slapping and squishing noises were heard as the great beast mangled her body, eventually dropping it in the crater and unloading a massive clip of bullets into it in one explosive blast, then furiously stomping the crater and digging whatever was even left under it into a little paste.

 

The camera panned up past the blood-covered Exisal Black into the crater, awash in a sea of splattered red. Girl S left not a corpse, but a revolting smear on the floor.

 

"Um." Kojiro stammered. "Y-you're sure we can't edit this? Really? Seems a bit excessive." His voice became a bit distant, as though he were talking to someone. "...It's 'all necessary?' Really? Geez, what crawled up your ass?" He returned to the cast. "Anyway, uh. That's it. Think I was supposed to read more while that was happening but who cares. Later." The broadcast cut off, and the credits roll sped by at about triple speed.

 

"...Someone...really hates you." Kazuya observed.

 

"Yeah, weird how that happens." Stella said. Kazuya had a look on his face, so she raised her finger. "Kaz? I'm fine. Actually. Seriously. No big deal. I get it. She just wants to fuck with me, so I'm not letting her."

 

Kazuya's face changed as he looked her over. He laughed. "...What did I do to land such an amazing girlfriend?"

 

"Flirt." Stella elbowed him in the arm and snorted. "Not like I'm not probably gonna feel like shit tomorrow or something. It just..." She sat against the edge of the ring and sighed. "Doesn't matter, you know? Everything I was worrying about doesn't even matter. It's all just...so _small_." She laughed. "I was worried all that time, I tried to kill Aoto, over _meeting Rin in a park once_. God." She shook her head. "It's just so stupid, you know? It's the dumbest joke I've ever heard."

 

"It's pretty stupid, yeah." Kazuya agreed.

 

"And... I'm tired of being a punchline, is all." Stella shrugged. "I can wallow in self-pity once we get out of here." She stared, steely, at Kazuya. "I want to win. I want to win, just this once, and tell this bitch that no, I'm not completely worthless. No matter how much I suck later, I want to have some day I can always tell myself that I _won_."

 

Awkward boy he was, Kazuya seemed a bit startled when Stella hugged him tightly. "And I wanna do it with you."

 

"Hey. Stella?" He said. She made a noise. "Before today, _you'd_ only hugged _me_ once before. It's kind of funny."

 

"If you say you liked it better when you did all the hugging, I'm gonna kick your ass." Stella said. He laughed and muttered a 'no, no, this is good.' "Here, here's something else I've only ever done once before."

 

"What?" Kazuya said, his eyes going wide as Stella planted her lips on his. She grabbed his head close to ensure her grip, and she really _smooched_ him, too, lingering for several seconds with a noise she never thought she'd make on someone else's lips. When she let go, he blinked. "Buh."

 

"C'mon, loverboy. Let's get back to work." Stella said. She disengaged the hug and patted the stunned Orator on the back, a bright blush filling his cheeks.

 

[Sm] so i managed to get a connection outside! hp is here and they've got a comms station. i'll stick on this floor and make sure it stays open. anyone who wants to can just come up.

[cT] That's amazing! Thank you so much, Stella!

[Sm] also we found my execution.

[Nh] that's less amazing!

[kO] I barely understood it, but it was really incredibly violent.

[Sm] it's wrestling, kaz.

[yL] Wrestling is very interesting

[sX] Fascinating stuff, really.

[kO] ...Why do _you_ three turn out to be the ones who watch wrestling?

[Sm] wait hold on.

[Sm] hey claus there's lots of hot muscle babes in pro wrestling.

[yL] Claus has turned very bright red. He's sputtering. Are my parents there?

[Sm] lms

[Sm] yeah turns out they are.

[yL] Oh! May I come up and speak to them?

[Sm] you sure may.

[Sm] also my mom made a weird friend who i can't tell how old she is but apparently she's our teacher? anyway the point is i mentioned i'd been watching dragon ball and she started geeking out. i think our teacher might be cool

[sX] Oh, fascinating. I can't wait to meet her.

[cT] I am **not** going to watch wrestling motivated solely by the presence of attractive women.

[Nh] i am

[sX] Excellent.

[Sm] you ever think about how we have this ground-breaking bit of science, like world-changing, and she turns out to be this... knuckleheaded ADHD turbo-lesbian?

[yL] It's very interesting. It says something about human nature

[Nh] what do I say about human nature

[yL] I'm not sure yet. I've only spent about four hours total pondering it

[Nh] keep me posted

[yL] OK

[Ci] We've made it to the bottom of the facility.

[cT] !

[Nh] goooo gavin and chihaya! save our unfriendly neighborhood cactus! \\(^o^)/

[Gs] everyone... gav just wanna say fore he goes in here...

[Gs] you all amazing friends

[Gs] and if gav gets rejected while he rescuin J he is COUNTING ON YALL to be his bedrock!!

[Sm] oh my god just fucking kiss jun already

[Gs] thats the plan!!!

[yL] Also, please save him

[Gs] thats step 1!!!


	82. The Last Case, Stage 2 - AFTERGLOW (Without Knowing Anything...)

 

Stark, white, evenly paneled, the impression Gavin got from the Quantum Computer Room was that it was like he'd stepped into another world entirely. The walls and floor glowed with such a light that he somewhat expected them all to begin flashing with some sort of message, like a massive array of computer monitors.

 

The two of them had exited onto an overlooking area, from which Chihaya was inspecting the area. Gavin walked over, looked over the side of the railing, and his eyes went wide. There on the actual floor of the place was easily the largest computer he'd ever laid eyes on. Gavin had seen quantum computers before, yes, but this particular computer easily dwarfed his and Chihaya's size combined.

 

A bulbous, white thing, the computer glowed with the same ominous light as the rest of the room, but Gavin felt certain it was stronger. A mess of thick wires and cords connected the computer to the back walls, presumably racing off to the rest of the facility in some way. In front of the computer, lining most of the bottom area, was a gobsmackingly long series of computer consoles.

 

"Whatcha think we got _on_ this thing, anysnoot?" Gavin said, stepping down the ramp from the overlook to the main area of the room. "Big thing like this gotta got some big stuff, yeah?"

 

"I'm not sure, but I would imagine most, if not all, of Rin's research." Chihaya said. The two stood on level with the computer now, staring directly at its main core, a great, purple orb which looked eerily like an eye. "I...don't know how to interface with it."

 

Gavin pretty quickly laid eyes on Monokuma's big dumb mug, plastered on the Service Elevator. He fistpumped. "A'ight, we gottan elevator! Tha's gon' make things a load easier."

 

Then their gazes turned to the stairs.

ａａａａａａａａａａｈｈｈｈ！　ｔｈｅ　ｂｅａｓｔ　ｃｒｉｅｄ．　ｔｈｅｒｅ　ｗａｓ　ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ　ｂｕｔ　ｐａｉｎ　ｄｏｗｎ　ｈｅｒｅ．

"Tha's..." Gavin gulped. "Tha's gotta be it, right?" There was a stairwell leading down into an inky blackness, and Gavin felt his pace quicken. "Hey... Haya?"

 

"Yeah?" Chihaya asked.

 

"I, um..." Gavin said. His palms were sweaty. "I'm real nervous. 's like there's... It ain't just the dark. I'm _feelin_ ' somethin' dead heavy down there."

ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｌｅｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｓｅｅ！　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ！　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｌｅｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｓｅｅ！　　　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｌｅｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｓｅｅ！　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ！　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｌｅｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｓｅｅ！　　　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｌｅｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｓｅｅ！　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｗａｎｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｅ！　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｌｅｔ　ａｎｙｏｎｅ　ｓｅｅ！

"...Me too." Chihaya admitted. Gavin turned his head to her and saw a bit of sweat as she nervously fidgeted with her first aid kit. "Gavin." He tilted his head. "Are you sure you want to go down there alone?"

 

"I just...feel like I gotta, y'know?" Gavin said. He grabbed the chest of his vest and loosened it a bit to allow for the nerves to cool. "You J's best friend, Gav knows. But... I feel like..." He grasped at the words. "It won't mean nothin' if I come in witcha right there. I gotta go down there and meet J m'self."

ｊｕｓｔ　ｌｅｔ　ｍｅ　ｄｉｅ．　ｗｈｙ　ｗｏｎ’ｔ　ｉｔ　ａｌｌ　ｅｎｄ？　ｔｈｅｒｅ’ｓ　ｎｏｂｏｄｙ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｗｏｒｌｄ－

"Because I..." Gavin took a deep breath.

 

"wanna understand" ｗｈｏ　ｗｏｕｌｄ　ｃａｒｅ

 

"who J really is." ｉｆ　ｉ　ｄｉｓａｐｐｅａｒｅｄ．

 

Chihaya nodded. "Alright. I'll wait here." She handed him the first-aid kit. "But take this, please. And be careful."

 

Gavin nodded back, and took it. "Yeah. Thanks. Seeya in a bit, Haya."

 

And so did Gavin begin to walk down the stairs, into the inky blackness. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. The further he got away from the noise of the machinery, the further he entered into silence. It was dark down here, almost maddeningly dark, and this staircase was long, but it couldn't last forever. The bottom was ever nearer each time he took a step-

 

"Huh?" Gavin's ears perked up. He'd heard something. He wasn't sure exactly how far down he'd come, but he'd heard something like a voice, whimpering, crying. His eyes had begun to adjust to the darkness, but he began to see a bit of a light down in the distance. Down there, he began to see the floor level out, and just in front of it was... a person, lying on the ground, sobbing. "H-hey!" He ventured, shouting out, beginning to run down faster. "J?!"

 

the static clouding all of its thoughts cleared for a moment as it heard a voice. it raised its head slightly to look. coming down the stairs was...a person. a person who... no no no no ＮＯＮＯＮＯＮＯ　 _ＡＮＹＯＮＥ ＢＵＴ ＨＩＭ　ＰＬＥＡＳＥ_

 

The green hair and short stature meant that the person lying on the ground whimpering was most definitely Jun Fukuyama. As Gavin reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized why he hadn't immediately recognized him. Not only was Jun's hair down, the faux-hawk he'd worn before let to fall naturally, he'd been changed into...green bolero jacket with white trim and a white ribbon, over a dark jumper and skirt, over a white blouse, and thigh-high white socks in dark flats... The Hope's Peak girl's uniform? An odd choice, to say the least.

 

That, of course, was secondary to the fact that there were clear bloodstains marring Jun's hair, and... Oh, god, three of his fingernails were bleeding. Gavin rushed over and opened up the first-aid kit. "J? J, can you hear me?" There was some kind of recognition in Jun's eyes as they raised slightly, but—

 

_"Oh, Gavin. About time. Do you know how long I've had to wait down here for you? Because I've lost track, and that's a frustrating feeling. God, you can be dense."_

 

—all the noise that he made was just some little croaking noises. His face looked awful, not just from the blood—there were little abrasions on his head—but just from sheer exhaustion as well, drawn, covered in stains from tears, red, and somehow even more utterly defeated and hopeless than he'd been before. "Holy shit, J, I—What happened to ya, man?" He reacted slightly to the pain of Gavin trying to dress his wounds, so he was there, but—

 

_"Does it matter? I want to get out of here already, so let's hurry up and go. It's cold."_

 

—he still didn't say anything. "J?" Gavin said, his heart racing a mile a minute. "Aw, god, J, wha's wrong, c'mon, please talk to me." His hasselhoff began drooping as he continued to sweat. "'S been— I just—Aww, c'mon, c'mon..." He continued working.

 

"...not...working..." Jun muttered, in a frail, vulnerable-sounding voice.

 

"What?" Gavin said, continuing his work. "W-wha's not working?"

 

"Can't say...it?" Jun wasn't talking to Gavin. He was looking down, speaking into himself. "I can't... What happened..."

 

ｗｈｅｒｅ

ｄｉｄ　ｊｕｎ　ｇｏ

ｊｕｎ　ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｄｉｄ　ｙｏｕ　ｇｏ　ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｄｉｄ　ｙｏｕ　ｇｏ　ｗｈｙ　ｃａｎ’ｔ　ｉ　ｓａｙ　ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ　ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｄｉｄ　ｙｏｕ　ＧＯＷＨＥＲＥＤＩＤＹＯＵＧＯＩＴ’Ｓ _ＹＯＵＧＡＶＩＮＬＩＫＥＳ_ _ **ＮＯＢＯＤＹＷＡＮＴＳＭＥ**_

 

"No...no no no no no." Jun's eyes were wide with horror, and just as soon as Gavin thankfully had finished dressing, he launched his hands back and clutched his head again. "Nonononono, no, nonono, no no no no no, no, nononono."

 

"J, please, I'm beggin' ya, chill." Gavin tried to put his hands on the squirming Net Admin's shoulders. "C'mon, 's okay, y're fine, 's—"

 

_**ＡＮＹＯＮＥ ＢＵＴ ＨＩＭ** _

 

_**Ｉ　ＣＣＣＣＣａｎ’ｔ** _

 

_(...Yer disgusting.)_

 

he wouldn't do that would he? he wouldn't do that would he? he wouldn't do that would he? he wouldn't do that would he? he wouldn't do that would he? gavin... it's gavin. gavin loves everyone. gavin loves everyone ｅｘｃｅｐｔ　ｙｏｕ．　ｎｏｂｏｄｙ　ｃｏｕｌｄ　ｅｖｅｒ　ｌｏｖｅ　ｙｏｕ．

 

It occurred to Gavin, as Jun went rigid, rigid with inner terror, his eyes not even able to focus on Gavin's face, that Kojiro had said the purpose of this exercise was to discover 'the truth of Jun Fukuyama.' "...Oh," Gavin said, "you...havin' kinduva hard time, huh, J? With whatevs ya found out?"

 

Suddenly, Jun began laughing. "Huh? Huh, haha, found out?" He was laughing, and clearly looking at Gavin. "I didn't— What are you talking about? 'Found out.'" He snorted. "This was all just a waste of everyone's time, I'm— I'm just sick of— Haha, um, wow. Gavin. You're—" His breath had been getting shallower and shallower through that, and he was beginning to hyperventilate. "Ha— Haha, haha— Um, haha—" There was sweat beginning to cover his entire body.

 

"J, c'mere." Gavin beckoned him closer and pulled out a bandage. Some of the sweatdrops were running a bit red. "Yer still bleedin'."

 

"Bleeding? Haha, am I bleeding?" Jun looked around with affected nonchalance that wasn't even in character to begin with. "Well that's a bummer. That sure is a why, why, why, why why why why—" He was backing away as fast as he could manage. "why you, why you, why is it you, why did it have to be you?!" He patted against the wall, looking desperate to find a way out.

 

Gavin inched closer, trying to keep the distance from getting too large. "Well, 'cuz— Well, trip, man, tha's kinda... J, please, jus' calm down. I ain't gonna hurtcha, it's me, Gavin. 'Member?" He reached out his hand and said, "Listen, we... I here to rescue you, dude. We's gonna get out. Game's almost over."

 

"...Game?" Jun blinked. "The..." He looked down at his hand. "Oh, the...the killing— The killing game, right, I—"

 

"Gotta rescue party comin' from Hope's Peak an' all." Gavin continued.

 

"Rescue? Rescue, rescue." Jun muttered. "Oh, I... Ha—" There was a little bit more clarity in his eyes now. "Oh... G-Gavin. It's about...time you...showed up?" He squeaked, as though he weren't entirely sure what he should say.

 

"Yeah, yeah." Gavin nodded. "'S me, Gavin, yeah? Gav's here to save you 'n...bring you back to the others and stuff."

 

"Right, yes, the others." Jun said, his head still sweating through the bandage Gavin had managed to place. "The...others, right. I'm...Jun, and, and you're Gavin, and... Right. Right. Okay."

 

"Riiight, riiight!" Gavin smiled and nodded again. "Now, uh, where's ya wheelchair? We oughta bring it, 'n all."

 

wheel...chair? wheelchair wheelchair wheelchair the wheelchair is

in the next

rooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

no. no no no. don't—

 

Jun suddenly flung himself towards the door Gavin saw behind him. "No! No, no, no! No no no no no no no don't go in there! Don't go in there don't go in there! Don't go in there!" He begged and pleaded. "Don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go!"

 

Reverse psychology was a powerful technique, so Gavin said, "Wheelchair's in there, eh?" The sudden, violent reaction to the door was pretty worrying, Gavin had to admit. "Why ya not want me to go in there?"

 

"Don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go!" Jun continued to shout. Unfortunately for Jun, they really needed that wheelchair, and Gavin’s concern for Jun's mental state overwhelmed his desire to placate him without an explanation, so he reached over Jun to open the door, which, thankfully, opened inwards, so Jun couldn't actually block it. As Gavin expected, there it was, along with a little flashlight on the floor next to it that it seemed like Jun had dropped.

 

"Here we is." Gavin grabbed the wheelchair, and then his eyes chanced upon a painting frame. That jogged his memory a bit. "Oh, right, yeah, Koji said somethin' 'bout that." The content of Kojiro's message left him quite curious, but it seemed like this painting that he couldn't quite see was the trigger of Jun's pain, so he reached down to grab the flashlight. His suspicions were confirmed when Jun's shrieking redoubled, loudly begging him, no, no, no, no. But Gavin flicked on the flashlight and looked at the painting.

 

There were three people present. On the left, there was a smiling, petite, middle-aged woman with her hair in a pair of cute pigtails, in a pink shirt and gray pants. She was beaming. On the right was a square-faced but reliable-looking man with dark hair, square-rimmed glasses, and a sweater vest, which meant he probably had decent taste if Gavin was any indication. And in the middle—

 

In the middle sat a girl. Green hair, tied into low twintails, not too long, but not too short. Petite, but with strong arms, and, Gavin had to admit, pretty nice legs. He had pretty clear sight of them despite the wheelchair on account of the girl's simple outfit; just a nice, modest, orange sundress, which went quite nicely with her hair and green eyes. Neutral, cool skin, not seeming very marred by any blemishes. The brilliant smile on her face (and her parents') was no doubt about the Hope's Peak acceptance letter she held towards the viewer. And Gavin saw her name.

 

'Junko Fukuyama.'

 

It took him a few moments to truly comprehend what he was witnessing, as he heard his rescuee croak in the background. A few things began to slot into place in Gavin's mind, and, his eyes wide, he began laughing a little under his breath.

 

"Oh," he said. "Oh!" He put his hand on his head. "Oh, tha's what it was!" It all made sense to him now. Not just the last few minutes, but a lot of things— A lot of things about— _E_ _verything_. He turned to face—

 

"You a _girl_!" Gavin threw his hands out towards her—er, 'Junko', he supposed, worked well enough for now—and tears began to come to his eyes. It was her. The girl he loved.

 

She was still muttering, though. "No, no no no, no." She was shivering even worse now, in fact. "I—"

 

_ＨＯＷ　ＤＡＲＥ　ＹＯＵ　ＴＨＩＮＫ　ＦＯＲ　ＥＶＥＮ　Ａ　ＳＥＣＯＮＤ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＡＮＹＯＮＥ　ＣＯＵＬＤ　ＥＶＥＲ　ＬＯＶＥ　ＳＯＭＥＴＨＩＮＧ　ＳＯ　ＨＩＤＥＯＵＳ　ＶＩＬＥ　ＤＩＳＧＵＳＴＩＮＧ　ＷＯＲＴＨＬＥＳＳ　ＴＲＡＳＨ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ　ＤＩＥ_

 

"I don't—"

 

_ＨＯＷ　ＤＡＲＥ　ＹＯＵ　ＴＨＩＮＫ　ＦＯＲ　ＥＶＥＮ　Ａ　ＳＥＣＯＮＤ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＹＯＵ　ＣＯＵＬＤ　ＥＶＥＲ　ＬＯＶＥ　Ａ　ＲＥＡＬ　ＨＵＭＡＮ　ＢＥＩＮＧ　ＬＩＫＥ　ＨＩＭ　ＨＥ’Ｓ　ＲＡＤＩＡＮＴ　ＨＥ　ＬＩＶＥＳ　ＩＮ　ＴＨＥ　ＳＵＮ．　ＹＯＵ　ＷＯＲＴＨＬＥＳＳ　ＷＯＲＴＨＬＥＳＳ　ＷＯＲＴＨＬＥＳＳ　ＳＣＵＭ_

 

"I don't aaaa—"

 

_ＨＥ　ＨＡＴＥＳ　ＹＯＵ．　ＡＰＯＬＯＧＩＺＥ．　ＡＰＯＬＯＧＩＺＥ．　ＡＰＯＬＯＧＩＺＥ．　ＡＰＯＬＯＧＩＺＥ．　ＡＰＯＬＯＧＩＺＥ　ＦＯＲ　ＴＲＩＣＫＩＮＧ　ＨＩＭ　ＩＮＴＯ　ＴＨＩＮＫＩＮＧ　ＹＯＵ　ＷＥＲＥ　Ａ　ＨＵＭＡＮ．　ＤＯ　ＩＴ！！！！_

 

"I'm sorry!" Junko scrambled towards Gavin's feet with an intensity that caught him quite off guard. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!"

 

"Hey, wha—?!" Gavin tripped back a bit, but caught himself with his hands on the floor to catch his fall. "Whaddya—?!"

 

"I swear I swear I'll be anything you want I swear so _please don't hate me_!" Her face was streaked with tears. "I'll do anything! I'll be anything you want, you can do anything with me, I'll be Jun again, I'll be _anyone_ , just please please please forgive me!" Her voice was cracking as she looked at him with pleading eyes. "W-what do you want? I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll—" She was hyperventilating even harder now, her eyes, despite staring straight at Gavin, seeming not quite focused on him.

 

"Junko, wait, I—!" Gavin was beginning to tear up himself.

 

"Do you want me to hurt myself?" Junko babbled. "Do you want me to hurt myself, or— Or maybe to kill myself? Or— Or do you want to use me for sex? That's okay! I'll do anything you want! Anything you want, please, please just don't hate me, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm a fake, I'm sorry I'm not Jun, I'm sorry I'm a monster, I'm sorry sorry sorry sorry I'm sorry!" Her bandaged hands were clutching his legs tightly, being covered in tears from the wild hysteria she was stuck in.

 

"You—!" Gavin leaned back in. "You ain't a monster. You _ain't a monster_!" He grabbed her hands as gently as he could with the state she was in.

 

"I'm sorry sorry sorry you can vomit all over me from how disgusting you think it is that a monster like me could ever even think it could fall in love with you—" Wait, _what?!_ "—but of course I can't I can't I can't I'm a monster and you're a human and never let anyone see never let anyone see but I can't I can't I can't but I swear I'll try to be Jun again I'll try I'll try just please don't throw me away please I'll try to be human I will I will I will I will but if you want someone else I'll be that person! I will! I will, I will, I'll be anyone, I'll do anything, I'll do anything for you, just please don't hate me—"

 

"I-it weren’t _Jun_ I loved, yo," Gavin tried to cut in. "i-it was y—"

 

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I'm sorry you didn't love Jun! I tried really hard to make him a good character but it didn't work because I'm such a shitty actor!" She kept on wailing, going further into territory Gavin could only partially understand. "I should've known I could never never never never never be a human ever but I tried and I'm sorry he was a bad character and I'm sorry you didn't like him and I'm—"

 

"Jun was my _friend_ ," Gavin said, letting his own tears flow, "but I—" He gulped. "I love _**you**_!"

 

And she went completely silent, her breath suddenly cutting out, staring, unreadable, into Gavin's eyes. "'S... I just... I love _you_. Kept thinkin' it seemed like he weren't all there was, but sometimes, sometimes I saw _you_ smile, and it's such a freakin' pretty smile Gav couldn't help himself! How—" Gavin choked a bit on his own tears. "Trip, man, how could I _not_ fall for ya?!"

 

"...Liar." Junko began backing away. "Liar! Liar! You're lying!"

 

"Wha— I ain't _lying_!" Gavin pleaded, moving forward onto his knees, supporting himself on the wheelchair. "Gav swears, hand over heart!"

 

"Liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar liar you're lying lying lying _lying_ or you're _blind and deaf_ no no that's it you don't know what you want you're confused you're confused, right?" Junko stammered, her posture unsure of how exactly she wanted to crawl. "No no no don't worry I'll be anyone you'll see you'll see, I can be someone, I can be anyone you want, I'll be good for you, I'll—"

 

"I want _you!_ " Gavin clenched his fist and yelled.

 

" _No, you don't!_ " Junko shouted back. "You don't, nobody does, there's nobody in the world who could want me, nobody nobody nobody!"

 

There were many things that Gavin probably could've done there. He was the Ultimate Buddy, after all. He prided himself on his people skills, didn't he? He could've been kind, he could've been calm, gentle, but his eye began to twitch, and he took a deep, gasping breath before letting loose with a shout of, " _ **Don'tchu tell me what I want!**_ "

 

Before he was really cognizant of it, he was kneeling over the grounded Junko, taller than her even on the floor. "Gav ain't ever fallen in love before, he always— He _always_ did stuff for folks and not Gav, y'know? You— Fallin' for you, it— It, it— 'S the first thing I ever did for myself _real_ , yanno?! An' I tore myself up over it for a while, cuz I di'n't wanna be selfish or nothin', but I _hadta_ say somethin' cause these feelings I got for you keep tearin' me up inside kept all bottled up, and—" He sniffled. "And I woulda been fine if you jus' said no but yer tellin' me that I'm _wrong_ , that I dunno what I want, that I just gotta—?!" He pounded the floor next to her. "Well... Well—!"

 

He stood up, and stomped the floor. "Then _fine_! _Whatevs_!" He threw up his hands, and began to walk out of the room, but not before sliding the wheelchair in her direction.

 

．．．ｈｕｈ？　ｗａｉｔ．．．　ｗａｉｔ，　ｈｏld on a second _wait!_ —

 

Right as he was leaving through the door, though, Gavin heard her shout. "Wait, Gavin, you— You fucking moron!?" Junko sputtered. "H-have you forgotten that I— There are _stairs_ there, if— If you don't help me I can't _leave_ and your entire rescue is pointless because it's not like there's a _wheelchair ramp_ , idiot?!"

 

Gavin's chest swelled at the sound of her verbal abuse, and he turned around, hope in his eyes, to find her sputtering on the floor with a thankfully familiar look. "Have you just utterly taken flight of your senses!? Is that shitty sweater vest of yours cutting off circulation to your brain?! I know you're mad, but that's no reason to just leave me be after you made such a big show of keeping me alive last time we met _and_ all those theatrics you just gave me, because if you're— If you're getting out then who's going to find me, huh!? Are you— You are so—" She slammed the floor with her fist. "You are _so motherfucking_ _ **goddamned STUPID!**_ "

 

As she panted on the floor, Gavin's tears completely changed context, and he couldn't help a goofy smile coming to his lips. And for the first time,

 

they both truly saw each other.

 

Gavin rushed down faster than she could process, wrapping her suddenly in a tight, squeezing hug. "Hey, what—!?" Junko sputtered. "What do you think you're doing?!"

 

"Gav missed you so bad." Gavin was tearing up, and his tears were getting on the shoulder of her...uni..form? When had she...?

 

"Wait, hold on!" Much as his embrace was nice and all, oh, what the hell was she even saying now, she pushed him away a bit to look at her clothes. "What the— Did The End _change my clothes_?! Wha—?!" A frightening thought occurred to her, and she briefly looked under the hem of her skirt.

 

A pause.

 

"Yeah?" Gavin asked.

 

"...Silk." Junko said, before shuddering. "Augh, god! I feel violated. Not just a psychopath, has to go and be a god damned pervert too!" Gavin started laughing. "What? What is so funny?"

 

"Naw, naw, 's just..." Gavin breathed. "You funny. You a funny lady."

 

"I'm not a—!" It was then that Junko's understanding of reality caught up to everything she'd just experienced. "...'Lady.'"

 

Gavin blinked. "Yeah. 'Swatcha is, ain't it?" He said, an innocent look on his face.

 

"You know..." She stared at him, wide-eyed, reaching out to touch his cheek just to ensure he was real. "You know I'm...a..."

 

"Yah, well, like I said, kinda..." Gavin waved his hands around. "Like, knew I weren't in love with, uh, _Jun_ , I guess? Cuz he was just my pal, but then sometimes...you got a real pretty smile."

 

Junko had to take a moment to translate that into regular speak. "So you...knew I was fucked up...and just wasn't sure how." She said. "Is what you're saying."

 

"Weren't gon' say 'fucked up,' but y'got the point." Gavin nodded.

 

It was then that Junko's understanding of _her love life_ caught up to everything she'd just experienced. "Wait." She looked around frantically. "Oh fuck. I just told you I was in love with you."

 

"Mmhm." Gavin nodded. He was smiling.

 

"Oh god. Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck... Why the hell did it have to be you?!" Junko griped, clenching and re-clenching her fingers. "Here I was hoping," she said as she turned away and started groaning, "that if I ever fell in love it'd be with some... Some coolly disaffected blonde guy who I could hopelessly admire from afar so they'd never be feelings I actually wanted to act on, because if I acted on them then I'd—" She groaned louder. "You are such a pain in the ass! God!"

 

When he saw she was hyperventilating, though, Gavin came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey." He said. "No worries. Gav loves you too."

 

The fact that she'd already heard this didn't stop Junko from being absolutely flabbergasted. "How on earth do you—?!" She waved her hands around wildly. "You—" She gestured at you. "You're, you're _Gavin Sakaki_! You're like some kind of fucking angel! You could have anyone you wanted! There's— There's no—"

 

She wanted to doubt. She wanted to push him away. But in that moment, as she looked at Gavin's face, his honest, pure, blissful smile, she had no choice but to believe him.

 

"You love me." She said. He nodded. "You...love...me. You want… You want to...be my..."

 

"Boyfriend." Gavin finished the thought for her.

 

If her brain was tearing itself in ten thousand different directions before, it was tearing itself in a _hundred_ thousand different directions now. Voices, voices rapidly calling this all fake fake fake fake fake, voices saying she didn't deserve to even breathe the same air as him, voices calling him a liar. What came out, though, was, "Y-you... You can't be serious." She began to tear up again, but this time, it wasn't wild or hysterical. "You can't...have fallen in love...w-with _me_."

 

"Why not?" Gavin asked.

 

"I..." Junko sniffed. "I tried... I tried to get Stella killed, and... And I was so...constantly so fucking awful to you and, and everyone else and... And I... I shouldn't even be—"

 

"Hey." Gavin leaned in and hugged her again. "All is forgiven."

 

"How can all be forgiven?" Junko said, hugging him back and clutching him tightly. "I'm such... I'm such a piece of shit. I've always been a piece of shit. Nobody's ever...ever loved me. _Nobody_." She sniffled again. "So... So I tried, I tried to... To be the kind of character people would love, because I— Nobody ever— My... My own parents never even...!"

 

She saw Gavin sadly glance at the painting, and frown with understanding. "You ain't gotta be a character no more, babe." She couldn't help but have her heart swell. The boy she loved... The boy she...loved...

 

...When...had that happened...? When did Gavin's smile...become something she couldn't live without?

 

"Gavin, I..." Junko clutched him tighter. "I love you." She clenched her hands again. It hurt. They were still bandaged. "I love you. I've loved you for a while now. I didn't, I-I couldn't say anything, and I'm— I just—" She sobbed. "Fuck. Fuck, I—"

 

"No, no, no worries." Gavin said, patting her on the back. "Take ya time."

 

"But I knew it-" She shivered. "Fuck, I... I've been..." She squeezed even tighter. "It's been...four years." She was quiet. "It's been four years. It's been four years since they rejected me... Since they stole that dress in the painting. It's been four years since I...made Jun." She shook her head a bit. "God, that probably sounds crazy—"

 

"Only thing crazy here's how much you been hurtin'." Gavin said.

 

"So I've been—" She laughed a bit. "I guess I was lucky I have that wheelchair because it let me pretend I was hating something that...wasn't me. And I've..." With another spit of 'God!' she laid her head back into Gavin. "Hold me."

 

"Mmhm." Gavin nodded and did so.

 

"It hurt." Junko said.

 

"Mmhm." Gavin said again. "No wonder you and Haya is friends, huh?"

 

...That was a novel thought. Or perhaps it was one she'd had before, but forced herself not to think. Whatever. "Gavin." She looked up at him. "Do you...mean it? You..." She blinked back tears. "You really, seriously...love me?"

 

"Yeah." Gavin nodded. He looked her in the eyes and said, "I love you, Junko."

 

For the first time in four years—

 

someone said her name.

 

"I-if you're lying, I'll— I'll kill you!" Junko sputtered. "If you're lying I'll make you wish you were dead!"

 

"A'course. Gav knows that." He was still smiling.

 

"No— No fucking takebacks! You can't take this back later!" She gripped his arms and gritted her teeth, fighting back the tears in her eyes. "You can't say you were wrong or— Or that you loved Jun and not me or—"

 

"Trip, man, who could do that when you so cute?" Gavin chuckled, giving her a smarmy motherfucking grin.

 

"I-I'm not _cute_!" Junko sputtered. "You can just...just..."

 

For once, her anger couldn't stand up. More tears fell from her eyes, but not of sorrow, or of fear. "Thank you." They were of relief... and of joy. No matter how much she wanted to run away, or to wither away under the gaze of the sunlight, Gavin...loved her. "Thank you so much." She didn't have to pretend anymore. "I love you." She sniffled. "Please... Teach me how to be a good person. I'm tired of this. I'm tired of myself."

 

"I promise I'll never letcha go." Gavin said. He smiled. "An' Gav hopes that one day you'll see what he sees in ya."

 

There were a few urges that welled up in Junko at that moment. One of them was to slap Gavin and tell him to shove those smarmy, cliched lines up his ass. Another was to blush, and sputter, like some kind of doe-eyed schoolgirl or something. The one she wound up going with was to silently, unconsciously admit that she really, really wanted to kiss him, spring over, and plant one right on his lips.

 

"Mmph?!" Gavin made a noise, but he didn't fight back even after realizing what was happening. He didn't need to do much. It was almost embarrassing how quickly Junko wound up shoving her tongue in Gavin's mouth, clutching his head incredibly close because, being the ridiculous mess of a person she was, she couldn't keep it in her pants. She became keenly aware of his scent quite quickly, and the feel of his skin; not rough, but not soft, either. It was just right, just what she wanted to feel.

 

His breath was a bit shallow as his tongue awkwardly attempted to make way from Junko's incredible voracity. He'd probably never kissed before, if she had to take a guess, and admittedly launching into him this hard was probably a bit of a tough mountain to climb. Not that she knew. Not that she'd spent long nights studying porn to flesh out fantasies she'd force herself to forget in the morning anyway. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She knew she had a type, and Gavin wasn't it, or so she thought, so why on earth did the scent and feel and touch and smile of this dumb boy rile her up so bad? Was actual _love_ really this potent?

 

Of course, once she felt her... Well, she couldn't mince words, once she felt her raging boner rub against Gavin's thigh, Junko became keenly away of what she was actually doing, and forcibly removed herself, shouting and scuttling back into the corner. "What the _fuck am I doing_?!" She cried.

 

Gavin got back up, blinking, a tone in his voice like he'd just been blown away. "Wow. You _rilly_ love ol 'Gav, huh?"

 

"Aaaaargh, god!" Junko spat. It reminded her of the unfortunately pleasant taste of Gavin in her mouth. "You quit grinning like that, bastard! I'll kick your ass!"

 

"Yanno, you _do_ got better legs'n those sweatpants showed." Gavin observed. Junko shrieked.

 

After a moment...well, more than a moment...to regain some semblance of her composure, Junko was finally sat back down in her wheelchair. "Oh, thank god, I felt so fucking _naked_." She sighed, sure she looked like an absolute mess. "Fucking hell... What day is it? And what's with the bracelet, anyway?"

 

Gavin checked his bracelet and pushed some buttons. "Still April 29th. Ya been down here 'bout three or four days now?"

 

"Well, great." Junko said. "I love going on horrible soul-searing emotional torture rides for multiple days." Her whole body suddenly drooped. "Fucking hell."

 

"Yah, Gav'll betcha don't feel too good." Gavin said. "We got some time to kill, so the unannymous decision of the Sakaki Institute for Fine Home Lovin' is that we oughta get you fixed up."

 

A cold chill went through Junko's heart. "Wait." Her eyes went wide, and she began clutching her head. "Oh, god, the— The others. What— They won't—"

 

"We's can check right now if'n ya want." Gavin brandished... _Junko's Handbook?_ "We found that doohickey ya hacked the Note into! 'S been real helpful so far!"

 

"Oh, you did, did you?" Junko chuckled, then full-on laughed. "Right. Right, of course you did. I am a genius, after all. It's only right that you'd make proper use of my gracious gifts." Then she paused. "Um... Gavin. I—"

 

"'S alright. We trust 'em, right babe? They care 'bout you. Not no dumb character." Gavin smiled.

 

[Jf] hello everyone.

[Nh] !!!! OMG IT'S JUN

[sX] You're alright! Oh, thank heavens!

[yL] I'm very glad you're safe

[cT] Jun! It's great to see you! Are you alright?

[kO] Thank goodness. It didn't seem right without you around.

[Sm] yeah tbh. i'm glad you're okay

[Ci] May I admit something.

[Gs] aw yeah go ahead?

[Ci] I came down after a moment to ensure that it was going alright, in case I needed to step in. I've actually been hidden just outside the room this entire time.

[Jf] ...how much of that did you see.

[Ci] Everything after Gavin opened the door.

[Jf] well.

 

Junko hesitantly called, "Chihaya?" And the Ghost appeared. She entered the room, walking in sheepishly, blushing. "Um."

 

"I'm, um." Chihaya fiddled with her fingers. "I'm sorry. Should I not—" She sighed. "I was... really concerned. And I—"

 

Pause.

 

"Congratulations." She did her best to smile. "To both of you. But especially you, Junko."

 

Junko started tearing up again. She went over and, despite herself, hugged Chihaya, too. "I was scared I'd never get to see you again." She said. "I... I didn't..."

 

"Me too," Chihaya said. "I'm glad you're back."

 

"All this emotional honesty is freaking me out." Junko said.

 

"Understandable." Chihaya nodded.

 

"I'm letting go now." Junko said.

 

"Alright." Chihaya said. And then that was over. So she also still had a friend. A... really good friend, honestly.

 

[Jf] alright. that's over.

[Jf] so I've had a very tumultuous couple of days, not that I knew how long it was taking as it was happening

[yL] Oh, were you in a Nonary Game, too?

[Jf] a what.

[Nh] _hoo boy_ did things get _weird_ after you got taken

[Jf] I see.

[Jf] Well. You all can explain that once we return from... wherever we are.

[cT] You're at the bottom of the facility, beneath the Quantum Computer Room. We have control of the Elevator now, so you'll be able to ride that back up.

[Jf] a computer, you say.

[Jf] my wheelhouse.

[Jf] but that's beside the point. i can explain in more detail later but i've been essentially in isolation the past few days and have been forced to confront some unfortunate truths about myself.

[Jf] gavin, despite having his own handbook, is insisting that i tell you that he says, 'they're actually very fortunate truths.' gavin-ize that statement as you will.

[Sm] not to interrupt but

[Sm] did you kiss yet

[Jf] ...

[Jf] yes.

[Jf] yes we did.

[cT] Well, that's worthy of celebration! Congratulations, you two!

[Jf] _much as I'm sure you'd all like to talk about that_

[Jf] I have to... shall we say... elucidate you on something I've been trying to keep myself in the dark about for... several years now.

[Sm] okay i'm sorry i know you're having trouble but do you actually text like this. do you _actually_

[Jf] yes I do, and you can't stop me, so shut.

[Nh] yowza!! hi jun!

[Jf] ...Hello, Nanako.

[sX] She's been bouncing about since you messaged us. She's quite happy.

[Jf] i'm. sure she is.

[Jf] so. the

[Jf] my point is.

[Jf] I'm a woman.

 

A pause.

 

[Nh] omgggGGGG

[Nh] GRATS!!!

[sX] You certainly have had a tumultuous several days, hm? I welcome you to the feminine side!

[yL] Oh. That's good! I'm glad you figured that out.

[Nh] wait so when you said-

[Nh] ohhhHHH so you're not gay but you still like boys because you're a girl! that makes so much sense!

[sX] She's quite floored by this revelation.

[cT] I won't lie and say I'm not as well, but... Congratulations! If nothing else, it's good that you've come to that conclusion.

[kO] Um, well... wow. I won't lie and say I'm not surprised, but I'm happy for you.

[kO] Realizing I was a man did a great deal for me, so I hope it does as much or more for you.

[kO] I'm not particularly well-versed in matters of the feminine, but I'll do my best to support you as someone who's gone through the opposite.

[Sm] you know

[Sm] you did kind of always seem a bit like you'd do well at Girl Talk.

[kO] And now I'm a bit jealous.

[Sm] you're jealous of her for getting to be part of Girl Talk now?

[Sm] anyway, yeah, listen. you and i haven't had the best relationship. obviously.

[Sm] but whatever. if you're willing to step up and make that change then well

[Sm] fuck it, yknow? water under the bridge.

[Sm] especially if gavin is vouching for you because i think he's literally a saint.

[Nh] I AM EXTREMELY EXCITED BY ALL THIS LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

[Nh] wait

[Jf] much as I hate to admit it, saving me from killing myself did enough to vault you up to actual friend status.

[Nh] I AM MAXIMALLY EXCITED BY ALL THIS LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP and also my good friend who is a girl!!

[yL] Do you have any preference on how we should call you?

[Jf] Junko.

[sX] Simple, but carries a punch. I like it! Doubtless it's a name that suits you.

[cT] Then welcome back, Junko.

[Jf] ...thank you all.

[Jf] for reasons both obvious and not, I was concerned about this.

[Jf] but to be honest, i would much rather mortify myself like this than ever wear that stupid faux-hawk again.

[kO] Oh, are we allowed to call it stupid now?

[Jf] yes.

[Sm] it's one of the dumbest hairstyles i've ever seen

[sX] It's not that bad. But it's quite bad.

[Gs] its been put down right now and shes kind of a mess and has a bandage around her head (long story) but she looks real cute in a girls' uniform. i'm a lucky boy

[Nh] ALSO BY THE WAY CONGRATULATIONS YOU TWO I'M GLAD YOU'RE DATING NOW I THINK YOU'LL MAKE A GOOD COUPLE

[Sm] tbh same

[kO] Agreed.

[yL] Yes

[Sm] it's a long time coming really

[sX] Three cheers for the happy couple!

[Jf] you're all the biggest idiots I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. how do you get out of bed in the morning?

[Nh] ahhhh theres that special junko love

[Jf] I'll annihilate you.

 

Junko turned away from the screen, rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Ugh. Morons."

 

"Welcome back, Junko." Chihaya said. She smiled.

 

"Yeah. An' this time, 's for good." Gavin leaned down and- kissed her on the cheek?! She sputtered, and started frantically speeding away, as Gavin and Chihaya laughed, until she remembered the entire reason she was still down here in the first place.

 

"...So can you rescue me now?" Junko asked.

 

"Sure thing, babe!" Gavin said.

 

"Good boy." Junko said as he lifted up her wheelchair. Ridiculous as it felt, some part of her felt that with the two of them by her side, she was really, truly loved, for the first time ever. And in that moment—

 

Junko Fukuyama was happy.

 


	83. The Last Case, Stage 3 - SUBURB (Dividing Road of Fate)

"So, let me get this clear so I'm sure I haven't missed anything," Junko said, her face scrunching up involuntarily. "Yashiro is dead. Monokuma was Nanako's little brother Kojiro and is also dead. The group has spent the last few days in a completely separate death game with almost no actual death involved except an idiotic murder attempt on Claus, Shinobu, and/or Yashiro, but with no food for over a day, which Luan _was involved in prior to this but never mentioned to anyone_. We also have a second administrator called Zero, named after another alias of Valkana Kago, who ran a prior Nonary Game as Zero the Fourth, but was killed by Gavin's buddy Saburo, which means that Gavin and Luan coincidentally have the same buddy Saburo. Chihaya's grandfather is an accomplice to the scheme and is the one responsible for my and our kidnappings. There's a non-zero chance that the actual purpose behind this killing game involves _time ghosts_. And now Nanako is Dr. Blackjack."

 

"Yah, sounds 'bout right." Gavin nodded.

 

"You should feel honored that you have my genius brain back to make sense of all this chicanery." Junko rolled her eyes as she got as far away from that dark staircase as possible. Her eyes scanned the great quantum computer, and she smirked. "Ah, yes. My wheelhouse." She gave her fingers a nice crack. "Sit back and watch the maestro at work."

 

"Are you sure you're alright to do this right now?" Chihaya asked.

 

"Well, if the nine—" Junko caught herself. "E-eight. Eight of you, didn't get a chance to breathe for that long, why should I, right?" She scoffed. "Besides, a nice keyboard sounds like a perfect stress reliever right now." Of course, the fact that she'd broken a few nails in the process of scratching at that door might make it a bit unwieldy and painful, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

 

She took an overhead arm stretch first, then sidled up to an interface, smirked, and took a few keystrokes and was already in. "The security here isn't particularly tight, by the look of it." Junko said. "Lord, Rin. You're physically secure, yes, but that's no excuse to skimp on security." She smirked. "This Compound always seemed like a bit of a batshit idea to me, anyhow."

 

"She did always lack a sense of scale." Chihaya giggled lightly.

 

"More like lacked a functioning head on her shoulders." Junko said. "If there was one girl who ever lacked a self-preservation instinct, it was that one. Let me tell you, it got quite frustrating having to be the one saying basic healthcare tips like 'don't work for seventy-two hours straight with no sleep.' And I know what you're thinking. 'Junko, aren't you an all-nighter fiend anyhow?' The difference there is that I don't make it a habit of going multiple days without sleeping. And—" Pause. "Wait, if she had children, why did _I_ have to be the one who did that?"

 

"Mebbe it meant somethin' else coming from her BFF?" Gavin said.

 

"Sure, that works." Junko said. Curiosity overtook her, and she took a brief glance through some of Rin's personal data (her account's password was 'Lovelace'). "Of course she's still not certified." Junko flopped down and started rubbing the uncovered parts of her temples. "Of course she's still not certified."

 

"'Still?'" Chihaya asked, crossing her arms.

 

"Yes, well, it came up in a conversation or two." Junko said. She grunted. "That, and when she showed up to the Expo with a fucking Replicant in tow despite not being certified to make them. She would've—" She spun around and threw a hand towards Gavin and Chihaya. "Am I the weird one for being concerned that she was planning on going up on stage with an _illegal Replicant_? She could've been imprisoned, or worse!"

 

"Tha's kinda bad, yeah." Gavin nodded.

 

"She brings me back into her loading zone and expects me to be happy about the fact that my best friend is about to brand herself as a criminal!" Junko throws her hands up. "Fucking _moron_. I—" Then the irony of that statement began to set in. "Well, okay, I know I tried to do that too, but it's _different_ , okay?"

 

"Naw, naw, Gav gets it." Gavin said, with a goofy grin and a shrug. "But, uh, if _tha's_ why you gave Nanners the sabotaging treatment—?"

 

_H u h ?_

 

"Oh. Oh geez, uh." Gavin hurried down and put his shoulders on Junko's, frozen and rigid. She couldn't un-widen her eyes. "My bad, babe. You alright? Talk to me."

 

A bit of pounding in her head. "...Ah." Junko breathed. "Aha... ahaha. No—" She put a hand up to her forehead. "No...? What? I don't...?" Why was she crying? It hurt. It—

 

His arms around her. "Junko, honey. You cool. Nothin' wrong here." Gavin said.

 

Her head slumped onto his dumb hair. "...Ugh." Her tears began to dry. "What? Where am—?" She looked up. "Right, right, the... right. And..." Gavin was there, looking up at her. "Right." She shook her head. "I don't... remembering... _that_ , it hurts." She babbled. "Not now. Not."

 

"Tha's fine, babes." Gavin said, gently holding her. "Do whatcha gotta. Gav's sorry."

 

"No, you... couldn't really have..." Junko's eyes refocused. "It's fine. You had no way of knowing that would cause me to... ugh. Fuck." She tapped at her head a bit as the pounding subsided. "Why did my brain have to come up with such an unpleasant defense mechanism?"

 

"It is a defense mechanism primarily against yourself." Chihaya pointed out, putting her hand on Junko's left. "It wouldn't work very well if it didn't work against you."

 

"I'll—" Junko gulped. "I'll get to that later. I'll get to—" She focused back in on the computer. "Alright, first thing." With a few deft keystrokes, like a fish to water, Junko returned to her forte and pulled up a list of permissions from the Administrator's account... then raised her eyebrow at what she saw. "Curious." Junko said.

 

"Whazzat?" Gavin asked.

 

"Several of these commands are blocked off even to the Administrator." Junko said. "By the look of them, some of them, such as locking and unlocking doors, have been routed into the Killing Game subroutine, but a few of them don't seem to have ever been available to her." She turned her head to Gavin. "Do I need to explain why that's bizarre, or are you clear?"

 

"Ain't an Admin 'sposta be able to do errything?" Gavin asked, crossing his arms and humming.

 

"I knew I liked you for a reason." Junko patted him on the arm. "Let's see. First is something secondary to the reset to default command, listed as 'Force Clear.' By the look of it..." A few more keystrokes. "It clears off a great deal of this computer's data, excepting two particular segments." She scanned through the addresses. "One of them is a particularly large segment, looking to be the core of the facility's operations. The other appears to be dormant at the moment, so it'd take longer than we have for me to discern its use."

 

"So, the system possesses a way to hard wipe the majority of the data, but Rin can't actually use it?" Chihaya frowned. "That doesn't make sense."

 

"The second is... hm." Junko rubbed her chin and scrunched up her brows. "The proper Halls on the upper five levels are all capable of being sealed off from the Stairwell, all their rooms being closed off from each other, the Service Elevator blocked from that floor, and, apparently, any given room being flooded for deep-cleaning purposes by water that's gone through Filtration Control." She blinked. "But, again, given that no account is actually listed as having access to this function, Rin isn't able to actually use this function, and never has been, going by the history."

 

"Any more?" Chihaya asked.

 

"No, so now I'm going to browse through some of her proper data." Junko said. "Is there anything of particular interest to us that either of you can think of?"

 

The two of them thought. Gavin thought louder than Chihaya. "Oh, yeah!" He snapped his fingers. "Ionno if you saw it, but Claus got partuva blacked-out doc 'bout Nanners. Might be 'f you find that'n, we got somewhere!"

 

"Give me a string from it." Junko said. "That'll make my life easier."

 

"'A bit on the nose, I'll admit— I hope she likes it anyway.'" Chihaya parroted. Nice and long. Good. Pretty soon, Junko was able to find the exact document, grinning to herself and nodding about what a genius she was. "You found it?"

 

"I sure did." Junko smirked and pulled it up.

 

 _The purpose of the Particle-Type project is the construction of the first Voight-Kampff compliant Replicant since the Sean model in the early-mid 21 st century. The primary issues faced by most robotics scientists, as I understand them, are:_  
  
_-The need for inbuilt computing power necessary to run a Replicant AI on a single body, rather than a quantum computer._  
  
_-The difficulty for Replicants to process information in such a way that they could internalize their own nature as real beings._  
  
_In my five prior projects, I experimented with various methods using the sort of metal skeletons that Replicants in today's society generally use, an evolution of the GAULEM model constructed by Dr. Sigma Klim in the 21 st century. While I did manage to create AI for those bodies, VK-compliance was a far-off dream. Four of the five prototypes did not reach the point of attaining a sense of self, and died in their infancy. The fifth elected to leave my care shortly after being built, and I wish her well._  
  
_It occurred to me earlier this year, in 2194— why could I not take the two issues and form them into one solution? I concluded that the GAULEM model was incapable of reaching VK-compliance within my lifetime, and elected to instead turn to parapsychology for my answer._  
  
_The subject that interested me was the subject of BC particles, particularly, M particles. These particles are integral to the human brain, and those who cannot generate them frequently suffer from severe, degenerative psychiatric disorders. A single study by a collaboration between a roboticist and a parapsychologist in 2103 (contained in Miyoko Tenkawa's compilation of studies regarding BC particles, entitled “Before Crime”,) showed that Replicants were incapable of producing these particles. The knowledge had yet to be taken as relevant by any known roboticists, but my time knowing Kei led me to consider the production of a new P-Type Model._  
  
_In essence, information itself is both the energy that propels my latest prototype and the building block that makes her up. Tests I ran with_ ██████████████████████████████████████████████████████████

 

"Grargh, what the hell?" Junko started furiously typing as the further text disappeared before she could read it. "Someone's blocking us out. Come on—!" She typed and typed to try and revert the changes, but whoever was blocking her was far too fast. Soon the entire rest of the document was blocked; by the look of the data, it was being corrupted rather than simply erased, which was a bit difficult to revert on an OS that wasn't your own even ordinarily, with no opposition. She was, however, able to message the rest to her own Handbook through Rin's chat client, popping up in, by the look of it, a separate tab of the chat client. "Damn it." She clenched her fist and spat.

 

"There were swathes of that we didn't have before," Chihaya observed. "There has to be something for us there or it wouldn't have been blocked out when we received it earlier."

 

“Well...” Junko grunted. “I suppose I'll just have to leave that to whoever's read the full document.” With nothing left for it, she tapped out into the directory that file had been located, entitled 'Project Summaries,' and scanned through it. “Let's see...” She rubbed her chin. There were three files and one folder present. The first file was 'Projects 1-4 Post-Mortem.' The folder below it, 'Letters for Lain.' “Lain?” Junko murmured. “Perhaps that's the fifth Replicant she mentioned beforehand.”

 

“Aww, ya think they kept in touch for a scooch?” Gavin smiled. “Tha's sweet! Warms the cockles of Gav's ventricles.”

 

Junko wasn't particularly paying attention to him at that moment, though. The fourth was obviously the Particle-Type Project document she'd just read, but the third was what caught her eye. The document was titled 'AEK', and had been last edited last March. Raising her eyebrow, she opened it up.

 

_The only truth you need_

 

_is always right here._

 

For some reason, Junko found herself shivering. What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean? Who had even edited this file? She checked the edit history, but no name was listed, not even 'Administrator.' “What on earth?” She began to shiver wildly.

 

When she turned her head to look, Gavin and Chihaya had also gone rigid. Chihaya was gritting her teeth. “There's something... _wrong_ about this.”

 

“Oh, glad it ain't just Gav.” Gavin rubbed the back of his head. “Trip, man, I'm all psychin' out cuzza all these bad vibes.”

 

“I don't want...” Junko murmured, grabbing her arms and clutching herself. “...to look at this anymore.”

 

“A'ight.” Gavin said, rubbing her shoulders a bit. “Ya did good, babe.” And he hugged her. “Real good.”

 

[Ci] Junko isn't doing too well right now, so we're taking her back to her room. The Service Elevator is in Abilene.

[yL] I hope she's alright.

[Ci] She should be fine, but she needs a shower.

[Ci] She obtained us some useful information. Is it alright if we all meet up to collate information once she's ready?

[sX] Most certainly.

[sX] Incidentally, Nanako is quite good at scaling walls one-handed.

 

The two of them landed on a platform atop the climbing wall in Physical Training. “This should be Miria's, according to Kojiro.” Nanako said. “You ready?”

 

“One moment.” Shinobu hopped out of Nanako's arms and wiped herself off. “Truly, you are a marvel. I certainly couldn't have managed that on my own.”

 

“Aww, I'm sure you could've.” Nanako smiled, her antenna puffing.

 

“The Mistress of Mystery is many things, milady, but athletic is not one.” Shinobu tittered. Nanako laughed too, and then walked over to turn on the explanation.

 

“Hi-ho-diddly, neighbor!” Monokuma cackled. “I hear some of you naughty kids want an explanation of _She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain_ , the execution we've prepared for Miria Hayashi, the Ultimate Mountaineer!”

 

In the courtroom this time along with Girl N were Boy T and a motionless, miserable Girl C. “ _The Claaaaawwww_!” Monokuma shouted. “Anyway, so the malicious Girl M is placed at the base of this climbing board, ready to begin her expedition...” Girl M landed at the bottom, fake snow beginning to fill the room. “When suddenly, bazinga!” A bunch of sawblades started coming out of the floor, and Girl M leapt onto the board to save herself. “Suddenly, threat!”

 

Girl M began clambering around on the board to avoid the sawblades, when suddenly the climbing board began rotating around her, constantly altering her position. “Something something mountain climbing punishment.” And there were fire jets. “Oh, whatever!”

 

Monokuma clicked a fast-forward button, skipping several seconds of Girl M deftly avoiding several traps, like falling rocks, crumbling footholds, the aforementioned fire jets, was— was that a bird? “So then the thing starts going horizontal.” True to his word, the climbing wall began to bend forward, leaving Girl M hanging over the sawblades on the bottom, and revealing a wall of spikes on the back. “And, uh, so, she hangs on or whatever...” And then once that was over, the climbing wall constantly rotating, it was facing back into the gap, with Girl M facing the wall, when it suddenly shook her loose and spun to face the wall of spikes, which shot inward, presumably turning Girl M into a shish-kebab.

 

“Look.” Monokuma said. “I've done seventeen of these things today and I'm so over this. You get the point. Whatever. Bye.”

 

A few moments later, the two of them were on the ground again, walking out of the room. “Hey, Nobu.” Nanako said. “Are you noticing anything weird about these?”

 

“It's possible. Did you have any particular strangeness in mind?” Shinobu asked, tilting her head. “For I had noticed an odd trend.”

 

“Well, Eriko's, Wanda's, Ruri's, Aoto's, and Miria's now, they all ended without us seeing the actual corpse, right?” Nanako said, her antenna spiking. Shinobu nodded. “Hold up, lemme ask...”

 

[Nh] okay weird question

[Nh] have any executions you guysve seen had like.

[Nh] an actual, visible corpse

[cT] Daisuke's didn't. He was clearly dead, but his corpse wasn't visible.

[Sm] mine ended with me a bloody smear on the ground so it was a bit past 'corpse'

[Sm] so no

[Nh] ok so thats seven of them

[Nh] there should be eighteen right? us seventeen and then ruri

[Nh] nobu and i just noticed this thing and it's freakin weird!

[Jf] what the hell are you people even talking about.

[Gs] stop textin in the shower, babe

[Jf] I do what I want.

[yL] We're all looking around to find all the executions as part of solving the mystery

[Jf] ah, I see

[Jf] who's Ruri?

[Sm] remember how aoto lost his memory of rin and the whole girl b thing

[Jf] you're shitting me.

[kO] She'd apparently been a candidate for the game before Yayoi took her spot in the class.

[Jf] are you fucking kidding me

[Jf] what a bunch of haphazard bullshit.

[Jf] i'm going to write The End a strongly-worded private message telling her how wrong she is about every aspect of this. fuck off with this 'girl b' thing.

[yL] She's also the Ultimate Data Analyst

[Jf] sounds like a nerd. I could probably destroy her easily

[Gs] no destroyin people o_o!

[Sm] speaking of there's one more for us to go check on the fourth floor so we're gonna go do that. comms are open for anyone who wants to.

[Sm] your dog's here, Gavin

[Gs] RUFF

[Gs] RUFF

[Gs] HOUSE

[Gs] MAN!!!

[Gs] can ya tell him gav's a bit busy rn? gf things.

[Sm] he's a dog.

[Gs] yea but just speak russian

 

A pause.

 

[Sm] i can't speak russian, gav.

[Gs] oh bummer

[Jf] i can't believe your dog is named Ruff Ruffhouseman. you are an embarrassment.

[Ci] Get wet already.

[Nh] i figured she already was??

[Sm] yeah. for gavin

[Jf] i will annihilate you

[kO] Oh, no.

 

Kazuya followed behind Stella, cackling like a hyena, sighing and shaking his head towards the microphone, hoping Mrs. Masaki picked up some of his vibes. That ended quickly, though, and things became quiet as they exited to Barnsley Hall. “Hey, Stella.” Kazuya said. She turned her head to look at him. The Playroom was still in its disastrous state, with Kojiro having been locked in Maxwell Hall and unable to clean it. “Do you... think I've improved as a person? Since coming here.”

 

“Yeah. Why?” Stella asked.

 

“No, seriously.” Kazuya said, sighing. “I—”

 

“I was serious.” Stella said.

 

Pause.

 

“I've always—” Kazuya sighed more sharply this time, and passed through the room as he did. “I've always felt so... _weak_. Like I couldn't do anything at all. And, you know, I don't— I don't _like_ that about myself.”

 

“Right.” Stella nodded. “I know.”

 

“And I'm not sure, now that we're all this far, that I've really gotten past that at all.” Kazuya said, looking down at his hands. “I mean, sure, I feel better about myself than I did, but that's not saying much. I still feel weak. Like I can't do anything.”

 

Stella fully turned to stare at him. “Kazuya.” She said. “Without you, I'd still be a gibbering mess right now.”

 

“What?” Kazuya blinked. “How?”

 

Rolling her eyes, Stella put her forehead in between her right thumb and index finger and sighed. “Remember? The time ghost rant in that creepy replica of Kei's room? Come on, you can't have forgotten about it already.”

 

“Okay, but you're my girlfriend, though!” Kazuya countered. “What about—”

 

“You were the first person who made friends with Shinobu, so it's because of you that she and Nanako are together now.” Stella said. “It's because of you that we had such solid alibis for Miria's murder. You pulled the group back together when we found Daisuke's corpse. Again, you saved me from completely losing my shit back there.” She widened her arms. “You're— you're the guy who _stopped the Little Ultimates Initiative._ ”

 

Kazuya's eyes widened. “Huh?”

 

“Have you just forgotten what you've done?” Stella said. “It's because of _you_ , and nobody else, that that creep Valkana wasn't able to keep doing what he did. He went underground, and he stopped hurting people in that industry, because of _you_. And you weren't even hurt by him, Kazuya. It was just a _friend_ of yours who was.” She laughed a bit. “And you were twelve!”

 

“Well... I mean...” Kazuya stammered, and he looked down, blushing.

 

“And— for fuck's sake, man, you've survived three weeks in this hellhole without breaking.” Stella said. “You didn't bend _once_. Even a bunch of us who are still here didn't stay upright the whole time— hell, _I_ didn't. I thought I was going to kill Aoto, Kazuya. But _you didn't_.” She jabbed her finger onto Kazuya's nose. “No matter how bent out of shape everyone else has gotten, you've always been here. Being more and more _you_ the whole time. And you know what? That sounds pretty damn strong to me.”

 

Kazuya looked back up. “I miss Yashiro.” He said. Stella nodded, and hugged him. “I'm so tired of all this.”

 

“Same here.” Stella said. “But... listen. I know it's hard to see yourself like I see you. I know it's hard for me to see myself the way you see me, so it stands to reason, right? I know. So... we just gotta stick together.” She smiled at him. “Let's just keep on, Kaz.”

 

After a moment to breathe, Kazuya nodded. “Right.”

 

“Plus, the cool, confident you is hot.” Stella said, and Kazuya turned bright red and started sputtering because oh lordy lordy me. It wasn't too far from there to the Chapel, where there had been listed another chamber.

 

Thankfully, Hansuke's corpse had been removed from the premises, and the pristine room had been returned to its former silence and peace. The quiet sounds of flowing water filled Kazuya's ears as the two of them stepped between the pews. “Wanna get married?” Stella suddenly asked, and Kazuya started sputtering very loudly. “Heh, just kidding.” She grinned. “Way too soon for that.”

 

Behind the pulpit, under the steely gaze of the archangel Michael, a trapdoor had become visible in the floor, and opened easily with the two of them working together. Another dark room. Kazuya was ever so tired of new rooms, but there wasn't much to be done about it but climb down the ladder. In vengeance for all that sputtering earlier, Kazuya took the ladder and, like a rebel, totally looked at Stella's butt while she was above him. “Having fun down there?” Stella asked.

 

“Oh, absolutely.” Kazuya smirked. “What sights I see! Truly I am blessed today.”

 

“The jeans don't make my ass look _that_ good, bro.” Stella snorted. She landed and playfully punched him in the arm. The chamber they found themselves in was stark and metallic, and stretched onward for quite a while, probably into the service passages. The terminal was right inside, so Kazuya stepped up to it. “Bets?” He asked.

 

Stella looked around the room, and up at the ceiling and trap door. “Chihaya.”

 

“I'm guessing Shinobu.” Kazuya said, pushing the button.

 

“Heyyyy youuuuu _guyyyyyys!_ ” Monokuma bounced onto the screen. “So I heard you were in a killing mood, a real saucy, murder-y mood! Well well well well well, do I have the thing for you. It's a step-by-step explanation of _Delusion*Express_ , there's a star in the middle there, the execution we formulated for the Ultimate Net Admin, Jun Fukuyama!”

 

“Damn.” Kazuya snapped his fingers.

 

The presumable... Kazuya decided on Girl J for the sake of accuracy, but she still had the faux-hawk. Girl N, Boy T, and Girl B, for some reason, slammed their hands and sent Girl J into— “Our MK-Ultra brand _The Claw_ whisks Boy J off through our handy-dandy twisty-turney passages.”

 

Girl J was placed on a platform at the entrance of the room, which suddenly lit up to reveal the Chapel. “Let's congratulate him!” Monokuma began clapping, as did a number of proud cardboard, faceless cutouts of people in the pews, as the platform began moving Girl J towards the pulpit, where Monokuma stood, waving a diploma in his hand. The emblem of Hope's Peak was emblazoned all about. “He's graduating, after all! You're finally worth something, Boy J!”

 

The Girl J on the screen began laughing to herself... and before long, crying. As the platform reached closer to the high podium where Monokuma stood, with her 'reward,' she began huddling closer in to herself, not even bothering to try fighting back. The platform raised her onto the pulpit, and placed her behind it, where Monokuma presented her with her diploma.

 

When she took it, though, the room's lights darkened. “Uh-oh. Seems like somebody doesn't think this is quite right!” The eyes of the archangel Michael in the stained glass glowed with the same eerie red light as Monokuma's bat-wing eye, as beneath Girl J the pulpit trapdoor shot open, sending her plummeting to right where Stella and Kazuya stood now. “Sorry, looks like Mikey doesn't think you're quite good enough to stay up here, loser!”

 

Frantically looking about, Girl J began crawling around the ground, when the chamber lit up with an orange light, and she began visibly shaking with pain. “This room, you see, is equipped with microwave emitters!” At that point, the Monokuma theme cut out, and all that was left to accompany Girl J was silence. As she crawled forward, she, and Kazuya, spotted a door well at the end of the hallway.

 

Monokuma cleared his throat. In a voice unlike Monokuma, a young boy's almost angelic voice— perhaps the true voice of Kojiro Hashizawa— he began to sing.

 

“ _Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!_ ” Girl F continued to crawl along. Steam began to rise from her body, small but wretched pixelated cries of anguish coming from her.

 

“ _I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see._ ” Her posture slumped, and her frantic crawling began to slow, the strength of her arms beginning to give out.

 

“ _'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved;_ ” Her burnt skin sizzled as the fat beneath began to render. The last bits of steam began to fall from her eyes, as her tears evaporated the instant they fell.

 

“ _How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed._ ” It wasn't very long, but her screams began to die down; not from lack of pain, but simply the lack of air in her lungs.

 

“ _Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come;_ ” But eventually, she managed to reach the door. Her arm reached towards it, desperate for relief from the misery, desperate for the pain to stop.

 

“ _'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far..._ ”

 

Behind the door was a set of stairs.

 

“ _...and grace will lead me... home._ ”

 

She threw her hands up to her face as her eyeballs began to burst, but despite the instinctive reaction, the fight was clearly gone from Girl J. She lay down onto the floor, no longer moving.

 

“ _And grace will lead me..._ ” The video cut out. “ _home_.”

 

[kO] We... found Junko's execution.

[Jf] and how was that.

[Sm] honestly?

[Sm] makes me wanna puke.

[Jf] Well that's just lovely.

[kO] It did... cut out before she died, though. I think.

[Jf] I'm glad that The End was so kind as to respect my dignity.

[Jf] Oh, wait.

[kO] Yeah, no, about the only thing this could've done worse was posthumously out you

[Jf] I'm genuinely surprised it didn't.

[Nh] nah nah see

[Nh] that wouldve spoiled the plot twist for Kojiro.

[Jf] Ah. Was he not aware beforehand?

[Nh] yeah no he totally wasnt

[Nh] trust me, we're like, siblings? i know these things

[Jf] ...I'm.

[Jf] sorry for your loss.

[Nh] thanks, junko.

[Nh] dw tho. i'll keep it together.

[Jf] And much as the whole situation incenses me, I accept his apology.

[Nh] thanks.

[cT] Is this a bad time?

[Jf] No. What is it?

[cT] Luan and I have just found the room where Yayoi's execution was located.

 

As it turned out, in that strange Navigation Room, the two of them had managed to find an entrance into the service passages, and Luan had said, “Didn't Kojiro mention a 'Clothes Bay?'” Well, with a thought like that, they clearly needed to look around a bit, and find it they did.

 

Before Claus's eyes, a great, stark white chamber arose, with a raised platform in the center surrounded on all sides by a rapidly-moving conveyor belt. Eighteen chutes extended out of the central platform onto the conveyor belt, which rocketed all about the room, with occasional levered breakpoints to chutes exiting the room and going to other places in the facility. Luan finished this inspection of an exit chute, and said, “I, er.”

 

“Clueless?” Claus asked.

 

“I confess to being clueless.” Luan shook his head. “I cannot find a sensor I'm familiar with.”

 

“Well, that's alright.” Claus said. He rubbed his chin. “I'd wonder if perhaps Jun— _ko_ ,” he said, catching himself, “knew anything about this, but that might be pigeonholing her a bit overmuch.” Luan nodded.

 

It was easy to recognize this as that very same white chamber, even without the crumbling building and from this angle, by the glass chamber high atop the wall. The bullet holes were clear as day in its front; when The End had murdered Yayoi, she had evidently not gone to the lengths of fixing that damage. Claus couldn't help but find himself grumbling a bit about how she should really respect her own property, damn it, even though he also admitted to himself that that made no sense.

 

“Alright.” Claus said, circling the conveyor belt. “It should be around here somewhere... ah!” On the wall below the glass chamber, Claus found the terminal for Yayoi's execution sticking out. “Excellent.”

 

“And a beary good morning to you all!” Monokuma said. His verve seemed a bit stronger than last time. “Wasn't expecting to do another of these, but we got a surprise entrant, so let's give it everything we've got! This is _Wrecking Crew '96_ , the execution prepared for the Ultimate Foreman, Yayoi Murasaki!” It was easy for Claus to talk a big game, but his heart lurched at the sound of Yayoi's name.

 

The animation for this one was a bit hastier, skipping the courtroom and having Yayoi simply land in the building. “Sorry, the animation budget got cut on account of spite for Ms. Murasaki.” Anyhow, Yayoi landed in the building, and things proceeded as Claus and the others had seen in the actual execution itself up until the wrecking ball appeared. In the video, Yayoi continued trying to evade the bombs and wrecking ball as the building slowly collapsed, but as she climbed up the building, the excavator...

 

Claus sighed. “Of course.” Monokuma switched a lever in the excavator that switched the scoop into a _fist_ , and he and the fist played Rock-Paper-Scissors. Of course, since Monokuma couldn't really make anything but Rock, the fist won with Paper. Monokuma maneuvered the fist above the building, and slammed it down, crushing the building in its wake and leaving nothing but a pile of bloody rubble. Claus rolled his eyes as the credits played. “You know, Luan, I can't help but feel like our resident mastermind is an _incredibly_ tacky woman.” He said, putting his forehead in between his index finger and thumb and shaking his head.

 

“Mm.” Luan nodded. He was fidgeting slightly, and looked an awful lot like he wanted to say something.

 

“I understand.” Claus chuckled. “Go ahead and speak to your parents. I can handle myself for a bit.”

 

The speed at which Luan turned heel and began _running_ full bore out of the room struck Claus with a shock of surprise. “ _Thank you_!” Luan shouted.

 

[yL] Stella are you in the Comms Room please make sure the communications are open

[Sm] yeah, i just got back

[Sm] you're good, should i call for your parents

[yL] Yes

[Sm] update: our teacher speaks mandarin

[sX] I am more fascinated by this woman each fact I learn about her.

[yL] Yes

 

Slamming open the doors to the Comms Room, Luan, panting, stared, wide-eyed, at Stella and Kazuya. “Microphone!” He shouted. “Where?!”

 

“Right here.” Stella said, standing up and giving him the chair.

 

“ _Mother! Father!_ ” Luan bellowed into the microphone. “Are you there?! Please tell me you're there!”

 

“ _Oh_ , _Yun-Fat_!” Luan would recognize the weathered, but airy and lilting, voice of his mother anywhere. “You're safe. Oh, thank heavens!” Pause. “Oh— oh, do say something.”

 

“It's alright.” Luan smiled and shook his head, even though they couldn't see him. His father had always been a taciturn man, but he could recognize the small sounds of his sniffling and sobs of relief anywhere. “It's alright, I can hear him.”

 

“How we've worried!” Mother said. “Oh, but after the last time- how awful you should have to go through this again, but you're _safe_ and that's what matters!” She was crying too, of course. “Oh, my boy, my baby boy, you're alive and you're safe and you're here!”

 

“Er.” Luan mumbled. “Well, I am not quite 'there' yet. Not much longer, though. I swear I'll be out as soon as—”

 

“You can stop working.” Father said, suddenly. Luan stopped dead in his tracks.

 

“...What do you...?” Luan blinked. “I... what?”

 

“Well, the details were still being worked out last we spoke, but the Headmaster of Hope's Peak himself has vouched for us, and we've— well, we've been given permission to stay in Japan.” Mother said. Luan's jaw went somewhat slack, and his eyes widened. “Oh, and— well, I've been— ahaha, well, I've been trying my best to learn the language— are, um, any of your friends there?”

 

Luan wordlessly nodded. Then he realized, again, that he was on a microphone. “Yes, they... Stella and Kazuya are here.”

 

“Hello!” In Japanese, Mother belted awkwardly loudly. “Thank you for... caring for Yun-Fat!” Stella jumped.

 

Kazuya, meanwhile, unfazed, said, “No, I assure you it's been him who's taken the most care of us.”

 

“You can... stay?” Luan mumbled. “In Japan?”

 

“Yes, that's right, that's right!” Mother said, teary giddiness ringing loud and clear in her voice. “Er— um, what did your friend say? Which one was that?”

 

“That was Kazuya,” Luan repeated, dumbly, “and he said that I've taken the most care of them.” He blinked.

 

“That does sound ever so much like you.” Mother said. “You've always been such a hardworking boy, and... well, it's- it's high time that we supported you for a change!” He could picture his mother— short, but strong-armed, with a face that always seemed to exude _readiness—_ pumping her fists in pride. “You've done so much, Yun-Fat. I, er, might need your help learning the language, though.”

 

“Oh... of course.” Luan said. “I'm... happy to help... do you...?”

 

“We don't necessarily need to stay at your apartment, though!” Mother said. “I know it's not the largest apartment in the world, and I'm sure we can—”

 

“No! No, er-” Luan stammered. “With... with the three of us together, it won't be hard. There's enough room. I made sure of that, just in case—”

 

“If there's any houses you have your eye on in your area, we'd be happy to lend a bit of assistance!” Another woman's voice cut in. The teacher, Luan supposed? “Oh, it's plain to see this is just a wonderful occasion, isn't it?”

 

“Um. Yes.” Luan stammered.

 

“Ms. Tsumugi.” Father said. “You're... too close.”

 

“Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Luan.” 'Tsumugi-sensei' said. “I'm just very excited for all of you!”

 

Luan's head craned downwards as the sheer enormity of what had just happened hit him. Memories flashed through his head in a rapid-fire barrage of recollection— arriving in Japan alone at just eight years old, all the work he scrounged together even when nobody would allow a child to work, the friends he made, the life he'd carved out for himself over these past eight years— and it was all for this, wasn't it? So that he and his family could be together again, free of the shackles of poverty? He—

 

“I can... finally stop?” Luan asked, his posture bending slightly. “I can... rest?”

 

“You can.” Mother said. She sniffled. “You _can_.”

 

Luan wasn't sure what sort of tears came to his eyes in that moment. The flood of emotions filling his heart as he received the news couldn't be narrowed down to any single emotion like that- it felt rather like he felt _everything_. Eight years, eight long, long years, and it was all finally over. Stella and Kazuya came to his sides and supported him slightly as he sobbed, quietly, but intensely. He had never been one for being loud.

 

“I'm so glad.” He said, through his tears. “I'm so glad... I'm so...” He wept.

 

[Sm] so what do you think they're actually saying

[kO] I have no idea.

[yL] My parents have emigrated to Japan with the assistance of Hope's Peak.

[Sm] _are you_

[Sm] _texting while you are right next to us and also crying_

[Sm] ALSO WHAT HOLY SHIT??

[yL] everyone else should know too

[sX] Congratulations, Luan!

[Gs] yeah! gav's sure it weren't easy but... you did it, man! you can go home!

[Ci] You deserve it.

[Jf] I'm happy for you.

[cT] Language barrier aside, I can't wait to meet your parents! You're a wonderful man so I'm sure they're wonderful parents.

[yL] I

[Nh] i think you killed him also WHATTTTTTTTTTTT OMGGGGGGGGGGG _OMGGGGGGGGGGG_

[Nh] Y U N

[Nh] Y U N ! ! !

[Nh] _**YUUUUUUUUUUUUUN**_

[yL] Nanako.

[Nh] MY MAN

[Nh] MY EXTREMELY COMPETENT AND FANTASTIC MAN

[yL] everyone

[yL] thank you

[yL] i appreciate it very much.

[Nh] HOLLA IN THIS ROOM IF YOU LOVE YUN

[Sm] what the fuck

[Nh] just. holla

[kO] Okay, I'm hollering.

[sX] As she says, 'holla!'

[cT] Holla!

[kO] Stella is rolling her eyes but she says holla.

[Jf] I'm also rolling my eyes. Why should I need to show my appreciation for Luan, which I assure you is quite vast, through this idiotic ritual?

[Gs] holla!!!

[Jf] why do I love you.

[Ci] Hollering is a bit too loud for me, but I also greatly appreciate you, Luan. Thank you for being our friend.

[yL] thank you all

 

Luan sniffled, rubbed his eyes, wiped them clean, and took a deep breath. “I am... alright now.” He said to Stella and Kazuya, who obligingly moved away, Stella raising her hands and shrugging as she did.

 

“That was quite a cry.” Mother said. She'd been crying too. “Are you going to be alright?”

 

“Yes.” Luan nodded. “I'll be home soon, Mother, Father, but one of my old friends is in grave danger in this facility, and I need to save her before I can come home. Please wait for me, alright? I want to show you my karaoke booth.”

 

“Be safe.” Father said.

 

“Yes, be safe, and good luck, Yun-Fat!” Mother said. “We're all rooting for you here, alright?”

 

“Alright.” Luan smiled. “Thank you. Mother, Father, I love you.”

 

“We love you too, dear.” Mother said. “Er- that should be all, Ms. Kagenui?”

 

“What an enlightening conversation!” Kagenui-sensei said.

 

“I'll stay here, you get this guy some water.” Stella said, pointing her thumb in Luan's direction and nodding at Kazuya. “Crying that much makes a guy thirsty.”

 

“Got it.” Kazuya nodded, and smiled. “C'mon, Yun... er.” He stopped and stammered, his eyes looking down towards the floor. “Is it—?”

 

“Yes.” Luan nodded. “It is.” He smiled.

 

[Sm] alright, we're good there

[Nh] \o/

[cT] Excellent.

[yL] Thank you all

[sX] It isn't a problem. Say, are your parents interested in human explanations of seemingly paranormal phenomena at all? I do so enjoy our talks, and a pair of other partners would be fascinating.

[yL] I don't know. I'll ask when next I see them

[sX] You really are ever so lovely.

[Nh] but different lovely from me right.

[sX] Very, dear.

[Nh] yeah!!

 

“Alright, this is it.” Nanako said, looking up from her Handbook and finding Shinobu snorting at her. “What? C'mon, I'm not that funny.”

 

“You really are, dear.” Shinobu tittered. “Your good humor is one of the things I love most about you, you know.”

 

“Okay, if you say so.” Nanako rolled her eyes with a put-on air of disaffectation, shrugging as they took the short walk through Newcomb Hall. She looked down at the floor, with its glitzy, golden stars, like a walk through the halls of fame. “Hey... Nobu?”

 

“Yes?” Shinobu asked. “What is it?”

 

“Do you think maybe Mom... hm.” Nanako's antenna twirled as she tried to put the words to her thought. “Well, she had this built. It's been here my whole life, but I never really thought about it... do you think Mom kind of... envies the famous?” She looked around. “I mean... okay. So, Ultimates— let's just use them as an example— well, obviously, you guys all have a whole host of issues.” She laughed. “I mean, I think the only guy here who didn't have _any_ issues was Aoto, and he was randomly selected from the general populace.”

 

“I certainly can't deny that, after all this time.” Shinobu said. She did raise her eyebrow, though, and tap her chin. “Claus is rather a good man, though.”

 

“Have you seen him sleep-deprived?” Nanako snorted. “That's bad enough to count.” Shinobu giggled in response. “Okay, but anyway, the way it seems like, it sort of seems to me like... well, _talent_ as we understand it has this... bad habit of becoming, like...” She kept waving her hands around. “This all-consuming force that winds up defining a person's life. I mean, we all know what it did to Junko, right? Yun's been working on his talent since he was eight, it was all that kept Stella going... Chihaya... it's so... _big_ , and it seems really hard to work through on your own.”

 

“That's a curious thought.” Shinobu said, her eyes twinkling as though she'd just heard the makings of a nice line in there somewhere. “Continue.”

 

“But it's so hard because, like, you know, if your life is good, great, but if your life is bad, then all you _have_ is that talent.” Nanako said. “Your big talent, or whatever, it starts defining you not for good reasons, but because it's all you _can_ define yourself with. It doesn't matter if you want to run away from it if it's the only thing you can do. Like... Chihaya found her talent because she couldn't even face seeing people anymore. Stella had to keep parading herself in front of everyone even when she was in so much pain. Kazuya had to do it because he'd been _forced_ to. You— you wrote because writing mystery was the only thing keeping the vampires at bay, I guess.” Nanako retched. “That was a terrible way of putting that.”

 

“But quite accurate.” Shinobu cut in.

 

“Okay, good. But, like... you don't _see_ that from outside.” Nanako said. “From the outside, people see Ultimates as some of the biggest celebrities in the nation, right? They're this huge thing, and the whole concept has this public face, I mean, just look at the word. 'Ultimate.' You guys are the best. So people from the outside don't _see_ that.”

 

The intensity in her voice began picking up. “And— so— Mom's had— Mom has had this unbelievably bad life, right? She keeps losing things again and again and again, and all she has is this talent, this talent she starts throwing everything into even though she knows she shouldn't because it's the only thing she _has_. And then she sees people like Gavin, or Daisuke, or you, or Claus, or Stella, who all _look_ like they've got everything figured out, like their talent hasn't consumed them, like it's not a coping mechanism or whatever, and Mom sees people with talents like hers and they're _okay_.”

 

Tears had begun creeping into Nanako's eyes. “They're okay, and they don't look like they're suffering nearly as bad, and who wouldn't get a bit envious of that? Especially since— y'know, that document, it said that she failed _four times_ , right? A girl, her age, her talent doesn't even amount to anything four times, she loses _four children_ and here are these shining, talented people with talents like hers except they're _okay_ and they're all _together_ in Hope's Peak and they're all friends and everything is okay.”

 

“And then Kei shows up and starts talking about how she and Mom and Chihaya and Miria, they can all get in, they all have talents, right, they can totally do it, and then it seems like Mom has some hopes, like maybe she'll get to be together too, but no. She loses Kei, and Chihaya, and Miria, and she's alone _again_.” Nanako sniffled. “And it's not _fair_! How could anyone think that's fair! So she starts making things that sort of reflect that, since she made this place, and you know you— you can't really—”

 

“It is,” Shinobu said, “rather impossible, I find, to create anything without putting something of yourself in it.”

 

“Yeah!” Nanako said, snapping her fingers and pointing at Shinobu. “Yeah, that! But then she gets one last ray of hope, the Expo, and her best friend is there, and maybe something good will happen, but then it just _doesn't_ and she loses everything _again_. And it's just...” Nanako's antenna had slowly drooped, but by this point it was nearly aligned with her hair. “I kind of... understand... why she was in so much pain after that. I don't know the whole story, I know, but I... I kind of just...” She sniffled again. “God, I don't know. I just... I want to give my mom a big stupid hug and tell her things are going to be okay, you know?”

 

Coming up behind her, Shinobu did the hugging this time. “I understand. You will, Nanako.”

 

“Okay, I'm— I'm glad you think so.” Nanako sobbed. “You know what, Nobu?” Shinobu tilted her head questioningly. “I think that this place, this Compound, it just... it just kinda sucks. It's always kinda sucked.”

 

“Certainly it's no place to raise your children.” Shinobu said. “What makes you say that, though?”

 

“Well, you know, as time goes on, I've gotten to know you guys, and I know what...” Nanako continued gesticulating, because words were hard. “It's like I've finally gotten to know what... what _real_ warmth feels like. What real _happiness_ is. And there's just...”

 

It wasn't that there wasn't happiness and warmth to find in Nanako's memories, but it was... it felt _clinical_. Constructed. Like it was all just going through motions, like some sort of script. Her memories had begun to be tinged, given this new context, and she—

 

“Nanako... Nanako, Nanako, please, wake up!”

 

She felt... bloated. Disgusting. What was this feeling? It was awful, like— like she'd been pumped up full of air, or something. Was this how the air outside of the Compound felt? No, this... she was lying on sand, not a bed... “ _ **Nanako!**_ ” Mom...?

 

Nanako slowly began to come to, her nerves wracked with this sick feeling, but she felt her hands against soft, familiar-feeling sand. No, this was... She opened her eyes, and stared up into a familiar sky. The sun was setting. Mom— Rin— was laying over her, on all fours, her glasses fogged with tears, begging her to wake up. “Mom...?” She began trying to get up. “What...?”

 

“Oh, Nanako!” At the sight of her waking up, Rin latched on to her. “Nanako, Nanako, Nanako... I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...”

 

“Wha-? Mom, what are you...?” As Nanako's vision came more into focus, she was able to see pretty clearly that she was on top of the Compound. To her left, sitting on the sand, was the vehicle she'd been transported in. “What happened...?”

 

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm a failure. I'm sorry.” Rin blubbered. “It didn't work. Nothing ever works. Nothing ever... ever ever ever... nothing ever works... Jun... Jun... I— I. I... I...”

 

“Mom, I don't understand.” Nanako said, still half delirious. “Did something go wrong with the exhibit? Do I not get to go outside?”

 

It was like a switch had been flipped. The tears dried up in an instant, and Rin regained her composure. “I'm... sorry, Nanako. I... my best friend, Jun, he... he—” Pause. Composure. “The exhibit was... sabotaged. I wasn't able to properly present you... the vehicle was stolen, and the Expo is over. I've been disqualified.”

 

“ _What_?!” That got Nanako right back to alertness, and she shot straight up, her antenna spiking even straighter up. “Mom, I— what? That's horrible! Are you— are you— well okay clearly you're not okay, should we do anything about it? I can tell them what happened—!”

 

“No, that won't be necessary.” Rin said, standing up. She hugged Nanako. “I'm sorry... I failed you. You deserve a better mother.”

 

“What does that have to do with—?!” Nanako sputtered. “Mom!”

 

“Please... go back to your room.” Rin said. “I need...” She clenched and unclenched her hands. “I need to be with Kei now.”

 

“You need to-?!” Nanako said, stomping her foot on the ground, which made a louder sound than she was used to. “Mom, come on, please, talk to me! I—!”

 

“ _Go back to your room_!”

 

The sunset glared a sickly orange over the entire scene as Rin turned around after her sudden shout. “Go back to your room, Nanako. I'm sorry. You deserve a better mother.”

 

Nanako just let her leave. The words wouldn't leave her throat. Her mom, her kind, sweet, demure mom, screaming with such manic emotion— what girl wouldn't be terrified by the sight? She stood, rooted in place, for several more moments, until Rin disappeared from sight—

 

—felt as though it wasn't even her own—

 

Nanako lurched backward and gasped, with the sudden rush of regaining such an emotionally charged memory. She staggered back against the wall, not in pain, but in shock. “A-aaah. Ah.”

 

“Nanako?!” Shinobu shouted, rushing over to hold her. Her hands were soft and ever so small. “Nanako, dear, are you alright?”

 

“I just remembered waking up after the Expo.” Nanako said. “I remembered the— the moment Mom started— you know, um, getting bad.” She was breathing rapidly. “I'm fine, just— holy shit—”

 

It took a few more moments for her to recover, against the cold stone wall of the Post Office. “I'm... okay, just a bit of... haaaaah.” Nanako's breathing slowed. In. Out. In— “Okay I'm good.” Her antenna twirled. “I think I'm gonna need some time to process that one.”

 

Shinobu did her best to attempt to support Nanako as she stood up, but given their physiques, it was a symbolic gesture at best. “Are you alright?” Shinobu asked. “I've seen, naturally, that regaining memories is quite the taxing feeling for you, so—”

 

“No, no, sometimes it's not, this is one of those times.” Nanako said. “Like, it always just sort of happens, but there's sort of this stream of consciousness aspect to it that happens when I regain memories without pain, but it hurts when it feels like they're forcing themselves, I guess?” She shook her head. “Okay, that doesn't sound like it makes sense.”

 

“So you simply experienced that entire memory in that single moment?” Shinobu said. She stared in wide-eyed astonishment. “That is absolutely _fascinating_.”

 

“Yeah, it's, uh... it's sure something alright.” Nanako said. “Okay, but, like I said, gotta take a bit to process that. Lemme zone out for a bit. Like this.” She slapped the underside of one of the bird cages and hit a switch, the mailboxes sliding apart to reveal a hidden door. “Maybe I should've gotten on the floor a bit more often. Bet I would've noticed the incline.”

 

“A very real possibility, but I must question why you would find yourself doing that.” Shinobu said.

 

The two of them headed in, opening the door to reveal... a dump. Not a literal dump, but a metaphorical one. Nanako didn't even know how to really describe this room; it was flimsily-walled, drab and boring, except for a painting of apples and wine on the wall above the bed. “Ah, a motel room.” Shinobu said. Nanako blinked. “You're not familiar with the concept?”

 

“Not really?” Nanako said. “I always thought hotels were supposed to be, y'know, nice.”

 

“No, dear, 'mo'tel. Hotels designed for motorists, usually for single-day stays.” Shinobu said. “They're not particularly nice, as people aren't usually going to stay in them for long.”

 

The two of them paused, and turned to look, among the nightstand and desk, at the terminal. “If that's not Hansuke's execution, I'm gonna eat your beret.” Nanako said.

 

“I certainly hope for my beret's sake that our hunch is correct, then.” Shinobu said. She reached for the terminal, but paused. “...Hansuke.” She said, her voice tilting quickly downwards.

 

“Yeah.” Nanako said, hugging her from behind this time. “Yeah.”

 

“I couldn't stop him.” Shinobu said. “If I had been able to stop him, would this have gone differently? He had so much left to offer us, Nanako. Such...” Shinobu sniffled, but it sounded daintier than when Nanako did it. “Such a bright young man, limited only by his own preconceived notions.”

 

“Without him, we'd have been in the dark for ages.” Nanako nodded. “He was... he was a real cool guy, and he did his best for us.”

 

“To echo his own words, a man like him was one in a million.” Shinobu said. She breathed deeply. “He fell victim in the end, and yet... the thought of seeing him at his full potential... it brings me to tears.”

 

“Yeah.” Nanako said. She looked around the room. It almost felt like Hansuke in physical form, now that she felt it a bit closer. “Hey, Hansuke... wherever you are... we miss you. We miss you a lot. Everyone here misses you so much, and we... we really wish— you were still here with us. We really wish you'd come back.”

 

But that would never happen, of course. The End had seen to that, her sickening torture pushing Hansuke and Junko both beyond the brink. Nanako's fists balled. “You know what, Nobu?” Nanako said, and Shinobu tilted her head again. “I think... I really, really, really hate The End.”

 

Shinobu chuckled sadly. “It took you this long?”

 

“Whoever she is, whatever sob story she throws at me, it's never going to bring back any of them.” Nanako said. “Aoto, Eriko, Miria, Wanda, Daisuke, Boss, Hansuke... Yashiro, Kojiro... I'd give anything to see them again, to bring even one of them back, but she took them all away, and nothing she says can make that okay.”

 

They held each other for a moment that felt like an eternity, lingering in each other's warmth before returning to the cold. Nanako steeled herself, and pushed the button.

 

“HEY KIDS! Won't you call my name again and again?” Monokuma appeared. “Now, any sane person could tell you that you're clearly here to hear about _The Last Sleep_ , the execution we've prepared for Hansuke Yasuda, the Ultimate Salesman! And away we go!”

 

Girl N, Girl X, Boy D. “Hanky-pank Boy Q gets whisked away through by our MK-Brand _The Claw_! He's sent through our fantabulous twisty-turny passages because we haven't got the timey-wimey to keep anyone waiting!” And was taken, as it turned out, to this very room. “But his room isn't very nice, because he is a murderer, after all.”

 

Boy Q looked around the room for some time, but all he was able to find was a cardboard box lying atop the bed. Left with no recourse, he sighed wearily and opened it. “Inside the box is his invoice— we've got quite a lot to sell today, so let's get to work!”

 

From inside the box, a chain shot out, grasping Boy Q's neck and trapping him against the bed. He struggled for a bit, but it intensified when he saw the drawers on the desk and nightstand opening. From within the drawers, a slow, but ordered march of what appeared to be animate household tools appeared; a staple remover led the charge, followed by some markers, gauze, plungers, paper clips, kitchen clips, multi-tools, spatulas... Soon, Boy Q was surrounded by wares he'd presumably sold in the past.

 

“It seems Boy Q's wares aren't too happy about being peddled, so it's time for him to get a taste of his own medicine!” The paper clips stabbed themselves into his hands, and some rubber bands forced his arms to remain spread. He lay in a pose reminiscent of... 'crucifixion?' Shinobu nodded.

 

The staple remover, with the assistance of some sewing needles, began to tear apart Hansuke's precious coat thread by threat, working with devilishly quick movements to tear away one of Hansuke's only possessions, and had his mouth not been shut by the kitchen clips, he would presumably have screamed. A meat thermometer then stabbed itself into his left flank, and the multi-tools began to make slight incisions into Boy Q's flesh. “We have to check to make sure the product is up to satisfactory standards.”

 

Without his coat on, Boy Q looked unnervingly naked, but the army knives, courtesy of the multi-tools, digging into his legs became more and more intense, clearly cutting deep enough to hit bone. The markers and some small price tags began working together to stick the tags with price tags (listed in 'Monocoins') to parts of Boy Q's body. Tags for his finger, left foot, ears, nose, and more, no part of Boy Q's body was safe from this onslaught.

 

Suddenly, though, it all ceased. The bed suddenly retracted into the wall, and the paper clips stuck Boy Q's arms to the floor instead. His legs were numb from the pain, no doubt. The appliances began moving out of the way, and the strings holding them aloft disappeared, as Monokuma, in a ceiling compartment, began moving towards the top of the room's light fixture. “Looks like he's up to satisfactory standards! The MK-Brand name can't accept any less, after all. Now, to prepare him for _packaging_!”

 

Flipping a switch, the light fixture changed shape, suddenly becoming visibly sharper, a stainless steel, cubed slicer with lightbulbs. “You know what they say— wanna make an omelet, you gotta cut a few onions! Puhuhuhu!” He slammed the lever, and in the instant before the lights went out, Nanako saw the chandelier descend, then a horrifying, painful slicing noise.

 

A few gross, wet packaging noises later, and the lights came back on, revealing a set of about ten boxes containing various regions of Boy Q's body, a map of the area present on the fronts. “Your very own bit of Hansuke Yasuda's corpse! Only 100 Monocoins at your local school store.”

 

[Jf] alright. I'm ready.

[Nh] k. we just saw hansuke's execution.

[cT] Bad?

[sX] I found it deeply unnerving.

[kO] Ouch. That's rough.

[Nh] lights cut off right before he died, though, never saw the corpse. totally onto something here

[Nh] anyway be down in a bit. cyall there

 

“Nanako,” Shinobu asked. “As we ruminate on... _that_ ,” and she shivered as they left the Post Office, “I have one further question for you, if that's alright.”

 

“Oh, yeah. Shoot.” Nanako nodded. “Anything.”

 

Shinobu turned and asked, “You said that 'they all have talents'. Are you sure about that?”

 

“Huh?” Nanako's antenna curled into a question mark. “Who'd I say that about?”

 

“The runaway group.” Shinobu said. She had a slight frown. “Rin, Kei, Chihaya, and Miria.”

 

“Oh, yeah.” Nanako nodded. “All of them had talents, yeah. I'm pretty sure, right?”

 

“That's quite curious.” Shinobu said. “That's not to say I would doubt Kei Sagami having some sort of hidden talent, but... Chihaya and Miria claimed that Kei was hoping to be selected _randomly_.”

 

“Huh? No way.” Nanako shook her head. “'Hey, I've been thinking. Even if we all get separated, I have an idea. All four of us, we all have a talent, so let's get admitted to Hope's Peak, and all of us can go there together, and we can still be friends!' That's what she said, clear as day.”

 

Pause.

 

“Excuse me?” Shinobu asked.

 

“Well, it sure wasn't Miria's voice, she was too quiet. Chihaya's a bit too fierce, and Mom's all demure. So that means it had to have been Kei.” Nanako said. “Right? I mean, it couldn't have... been anyone... else...” She slowed down, and her index finger and antenna rose as she processed what she had just said.

 

[Nh] chihaya you have your memories back right

[Ci] Yes.

[Nh] did kei have a talent

[Ci] Hm? Well, she claimed that she could probably wind up something like the 'Ultimate Clairvoyant'. She said she had a habit of getting out of danger cleanly, and even sensing it before it occurred. It got us out of several bad situ

[Ci] that was also taken.

[Ci] Why would that...?

[Nh] ok yeah thanks for the answer

 

“ _Shinobu I'm confused!_ ” Nanako shouted at her girlfriend.

 

“ _I am also rather befuddled!_ ” Her girlfriend shouted at Nanako.

 


	84. Intermission, Part 10 ~ Pose the Question to this World

The first conclusion Miki came to, entering the facility on Dr. Morinaga’s back, was that this place sucked.

 

Well, that was a bit vague, admittedly. Something about the atmosphere set Miki off. It gave her shivers, reminded her far too well of the cloying _nothing_ she’d felt for so much of her life. This place, this Compound, was wrong. Something about it was just utterly wrong.

 

That said, no time like the present, Miki thought as they entered the metal-and-glass passage leading into the facility proper. “Hey.” She said to Dr. Morinaga. “I can walk from here.”

 

“If you’re sure.” Dr. Morinaga said, nodding lightly. She imagined he didn’t exactly mind not having to carry her any further. Miki climbed down off his back and brandished the crutch she’d taken just in case she needed support, though at the moment she didn’t exactly need much.

 

“I must confess,” Reiji said, flailing around a bit like he did as the group took their first looks into the facility proper, “that I do still have some reservations about allowing you to come in here, Ms. Murasaki.”

 

“Oh yeah?” 'Ms. Murasaki' said. She was dressed more officially than she'd been in years, having pulled out a gray cardigan Yayoi had picked her up from some dumb fashion show at a venue she'd been working on... how long ago was that, even? The rest of her was in black— black shoes, black pants, black undershirt. Blake and Glasses said she looked cute and gave her two collective thumbs up. “And what are those?”

 

“Well, my dear girl, you're twelve!” Reiji said, striking a pose. How did he jitter like that? “And having just recovered from such an illness, I fear for your life, that perhaps your bravery shall grant you no greater reward than—”

 

“I don't care.” Miki said, walking past him. Reiji sputtered, spun out, and fell to the ground. Kotone, Natsuhi, and Blake all laughed to varying degrees.

 

For their part, Ruri, Mrs. Narumi, and Saburo were in front, taking stock of the facility’s entrance. Miki joined them. The whole scene was lit up blue from the glass showing the seawater around them. “Doesn’t look like we’ve got any obvious threats right here.” Saburo said. “Still, we should be careful.”

 

Down below, the ocean, deep, vast, and full of life, stretched all around Miki’s eyes. She hadn’t seen much of the ocean before, and even in a situation like this, it was really striking to her just how much larger it was than her, or anything she’d experienced. A pang of loneliness stabbed at her when it occurred to her how much of this ocean Yayoi had likely seen.

 

The crow, Sakuya, came flying down the corridor, and perched herself on Mrs. Narumi’s shoulder again. They conversed for a bit before Mrs. Narumi turned to the rest of the group again and said, “Sakuya didn’t detect any traps inward just yet, but there’s a fork in the road ahead.”

 

Everyone continued walking at a generally even pace. Natsuhi was quietly soothing Reiji for getting owned by a tween, and Kotone was looking around at the ocean, mostly. “Geez.” She said, sighing and shrugging. “All this money and it goes to something like this? Rich people, I swear.”

 

“She always did lack a sense of scale.” Ruri said. It hadn’t escaped Miki’s notice that she’d had her candy bag open for some time and had been slamming candies down her gizzard. “I always found it rather charming before.”

 

“Eto, Ruri-chan, boku is recognizing that we are in the situation, but occasionally I have a concern about your ha-bits. Your has will not be the ha-ha if you continue to eatadakimasu in this fashion!” Blake piped up.

 

“Your concern is noted.” Ruri said, still shoving candy down her gullet.

 

“Morinaga-sensei, please do me a big backup!” Blake pleaded with the aging doctor, his eyes glowing.

 

Dr. Morinaga sighed, exhaustion clearly evident— though with him, it seemed a constant companion. “I’m a surgeon, Blake. Not a dentist.” Blake quickly apologized with a ‘gomenasorry.’

 

Down below them, as they walked, was the main body of the place itself. It was like some kind of inverse, undersea mountain, a big, sickening stalactite on the ocean’s ceiling, blocking the view of the ocean and shoving itself in there so you just _had_ to pay attention to it. “So this guy, Kojiro.” Miki said, her mind wandering. “He was the one who talked to me after Yayoi died, right? The guy doing the Monokuma Theater broadcasts.”

 

“That does seem to be the case.” Reiji was walking alongside her now; he was in Business Mode. “Why?”

 

“Just thinking about that time he spoke to me.” Miki said. She paused. “I guess I don't know if you know about that, but you probably heard it at least once, since you're one of the obsessive weirdo kinds of Ultimate.” Oh, there was a noise of being injured. He'd get over it in a few seconds, though. “Figuring that if these guys in there are half as good as he said, then maybe things are looking up a bit.”

 

“Gavin's a hell of a guy.” Saburo said. He smiled a bit, which meant on the inside, he was smiling a lot. “And Yun, too. Different kinds of guy hells, but both guy hells.”

 

“'Guy hells'.” Kotone repeated. Then she took a moment to think about that. “Can I go to Guy Hell?”

 

“Stay on topic, Kotone. We're here doing a rescue mission, not salvaging your love life!” Ruri scoffed. “Truly, girl, I swear—”

 

“Oh. Yeah. And you're totally not doing this for your love life, right?” Kotone snorted. Miki had to turn around to see the look on Ruri's face for that one, and took a moment to think about how the short, spiky-haired Kotone actually looked next to the absolute space case that was Ruri Bessho. That said, it was totally worth it.

 

“I-I-I am—!” Ruri sputtered. “I have been hired by— I am— it's not befitting of a protagonist to—”

 

“Just say you're the protagonist of a shoujo manga or something.” Miki said, which caused Ruri to fly back even harder. Kotone laughed pretty hard at that one.

 

‘So, a surgeon, a circus ringleader, six crazy high schoolers, and a sick kid walk into a bar.’ It sounded, Miki thought, rather like the beginning of a dumb joke. Saburo and Sakuya were ninja-ing around, ensuring that there weren’t any traps or guards in the area. Nothing. “This is weird.” Saburo said. “Why isn’t there anything here?”

 

“Overconfidence, perhaps.” Ruri said. “I doubt she imagined we would ever arrive here, and if the facility is so isolated, I doubt Rin ever considered putting particularly overmuch security.”

 

This passage was particularly wide. The running theory was that it was for the purpose of bringing in large containers to the facility proper. It was stark, white, shiny. It was cold in here. Miki gritted her teeth. They came up to a three-way split in the path, a forward path and then splits to the left and right. Sakuya returned to Mrs. Narumi and cawed at her. “Sakuya’s found something to the left. Something concerning.” Mrs. Narumi said.

 

“About time.” Miki scoffed.

 

It wasn’t a long walk to the ‘something’ in question, and the group reached a massive freight door in reasonably short order. A great, grey-and-yellow freight door stood smack dab in the middle of the bend. Blake was kind enough to hit a switch to open it, and as the door shuddered to life and retracted to show its innards, it revealed an elevator, leading upwards. It was pretty large, presumably for loading or something. Blake’s eyes went wide when he saw what Sakuya actually meant. “Iyaw no!” He jumped. “Konobject is looking to my eyes like-!”

 

It was a mid-sized metallic box with a bunch of _stuff_ on the top. A beeping light. Screws. Wires. It was connected into the wiring of the facility, and pretty sturdily, at that. “A bomb.” Ruri finished his thought for him. (‘Bombkuhatsu!’ Blake finished his thought as well, though.) She knelt down to look at it. “Not particularly high-grade, by the look of it, but a bomb nonetheless.”

 

“Fireworks are more my specialty.” Mrs. Narumi said, perching by the bomb. “How strong are we talking?”

 

“Hm.” Ruri said, rubbing her chin. “I’d rather not touch it, but it doesn’t seem powerful enough to penetrate the facility. By the look of it, with the walls as we’ve understood them, it would mostly destroy some of the infrastructure in this single passageway. It’s quite inconveniently placed if The End wished to actually catch any of the escaping hostages in the explosives.”

 

“To slow them down?” Natsuhi said, frowning.

 

“That’s quite possible.” Ruri said. The bomb was making ticking noises, and that was quite unnerving. “It doesn’t seem to be a timed bomb, despite the noise. Perhaps it’s based to go off on a trigger. Whatever its purpose, The End has a particular reason for having put it here, and it’s connected to the facility, so there’s no guarantee she couldn’t just detonate it right now.”

 

Reiji jumped and made a noise. It was like he’d never seen an explosion before, c’mon. Dr. Morinaga, meanwhile, said, “So we’re all standing in front of a bomb that the lunatic who kidnapped seventeen people could detonate at any time and kill us.”

 

“I mean, if you wanna put it bluntly.” Saburo shrugged.

 

The good doctor sighed, rubbed his temples for a moment, and then produced his medical bag, which he’d brought theoretically for the purpose of if any of the hostages were injured. “Well, that’s just great.”

 

“What are you doing?” Natsuhi asked, her eyebrow raising uncharacteristically high.

 

“What does it look like I'm doing?” Dr. Morinaga said. “I'm going to defuse this bomb.”

 

“You're going to-?!” Ruri sputtered. “Doctor, with all due respect, you are a surgeon. I'm quite certain that this job is not within your skillset.”

 

“I've defused bombs before.” Dr. Morinaga said, completely flatly.

 

There was a pause for a moment. “Er... excuse me?” Ruri said, her weird rooster coif thing seeming to deflate a little.

 

“I've defused bombs before.” Dr. Morinaga repeated. “Several times.” He knelt down in front of the bomb and began pulling out his tools. Scalpel. Drain. Laser. Forceps. “My apologies if any of the hostages are particularly injured when you find them.”

 

“S-sensei, sonna?” Blake knelt down, his eyes wide. “Heroicsing is the great, akaring pastime, but if this receptacle were to catch you in its bakuhatsuing, you would come down with the bad case of _extremely deadness_!”

 

“Your concern is noted.” Dr. Morinaga said. “That said, we need to deal with the bomb somehow, and better it be me than any of you. You’re all young, and I can’t in good conscience allow you to do something that would endanger one of my patients, such as defusing a bomb.” He snorted. “I’m not getting any younger, and at the very least, I can try and block it with my body if I screw up or something.”

 

“You make a compelling argument.” Mrs. Narumi smirked. “I’ll assist as best I can, and Sakuya and I will continue scouting the area.”

 

Kotone started loudly sputtering. “But— but Your Majesty!” …Oh, right, she had that dumb title. “Wha— you can’t leave, what about—” She cut off. ‘Your grandson,’ probably.

 

“I'm not needed to fight her directly if she has such capable young people prepared to battle her.” Mrs. Narumi said. Sakuya crowed. “Besides, likely as not, Yashiro already beat her somehow. I don't need to win a victory for him. That boy doesn't know how to lose.”

 

 “But he's dead.” Miki said. Wow. Nice job, Miki. That was a great comment to make there. Come on, could she not be just a bit sensitive at a time like this? Inwardly, she groaned.

 

 “Death need not mean loss, and life, not victory.” Mrs. Narumi said. She turned towards the bomb, and Dr. Morinaga. “I only ask that you find his body and tell me how he died. Make sure everyone knows exactly how strong my grandson was. Even if I do die, I'll be satisfied then.”

 

Kotone was tearing up as she saluted. “Yes, ma’am, Your Majesty.” Blake was saluting too, because of their heroism or something.

 

“You never get this intense when it’s just us.” Ruri pouted. “I feel almost betrayed, Kotone.”

 

“Look, you’re great and all, Ruri, but there’s only one Queen of the Crows.” Kotone said, pumping her fist. “She’s one of the all-time showmanship greats. I have to pay my respects.”

 

“Right, right.” Ruri rolled her eyes. “In any case, thank the both of you, and good luck.”

 

“Do your best to catch up when you're done, of course.” Reiji said, cutting in. “Best wishes to the both of you, and with that, I alight!” He spun around on his foot, stamped down, and then began powerwalking very quickly away from the explosion radius.

 

“Wha— Reiji.” Natsuhi said. She started following. “It's just an explosion.”

 

“There is nothing 'just' about an explosion, my dear summer queen, and I would rather not chance it!” Reiji said, still powerwalking.

 

Miki leaned over to Blake and mumbled, “Does he have a phobia or something? That’s the most frightened I’ve ever seen.”

 

“I don’t know.” Blake said. “I’ve never asked about Reiji-kun’s phobias. I know Ruri-chan is afraid of cats, and I, for one, actually become rather paranoid around iron spikes.”

 

“Iron spikes?” Miki snorted. “What are you, Megaman?”

 

Ruri was glaring at the two of them, and turned to Kotone and muttered, “I have the strangest feeling that this conversation the two of them having is dangerous.” Being able to language-barrier your way into secret info was a pretty useful one. “Let’s be off, then.”

 

“Well, okay.” Miki said. She extended her hand to Dr. Morinaga. “Hey. In case you die.”

 

“Always the sort of thing I love to hear.” Dr. Morinaga said. He turned his head, saw her hand, and his eyes flashed with recognition. “Oh.”

 

He reached out his hand as well, and the two shook. “Thank you for giving me my life.” Miki said, smiling as honestly as she could. “It's been real, Doc.”

 

 “You too, Miki. Stay safe.” Dr. Morinaga said.

 

And just like that, they parted ways. Miki gave him one last wave and then turned to go join the rest of the group. As she did, though, Ruri came up beside her and asked, “Really? 'It's been real'?” She was smirking, but it was clearly a pretty friendly one.

 

 “As if you're any better, Shoujo.” Miki snorted. Ruri sputtered.

 

 

* * *

 

The first order of business was unscrewing the front lid with his scalpel. That wasn’t too hard. Of course, as soon as that happened, there was the matter of these wires, and these detonators, and ensuring these water tanks were kept at an even level.

 

“You needn’t worry, young man.” Tomoe said, perched by the bomb. “I’m sure you have the steady hands needed.”

 

“Young man?” Ijuuin snorted. “You might be a fossil, but I’m no spring chicken myself.” There was a detonator pin removed.

 

“Everyone looks young to me.” Tomoe smirked. Care and patience were key here.

 

Removing these detonator pins, keeping everything even, and then beginning to disintegrate the control mechanisms for the bomb with his laser. Nothing out of the ordinary. “Tell me.” Tomoe said. “Certainly, you didn’t just come here out of a desire to protect your patient. You don’t seem like that kind of man.”

 

Ijuuin sighed. “Well, you’re not wrong. I wanted… to pay my respects, I suppose.”

 

“To your daughter.” Tomoe said.

 

Nod. Disintegrate that control mechanism. Switch to the drain. “I hadn’t seen her in years, you know. Not since her mother left.” Ijuuin said. “It’s been a long time since then, and not a day went by that I didn’t think about her, you know. I couldn’t contact her. Her mother stopped all that, and when I tried after she died, Wanda never picked up. I imagine she hated me too.”

 

“A sobering thought.” Tomoe said.

 

Ijuuin nodded. “When I saw that she’d gotten into Hope’s Peak, I was the proudest father on the face of the earth. If you ask any of my patients that day, they could tell you I was on the verge of tears the whole day. I’ve never been much of a professional.” He snorted.

 

“Do you know,” he continued, “what Miki’s sister had to say about Wanda? I quote. ‘She mighta been a fuckin’ creep, but she didn’t deserve that shit.’” He began laughing. It wasn’t funny. “Hardly a good word to be spared from anyone, except from the Mystery Novelist. Do you know… how that feels?”  His hand clutched his forceps tighter. “I wasn’t there for her, and this happened because of it. She died cold and alone with nobody there for her. What a joke. It’s hilarious.”

 

“Would you like sympathy?” Tomoe asked.

 

Ijuuin shook his head. “Just that if I’m about to die, better if someone at least hears these thoughts. Dead men tell no tales.” His face grew stony, as he removed the voltage control and found a few wires he began to cut. “If only I’d been better, right?” He said. “If only I’d been able to support my family doing what I loved. I envy these kids, you know. They can do what they love and not have to worry about it.”

 

“It does hold a certain appeal.” Tomoe agreed. “Playing on the street corner isn’t much of a way to support your family, though. You’d have to be a damned good player, and lucky, to make it that way.”

 

Smirk. “Yeah. I know.” Ijuuin finished his work here, but then the layer of the bomb detached, and he raised his eyebrow. “Hm. What’s next on the agenda?”

 

He stopped cold once he lifted the panel. Within a mass of wiring, connecting the bomb to the wires of the facility, was a _mass_. He wasn’t sure how else to describe it than that— not quite solid, not quite liquid, the strange, black, almost-sludge substance appeared to _sizzle_ , was how Ijuuin would describe it. Eight wires, around it, connected it to a voltage control, with a pair of plugs in it. The wires rapidly flashed red and black. “Hm.” Ijuuin said. “I have no idea what this is.”

 

“Nor do I.” Tomoe said. She looked down at Ijuuin, who looked up at her. “Time to experiment, then?”

 

“Well, as they say in the business, fuck it.” Ijuuin said, brandishing his forceps. Modifying the placement of the plugs in the voltage control made a difference in how rapidly the wires flashed, which was probably a good sign. “I’m going to cut on black, because my medical training has taught me that red wires are bad.” He said.

 

“Sounds like a reasonable plan.” Tomoe nodded.

 

One wire cut. Nothing happened. Alright, that was a pattern established.

 

Two wires cut. Years of medical college. The hopes of his family. Letting his family down. “I don’t want,” Ijuuin said, keeping his breathing even, “the smiling girl I used to know to be a bygone thing nobody remembers.” Her smile.

 

Three wires cut. Struggling to survive, sleeping hungry. Meeting the woman of his dreams. She loved him back, loved his dreams. “Wanda deserved better.” Her smile.

 

Four wires cut. Halfway there. Getting married. It was a small procedure. Having a daughter. “And that makes me sick.” Her smile.

 

Five. Three left. Trying his hardest to ensure she grew up happy. Defusing a bomb in an airport when nobody else could to protect her. Being noticed by the medical field again. Being given job offers. ‘If you do a surgery, can I watch?’ She was a bit fascinated by the macabre, even at that age, admittedly.

 

Six. Making the decision. Losing his wife. Losing his daughter. Crying more than he thought possible. Wanting her to be okay. Wanting to see her again. Please, god, wanting to see her smile again.

 

Seven.

 

‘You can do it, Dad.’

 

The last wire—

 

_“Huh? …Ruri? Saburo…? They… came for me?”_

 

A gate loudly slammed shut behind them, and a crash emanated from behind it. The light suddenly turned red, as Kotone ran up and slammed her fist on the door a few times. “Your Majesty! Your Majesty, can you hear me?!”

 

“Not to interrupt, but I feel like we might have some other problems.” Saburo said, as an alarm began blaring. “Like those.”

 

Where he was looking, out of a small passage to the side, a swarm of small floor-based drones began flooding into the hallway. Ten, twenty… it was quite a few, at least. They didn’t look that big, but they were quick, and unknown machines was a big bother. Reiji yelped. “Oh, dear!”

 

_“No! That’s cheating! It’s not allowed! **Get out!** ”_

 

“Alright.” Natsuhi stretched her arm a bit and brandished her cane. “Let’s do this.”

 

“You stay back as best you can, Miki.” Saburo nodded his head at her. “We don’t know what they’re capable of.”

 

Miki didn’t have anything to say. Sure, she was afraid, but what else was new? Again, people were going to fight for her, and she couldn’t do anything. What the hell else could she do? What the hell else could—?

 

To the left, she saw something. It was a door, nearer to them than the one the drones had come out of. And it was _shifting_. The door was moving positions on the wall, slowly sliding away. Miki darted past the group, which caused them to shout, jammed the doorway with her crutch, and snuck in before it closed shut, shattering said crutch.

 

It was a small storage room, built for modifying parts that were too large or unwieldy to use properly before they entered the facility, probably. Miki darted around, looking around, for something, _anything_ she could use.

 

_“Is she going to…?”_

 

And she found it.

 

_“What the hell?! Who is that kid?! She’s not supposed to be here! SHE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!”_

In the dim light, she managed to grab it before the wall panel it was on could shift away and close away from her. Living with Yayoi Murasaki had its benefits, she thought, as she brandished her shiny new circular saw. She’d picked up how to use one of these things.

 

“ _PUT THAT DOWN!_ ” A voice began shrieking through the drones right outside the door. “PUT IT DOWN PUT IT DOWN PUT IT DOWN PUT IT DOWN”

 

The door was like butter. So were the few drones in front of it. Hefting the heavy circular saw in her arms, Miki snarled, gritted her teeth, and stared at the rest of the drones, which apparently needed a moment. The door shut and locked, and the hallway quaked slightly. “Bit too late for that.” Miki said. “You really need to be quicker on the draw. I’m twelve and I’ve spent most of my life in a bed. _You_ stay there!” She barked at Saburo. “If I need help, I’ll ask for it!”

 

_“I recognize that. I recognize that, I recognize that, I recognize it! You! You, you, you, I recognize you! You’re just like her… you’re just like Murasaki! Murasaki! Murasaki Murasaki Murasaki!”_

The drones began quaking, too, and they all began shrieking in that same voice. “ _MURASAKI MURASAKI MURASAKI MURASAKI MURASAKI! MURASAKI! MURASAKI!_ ”

 

“Mad?” Before they could get over themselves, Miki sliced through a few more. It was a good thing that Rin Hashizawa had the sense to have her power tools be able to cut these things. “Good. You deserve it. Be mad. Go ahead and hate me. _It’s not like I don’t hate you!_ ” She roared, and briefly took a glance to her side to see— ah, yeah. The rest of them had gotten past this particular obstacle. Good thing they weren’t all dumb.

 

How many of them were there, still? Looked like about thirty. Wait, had there been that many before? And why were they suddenly getting— “Hey!” Miki shouted, instinctively turning off the saw as Saburo picked her up underarm and started running backwards. “What are you doing?”

 

“Discretion’s the better part of valor, kid.” Saburo said, pointing at the metal gate, which had some very angry-looking, metal fist-shaped dents in it now. “Nice moves, though.”

 

“Fine.” Miki spat. As they caught up to the rest, she handed her saw to Kotone, who’d slowed down to keep pace. “Hold this until I need it again.”

 

“Wait, what? Why would you need it—?” Kotone groaned. “Uuuugh, I’m surrounded by crazy people!”

 

It didn’t matter how loud those alarms blared, or how much The End threw at her. By stepping off that boat, Miki had made the choice to enter her enemy’s world. It was victory or death. And— oh for fuck’s sake, Shoujo hadn’t taken off her damn heels. Who the hell runs in heels?!


	85. The Last Case, Stage 4 - CANAL FLEET (Many Lights Twinkling in the Night Sky towards a Shining Future)

Stepping into the Cafeteria this late was a new one, but rules were made to be broken. Nanako and Shinobu strolled in, with three heads visible. In particular, there was one head that Nanako rushed over to see— a certain young lady going to town on a plate of squid ink pasta with voracious abandon. “Enjoying that?”

 

“I haven’t had actual physical sustenance,” Junko said between chewing, “in at least four days. I’m fucking hungry.”

 

Nanako whistled, as Shinobu said, “What on earth even happened down there to leave you so deprived?” Shinobu raised an eyebrow at the bandages. “And to injure you so?”

 

“Oh, those were self-inflicted.” Junko said, slamming down what was, by the row of empty water bottles next to her, her fifth water bottle over the course of this meal. Nanako started back, her antenna spiking, and Junko followed up, “Don’t give me that look. I’m fine, Nanako. Relatively speaking, I’m better than I have been in years. And what the hell are you doing?” She smoothly transitioned to glaring at Gavin, who was staring at her, head in his palms, moony-eyed, unable to keep the adoration down from his face.

 

“Hm? Oh, jus’ scopin’ ya.” Gavin said, smiling. “Gav likes the view.”

 

“Smarmy prick.” Junko gritted her teeth, blushing a bit. “Where the hell do you even get cornball lines like that? I can’t believe someone as ridiculous as you even exists.”

 

“I love you too, babe.” Gavin said, blissfully closing his eyes.

 

Taking a moment to register this, Nanako turned to Shinobu, gestured at Junko and Gavin, and said, “Did you need this? Because I think I needed this.”

 

“It is _remarkably_ pleasant.” Shinobu said, and then turned her gaze to Chihaya, sitting next to the two of them. “Are you quite alright to be out, Chihaya?”

 

“Oh. Um, yes. I should be fine.” Chihaya said. She ducked away from Shinobu’s gaze slightly. “There’s, um… well—”

 

“Trip, man, tha’s the power of friendship!” Gavin beamed, and gave a proud thumbs up. Junko continued demolishing her pasta. Chihaya smiled and nodded.

 

“Repeating exposition is for people with patience to spare,” Junko said, “and that’s a virtue I lack, so I’ll explain my side of the story once everyone arrives. And—” She cut herself off briefly, her face twisting slightly. “Am I allowed to talk about your hair.”

 

Nanako fluffed her ponytail a bit. “This hair?”

 

“What the fuck is with your hair?” Junko said.

 

“It’s late in the game, so I changed into my promoted class.” Nanako said. “Now I have twenty more levels to gain and a brand-spanking-new outlook on life, or something.”

 

Junko raised her eyebrow. “You would be the sort of Lord who’d promote absurdly late, wouldn’t you? Figures.” She paused, and her eyes darted around a bit. “Are you…” She hesitated for a moment, but Nanako could guess, so she was able to gird herself. “Are you _sure_ Yashiro’s dead?”

 

“I found his body.” Nanako said. “It was cold to the touch.”

 

“I—” Junko put down her chopsticks, a hollow look appearing in her eyes. “I just— I want to see his body. It won’t be real until I see his body.”

 

“Ah, then you can come with me.” Shinobu said, raising her finger and tittering. “I’ve reason to visit him as well.”

 

“O-oh.” Junko stammered, looking away awkwardly. “I guess that’s… um…”

 

“Ah, everyone’s here already.” Enter the other four members of this group, all at once. Claus adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. “It’s a bit premature, admittedly, but let’s begin our final breakfast meeting.”

 

“Huh.” Stella blinked, and rubbed her chin, looking at Junko. “The uniform suits your complexion pretty well. Where’d you get that?”

 

“It’s been sitting in my closet this whole time. Then The End put it on me for my fun times this week.” Junko’s nose crinkled in disdain. “Well, it took a bit of cleaning to get it presentable after wearing it for so long, but it’s all I have that isn’t what I was _already_ wearing, so whatever.”

 

Kazuya blinked, and frowned in dismay. “’Put it on you?’”

 

“Yes.” Junko said. “Presumably, actually physically, with either her own hands, or perhaps Kojiro’s. Down to the underwear.”

 

The group shared a collective moment of silence, awkward fog hanging in the air, until Luan was kind enough to cut through it with a, “That’s very disrespectful.”

 

Soon, the nine of them were all seated around the central table. Claus pumped his fist. “Alright, first order of business. Welcome back, Junko. We’re all very glad to have you back.”

 

“I have two responses to that statement, and they’re complete opposites.” Junko said. “The first response is, ‘well, that’s a shock,’ and the second is, ‘of course you are, who wouldn’t miss my genius brain.’”

 

“It’s not a shock that we’re glad to have you back.” Luan said. He was visibly smiling. “You’re our friend.”

 

“You people are fucking crazy,” and Junko slammed the last of her sixth water bottle, “but what else is new?”

 

“Welcome to my world.” Stella, who had sat down on the other side of Junko, reached over and patted her on the back. “Check your coat at the door.”

 

Junko turned her head to look at Stella, and said, “You look shockingly on-point today. You go through some character development while I was gone?”

 

“Oh, plenty.” Stella said, completely flatly. “I’m full to bursting with character development.”

 

“We’ve had quite the past few days while you were gone.” Shinobu chimed in. “How much have Gavin and Chihaya told you?”

 

“Eh, the basics.” Junko shrugged. “Something something Nonary Game, nonsensical unconsciousness rules, you all got those fancy bracelets, Rin’s running around playing armchair psychologist with primary-color glass lenses on her face.”

 

“Technically, we don’t _know_ that Zero is Rin.” Kazuya responded.

 

“Yes, and technically we don’t _know_ that the sun will rise the next morning.” Junko rolled her eyes. “Weak-armed armchair psychology from a standpoint of trying to better others at the cost of yourself? Sounds like Rin to me.” She grumbled. “Not to mention the vastly over-compensated gestures of reconciliation. ‘Would it help if you killed me?’ Fucking hell, Rin. No, I’m _sure_ Chihaya wants the mental and emotional trauma of actually committing a fucking murder on her head.” Then she paused, and you could almost see the gears turning in her head. “Er. Sorry. Nanako.”

 

“No, no, this is interesting, please paint more of a picture of my mother for us.” Nanako waved her hands. “I’m fascinated.”

 

“I certainly wouldn’t mind having a bit more insight into her,” Claus said, “but first on the agenda.” From his suit pocket, he produced eight straws. “Who’s ready to draw?”

 

“Oh, we doin’ this?” Gavin grinned and laughed.

 

“I figured, why not one last time for the road, right?” Claus laughed. “Though, admittedly, whoever draws the short straw might curse me for the work.”

 

There was a brief pause. “We’re getting out, aren’t we.” Chihaya said. “We’re actually going to escape.”

 

“Tha’s right!” Gavin pumped his fists. “We all gon’ get outta here and all that jazz. Trip, man, Gav couldn’t be more hype.”

 

“Amen.” Kazuya raised his hand. “I’m sick of this place.” Stella and Luan both chipped in an ‘aye.’

 

“Not that I have a clue where I’m going after this, but anywhere’s better than this shithole.” Junko snarled. “This is the worst building on the fucking planet.”

 

“Yeah, well, Manifest Destiny, right?” Nanako grinned, her antenna puffing.

 

Junko stared blankly at her. “That’s not what that phrase means, Nanako.” Nanako laughed, shrugged, and stuck her tongue out a little.

 

“Much as our imminent escape is cause for a great deal of jubilation, I, for one, am quite famished.” Shinobu said. “Let us throw our chances onto the Devil’s Roulette, such that we may reap of his bounty.”

 

Eight hands reached in to the drawing. Even if Junko hadn’t already declined to be part of it, nobody really wanted to make her do the work right now, so she was given the duty of holding the straws. Nanako stared intensely at the straws, and grasped hold of one, clenching her other fist tighter. “Got a good feeling about this one.” She said.

 

“Alright. On three.” Claus said. “One… two… three!”

 

Eight hands rocketed up away from Junko, who snorted and smirked, on account of apparently finding the results amusing. Claus blinked at his almost comically short straw. “Well, go figure!” He said. “The one time it’s not me holding the straws. Any requests, everyone?”

 

“Given our recent circumstances, I believe that ‘a lot’ would be the best course of action.” Shinobu tittered.

 

“You got it.” Claus said. “I’ll keep my ear out, so let me know if there’s anything you need me to chip in for.” He smiled, nodded, and looked around. “Is there an apron anywhere?”

 

“It’s in the Kitchen.” Nanako said. Claus nodded, thanked her, and headed in, keeping the door cracked. “Alright, let’s get down to business, fleshbags!” She struck her fist into her open palm, horizontally, and grinned. “Second order of business.”

 

“Wait, hold on.” Stella raised her hand. “Who said you got to lead discussion while Claus is busy?”

 

“My intrinsic, incredible amounts of coolness.” Nanako smirked, put her hands on her hips, and tilted her nose up.

 

“You know, that’s a decent argument.” Kazuya said. Stella turned and leered at him.

 

“Second order of business!” Nanako clapped. “Executions. As far as I can tell, we’ve got two left in Maxwell, one left in Goodhart, and three left in Abilene, right? Then there’s two in the sub-levels. We can get around with the Service Elevator and the service passages and all, but there’s a lot down there. I think we should probably take care of the stuff up here before we head down there.”

 

“What about the trial elevator?” Junko asked. “Is that not working?” Nanako shook her head. “Typical.”

 

“There might be a way to get it working, but I’m not sure what it’d be.” Nanako said, her antenna drooping.

 

“We took a look in Diagnostics as we were leaving Mandelbrot. It’s stuck down on the room from the third trial.” Stella pitched in.

 

“In that case, I should be able to get down to whatever’s at the bottom of the shaft.” Chihaya said. “I’ll just have to climb down from the fifth courtroom, which shouldn’t be a problem.”

 

“Great! Basic plan of action put together.” Nanako clapped. “Now.” She put her hands on her hips. “Let’s talk about Kei Sagami. Tell us what you remember, Chihaya?”

 

Chihaya put her hand to her temple and looked down at the table. “It’s… strange. I remember it very clearly now; Kei undoubtedly claimed to have precognition of some form and said she could be an Ultimate Clairvoyant. I also remember several times where she did lead us out of danger. But…”

 

“But?” Luan asked.

 

“At the same time, I remember my and Miria’s discussions about this. At _that_ point, I remember remembering clearly that Kei didn’t think she had a particular talent, and she steered us out of danger mostly by accident; it wasn’t absent from my memories like Rin was.” Chihaya said. Her eyes were half-lidded, and she was beginning to clutch her own arms for self-support.

 

“So, in other words,” Nanako’s antenna puffed, “you remember this Ultimate Clairvoyant Kei, but you remember _remembering_ a Kei without a talent.” She crossed her arms and puckered her lips slightly. “Well, if that’s the case, and you even remember those specifics, that means you still have those memories— they’re just not what your brain calls to active recall when you think of Kei.”

 

“So, Chihaya has… two sets of memories of Kei now?” Kazuya blinked. “Okay, one thing we know for sure, at least, is that Kei was a Shifter. Right? She had an ahoge.”

 

“I still can’t fucking believe it’s actually an antenna.” Junko groaned. “How are you real.” Nanako just shrugged in response.

 

“So, the way it seems to me is that it’s like Chihaya both remembers a Kei who _was_ cognizant of her own abilities, _and_ one who wasn’t.” Kazuya said. “But there’s only one Kei. They can’t both be true.”

 

“It’s not like I’m her keeper or anything, obviously, but Kei never said anything about psychic powers to me.” Stella cut in, frowning. “That doesn’t seem like her, especially not applying a title like ‘Ultimate Clairvoyant’ to herself.”

 

“Hold on a sec, though.” Nanako said. “I’ve… actually thought Kei knew she had a talent for a while, too.”

 

Stella blinked and stared at Nanako. “What?” She said. “How? You’ve never met her.”

 

“Do you guys remember how I got sick back on the night we all saw our families?” Nanako asked. “Well, I kinda kept the actual details hidden for a while on account of I didn’t want to make waves by turning out to be a Replicant. Uhh…” She trailed off. “Sorry.”

 

“Naw, ‘s fine.” Gavin grinned. “But whazzat gotta do with Kei?”

 

“Here’s basically how I remember it happening.” Nanako said. “Shinobu was— okay, well, long story short, Shinobu went back to her room.” Shinobu was blushing. Junko snorted. “Then, once I got back to my room, I started feeling really ill, really fast. Feverish, headache, all that jazz. Like what I felt when I fell unconscious while remembering I wasn’t Rin, but worse. And then…” She trailed off again. “The… the next bit is still… hazy. It’s like… I can remember moving around, and there were thoughts in my head, but I barely remember what any of them were or what I actually did. I remember that for a second, it felt like my symptoms subsided, but then they came back even stronger.”

 

“Then I staggered into the bathroom, and the next few moments are… well, kind of a jumbled mess.” The thought honestly made Nanako slightly ill again, so she put her hand to her forehead. “All my senses suddenly got assaulted with this… seemingly random wave of sensory information, and it left me completely stunned. When I came to, I was in my underwear in the bathroom, and I’d vomited— but it wasn’t, like, vomit. It was… some kind of BC particles, I think, it was this floating black _mass_ , and it was kind of… sizzling? It was weird. Really weird.” She waved her hand. “But, uh, anyway, so, in that wave of information, there was, uh, a lot there, but there’s one thing there I remember clear as day— a girl saying, blah blah blah, ‘all four of us have talents,’ blah blah blah, Hope’s Peak.”

 

“So, you… think that girl was Kei?” Stella said. Her eyebrows were furrowed.

 

“I mean, yeah. The voice wasn’t quite right for Mom, Chihaya, and Miria, and from context it seemed like it was definitely related to that.” Nanako nodded. “It didn’t seem that out of place when I thought I was Rin, but thinking about it now, it’s really weird. Why would I suddenly have this memory from an event I couldn’t possibly have been present for?”

 

“Maybe it’s a Shifter thing?” Kazuya suggested. “Memories from a different Kei?”

 

“That doesn’t explain the nature of that onslaught, though.” Junko said. “I’m assuming you’ve checked your error reports.”

 

Nanako nodded. “The other errors were hard-hitting buffer overflows, but it wasn’t able to actually register what kind of error that one was.”

 

Junko threw her hand up. “Hold on. _Buffer overflows_?” Nanako blinked and nodded. “How could you suffer _buffer overflows_?”

 

“I’m sadly unfamiliar with the term.” Shinobu said. “Might we have an explanation?”

 

Sighing, Junko said, “Okay, so a buffer overflow is when a program, while it’s writing data to a buffer— which stores data when it’s between input and output, think bits of our brain if you want a Nanako analogue—, overruns the limits of that buffer and begins overwriting data in adjacent memory. But that doesn’t make _sense_. Correct me if I’m wrong, Nanako, but your processing stores your consciousness as essentially one continuous line, yes?”

 

Nanako nodded. “Yeah. You know, like a shark.”

 

“If that’s the case, your system shouldn’t need to _write_ any data. All the data it processes is repurposed into your physical structure and recycled; there shouldn’t _be_ an empty buffer to write data to in the first place.” Junko said. “And if it’s information you already had at some point, there should be a perfectly good area to write them back to that would fit perfectly, like ours. _But_ , there’s another wrinkle there. You’re made of information.”

 

“Uh-huh.” Nanako blinked.

 

“In fact, if you actually _lost_ that many memories, you’d _die_ , right?” Junko’s elbows were on the table, and she was leaning forward intensely. “There’s no way you could stomach losing that much of your body mass. At the very least, you wouldn’t look nearly like you did at the Expo, and you look pretty similar, albeit slightly older. So it seems to me that rather than actually losing most of your memories, you’ve simply lost _access_ to them.”

 

“O…kay.” Nanako nodded. “I think I’m following.”

 

“Good.” Junko said. “You regained some of those memories naturally through some sort of external stimulus, and so it happened naturally and painlessly, but somehow, there was an accessible, empty buffer that an external source managed to write data to, and given the fact that your body hasn’t noticeably changed other than your going Super Nanako, those memories you regained were likely real as well; the data that the external source wrote must’ve just been a trigger for the other memories, or perhaps some fragment of memory data of them from another perspective—"

 

“Waaaait wait wait wait wait, hold on, back up a second!” Nanako frantically waved her hands. “An ‘external source?’”

 

“Likely The End, if I had to guess.” Junko said.

 

“Let me get this straight here.” Nanako put her hands forward flat and leveled them at Junko. “Are you saying my mind’s been getting hacked?” Her antenna spiked.

 

“If you want to put it crudely.” Junko said. Nanako blinked a few times so she could process this, because, like, what? “How would you describe the sensations you felt during your buffer overflows?”

 

“Uh, well… okay, headache, feverish, kinda bloated.” Nanako listed them off on her fingers.

 

“Bloating, hm. Bingo.” Junko smirked. “The physical sensation of having information suddenly shoved into your system. In those cases, however, the foreign information either dissipated or was used as a trigger for the memories you regained, so the feeling passed, albeit after quite a bit of pain— perhaps your system automatically exhumed it or something, but naturally that’s something you wouldn’t be used to.”

 

“So, that bloating feeling I’ve been feeling is the feeling of… foreign information having entered my body.” Nanako said, for the sake of clarification. Junko nodded. “If it passes, it wasn’t very much, or wasn’t enough to actually cause a buffer overflow, but when it’s more information than really fits in whatever the empty buffer is, it causes buffer overflows. Am I following?”

 

“At the level of a second-grader.” Junko snorted. “I would imagine, given this, that the information you experienced on Night Twelve was genuine foreign information. A great deal of foreign information was shoved into your system all of a sudden and wasn’t any sort of trigger or related to your own memory data, so your body automatically activated its defense mechanisms and vomited the foreign information out to protect itself, since you were hardly able to operate properly. Judging by the severity of the attack, I’d imagine it was the most information that’s ever been broadcast into your mind.”

 

“Okay, but that doesn’t really explain… why…” Nanako slowed down, lowered her finger, and her gaze started spacing off. Of _course_ there was a hole. Now that Junko put it this clearly, it was obvious. “Oh my god. So… So then—”

 

Nanako stood up and slammed the table. “It’s my _name!_ All of those attacks happened before I learned my name again! I was still ‘Rin’ for all of those!”

 

Junko grinned, satisfied. “Bingo. Having a different name in there that wasn’t what was supposed to be there left a hole in your security that allowed The End to transmit information into your mind and have it process it.”

 

“Okay, but I have experienced it while waking up a few times recently. Not an attack, just some light bloating.” Nanako said, sitting back down, but still leaning forward in her seat.

 

“Hm.” Junko rubbed her chin. “If you were waking up, that means you were completely unconscious while the information was being transmitted, so I doubt you’d have experienced it while dreaming, and you couldn’t be contacted while you were out. Presumably, the information must’ve been transmitted and then maybe rerouted or something. It didn’t stay, is the point. By the time you woke up, the actual information was gone and all that was left was the lingering physical sensation.”

 

“Huh.” Nanako’s antenna puffed. “That’s weird.”

 

“I’m getting side-tracked, though. We can worry about the nature of that information later.” Junko said. She turned to Chihaya. “Given the fact that the foreign information transmitted to Nanako, as I’ve just outlined, contained the only other corroborating testimony regarding Kei being aware of her own psychic abilities, and let me tell you I feel completely and utterly fucking idiotic saying this, I’m officially deciding that Kei was _not_ aware of her own abilities, and that the idea of the ‘Ultimate Clairvoyant’ was implanted in your head at the same time as you regained your memories, or perhaps slightly after or something, I don’t know, you’re not a computer, I don’t know how you work, in order to assist in perpetuating this idea.”

 

“Can we’s be talkin’ ‘bout how you got there from buffin’ overflows, babe?” Gavin said. He was beaming. Like, really beaming. “You so freakin’ smart. I love you.”

 

“Wha—” Junko lit up again. “Bastard! D-don’t throw me off like that!” She reached over and shoved him a little. He laughed. “I’ll kill you! Stop laughing!”

 

Having taken a moment to catch up to the conversation, Kazuya said, with a wide-eyed, stunned look on his face, “Wow.” He continued, “Um, wow.”

 

“I feel like you just dropped, like, three different plot twists on us in the span of a single conversation.” Stella said. “Is this how geniuses think?”

 

Shinobu had been nodding the whole time, muttering ‘fascinating’ under her breath, and she had a remarkably satisfied look on her face. “This explains a great deal that had been bothering me! Thank you, Junko, dear. Your contribution to the cause is great indeed!”

 

“N-naturally.” Junko said, looking away, having just returned from shoving Gavin. “Of course. I am a genius, after all.”

 

“…Alright.” Chihaya said, having closed her eyes, pressing her index finger to her forehead. “So I’ve had false memories implanted into me along with my real memories. Why?” She breathed deeply. “What good does that do The End?”

 

“Perhaps Kei’s status is more important than we know.” Luan said. “That would also explain why she took Junko.” The room collectively raised their eyebrow. “Junko is the member of the group with the sufficient computer knowledge to come to this conclusion from Nanako’s testimony.”

 

“Somehow, I doubt that is the whole story, but perhaps it is a factor.” Shinobu hummed. “I cannot help but notice, as well, that the only Cast List we have yet to find is #2— the Cast List which would contain Ms. Sagami. Perhaps this is an intentional omission?”

 

“Well, there was that time ghost theory thing.” Nanako said. “If we saw her document, it might say some things about it, or something.”

 

“To be sure, locating it would be useful in either case.” Shinobu said, idly grabbing Nanako’s hand. “Whichever story it corroborates, it also illuminates more of the author’s intent, if you will.”

 

“F-for the record,” Junko said, recovering from an onslaught of positivity, “I doubt that any information could be transferred to you now unless you were knocked completely unconscious again. If I’m correct, and I am, then you don’t have anywhere to write data to now.”

 

“That’s good.” Luan nodded. “I would hate for any further mind hacking to occur.”

 

“Wow, same here.” Nanako said. “So, for the time being, based on all this, our big question still seems like, who _is_ The End? None of this is going to make sense until we figure out who she is.”

 

“If she isn’t Rin, or Kei somehow, then she must be a third party who stands to benefit from this.” Kazuya said. “So… what do we know about The End?”

 

“Well.” Nanako crossed her arms and hummed. “We know she’s a total monster who loves hurting people. All her motives were designed to pick at peoples’ weakest emotional points, right? But she’s also really theatrical about it. Kojiro told me once that he had to fight to get Kazuya a male-coded Handbook, because Kazuya turning out to be trans could’ve been, and I quote, ‘a cool plot twist.’”

 

“Wow!” Kazuya frowned. “That’s fantastic.”

 

“Not to mention my lost memory of basically nothing getting marked out in the Cast List.” Stella said. “By the way, you totally called it, Gavin.”

 

Gavin nodded proudly. “Gav called it.”

 

“And I just spent roughly three or so days in a torture hallway designed to rip me apart and leave the pieces scattered around on the floor, so I’m going to throw my two cents in there too.” Junko said. Five heads turned to stare at her. “Oh, what, did I not explain that yet?”

 

“Um. No.” Nanako shook her head. “What?”

 

“Ah. I was stuck down in the passages below the Quantum Computer Room for several days in near-complete darkness, like Wanda’s execution, but longer, and on a conveyor belt so I couldn’t just stop moving. There were a bunch of photos she obtained somehow of various points in my life in order to slowly rip away all my memory repression in a manner seemingly expressly designed to cause the most mental harm possible.” Junko explained. “And then at the end there was the portrait that Kojiro had to paint, because fuck you, right?”

 

There were a few moments of silence. “Um.” Stella said. “Um?”

 

“Are you alright?” Luan said. He was frowning, and his eyes were wide.

 

“Like I said, I’m relatively more alright than I have been in years. The fact that I just went through several days of mental and emotional torture besides, at the very least I’m cognizant of at least most of my memories now.” Junko rolled her eyes. “And…” She blushed. “Don’t give me anything like, ‘oh you’re so strong for getting through that.’ It wasn’t me.” She turned her head away from Gavin. “It was him.” She shoved her thumb at him.

 

“Aww, c’mon, babe.” Gavin smiled at her. “Give yaself a bitta credit!”

 

“I was literally talking to myself the entire time. It’s on your head that I’m even functioning at all mentally.” Junko scoffed. “If you want to talk ‘credit’, it’s you who deserves it.”

 

“Nuh-uh. If you hadn’a made tha leap, ain’t nothin’ I coulda done.” Gavin said.

 

“You two are _very_ in love, aren’t you?” Shinobu tittered.

 

“ ** _NO!_** ” Junko shouted, flabbergasted. “…Yes.” She begrudgingly appended.

 

The Kitchen door chose that moment to swing open, and Claus said, “Alright, give me a moment.” He brought out his first platter, with an almost idiotically large helping of a rainbow assortment of traditional Japanese fare.

 

And then his second. And third. And fourth. It wasn’t just Japanese food, but a multicultural smorgasbord; Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, was there still more? How had he made this much food?! Nanako stared blankly at the onslaught of cuisine sat in front of her and the rest of the group.

 

By the time he finished, roughly eight whole platters had been placed on the table. “Will this be sufficient?” Claus asked. Gavin just whistled.

 

“Um. Claus?” Stella asked. “What exactly do you think ‘a lot’ means?”

 

Claus tilted his head. “Er. It means ‘a lot’, no? So I made roughly twice what I usually make when making dinner at my own home.”

 

“Good lord.” Chihaya put her hand to her mouth and gasped. “This could feed an entire soccer team.”

 

“In all my life, I am unsure that I have ever seen so much food in one place.” Shinobu said, her usual ostentatious manner retracted into awe of the sheer _amount_. “This is— merely ‘twice’, you said?”

 

“Yes, twice.” Claus nodded. “When you work for such a wide range of palates as exist in my household, you pick up quite a few recipes. I even made a few malts, if anyone would like something to chase anything down with!”

 

“This is… incredible.” Luan blinked. “You’re incredible, Claus.”

 

“Oh, no, no, I’m not so great as that.” Claus waved his hands and laughed, flustered. “All I’ve done is grow up in the right home and—”

 

“Gav’s gotta say, dude.” Gavin cut in. “Pre-emptive congratulates to yer future wife. Trip, man, Gav thinks you the dream husband.”

 

“What?” Claus sputtered, rubbing the back of his head and adjusting his necktie at the same time. “No, no. I’m just… really? You think so?”

 

“Dude.” Gavin said. Nanako chimed in with her own ‘Dude.’ Stella, too. Junko added a ‘for fuck’s sake, Claus.’ Chihaya and Luan nodded. From Kazuya, it was, ‘yes, definitely.’ And Shinobu, ‘oh, indubitably, good sir.’

 

Claus chuckled nervously, turning red. “Well, er. Don’t worry about wasting any if you can’t eat it all. Take as much as you want of whatever you want. This is our last meal here, after all, so recover as best you can from the past few days!” He sat down.

 

Out of respect for the chef, everyone clasped their hands together, bowed their heads, and called out to humbly accept the meal.

 

 

* * *

 

Entering the Gymnasium, Claus looked up towards the ceiling. The lights were as bright as ever, so he still wasn’t entirely sure where exactly this door was going to wind up being. It was a long walk, as usual, through the Gym, but after Maxwell Hall it didn’t really feel like that big of a deal.

 

“Where’s the Pole?” He muttered to himself. “If I’m to get up there…” He started looking through the storage closet for the Power Pole, which Yashiro had been put in charge of putting in here somewhere. There was quite a deluge of equipment here, though, so it was a bit of a difficult search. As the minutes went on, pawing through steel pole after tatami mat, Claus found himself frowning deeper and deeper. Eventually, he threw his gaze to the sky, and shouted, “Who in their _right mind_ keeps all of this _shit_ in a building designed to house **_two people_**?!” He screamed wordlessly for a few moments. “I hate this plaaaaaace!” He shouted.

 

“Is this your strongly-worded letter?” A voice said from behind him, causing Claus to spin around and jump. It was Chihaya.

 

“Oh! Um! No. No, haha.” Claus smiled awkwardly and adjusted his necktie. “No, no, I just... a bit fed up. I’m a bit fed up. I’m just…” He sighed. “I’m so tired, Chihaya. I’m _so tired_.”

 

“Understandable.” Chihaya, with laser-point efficiency, weaved her way through the drab piles of gym equipment and dug out the Power Pole and its control remote.

 

“I just want this to be _over_ , _please_.” Claus put his head in his hands and sighed. “I would like to go home and take a nap.”

 

“Your sleep schedule’s been thrown very off-kilter. I’m not surprised.” Chihaya said. The two of them got to work moving it to an opportune location on the ground. “Ever since you were locked in the Archive, it’s been a rollercoaster for you, and you’ve never stopped working your hardest.”

 

“Well, there was that puzzle room I spent most of lying on the floor trying to take a nap.” Claus said. “Does that count?”

 

“Almost never stopped.” Chihaya said, and they shared a small laugh.

 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you needed somebody.” Claus said, looking away and sighing. “During the Nonary Game, I mean.”

 

“It’s fine.” Chihaya shook her head. “You couldn’t have changed that, and I saw your message, anyway. It was very well-said.”

 

“I’m glad of that, at least.” Claus said, and they both centered the Power Pole and climbed on. “Alright. Push the button.”

 

**_“POWER POLE, EXTEND”_ **

 

“ _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_ ” Claus screamed, for, frankly, much longer than the trip actually took. “ _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, AH,_ ah oh we’ve, we’ve stopped.” Flustered, he turned and looked at Chihaya, coolly getting off of the Pole. “That didn’t faze you at all?!”

 

“No.” Chihaya said. She turned her head to look at him. “It did faze you, though.”

 

“Um. Yes.” Claus chuckled nervously, and gingerly stepped off of the pole onto the catwalks. “Oh, goodness… We have to ride that back down, don’t we.” He said, sweating. Chihaya nodded. “Oh dear.”

 

Where the catwalks met the left wall of the Gym, there was now a door, having been previously hidden by a wall. Claus looked around. “Alright, whose do you think this is going to be?”

 

Chihaya looked around and pondered for a moment. “Yashiro’s.”

 

“I was thinking the same thing.” Claus said. They briefly fistbumped before Claus opened the door, and within an instant Claus had to throw up his hands to shield himself from the bright lights within the room. “Gah!” He skittered into the room as fast as he could and slowly un-shielded himself.

 

This room’s greatest feature was a massive cannon in the center, below the catwalk Claus and Chihaya entered on. The floor seemed to be attempting to imitate dirt, and above hung some multi-colored banners for effect. Bright spotlights illuminated the area from the ceiling. “Definitely Yashiro’s.” Claus concluded.

 

As the two headed to the podium behind the cannon to inspect the execution’s function, Chihaya spoke up. “Claus.” She said. “What do you think is going on?”

 

“What do _I_ think?” Claus repeated. He rubbed his chin. “Well, I’m not certain. By all accounts, it seems to me like Rin Hashizawa is in no way the sort of girl who’d do something like this. If she was who I spoke to, she was so apologetic and self-deprecating that it’s hard for me to believe she genuinely wants this.”

 

Chihaya nodded. “I agree. Rin… well, she always lacked a sense of scale, we know that, but she was… demure. Kind of clingy. She sought validation a lot, but she was also awkward and afraid to ask for it— no surprise given what she’s been through.”

 

“Did you know any of this?” Claus asked.

 

“Not much.” Chihaya shook her head. “I knew she was an orphan, and that she’d been prevented from making friends and didn’t ever speak to her aunt, but the Vampire Killer, the Little Ultimates Initiative, the Nonary Game… that was all new to me. She was…” She looked down. “She always talked the least about her own issues.”

 

“That’s… curious.” Claus raised an eyebrow. “Why do you think that might be?”

 

“If I had to guess? I’d say it might’ve been because she didn’t think they were worth bringing up.” Chihaya said. Her voice was low, and heavy with melancholy. “It’s easy to think that it’s not worth burdening people with your problems. I always had a good reason for it, I think, but Miria described her own issues to me that way a few times, and from my perspective she had very good reason to say something about it.” She sighed. “I think that’s why she and Kei must’ve clicked so well. Kei was so… _charismatic_ , she just always seemed like the kind of person you could generally trust.”

 

Something about that jogged Claus’s memory, so from his suit pocket he produced the frame and photo he’d obtained a while ago. “Hm.” He said. “I suppose I can see that, maybe.”

 

“What’s that?” Chihaya said, as he extended it out to show her. “Oh, it’s a photo of Rin and Kei. Did you pick this up somewhere?”

 

“Yes.” Claus nodded. “Right as the Nonary Game began in earnest, we found it in the Legal Desk. I had a good feeling about it, and I didn’t want it to get taken if it _was_ important and simply left there by mistake.” He smiled. “Frankly, she’s almost uncannily beautiful, isn’t she? Kei, I mean. Yashiro gave me a hard time about my saying so.” He frowned as he recalled.

 

Chihaya, though, smiled as she looked at the photo. “Yes, she was, wasn’t she?” She shook her head. “We miss her. Everyone misses her.”

 

“It’s no wonder Rin would fall for her, if I may say so.” Claus said. “And that’s a nice coat.”

 

“She made it seem so effortless.” Chihaya said. She chuckled. “She had such a good eye for these things. We didn’t have too many chances to accessorize, obviously, but somehow she always _shone._ ” Then she furrowed her brow. “…Hold on. What?” She murmured. “Wait, no. This isn’t… huh?”

 

“What is it?” Claus asked.

 

“When could they have taken this?” Chihaya said. The photo, as before, showed the two girls on the beach, at sunset. “Rin and Kei didn’t live in a coastal area… and we never visited any beaches while we were running away. I’d remember if we’d come to an area that sandy.”

 

There was an awkward, palpable silence in the air as Claus stared at the photo, frowning. “Hm. That’s… _curious_. Very curious.” Chihaya kept staring at the photo, her eyes intense. “Are you alright, Chihaya?”

 

It took her a few moments to respond. “What?” She turned away and blinked. “Sorry, I was just… how could they have…? They never mentioned… hm.” She started scratching at her curls, which looked, to Claus’s eyes, in danger of falling out. He gently pointed this out to her, and she quickly stopped. “I’ll… need to think about this.”

 

“Right.” Claus said. He turned back to the podium and turned on the explanation.

 

“Puhuhuhu! As we all stumble through the dessicated husk of society, the last Monokuma’s opens its doors as it always does! Come on in and try a double bacon cheeseburger. Enjoy Monokuma’s.” Monokuma. “And while you’re at it, ride up and enjoy _Taming of the Lion_ , the execution we’ve prepared for the Ultimate Strongman, Yashiro Narumi!” Claus looked down at the ground and clicked his tongue.

 

Girl N, as usual. Boy G and Boy T, for some reason. Why would I be here? He wondered. It really was rather amazing that the MK-Ultra Brand _The Claw_ (and Claus threw up his hands a little to mockingly make a gesture to accompany the thoughts he wasn’t speaking out loud, like a dork,) could even lift Yashiro and pull him that far. Not unreasonable, certainly, but Yashiro certainly was a large young man.

 

The camera panned to the Gymnasium, where Monokuma, in a circus ringleader outfit, twirled a cane around and leaned on it. “Ladies, gentlemen, ‘n bees, welcome to a very special show, with our guest star, one of the headliners of the famous Narumi Circus!” The wall of the Gymnasium began to retract, revealing Yashiro, behind a great cage. He was stuck, his arms crossed, in the top of the giant cannon. “It’s Boy Y, folks!” Several placards of circus animals showed up for effect, and circus signs proclaiming ‘THE AMAZING LION-MAN’S FINAL ACT!’ were illuminated on the walls. The lights above dimmed, and a spotlight pointed towards the star attraction. “This bad boy is a real unique specimen! He’s a real wildcat!”

 

Boy Y remained unfazed, stuck in the cannon. “In a few moments, we’ll be launching Boy Y from the cannon to begin our act!” A torch fell from the ceiling, and lit the fuse of the cannon, sucking Boy Y inside. “Three! Two! One! _Blastoff!_ ”

 

Launching out of the cannon with a great explosion, the charred Boy Y flew through several flaming hoops which descended from the ceiling before ramming into a bounce pad, sending him in another direction. This was repeated roughly four times, bouncing him around the room like a pinball, until he was suddenly caught by the foot, by a wire from above. “Ohh! Look at that high-flying action!” Monokuma clapped. The wire began swinging back and forth, spinning him wildly, occasionally throwing him up into the air and re-catching him as he fell. “What an amazing man, surviving such death-defying stunts!”

 

Boy Y, singed, charred, slightly on fire, and whipped around, was in fact still alive as the wire threw him up once more, and a tightrope extended out of the wall to catch him as he fell. He landed on his feet, of course, and beneath him, a series of sawblades extended out of the wall, looming beneath the tightrope. He kept his balance, though, even as spears began to come out of the wall and attempt to trip him up. He was impaled through the arm and leg, but still retained his balance even through the pain.

 

Reaching the other side of the tightrope, a small wooden platform, Boy Y was suddenly shot downwards, as the platform was likely of the same make as the Power Pole. He rolled onto the floor, almost completely discombobulated, but managed to dodge out of the way of the spiked barrels Monokuma had begun rolling along the floor to try and catch him. He dodged to the side, jumped over them, continued his advance towards Monokuma, determination in his fist. Even taking some glancing blows from the barrels, and continuing to lose blood, he charged towards Monokuma, ready to end it all—

 

“And how was that, folks?!” Monokuma cried, twirling his cane up to the ceiling, causing a cage to fall atop Yashiro. “Certainly, I’ve made my case. Who wants him?!”

 

Around Boy Y, specters in old-fashioned clothing began to appear with help of a fog machine, their ghostly gestures occasionally throwing out price tags for the sale of the Amazing Lion-Man. A few threw rocks or tomatoes at the boy, as though he were some kind of freak. “Sixty thousand yen? Seventy? Do I hear eighty? Eighty thousand yen?! Alright, ninety thousand! Ninety thousand yen, a steal for this one-of-a-kind specimen! Going once! Going twice! Sold! Eighty thousand yen for the Amazing Lion-Man!”

 

The lights turned off, and then turned back on, revealing Monokuma in a Victorian dress, with hand fan and blonde wig. “Oh, dear, it’s so curious!” The noblewoman Monokuma laughed, fanning herself. “You belong to me now, kitty! Let’s get you cleaned up!”

 

She produced a brush and began brushing Yashiro’s back, where his ‘fur’ would be, but the material wasn’t quite kitty brush material. Boy Y’s stifled grunts of pain indicated that, if not the great deal of blood and bits of skin on the brush. “Oh, you are so dirty! It seems kitty needs a bath!” Monokuma cackled. A vat came out of the wall, unveiling a pool of visibly boiling-hot water. “A hot-blooded kitty needs a hot-blooded bath!”

 

The weapons were removed, increasing the rate of bleeding, and the savaged, ruined Boy Y was moved on a moving platform up to the pool. His breathing was shaky, but even so, he never screamed, even when Monokuma pulled a switch, causing the platform to flip him into the boiling hot water. The noise was awful, the horrible searing noise of his blood filling the water and slowly evaporating, of his raw, uncovered flesh burning alive, but he never screamed. Not even when he used the last of his strength to reach his hand out and try to pull himself away from the pain, only for Monokuma to shove it back underwater and cackle, did he scream.

 

A bath curtain was drawn against the scene. The credits played.

 

[Ci] yashiro’s execution

[Gs] whassup?

[cT] How…

[cT] unconscionably brutal.

[Ci] it just kept going.

[sX] Are the two of you alright? You seem very… shaken.

[cT] Put in a cage after all that, sold off and mocked as though he were an animal…

[cT] That’s… it’s just inhumane, you know?

[cT] I know quite well that that’s somewhat silly to say about one in a series of deathtraps, but at least the rest of them treated the victims as _humans_ rather than _domesticated animals_!

[Ci] mocking him like that…

[Jf] …yashiro.

[Jf] he was… a good man.

[Nh] …how did he die, in the execution

[cT] …Are you sure you want to know? There wasn’t a visible corpse.

[Nh] tell me.

[Nh] i wanna know.

[cT] …He was put in a cage, sold to a Victorian noblewoman, had his ‘fur’ brushed, and given a boiling-hot bath.

[Nh] i see.

[Sm] hey i don’t wanna like, worry anyone or anything

[Sm] but nanako’s hair is kinda doing that medusa thing again. it’s trying to escape her ponytail

[Nh] dw i’ll keep it in. it’s no big deal. thanks for telling me.

[Nh] just one more thing i have to pay her back for.

[sX] …While you’re together, please take care of her, Stella.

[Sm] don’t worry, i will

[Nh] makes me want to fucking puke again

[sX] …I can’t help but agree.

 

When Shinobu and Junko had decided to go together, it initially resulted in the two of them and Gavin being the last remaining in the Cafeteria. Junko clung to Gavin like a lifeboat as they finished eating, and even afterwards. Gavin looked awkward, like he wanted to say something, though, and Shinobu picked up on it. “Is something the matter, Gavin?” She asked.

 

“Oh, uh…” He looked away awkwardly. “’S jus’, uh, trip, man…” He turned to Junko, whose eyes went wide. “Babe, um… Gav knows ya wanna go with Nobe, yeah? But he _kinda_ wants to go chat up his folks.”

 

“Huh? Um.” Junko stammered. “That’s.” She let go of him, looking around frantically. “That’s. Fine, of course. Yes. Go speak to your… parents.”

 

“…Babe?” Gavin looked at her, his brow creased with concern. “Ya sure tha’s okay? Gav can stay witcha if ya want him to.”

 

“No, no, I couldn’t— everyone else is getting to talk to their families, no reason you shouldn’t be able to.” Junko was sweating, and her eyes were shaking. “No reason at all.”

 

“Junko, darling, are you quite alright?” Shinobu put her hand on Junko’s less bandaged hand. “You seem unwell.”

 

“Haha, no, of course, I’m not— I’m not _unwell_ , I’m—” Junko stared pleadingly at Shinobu and Gavin both. “Um, I’m. I’m just. Haha. What? It’s not like I—” Her breathing was worryingly rapid.

 

“Babe.” Gavin leaned in. “Junko. Hun.” He leaned in closer, and kissed her on the lips, which caused her eyes to widen further and for her breathing to slow slightly. “T’ain’t no prob if you ain’t ready for that, yet.”

 

“You’ll come back, right?” Junko lurched and grabbed his shoulders, tears in her eyes. “Please tell me you’ll come back. Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me, please.”

 

“Babe, ‘a course!” Gavin pulled out his Handbook. “You ever need me ta show, just beep me and trip, I’m there, Junebug.”

 

“Don’t leave don’t leave don’t leave don’t leave don’t leave.” Junko muttered, shaking. “Don’t leave me please don’t leave me please don’t leave me don’t leave me don’t leave me—” She grabbed at her head, made a few painful-sounding grunting noises, and made a loud, forceful shout. “Okay. Fine, yes. Go see your parents.” And there she was, back to normal. “And your dog, too, presumably. Ruff Ruffhouseman. What a joke.”

 

Gavin leaned in, ruffled her hair, and kissed her on the forehead again. They hugged. “A’ight, Gav will. Be careful, okay, babe? You need _anythin_ ’, you just tell Gav, mm’k?”

 

“Tch.” Junko clicked her tongue. “I’m just leaving you for a little while. I’m not that much of a disaster.” There was still a bit of shakiness in her voice, but she was clearly doing her best to keep it down.

 

“You so freakin’ great, babes.” Gavin said, the look in his eyes one of the purest signs of affection Shinobu had ever seen in her life. “A’ight, see ya in a bit!” He got up, and with that, ran out of the room.

 

“Alright.” Shinobu took up the reins of the wheelchair. “May I guide us both? I would much rather save you the trouble while your hands are damaged.”

 

“Sure, that’s fine.” Junko said. “Thank you.”

 

They walked out of the Cafeteria into the North Wing of Abilene, which was dry as ever. “Do you recall that ping-pong tournament, Junko?” Shinobu tittered. “It seems so long ago now, when the seventeen of us were all in this tight space, hardly able to get out of bed without crossing paths.”

 

“…I miss Aoto.” Junko admitted. “And Eriko. She really pissed me off at first, but I did genuinely like her by the end there.” She laughed. “Nanako once claimed that she _liked_ me. Can you imagine?”

 

“Nanako says the darnedest things sometimes. It’s just a fact of her personality.” Shinobu cackled.

 

“Well, I’m certainly glad she was wrong, or else I would’ve had to have had about seven panic attacks explaining to myself why I would be saying ‘no’ to Eriko.” Junko sighed. “Fucking hell, I’m a mess. How do any of you like me?”

 

“Hm… I would say you’re _our_ mess, dear girl.” Shinobu said. “You were certainly quite prickly at first, but we’ve all grown to genuinely enjoy having you around as you’ve come to show us your true self more. You’re charming!”

 

Junko went still for a moment, before turning her head. “How can _you_ , of all people, say that, Shinobu?” She was still a bit teary, and her teeth were gritted. “How can _you_ enjoy having me around? You— I— I just don’t get it. I just—” She cut herself off.

 

“Junko.” Shinobu went around to her front, and put her hand on Junko’s again, keeping a close eye on the other girl’s own eyes, which were downcast and droopy. “It’s true. You did do something quite horrible to me. But you, too, were so cruelly, horribly mistreated. How can I hate you for something you did when you were so unwell?” She brushed a lock of Junko’s hair out of her face. “Dearest Junko, I have _already forgiven you_. I did so when I voted for you.”

 

“I wouldn’t have died with or without your vote.” Junko grumbled.

 

“Oh, don’t say that. Had enough people thought that way, and voted to satisfy their own malice against you, then you would still, by all rights, have died, no? But here you are.” Shinobu smiled. “Not a vote to your name. And I am here, having recovered in my own way. The two of us both _survived_ that incident, and we’ve grown _stronger_ for it. So… hm. What’s a proper Nanako-ism for a moment like this, I wonder?”

 

Shinobu stood up, threw her arms wide, ducked down, and shouted, “Whoosh!” as she drove her arms down and toward herself again. “ _All_ water under the bridge!”

 

Junko blinked. “Did you just actually do something that stupid right to my face.”

 

“Maybe.” Shinobu smirked. Nanako, Stella, Kazuya, and Luan were dealing in the South Wing, but there was an execution left to check in the North Wing. “Junko, before we head to see Yashiro’s body, might I suggest we tackle something a bit closer to the Service Elevator?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Junko said. “That’s… probably a good idea.”

 

So, to the Auditorium it was. They took a solemn glance at the trophy case as they went by, and Junko gasped slightly upon seeing Hansuke’s, but chose not to say anything further. The curtains behind the podium in the Auditorium had been parted, revealing a terminal behind them. Junko snorted. “Now, here’s somewhere I remember.”

 

“That little trick of yours was quite devilish.” Shinobu tittered. “Perhaps for my next book, I should take a touch of inspiration.”

 

“What, from me?” Junko said. “What inspiration could you possibly get from me?”

 

“If I may say, that was perhaps the second-daftest suicide plot I’ve ever seen constructed.” Shinobu said. “Really fascinating stuff. The subject matter, of course, was quite macabre, and obviously we prefer you alive, but the craft was really something! A fascinating gameboard, indeed!”

 

Junko crossed her arms. “Whatever.” She turned her head to the terminal. “Kazuya.”

 

“Kazuya.” Shinobu nodded.

 

“For nearly two centuries, you have been asking, ‘who is Monokuma?’ This is Monokuma speaking. I am the bear who loves despair. I am the bear who does not sacrifice his love or his values. I am the bear who has turned you all into victims and thus has destroyed your world, and if you wish to know about _Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself_ , the execution prepared for,” and he cleared his throat, “ ** _Kazuya_** Okudaira, the Ultimate Orator, I am the bear who will now tell you.”

 

Girl N, Girl W, Girl S. “You have heard it said that Boy O is a boy of moral crisis. You have said it yourself, half in fear, half in hopes that the words would have no meaning. You have cried that his sins have destroyed another human life, and you have cursed his nature for his unwillingness to practice the virtues you demanded. Since virtue, to you, consists of sacrifice, you have demanded more sacrifices at every successive disaster. In the name of a return to morality, you have sacrificed all those evils which you held as the cause of your plight. You have sacrificed mercy to justice. You have sacrificed independence to unity. You have sacrificed faith to reason. You have sacrificed wealth to need. You have sacrificed self-esteem to self-denial. You have sacrificed happiness to duty.”

 

The Claw. “You have destroyed all that which you held to be evil and achieved all that which you held to be good. Why, then, do you shrink in horror from the MK-Ultra Brand _The Claw_ whisking Boy O away? This punishment is not the product of your sins, it is the product and image of your virtues. It is your moral ideal brought into reality in its full and final perfection. You have fought for it, you have dreamed of it, and you have wished it, and I—I am the bear that has granted you your wish.”

 

Boy O was placed in the Auditorium, behind the podium. The broadcast became black and white, grainy, as though a television broadcast from over two hundred years prior. “Your ideal had an implacable enemy, which your code of morality was designed to destroy. I have withdrawn that enemy. I have taken him out of your way and out of your reach. I have removed the source of all those evils you were sacrificing one by one. I have ended your battle. I have stopped your motor. I have deprived your world of the Ultimates.”

 

A teleprompter began running in front of Kazuya, and the closed captioning on the soundless broadcast struggled to pick up on the almost random assortment of syllables he was being made to say. Any time he faltered, or didn’t give the speech its proper gravitas, a red X flashed on the teleprompter, and the lights in the Auditorium began to fade slightly. He was sweating. “The world does not live by Ultimates, you say? I have withdrawn those who do. Ultimates are useless, you say? I have withdrawn those who are not. There are values higher than the Ultimates, you say? I have withdrawn those for whom there aren’t.”

 

The room grew ever darker as the cues grew faster, and Boy O’s increasingly obvious anxiety made mistakes harder to avoid. “While you were dragging to your exalted altars the Orators, the Commentators, the Paranormal Investigators, the Net Admins, the Ghosts— I beat you to it, I reached them first. I told them the nature of the game you were playing and the nature of that moral code of yours, which they had been too innocently generous to grasp. I showed them the way to live by another morality—despair. It is despair that they chose to follow.”

 

Dark, dark, yet darker. “All the men who have vanished, the men you hated, yet dreaded to lose, it is despair which has taken them away from you. Do not attempt to find us. We do not choose to be found. Do not cry that it is our duty to serve you. We do not recognize such duty. Do not cry that you need us. We do not consider need a claim. Do not cry that you own us. You don’t.”

 

The room

 

grew pitch-black.

 

“Do not beg us to return.”

 

The closed-captioning was easily able to read Boy O’s agonized scream.

 

“We are on strike, we men of despair.”

 

The credits rolled.

 

[sX] Rejoice, Kazuya! You get to join Wanda in the ‘psychological horror-based barebones execution’ club!

[kO] Wow! Thanks.

[sX] The room went to complete darkness, of course. No corpse this time, either.

[Nh] groovy, ty baby! ^3^

[sX] You’re quite welcome.

 

“Alright, that should do for—” Shinobu turned to Junko, and her eyes flew wide open in concern. The small girl was whimpering, shivering, shaking, a faraway, fear-stricken look in her eyes, having fallen out of her wheelchair. “Junko!”

 

“Nononononononononononononono.” Junko muttered. “Aaaa, aaaaAAAaa, aaaa _AAAAAAAAA_ ”

 

“Junko, dearest, look at me.” Shinobu snapped her fingers, and held Junko up as best she could, staring her in the face. “Can you see me? Can you hear me?!”

 

“It’s not real none of it is real none of it is real I’m dead I’m dead I’m dead I’m dead aah, aaaaah, no no no no no, no it’s cold, it’s cold it’s cold it’s cold it’s cold!” In response to her mutterings, Shinobu placed Junko quickly back in her wheelchair, and began running quickly out of the room. “ _What’s happening?! Where where where_ ”

 

“Oh dear, this was a mistake, I’m so sorry, friend.” Shinobu put a hand to Junko’s forehead as she headed towards the Service Elevator. She wasn’t running a fever, at least. “Stay with me, Junko, please stay with me!”

 

“ _I’M A MONSTER LEAVE ME HERE LEAVE ME! LEAVE ME!_ ” Junko shrieked. She began scratching at her bandages again. “No nononononononono aaaaaaa someone help me someone help me someone help me please someone help me someone help me please love me love me love me love me love me love me”

 

[sX] GAVIN STAY IN THE COMMS ROOM

[Gs] ? ok

 

Gavin put down his Handbook as Mrs. Masaki and the class’s sensei called his parents. A brusque, heavy voice came on. “Gavin!” There was Mom! “Still surviving.”

 

“We’re so glad to hear you’re safe, son.” And there was Pop. Good ol’ Pop. Real looker, that guy. Gavin got it from him.

 

“Have you shown that End character what for yet?” Mom said. “The more I hear the more unpleasant she seems, and she was starting pretty damned low.”

 

“Yo, Mom, Pop, good to hear from ya too.” Gavin scratched the back of his head. “Nah, not quite yet, but we pretty close, Gav thinks. Jus’ a few more hours ‘til we got—”

 

“Gavin, you old hooligan, I’m ever so glad to hear your voice again!” Ruff Ruffhouseman barked.

 

“Aw, dude, whassup, my Ruffhouseman?” Gavin grinned and beamed into the microphone. “How’s it hangin’, my dude?”

 

“Simply capital, old bean, now that my human’s quick to go back and return home where he belongs.” Ruff Ruffhouseman barked. “I shan’t take up too much of your valuable time holding this conversation, but I deeply assure you that when you return I am exceptionally excited for your particular petting style, which I have missed greatly.”

 

“Great, groovy! Gav’s so glad to hear from ya, man!” Gavin said. He cleared his throat to switch back to Japanese. “A’ight, so, realtalk, Gav’s gotta kinda groovy subject, ‘cuz I mean, yeah past few days’ve been outta whack, but hoo-wee, I’m positive thinkin’!”

 

“Well, don’t leave us hanging.” Mom said. “Hurry up.”

 

Gavin started making a drumroll on the desk. “Your ever-lovin’ son, Gavin Sakaki, has landed himself… _a girlfriend_!”

 

“Oh my!” Dad said. “What a scandal.”

 

Mom, meanwhile, was clapping. “Oh, thank god, here I was worried you were never going to get that stick out of your ass about that. You hear that, Ruffy? Gavin fell in love!” Ruff Ruffhouseman barked. It wasn’t a talking bark, it was just a bark.

 

“Based on what we already know, is it the Principal or the Net Admin?” Dad asked. Mom probably gave him a look, and he responded, “Well, four of them are in relationships already, Gavin’s not the sort of boy to take advantage of someone whose lover just perished, and nobody’s changed pronouns for the young man with the massage therapy license. That only leaves two likely options for a singular ‘girlfriend’, dear.”

 

“You still aren’t supposed to ask the kid who his girlfriend is!” Mom chided him. “C’mon, it’s his big moment! He’s gotta tell us himself!”

 

Gavin was laughing pretty darn hard. “Aw, gee, Mompa, you two’s such a trip. Anywho—”

 

“ _Emergency girlfriend delivery_!” Shinobu suddenly slammed through the door to the Comms Room, with—

 

“Junko!” Gavin stood up like a rocket. She was shivering, with that same, terrified, faraway look. “C’mon, bring ‘er here!” They met in the middle, and he knelt down faster than he knew he could actually go. “Babe, hey, hey, ‘s me, ‘s me, Gavin. Hey.”

 

Junko was quietly whimpering, whimpering in fear and hatred of the darkness, so Gavin leaned in closer. She croaked slightly, and he could see a slight bit of movement in her hands. “nnnn, nnnno, not, not real. Fake, it’s all, all fffffake, fake, it’s I’m crazy, nothing’s real all fake it’s all fake.”

 

“Sssssh, sssh ssh ssh.” Gavin soothed her, pulling her in for a tender hug, rubbing her back. “I’m real as real gets, babe. Real as real gets.”

 

The feeling of his body warmth, and the presence of his scent, presumably did a bit to bring her back to reality, as her breathing began to slow. “Aaah… aah, aaaah… n-n-n-nobody, nobody could… could ever love me, nobody, nobody nobody, it’s all—”

 

“I love you.” Gavin said. “It’s okay, baby. I love you a whole lot. I’m right here. You ain’t gotta worry. You with me. Gav’ll keep ya safe. Gav’ll always love ya.”

 

“…Gav…in.” Junko started tearing up. “Gavin, Gavin, Gavin… Gavin.” She clutched him close. “Gavin… Gavin?” A bit of clarity came back into her eyes. “Gavin. You’re… Gavin. You’re— You’re G-Gavin.” She began touching his back a bit, to ensure he was real.

 

“Mmhm. The one’n’only.” Gavin nodded. 

 

She leaned forward slightly, so Gavin took her in his arms, and the two of them left her wheelchair to lie on the ground, facing each other. Junko buried her head in his chest and started crying. “Don’t leave. Please don’t leave. Don’t leave me.”

 

“I won’t, babe.” Gavin nodded.

 

“I swear I tried but the hallway came back and it was dark again and it was cold and nothing was real and I couldn’t see and I couldn’t hear and I couldn’t breathe and please don’t leave don’t leave don’t leave.” Junko cried into his chest. “Don’t leave.”

 

Gavin tilted her head up slightly, so that he could see her. Even streaked with tears, she was still the most adorable girl Gavin had ever seen, and even if he didn’t think it was the right thing to do, he probably would’ve bent his head down to give her a kiss again. Her breathing slowed further as their lips stayed softly connected, and the tight grip she had on his shoulders began to loosen. He let go, and brushed her hair out of her face. “Hey. Junko.” He smiled. “You doin’ a’ight?”

 

“Gavin…” Junko said, a hollow, tired tone in her voice. “I’m not sure where… what happened, I… I love you. Please… d-don’t go, yet, I’m…” She clenched further into him. “Don’t leave… can you kiss me again?” She still wasn’t entirely there, though she was reasonably close, but there was a hopeful, blushing smile on her face. She leaned down onto his neck and took a deep breath.

 

“Um.” Okay, this was getting a bit out of hand. “Babe? N-not that I don’t _wanna_ kiss ya again. F’real. Like, f’real f’real. But—”

 

“C’mon, what’s the problem?” She whined.

 

“N-Nobe’s right there, fer one thing—” Gavin pointed out.

 

A certain sourness came into Junko’s expression that meant she was almost nearly back to full operating capacity. “Oh, who cares. I’ve third wheeled for her and Nanako enough, she can take a backseat this time.”

 

“Babe!” Gavin shouted, sitting up. “My _folks_ is _still on the line_!”

 

Pause. “…What?” Junko then shook her head, made a few grunting noises, got up a bit on her arms, and shouted, “ _What?!_ ” She scrambled as quickly as she could back into her wheelchair, and started staring at Shinobu in profound disbelief. “S-Shinobu! Why did you bring me here?! What are we doing here?!”

 

“Well, it certainly seems to have worked, at least.” Shinobu cackled nervously, having covered the microphone with her hands in an attempt to block out what she could. “And for the record, I would’ve averted my eyes had it just been myself, as I’m sure the two of you would rather not have voyeurs to your more carnal expeditions.” She turned away, and went to go stand in the corner for a bit.

 

Junko loudly sputtered. “You- you you you you, you _Victorian vermin_! How _dare_ you!? How dare you—” She then stopped cold, turned back towards the microphone as she _really_ realized what had just happened, and remained frozen in pure shock, only able to make a few croaking noises.

 

“S-so!” Gavin chuckled awkwardly, fixing his hair a bit (despite talking to a microphone) and sitting back down. “Uh, that, uh, that was a real trip, uh, not ‘zactly how I, uh, y’know, um… So, uh, there’s my ladyfriend! Say hi, Junko?” Junko made an undignified noise in the background.

 

Mom whistled. “’Victorian vermin?’ I like her already.” Junko made an even more undignified noise in the background. Shinobu kindly helped the frozen Junko up to the desk. “Oh, wait. Hey, is that the poor dear whose guardian didn’t show?”

 

“I _believe_ so.” Dad answered. “Ms. Fukuyama, correct?” Junko made a noise further into the depths of indignity, so Gavin said a ‘yeah, Pop’ for her.

 

“Well, don’t tell me that’s why!” Mom bellowed into the mic. “Young lady good enough to get into Hope’s Peak and they don’t even show for something that minor? I was gonna give them a piece of my mind before, but—”

 

“No, er.” Junko managed to croak out. “That’s. Not necessarily the.”

 

Pause.

 

“If you want to—” Junko began.

 

Pause.

 

“I’m not sure I—” Junko began.

 

Pause.

 

“Uh.” Junko said. She stared, wide-eyed, at the microphone. “Gavin. Those are your parents, right?”

 

“Mmhm.” Gavin nodded.

 

Junko took a deep breath, breathed out through her mouth, and after several moments of winding up, eventually came running out of the gates with a, “Hello.”

 

“Hello, young lady.” Mom said. “Having trouble? I know I was awkward when I first met Gavin’s grandparents. Not that you’d think it from looking at me, but I had the same sort of awkwardness any young woman does.”

 

Junko lurched forward slightly like she was beginning to vomit, and Gavin did his best to support her. She breathed heavily through her teeth. “Sorry, Mompa.” Gavin said. “Junko’s been through some real cray-cray stuff lately, she ain’t doin’ too—”

 

“Did you just call your parents ‘Mompa’?” Junko turned to him and stared at him, snorting. “What on earth is that? ‘Mompa’. I swear, the ridiculous things that come out of your mouth sometimes.”

 

“Aww, babe, yanno how Gav’s brain is ‘n all, yeah?” Gavin grinned. Junko stared at him. “…Ohhhh. Yeah, yeah, you wasn’t around then. Well, Gav’ll ‘splain it later.” Junko blinked.

 

“…If I’ve been making fun of an _actual issue_ rather than just some idiotic affectation this whole time, Gavin, I swear to god, I am going to fucking destroy you.” Junko said, reaching forward and grabbing his collar. “How _dare_ you let me continue making fun of you for something like that!” She turned toward the microphone. “Can you believe this insensitive lout!? He knows I love him more than I love everyone else in the world combined, myself included obviously, and yet he’s just let me go along letting me be _insensitively_ rude to him rather than just my regular brand of rude! I _swear to god,_ Gavin Sakaki!”

 

“Gav thought it weren’t no issue!” Gavin threw his hands up and sweated slightly. “Honest Harry!”

 

“Of course it’s an issue!” Junko reached forward and— ow! Was she pinching his ear?! “You deserve more respect than anyone else because you’re an angel! Nobody, least of all me, should be making fun of you for who you are! Aaaargh! Teach this stupid boy some self-respect, parents!”

 

Gavin could, ow, almost hear the blinking on the other side of the mic. “Okay, no, never mind. I _definitely_ like her.” Mom said. “She says what we’re all thinking!”

 

“Indeed.” Dad said. “But please don’t hurt Gavin. He bruises easily.”

 

“Uh—” Junko awkwardly let go of Gavin’s ear. “S-sorry. I’m just… it’s…”

 

“No, no, don’t worry.” Mom said. “I understand. Maybe not specifics, but it’s a tough time and your boyfriend’s being stupid. It’s about time we found someone to keep him in line!”

 

“ _Mooooooom_!” Gavin shouted. He felt his cheeks light up, and he turned away.

 

Junko blinked at him in wonder. “…You can be flustered?” She said, her voice low, before it turned into a smirk. “ _Excellent_.” She turned back to the microphone. “No guarantees I’ll be anything close to this composed once I actually get out there, but Mrs. and Mr. Sakaki, don’t worry. I’ll be stuck to your son like a leech for the rest of this, so my golden genius brain should keep him out of trouble.”

 

“Lovely!” Mom said, and Gavin could hear the smile. “Oh— by the way, I imagine a big computers whiz like you probably has a lot of tech, but we’ve got a spare room back at home that isn’t doing much right now if you want it.”

 

Gavin could almost feel the complete and utter _freeze_ that evoked in Junko. “I’m—” She stammered. “I’m, um… I’m sorry. What.”

 

“Well, any self-respecting mother wouldn’t let her son’s girlfriend stay with a guardian who doesn’t even show when she’s kidnapped!” Mom said. “Really.”

 

Junko was trembling a little. “Um... y-you just met me. You haven’t even—”

 

“Any girlfriend of Gavin’s is a daughter of ours, Ms. Junko.” Dad said.

 

Now she was trembling a lot as she turned to Gavin. Junko was barely able to get out the little, ‘what?’ that she needed to ask to get Gavin’s smile in response. “Mompa’s good folks, babe.”

 

There was a quiet, low bit of laughter, before Junko burst out into peals of hysterical cackling, laced with a hearty helping of disbelief. “You can’t be— you have to be kidding— I don’t—” She kept sputtering in and out of trying to say something, wiping her forehead of sweat and her eyes of tears. “I—”

 

“You always got a home with Gav, babe.” Gavin smiled. God, he loved her.

 

“This is—” Junko threw up her hands and began moving away. “I need a moment.” She went and sat in the corner and began shaking some more, quietly attempting to assure herself that this was not a frenzied hallucination.

 

“Well, so tha’s that.” Gavin said to the microphone. “Gotta get back, folks! See y’all when’s I’m out, ‘kay?”

 

He could hear them both nodding. “Knock ‘em dead, Gavin.” Mom said.

 

“I have the utmost faith in you—” Dad began, but he was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Yes?”

 

“I’m- I’m sorry, I’m- I’m very sorry.” That was a man’s voice, very nervous as he walked up. “I— I know you’re talking to your son. I know. But, I, er… I’m sorry.”

 

“Oh, calm down, Satoshi.” Mom said, with that grin in her voice. Ahh, she’d befriended one of the other parents already! Nice. “It’s no shame.”

 

“Um, hello.” Satoshi said into the microphone. “T-to whom am I speaking?”

 

“This’s Gavin Sakaki, sir.” Gavin raised his hand. “Junko Fukuyama ‘n Shinobu Koshimizu’s in here too. Say hi, you two!”

 

“Hello, sir.” Shinobu came forth and curtsied. “And my apologies for not saying much, I simply thought that I should give these two lovebirds their proper time.”

 

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah.” Junko said, with a tone rather like a deflating balloon.

 

“Um, yes. Alright.” Satoshi said. There was a trembling in his voice. “Is… is this alright? Are you sure this is alright, Tomo?”

 

“Well of course it’s _alright_ , you’re worried about her, aren’t you?” Mom said. “Here, you can have the seat. We’ll be seeing you, Gavin. We love you.”

 

“Good luck, Satoshi.” Dad said. “And what your mother said, Gavin.”

 

“Yeah. Back atcha, Mompa.” Gavin waved. “A’ight, so who you gotta get, Toshi?”

 

“Er— well, she might not even—” Satoshi sputtered. “I’m sorry. Er, I…”

 

[Gs] haya

[Gs] haya

[Gs] haya

[Gs] haya

[sX] Chihaya, this really is urgent.

[Jf] They’re not even exaggerating.

[Ci] What is it? I’m thinking.

[Gs] your dad just came to the mic ‘n asked for ya. o_o

[Ci] And?

[sX] Let me reiterate. Your father came to the mic and _asked for you_.

[Ci] …

[Ci] What?


	86. The Last Case, Stage 5 - DARKENED (Element Daughter)

As they entered the Infirmary, Kazuya sighed. It was probably, frankly, a bit too deep, and if he kept on like this he ran the risk of aggravating his asthma again, but he was frustrated, damn it, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. “I can't believe there's been an execution _here_ the entire time and none of us ever noticed.” He said.

 

“It is rather incredible.” Luan agreed. “This Compound is full of surprises.”

 

“How did Nanako even grow up sane living in this place?” Kazuya said. He started looking around shelves. “I'd have lost my mind a long time ago.”

 

Luan looked to the side for a second, a bit bashful, before saying, “I'm not sure she has.” Kazuya chuckled. Yeah, that was true. “I'm worried about her.”

 

“Yeah. I am, too.” Kazuya said. “She and Stella get along really well, though, so I'm sure she'll be fine for now, at least.” He looked to the ceiling. “Still. This really isn't the kind of place for someone to grow up. It's never seemed to me like Rin made for all that good of a mother, either.”

 

“She, er. Was fourteen.” Luan said, frowning.

 

“The whole situation just seems very unpleasant.” Kazuya waved his hands a bit. “I can't imagine being in Nanako's shoes, having to suddenly confront all of this.” He paused. “Do you... think she's going to be okay?”

 

“I don't know.” Luan said, looking down. “I hope so. But I don't know. I hope we're all okay.”

 

Feeling a sudden wave of energy, Kazuya struck himself on the face a few times and stood up. “Don't worry, Yun. I believe in us. We're going to be okay. We're going to get out, right? We're going to get out and... get our happy ending.” He put his hand on Luan's shoulder. “Right? We're nearly there.” He pumped his fist. “Your parents are waiting, after all!”

 

“R-right.” Luan's eyes widened. “Yes. You're right.” He took a deep breath, and apparently steadied himself.

 

As it turned out, the execution was behind one of the cabinets, which slid out of its place to reveal a hidden door. Keeping his emotional fortitude up, Kazuya headed right in, Luan following right behind. The room inside this door wasn't particularly large, with several tatami mats and traditional Japanese sliding doors decorated with summer trappings surrounding a soft bed. Around the bed, on the walls, were several flowing diagrams that Kazuya wasn't quite familiar with. “Alright.” Kazuya said. “We've got you, Nanako, Claus, Gavin, Chihaya, and Shinobu left to find. Your guess?”

 

Kazuya didn't need to ask, though, since Luan was already nodding. “This is absolutely mine.” He said. “Those diagrams are some of the meridian pressure points practiced in the art of shiatsu.” He frowned slightly. “Which, by the way, is not a valid medical procedure.”

 

“Uhh...” Kazuya blinked. “What?”

 

“Those are fragments of the Ogami clan's diagram of the seven hundred and eight meridian pressure points used in traditional Chinese medicine.” Luan explained. “The concept is...” He sighed. “The concept is hokum, is what it is. Quackery. You can't treat diseases simply by applying pressure to specific points of the body. Massage therapy is a useful industry and I do not appreciate the quacks who practice such nonsense as shiatsu massage, or acupressure, or any of that business, proclaiming themselves as genuine doctors, because it makes it difficult to ensure the reputation of my industry is kept as it should be.” He sighed deeper, angrier. Um. “And since one of the members of the 77th Class of Hope's Peak happened to be a shiatsu practitioner— the Ultimate Coach, I mean— the whole issue never seems to be completely quashed, which is deeply frustrating.”

 

“Y-Yun.” Kazuya blinked, a bit flabbergasted, unable to believe what he was witnessing. “Are you... are you mad? Is this a _pet peeve_?”

 

Luan blinked back. “I am the Ultimate Masseuse, no? I take my field quite seriously.” He looked down at the terminal in front of them. “I dearly wish we did not have to watch this. It's going to make me angry.”

 

“...Because it's a deathtrap designed for yourself, or because it's going to follow trends that hurt your reputation?” Kazuya smirked.

 

“The latter.” Luan answered.

 

“Breathe in and relax. Center your meridians, children.” Monokuma said. “Today, we'll be discussing _The Poke of Doom_ , the execution designed for—“

 

“ _Poke of Doom_?” Luan sputtered, incredulous. “That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.” Kazuya laughed.

 

Present on the screen were Girl N, along with Boy A and Girl B. “Why them?” Luan asked. “Because that occurred the same year? That's arbitrary selection and The End should feel ashamed.” He frowned, talking over Monokuma's introduction of The Claw.

 

“The horrifyingly murderous Boy L is placed on our state-of-the-art shiatsu mat—” Monokuma said.

 

“There's nothing state-of-the-art about shiatsu.” Luan cut in.

 

“—Master Masseuse Monokuma!” Monokuma appeared on the screen, by Boy L, who was laid out on his stomach. Monokuma had a flowing robe on, and was doing poses to center himself. “We have to poke out all the impurities from this murderboy so he stops doing a murder!”

 

“You would be better off attempting _homeopathy_.” Luan spat. Kazuya wasn't sure he even wanted to ask what that was.

 

“It's a quick procedure we'll have to do, but thankfully, our Master Masseuse is up to the task!” Monokuma said, as his on-screen double began rapidly poking Boy L's back. “Seven hundred and eight lightning-quick marks on the back! **BODY AND SOUL WILL BE TORN ASUNDER! OUGI! HYOSO-HOJIN!** ”

 

“That doesn't even mean anything in this context.” Luan scoffed.

 

With that, the camera panned out to show all the black marks left on Boy L's body by Monokuma's poking. It wasn't blood, of course— by the look of it, it actually appeared to be ink. “And now, to complete the incantation and purify this lost soul!” Monokuma said. He produced a brush, and began painting lines between all seven hundred and eight marks. “Complete this image, and...!”

 

Once he was done, the on-screen Monokuma began cackling, and threw off his limbs to... what in the fu— to reveal _tentacles_ under his robe, fake ones, but tentacles nonetheless, wiggling, as he put on an antenna. “ _Procedure complete. Subject ready for capture by the Mantrakuma Armada._ ”

 

An image of a UFO came on screen, above the room, blasting a beam of light down on Boy L, as he began levitating into the air, the light seeming to grapple onto the lines on his back. No doubt it was a clever ploy by the Mantrakuma Armada or something. Cardboard cutouts of other Mantrakuma aliens began dancing around Boy L as he was levitated off-screen with the UFO, off to be experimented on. “ _Capture complete._ ” Monokuma said.

 

Kazuya looked at Luan. “Um.”

 

[yL] I'm offended.

[Sm] what by

[yL] My execution

[kO] it was, um, pretty bad.

[kO] not bad as in gruesome, I mean.

[yL] I've never seen something so stupid in my entire life. Claus, may I write a paragraph of your strongly-worded letter?

[cT] Oh, sure! If you'd like to.

[kO] No visible corpse, though.

[kO] How about you, Stella?

[Sm] the door's pretty heavy still, nanako's been working at it. almost done though

[sX] Junko, Gavin, and I are headed up to Maxwell.

[cT] Ah, I'll join you

[Gs] aw, rad! hang with the clausss

[Sm] oh btw gavin remind me to buy you a foam finger when we're out of here

[Jf] what.

[Sm] i told him that if he was right about my lost memories i'd buy him a foam finger or something

[Sm] so

[Gs] gav totes forgot about that o_o!! foam finger hype!!

[Sm] foam finger hypeeeee

[Jf] are we all just going to skip over luan getting genuinely angry? i feel like that deserves note.

[yL] No, no, don't worry about me. Foam finger hype

[Sm] anyway, what about chihaya?

[cT] She's off of her Handbook at the moment. She said she needed to take some time to try and prepare herself.

[Sm] understandable

[Sm] nanako said to tell y'all 'HOOOOOOOOARGH I'M THE BEST! MY POWER IS INCREDIBLE!' number of o's specified.

[sX] Adorable. Congratulations on opening that door, dear!

[Nh] ty babe ilu <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

 

The hatch swung open, after three long weeks of having to stare at it impotently. Nanako crossed her arms and smirked. “Who's the best? Nanako's the best!”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Stella tapped her on the head. “C'mon, let's go see this execution.”

 

Bluster aside, though, Nanako couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. The numbers were dwindling. Though she didn't want to show it outwardly, the thought of finding an execution specifically tailored for _herself_ made Nanako's bile begin rising again. “Hey, Stella.” She pulled on the back of Stella's blazer to stop her. “Um, can I have a sec?”

 

“What's up?” Stella asked.

 

“Well, it's just— it's like— all these things have just been— _around_ , right?” Nanako said, her antenna drooping, frowning. “Around, in— just in my home. This is my _house_ and it has all of... all of _this_. I don't know how to feel about that.” She paused. “What about you? How do you think I should feel about it?”

 

Stella thought for a moment. “Honestly, Nanako?” She said, and Nanako tilted her head. “It's bullshit. You know that, right? This is all bullshit. Nothing about you and Kojiro's life has been fair.”

 

“But this place was built for _me_ , wasn't it?” Nanako began tearing up. “I just— if this place was built so I could be born, then— then I—” She began shaking.

 

This was the first time Stella had ever started a hug with her, as far as Nanako could remember. “Hey.” Stella said. “Don't worry about that, Nanako. This isn't your fault. None of this is your fault.”

 

“I had to have been able to do _something_ , right?” Nanako said. “This place was—”

 

“This place wasn't built for you.” Stella said.

 

Nanako sniffled. “Huh?”

 

“Like I said.” Stella let go, and started pacing around, her fists balled. “This place wasn't built for you, Nanako. This was never built for you. Nothing about this was built to accommodate you.” She spat. “This is all for _her_. For Rin.”

 

“...Huh?” Nanako blinked, rubbing tears out of her eyes. “What do you... what do you mean?”

 

“What do I _mean_?” Stella said, her eyes going wide. “Nanako...” She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath in. “Nanako, listen. I might not know too much. I'm just a kid myself, and I'm one with her own fucked up issues. But this?” She waved around. “It's not okay. Nothing about this is okay. Nothing about— for fuck's sake, all this thing about you thinking you had to have done something, that's not _healthy_ , that's not— You know what?” She stomped her foot. “Your mom fucking _sucks_!”

 

Nanako stayed silent as Stella vented her anger. “Leaving her kids all by their lonesome because she can't handle being outside? It's all bullshit to say it was to 'protect' you. See? You became better, more able to process things, the instant you _had another person_ , but she didn't take you out, let you see the world. She just left you stuck in this shithole because _she_ couldn't handle going outside and being a responsible mother!”

 

Blinking, Nanako said, “Huh?” and felt tears drop onto her hands. When had she started crying again?

 

“It's like— like you were some kind of _prop_ to make her feel better!” Stella shouted. “Like this was all some big production to make her happy! She took away your childhood to make herself feel better, and then she made you feel like it was your fault?! That's horseshit! That's not being a good mother, that's _abuse_!”

 

“B-but she didn't mean to, I know she didn't!” Nanako responded, her voice louder than she meant it to be. “She just—!”

 

“I don't give a fuck if she didn't mean to, abuse is abuse! Look at you! You're blaming yourself for _a fucking killing game_ because she did such a shit job raising you!” Stella pounded the wall with her fist. “How is that fair?! For fuck's sake, Nanako, you've been stuck in here your entire life because your mom wouldn't let you go outside? Even if she did care about you, even if she did love you, you don't owe Rin Hashizawa one fucking yen! Your life is your own and you deserve to be okay just like all of us do!” She quieted down. “Just like... just like I do. Right?”

 

Nanako quietly looked down at her hands, the tears that she couldn't stop no matter how hard she tried still trickling down. Outside the facility, there was so much water, but in here, she could see these single drops of salt water, this little bit, in her small world. “Hey...” She said. “What's... your mom like?”

 

“Mine?” Stella smiled. She was tearing up too. “Mom's... great. Even through the worst of it, even when the world was out to get us both, she's had my back, she's always been there to make me feel okay.”

 

_It's okay to cry, Mom._

 

“She does her best, fights as hard as she can through her own issues for me.”

 

_Mom, come on, please, talk to me!_

 

“I wouldn't be the person I am today, even if I am a wreck, I- I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for her. She's the reason I have any strength at all.”

 

_I really want to help her, y'know?_

 

“Sometimes, I feel like I know her better than I know myself.”

 

_It's Mom. She does a lot of important stuff._

 

“But it's okay. Because I always know she'll have my back. She's my mom. That's what she does for me.”

 

_Have we suffered?_

 

Croaking noises began bubbling up from the back of Nanako's throat. “Stella...” She gurgled. “I...”

 

Stella brought it in and hugged her again. “C'mon. Let it out. You did this for me.”

 

“It's not... fair.” Nanako said. “It's not fair. I'm tired of being the strong one. Why does it have to be me? Why does it always have to be me? Why couldn't she ever just... be my mom?”

 

“Yeah. It's not fair.” Stella said.

 

“It's okay, right? It's... it's okay for me to feel this way?” Nanako sniffled. “It's okay for me to be mad? It's okay for me to resent my mom? It's okay for me to...” Croak out the word, Nanako. It's okay. You can do it. “It's okay for me to hate her?”

 

“Yeah. It is.” Stella said, and nodded.

 

“Because... I kinda... do.” Nanako said. “I hate... my mom. It's not fair. Why couldn't my mom have just... been okay? Just one time... just one time.”

 

“You deserve better.” Stella said.

 

“I don't know what home is.” Nanako said, burying her head into Stella's shoulder. “I want to go there, but I don't know what it is. I've never been at home. Every day, in and out, I'm at work, making sure Mom is okay. And that's...”

 

“That's not okay.” Stella said.

 

“I wish I didn't have to worry about any of this.” Nanako sniffled. “I wish I... I wish I just...” Sob. “I wish I'd just... this... I just...”

 

Nanako slumped further onto Stella, and the two of them sat down on the seats by the currently-closed elevator. “I want this all to be over.” Nanako said. “I want to stop, and finally figure out what's going on with _my_ life. I'm tired of worrying about Mom. I want to worry about _me_.”

 

“Yeah.” Stella took a deep breath in through her nose, and sighed. “I hear that.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Nanako said, “Alright, I think I'm ready to keep going.” Stella looked concerned. “I can't sit around for too long, or else I'll never want to get up again. I'm still fighting for Kojiro, after all, and everyone who's died. It's not for Rin.”

 

“If you're sure.” Stella nodded.

 

The Power Room was pretty big, honestly. Nanako had been expecting a small little thing, but it was full of breaker-y switches and whatnot to various parts of the facility, whole halls, specific rooms, the master switch for the entire facility, and so on, lining the walls. The walls were dark metal, and above, there was actually a skylight, shining light into the room. It was pretty much square, and... pretty ominous for a 'Power Room.' Nanako crossed her arms, frowning. Why was this room giving her the willies?

 

“Well, this place is cute.” Stella said, rolling her eyes. The terminal was right there in front of them, too, which was nice and convenient. “Alright. Who've we got left?”

 

“Me, Nobu, Claus, Gavin, and Chihaya.” Nanako rattled off. “And Wanda, but we know what hers looked like. But...” She stared at the terminal.

 

“But?” Stella asked.

 

“But this one is mine.” Nanako said, staring at it. “The execution in this room is mine. It's designed for me.” She blinked. “This is where she wanted me to die.”

 

She walked to the center of the room, and began scratching off the paint near the center of the space under the skylight. There were scuff marks under it, marks where metal had run against metal. She recognized these scuff marks— she'd never seen them herself before, but she recognized them, since she'd been there when they were made. “Uh. Nanako?” Stella blinked. “What are you doing?”

 

“I know this room.” Nanako said. _Just accept that you know_. How many times had she thought that to herself now? “Not— not like, I've been in this room, no, something _happened_ in this room.” She tapped her head. “Something definitely happened.” She frowned. “Something happened...”

 

Who was there? Nanako thought. Who was there in this room when _that_ happened, when this _thing_ had happened? She was there. Nanako was there. And... “Mother was there.” Nanako said. “Mother was here, too.”

 

Before she could get much further, though, Stella cut in. “Hey... Nanako, actually.” She said. The look on her face was dour, pensive. “Before you go any further with that thought, I want to try something. You just reminded me of it. I've got a hunch, so humor me.”

 

“Right.” Nanako nodded. “Of course.”

 

“Tell me about your mom.” Stella said.

 

Nanako blinked. “Uh, about Mom? I think we just discussed her a lot, but... her name's Rin Hashizawa, she makes robots. She's my mom. I remember when I came out to her as a lesbian, she got up and got really excited and stuff because science or whatever, which, you know, whatever, Mom.”

 

“How did you learn vK stood for Version Kyle?” Stella asked.

 

“Mother told me.” Nanako said, without skipping a beat. “I asked one day and she told... me...”

 

Slowly trailing off,

 

Nanako brought a hand up to her throat

 

as her eyes widened.

 

“What?” Nanako asked. “Mother... huh?”

 

“Bingo.” Stella said. She smirked. “Ever since I read your first Science Lesson, I thought it was weird. You _never_ call her 'Mother'. You've only ever called Rin 'Mom'. You wouldn't call her 'Mother', you're not nearly formal enough for that.” She stopped smirking, and her face grew cold and serious. “So what does this mean?”

 

“What does... this...?” Nanako blinked, raising her hand to her head. “What does this... mean...?”

 

“You heard me.” Stella said. “You always call your mom 'Mom', but in these specific cases, you instinctively say 'Mother'. You said it without even thinking. You didn't say 'Mom'. 'Mother' told you what the name of the facility was. 'Mother' told you to write the Science Lessons. 'Mother' was here when whatever happened in this room happened. There has to be a reason for that, right?”

 

“I don't...” Nanako stammered. “I don't... know why I... would-”

 

_“This is what my mom always did when I got hurt.”_

 

The room felt like it began to swirl as Miria's voice replayed in Nanako's mind. Didn't she always call- no, that-

 

[Nh] chihaya

[Nh] hey im sorry to interrupt.

[Ci] No, it's alright.

[Nh] did miria

[Nh] have two moms?

[Ci] What?

[Nh] did miria have two moms.

[Ci] ...Yes. Why?

[Nh] how did she call them

[Ci] One of the two of them died before I met her. That was 'Mom.' She always called her 'Mom.'

[Ci] The other was 'Mama'. That was who Miria ran. away from.

[Nh] so, if she said 'my mom'

[Ci] That would be 'Mom', not 'Mama'.

[Nh] oh

 

The floor felt like it was beginning to fall out from under her.

 

[Nh] thanks

[sX] ...Nanako?

[Nh] I

[Nh] gimme a bit

 

Nanako's eyes were wide, staring off into space. Stella was by her, but Nanako could hardly tell what she was saying. How could that... be...? How could that be possible? That wasn't possible, right? That wasn't—

 

A searing headache began to shoot through Nanako's skull. It wasn't a bloating feeling, nothing like that, but just sheer, burning, horrible pain, lancing through Nanako's brain like her mind was being torn apart. She screamed, and Stella came up to her, calling her name, but even though Nanako knew that, it was all just silence. What was this? What was this what was this what was this? Had she— been—

 

_“I'm not gay, okay?!”_

 

[Nh] junko

 

She pulled out her Handbook, despite what were probably Stella's protests, in an attempt to grab at something.

 

[Nh] junko what does it feel like to remember suppressed memories

[Jf] What?

 

Junko typed fast.

 

[Nh] plz

[Jf] ...I've always experienced severe headaches, both when nudging against suppressed memories and actively recalling them.

[Nh] ok ty

 

_“...rather than actually losing most of your memories, you've simply lost access to them.”_

 

Of course. That was simple, wasn't it? She still had those memories. She'd just 'lost access' to them. It wasn't as though—

 

“Stella,” Nanako wheezed through the pain, trying her best to stay sane. “Stella. I think... I think I-!” She gritted her teeth, breathing heavily, covered in sweat.

 

“Come on, Nanako, stay with me!” Stella said. Kazuya and Luan were running into the room, too.

 

“I-! I-” Nanako gasped, shuddering. “I think I- Stella, listen, listen, Stella-” She reached her hand at Stella. “Stella- Stella, I think I _blocked off_ a lot of my own memories.”

 

Luan ducked down and grabbed Nanako in his arms. “Nanako, are you alright? Speak to me.”

 

“I- just-” The pain was awful. It was so awful, Nanako felt like she was going to die, and die again, and die a third time, and die and die and die and die, but she needed to- she needed to get through this, she needed to survive, she needed to understand, she needed. “There was- a fourth-!”

 

It was Nanako's first April when she'd first met 'Mother.' Apparently, she and Mom had been dating for some time now, and Mother had decided to move into the Compound. Rin had insisted on her being called 'Mother.' Other than that, Nanako never learned all that much about Mother before the facility.

 

It was odd, she'd told Kojiro. Somewhere in the fog of memory of her earliest months, she felt like she recognized Mother from somewhere, though. Like she'd seen Mother before, somewhere. She just felt familiar, felt like she'd always been there, but Nanako wasn't sure how.

 

This woman, whose name————

 

A scream wrenched itself from Nanako's throat. She didn't remember. She didn't know. Which was it? She didn't know. 'Mother.'

 

—————she was friendlier, perkier than Mom was, and they seemed to love each other quite a bit, from how Nanako saw it. Mother doted on Kojiro, especially. Nanako didn't mind being second. He was, after all, quite the engaging kid.

 

But something never felt quite right about her. Nanako never felt as though she were properly connecting with Mother. She tried, certainly, but around Nanako, Mother always felt clipped, rote, like she was reading from a script. And it was very hard... to get to know someone you knew so little about.

 

That's right. After the Expo, Rin grew more reliant on Mother. Mother wound up doing more of the work around the house. And that was when-

 

_The shelves in the Parlor were for two people-_

 

-she had grown moodier, more destructive, almost overtly hostile to Kojiro, and yet she seemed to avoid Nanako. The mood around the facility suddenly felt like it was growing hostile, and why wasn't Mom doing anything? Why? What was going on? What had-?!

 

As she ran towards the main power switch, Nanako heard a chuckle. A woman's voice. High-pitched. Airy. “Sorry, not today!”

 

In an instant, Nanako was against the floor, squeezed tightly in the grip of a metallic claw. “Ghh... aaahhh...” She panted. It hurt. It hurt it hurt it hurt.

 

The claw brought her around, toward the face of Mother. (What face was that?) “Sure is a good thing I caught you, huh?” Mother cackled. With a wave of her arm, she commanded the claw to slam Nanako downwards into the ground. Nanako shrieked again. “You _do_ run fast, Nanako.”

 

“ _Mom_!” Nanako screamed towards the open door behind Mother. “ _ **Kojiro**_!”

 

“Sorry~” There was a sickening grin on Mother's face, the grin of a predator about to devour its prey. “Nobody's coming to help you!” She sang.

 

“I don't-” Nanako panted, her eyes darting around wildly. She'd run here from a few floors below in the hopes of-

 

-i-i-in the hopes of... in the hopes of escaping somehow, of turning something off. How-

 

(“Oh, my. It looks like we have a rat!”)

 

-how had Mother known that she was there-?! “-understand, I don't underst-”

 

 _Slam_. Nanako yelped.

 

“You have no idea,” Mother said, squatting down and raising Nanako's chin to look her in the face, “how much I've been looking forward to this. How much I've been looking forward to seeing you like this, _Nanako._ ”

 

The slimy, slithering voice out of Mother's throat sent a chill down Nanako's battered spine. “I don't understand.” Nanako repeated. “I don't understand, I don't-?!”

 

Sixteen people— unconscious, in that room—

 

—Yashiro, unconscious in that room—

 

—“Killing Game Participants”—

 

“Sure you understand!” With a wave of her hand up, and down again, _slam!_ It hurt. It hurt it hurt. “You must, right?”

 

“Why-?!” Nanako yelped. “Why, why, why, why, who are you, why are you, what's going _on?!_ ”

 

With a smug smirk, Mother twirled her scepter and pointed up to the skylight of the Power Room. “Kojiro didn't want to narrate this one, so let me explain to you something. Hey, Nanako. You ever heard of the movie _Blade Runner_? It's where the term, 'Replicant' even came from. Well, blah blah blah, there's this famous speech at the end where a guy says, 'all those moments will be lost like tears in the rain.' So I entitled your execution, _Tears in the Rain_!”

 

Execu- “please don't kill me”

 

“Oh, I'm not killing you right now, I'm just explaining. Calm down.” Mother laughed. “Calm down! So, the way it works is, you get placed here under the claw, right? And, from the skylight there, I'm going to start dripping acid on you. You know how that works? Very burn-y stuff? Burn-your-flesh-off stuff?”

 

“please don't kill me.”

 

“Just one drop at a time, real slow, to give you time to come to terms with what's happening.” Mother nodded to herself and grinned. “See, but then, some drones are gonna come in, and they're going to start peeling off the skin on your feet strip by strip by strip, just _riiiiip, riiiiip, riiiiip._ And you're gonna keep being acided while that happens, too. Mmhm, mmhm. Eventually, that pretty little face of yours will be so burnt and scarred up that nobody will even be able to recognize you anymore, not that anyone does in the first place.”

 

“p-please”

 

“All those little bits of information particles are just gonna start leaking out as the drones start ripping you apart, strip by strip of flesh, and you'll get to slowly feel yourself leak out of your own body and start fading and withering and you'll forget who you are and all you'll remember is how much it _hurts_ , how much you wish you'd never dissed me that bad, how much you wish, how much you wish!” Mother's laugh was eerily hyena-esque. “But you won't die yet, of course. You won't die until I dump a whole tub of that fucking acid on you, because, y'know, no visible corpses, gotta keep the ratings down! Kihihihihi!”

 

Okay. That was something to latch onto. No, no, Nanako could do it, Nanako could grab- “Dissed?” She asked. “Mother, I don't understand, I- did I do something wrong? Please, please just tell me what I did wrong!”

 

“Oh, you hear that folks?” Mother threw her arms wide and cackled, mugging for an invisible camera. “You hear that?! Nanako wants to know what she did wrong! This little bitch wants to know what she did wrong, why she pisses me off so bad!” She squatted down again. “You wanna know what's wrong, Nanako? Do you want to know why I hate you so much? Because I do. I've _always_ hated you. Ever since the moment you were born, I've hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate **hated** you. You and your stupid guts and your stupid face and your stupid everything.”

 

“But what did I _do?!_ ” Nanako shrieked.

 

Mother looked her straight in the face, and said, “Exist.” She snarled. “You exist. You exist, with your stupid face, and your stupid brain, and your stupid stupidity! Everything about you makes me want to puke! How _dare_ you? How _**dare you**_!”

 

“i-i don't”

 

“Tromping around like you think I'm wrong, I'm wrong, _I'm not wrong, fuck you fuck you I hate hate hate you!_ ” Mother kicked Nanako in the head. “Hate hate hate hate!”

 

“wrong...” nanako's brain hardly worked anymore. “wrong...?” wrong about wha-

 

“Oh, so you still don't wanna admit I'm right, huh?!” Mother clenched her fists and shrieked. “Always gotta be little ever-forgiving Nanako, happy little Nanako, the _perfect daughter_! Hate hate hate hate hate you I hate you Nanako Nanako Nanako Nanako Nanako Nanako” she started scratching at her head “nanakonanakonanako NANAKO!” She laughed. “That's right! That's right, if I just get rid of you, I'm right! I'm right and everyone will see I'm right if I get rid of you and they'll see, they'll see, everyone will know I'm right if I get rid of you, if you just die, die die die die die die die die die die die _die die die die die die die die die_ —”

 

cut. stop. take a breath. “But that's for later.” Mother said. “I have to make you hurt first.” She leaned over Nanako and smiled that same venomous, angelic smile. “I'm going to hurt you so, so bad. You're going to wish you were never even alive because you shouldn't be. All you had to do was say I was right and then it'd be fine but you never did and now you're going to die in pain and I'm going to cut everything everything everything away from you again and again and again and then you're going to die and nobody will love you and I'll be so happy, Nanako. I'll be so happy to watch you hurt.”

 

this

 

wasn't happening—

 

Shrieking again, Nanako suddenly started back into reality, her headache beginning to subside, but still shaking, spinning. She was in Luan's arms. “There was...” She panted. “Another person... 'Mother.'” She shook, clenching her fists. It was obvious.

 

“That woman... is 'The End.'” Nanako said. “Whoever my second mother is... she's The End.”

 


	87. The Last Case, Stage 6 - DEFENSIVE LINE (The World Falling into Shadow)

[Ci] I don't

[Ci] know what to do.

[Gs] just go in there and talk to him, haya!

[kO] If he asked for you, then it's possible.

[Jf] ...good luck.

[sX] No matter what happens, we'll all be here for you, dear.

[cT] I agree- and nothing's going to change that.

[Sm] yeah.

[yL] Yes

[Ci] ...I'm

[Ci] i'm going in now.

[Nh] good luck chihaya! :0

[Ci] Aren't you dealing with a splitting headache or something?

[Nh] i had to wish you good luck!!

[Sm] we couldn't keep her down for this.

[Ci] ...I see.

 

As always, doors were the hardest thing for Chihaya to open. Every inch of her body screamed that she should find some way to disguise herself, to hide, please just let me hide, as she entered the Comms Room, anxiety freezing into shards and stabbing her heart again and again and again, worse maybe than they ever had before.

 

It started immediately. “I-I think I heard a door opening.” That was— “D-do you think it might be her?” Father asked to someone by him. “Do you— hello? Hello, excuse me?”

 

“Calm down, Satoshi.” A woman's voice said. That was probably their teacher. “It's going to be alright. Hello, who's there? This is Tsumugi Kagenui! Hi! I'm your teacher!”

 

Chihaya crept up to the microphone, her entire body feeling like it was moving through a thick, roiling muck, burning her flesh as she trudged. This went against every single instinct, even instincts she didn't even know she had. This was wrong. This was wrong, wrong, wrong. What are you doing? What are you doing?! You know this won't work! Nothing will work! _Hide! Hide right now! Hide so nobody can see you!_

 

With all that said, it wasn't a word she first managed to croak. It was just a little, “Ah.”

 

There was a sharp intake of air from the other side, but Kagenui-sensei's voice remained as airy as it had been moments ago. “Oh, hello! I don't recognize that voice, which means it's plain to see you're one of the three people I haven't spoken to.” Some part of Chihaya raised its eyebrow at her strange wording, but that was beside the point.

 

Shaking and shuddering, Chihaya raised her head to the microphone. It was alright. It was alright, she was... that was a teacher. She was talking to a teacher. “M-my...” Chihaya gulped. “My name is... Inoue.” She gulped again, and her teeth started shaking. “C-Chi-h-haya... Inoue.”

 

“Well, it's nice to meet you, Chihaya!” Kagenui-sensei said. “How are things going? I know they've been very hectic around there.”

 

“I don't... I'm not...” Chihaya trailed off. She couldn't even finish a single thought. How could she? She couldn't. She couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't. She never could. It was impossible. It was all just impossible. She should just run away and give up and hide.

 

But she didn't. And that was when she heard him. “...Chihaya?”

 

Her entire body froze. She stopped shuddering, and instead was just plain petrified, frozen in place in the arctic wasteland of anxiety and fear. That was him. That was Father's voice. He was right there. And he'd said her name.

 

“F-Father.” She stammered out. “I am... deeply sorry to have worried you—”

 

“No!” Father sputtered out, probably louder than he'd meant to. “Er. N-no, I... I'm sorry, I... you don't need... I want to... I want to talk to _you_ , Chihaya. Not Chizuru. Please.”

 

'I want to talk to you, Chihaya.'

 

'I want to talk to you, Chihaya.'

 

'I want to talk to you, Chihaya—'

 

She choked. “D-” The word caught in her throat, but it kept on coming, its relentless advance crashing through any walls in its way. “Dad?” Chihaya leaned forward, closer to the microphone. “ _Dad_?!”

 

“I'm so, so sorry, Chihaya, I'm so, _so sorry_ for everything I've done.” Dad started blabbering. “I've hurt you so much and I don't know how I could ever possibly make it up to you, I've— I've failed as a father, and you have every right to hate me if you do, I just wanted to say—”

 

“ _ **Dad**_!” Chihaya screamed, breaking into complete and open tears. “Dad! Dad! It's you! You're okay!” She lurched forward and hugged the microphone array, since he wasn't right there. “I've been- it's been-”

 

He was crying, too. “F-far too long. I know.” Dad said. “I know.”

 

“I can't-” Chihaya sobbed. “I can't hate you, Dad, you know I could never hate you, I wouldn't have- I wouldn't have done this all these years if I hated you, I _love_ you, Dad, I just wanted you to be okay!” Then she stopped, cold. “W-what about-”

 

“Everything's... been taken care of.” Dad said. “Father... I heard he was... p-pretty obstinate, but he's been taken care of, and with that, Mother didn't really have much of a choice but to relent when she heard. I...” He sniffled. “Thank you... for all these years, for suffering for my sake. Even if-” He paused for a moment, probably to catch his breath. “Even if I hate it, and I do, I hate so much that it happened, but... it's over, Chihaya.”

 

Over. “O... over.” Chihaya repeated.

 

“Over.” Dad parroted back. “You're... free. You can be yourself again. There's nobody stopping you.”

 

Wasn't she already crying? Where were these new tears coming from? Why was it so hard to stop crying? “I... I don't-” Chihaya's throat lurched, and her voice caught in her throat a few times. “I don't... understand.” She gasped frantically, trying to catch her breath. “How... how did...?”

 

“...I'm just...I'm so proud of you, Chihaya.” Dad said. “I couldn't... I just...” He paused for a moment. “Tsumugi... p-please.”

 

“Of course, Satoshi.” Kagenui-sensei giggled. “It was because of you, Chihaya. When he communicated with you roughly nine days ago, seeing you in your own element for the first time, having survived, it had a very great effect on him. After the broadcast cut off, they found him gripping the TV for dear life, crying like he'd never cried before. It was sad, but heartwarming, or so I hear.” The smile in her voice was plain to hear. “So, in a way, you could say you saved him!”

 

Chihaya's body shivered. “I wanna... go home.” She said. Her head fell onto the desk, and she continued crying. How many tears could she possibly shed. “I wanna go home, I wanna go _home_. Can I please come home?”

 

“Are...” Dad piped up. “Are you- are you sure?” He stammered. “I... I hurt you... very badly, Chihaya. It's okay if you don't want to-”

 

“I want to come home. Please.” Chihaya gripped the microphone. “Dad, I... I've just... I just want to see you again.” She laid her head down. “I want... I wanna talk to you... about my friends, and about school, to _act my age_ for once. Just... please. Please.”

 

Now it was Dad's turn to start crying again. “I- I love you, darling. You're... a better daughter than _anyone_ could _ever_ ask for.” Sniffle. Sob. “I... I swear, I'll- no matter how hard it is, I'll- I'll do whatever I can, I'll-”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I will, too.” Chihaya started crying again, too. “I will too, dad, I- I'll- I want- I just-”

 

Eventually, the two of them weren't even speaking words at each other. It was just wordless babble, the sputtering of two lost souls who'd finally found each other. It kept on spewing and spewing out, stammer after sputter after regurgitated bit of the pain Chihaya had felt for so long, so, so long, so long, all because she wanted this man, her father, her dear, sweet, nervous father to please, please be okay, again, please just give me back my dad. But he was here. He was here, he was here, at last.

 

“Can I...” Chihaya gasped, her throat raspy from the amount of moisture she'd just lost. “Can I really... be myself? Can I really be alive again?”

 

“I swear.” Dad said. “I swear, I don't care who comes and tries to tell you you can't, you're— you're my daughter and I will _never_ let _anyone_ take that from you again.” He paused. “I never... I never wanted that, Chihaya. I never... I _never_ wanted you to suffer like that. It's not fair.”

 

Chihaya sniffled again. “Dad... I don't...” That was quiet, so Dad made a little noise. “I don't want... to be a Ghost anymore. I just...” She coughed a bit. “I just... want to be Chihaya.”

 

“Of course.” Dad said. “We'll... we'll do that, okay?” He leaned into the microphone, she could hear it. “I swear, I'll... I'll- I'll do anything to make things happier for you. I owe you that much.”

 

“...Dad.” Chihaya said again, feeling like there wasn't even the slightest bit of air in her lungs. “Dad.”

 

“Mmhm.” Dad said. “Yeah.”

 

It took Chihaya, and her father, as well, a few minutes' worth of silence to catch their respective breaths. The enormity of the idea that she might actually have a home to go to struck Chihaya dumbfounded, boggling her mind more than she thought possible. Maybe... The thought almost never came out of her mind, but here it was— maybe things might turn out alright after all. Even without Miria. Miria was irreplaceable, and she would always love her- and yet, maybe... just maybe things would be okay.

 

“Say... er, so, I've made a few friends here.” Dad stammered. “There's a Mrs. Sakaki that's taken to me quite well, er... do you know her son? She likes talking about him.”

 

“Oh, Gavin?” Chihaya said. “Yes, we're...” She paused. “Well, I suppose we're quite good friends. When I didn't have anyone else there for me, he helped me through... a very dark moment, so I owe a lot to him. He's... quite a character.” She chuckled.

 

“Well, with parents like his.” Dad chuckled back. “Please, er... If you have the time... Would you like to... tell me about your friends, and what's been happening?”

 

Chihaya looked to her Handbook.

 

[Ci] Does... anyone mind... if I hog the Comms Room for a bit?

[Ci] ...There's a lot I want to tell my dad.

[cT] I think I speak for all of us when I say:

[cT] You take as long as you need.

[Gs] yeah!!! \o/

[Jf] So, he really is... alright?

[Ci] Yes. He is.

[sX] There really is no better news we could've possibly received.

[kO] This is all turning out a lot more pleasantly than I imagined.

[yL] I told Nanako what happened and she smiled at my Handbook but didn't seem up to saying anything

[sX] ...I'll be there as soon as I can.

[yL] Please do

[Sm] We'll take care of her until you get back.

[Jf] how did we wind up splitting the party this evenly

[kO] ...That is a good point. Four, four, and one- oh, Claus, you're heading for Maxwell, right?

[cT] Headed. Junko insisted on being allowed to test the waters without Gavin again, so she and Shinobu are headed for the execution in C Ward. Myself and Gavin are off to G Ward.

[Ci] Are you going to be okay?

[Jf] _for god's sake yes i am going to be okay_

[Jf] gavin. i have the strangest sense you're about to ask something stupid.

[Jf] and the answer is, no. no, i do not want you to abandon claus. we have symmetry here, for one thing.

[Sm] oh my fucking god

[yL] Is this what love is like?

[sX] It really is rather incredible.

[Jf] _shinobu quit fucking texting you are right next to me_

 

Junko looked up from her Handbook to glare at Shinobu. “I bet you think this is funny.” She said. Shinobu was giggling. “Well, it's not. It's not funny at all. Bite me.”

 

“Alright, alright.” Shinobu tittered. “You two are ever so cute together, though.”

 

“I am not _cute_ , okay?” Junko said, trying to flip her bangs out of her face to look menacing. “I'm not-” She sighed. “...Am I?”

 

“Yes, dear. Painfully.” Shinobu said, as they rounded the corner past the window. Apparently, Shinobu had seen the door in question already, so she knew where it was. Junko wasn't complaining about the opportunity to rest her arms for a bit again. What she wouldn't give for a better chair right now, she groaned. If her arms weren't strong before all these... Shenanigans? Hijinks? “Perhaps 'tribulations?'” Oh. She'd been talking out loud. Fuck.

 

“...I didn't get a chance to really say this earlier,” Junko said, “but I'm glad you're doing well. Just goes to show how much stronger you are than me.” She snorted.

 

“Pish-posh.” Shinobu clicked her tongue. “One injured young lady's as good as another, hm? Which isn't to say that I believe your problems to necessarily be _equivalent_ to mine-”

 

“Your parents were murdered by a vampire fanatic.” Junko said. “And you spent three years of your life as a vegetable.” She rolled her eyes. “For fuck's sake, Shinobu, you've had it _terrible._ Don't-” Then she stopped herself. “Oh, fuck. Here I am getting caught up in the Suffering Olympics.” Shut your god damned mouth, Junko. Nobody cares. She curled into herself and clutched her head a bit, groaning. “Can I please just stop existing again.”

 

“Oh, sweetie, you and I both know that would be significantly worse and more painful for you than tripping over yourself for imagined faults in conversation.” Shinobu said, and she wasn't _wrong_ , but _fuck_.

 

Junko was feeling too exhausted to care about filtering herself, so the question, “Have you ever wanted to just die?” fell out of her mouth with the grace of a rampaging bull.

 

“Oh, a few times.” Shinobu admitted. Junko turned around, and her eyes widened. “That was just about the only thought in my mind those three years, the only words I could truly understand. It took quite some time to come to terms with my new lonesome existence even after I awoke, though, and several times during that period I considered the possibility of sealing myself off permanently, to save the world from the scourge that had slain my poor parents.” She cackled softly. “It took quite some time before it was considered safe for me to live by myself.”

 

Junko fell silent for a moment, and sunk into herself again. “...Are we...” She ventured hesitantly. “Shinobu... are we... friends?”

 

“Without a doubt.” Shinobu smiled.

 

She wanted to ask why. Why, why, why, why? Why would you ever befriend something like me? A heartless, sickening, uselessperfidiousmaliciouswretch. The darkness was encroaching on her vision again, that cold, horrible darkness, so she- “Could you hold my hand?!” Junko asked, suddenly sputtering.

 

Shinobu stopped, came around to Junko's front, and held her hand in both of her own. “Like this?” That was safe... warm. The warmth of another person, the warmth of companionship. Junko's breathing began to slow. “Be cautious, dear, and careful. We're all here for you.”

 

“I hate all of you.” Junko shuddered. “I hate all of you. You're all so fucking stupid. You're the worst. I wish you'd all just die. I wish-”

 

This wasn't helping anyone, so Junko began attempting to regain herself. Her throat and sinuses began clenching themselves to make the painful, unpleasant grunting noises Junko tended to use to try and anchor herself back into physical reality, and she grunted once, twice, thrice, four times. Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow. Fuck. Fuck, why did all her shitty coping mechanisms have to hurt so bad? She took a deep breath in, and shouted, “Fine. I'm fine. Let's go.”

 

Shinobu's eyebrows were furrowed in concern, but she said, “Alright.” and continued onward. Eventually, the two of them arrived in the 'Filtration Chamber', as Shinobu called it.

 

The treasure chest set Junko off. “What the fuck is that?” She asked. “Why the hell is there a treasure chest here?”

 

“It was a prop for the puzzle room, as well as a reference to a Novoselician historical play.” Shinobu explained. “If you're asking regarding any other aspect of its existence-”

 

“That's a god damned treasure chest.” Junko threw her arms at it as they passed by. “It is 2196 and my probably-former best friend has a fucking treasure chest in her house. That's- that's a treasure chest. Why- why is there a treasure chest. Why is-” She seethed through her teeth. “I hate Maxwell Hall already.”

 

“Oh, sister, you and me both.” Shinobu tittered.

 

The door in back opened easily, and Junko couldn't help but gape at the sight inside. Inside this room could only be described as a _waterfall basin_ ; rock faces holding a cascading stream of shining water down from high above, farther than Junko could quite tell. The air in here also had a certain crispness to it that the rest of the facility didn't, and as Junko craned her head upwards, she saw why.

 

“She has an open-air waterfall in this fucking place?!” Junko shouted. It was far too high up for any one of them to reach— there was absolutely no chance of their reaching it... and yet, the sight of the _sky_ , the actual midnight sky, pitch black as it was, made her begin tearing up again. The air seemed to shine from the light reflected from the moon off of the basin, and Junko's breath filled with the feeling of _actual air_. It was moist, full of genuine, real moisture. There was a pathway up some distance to the falls, and Junko couldn't help but begin to approach it. “Shinobu,” she began chuckling, almost unable to believe it. “Shinobu, look. It's...” She pointed up. “It's the sky.”

 

Shinobu, of course, was off gaping and studying the waterfall. Junko sighed. “Alright, I'll bite.” She said, seeing the look of intense concentration plastered on Shinobu's face. “What's so interesting about this waterfall?”

 

“Simply that it bears a great deal of resemblance to Reichenbach Falls, in Switzerland.” Shinobu said, her eyes far away. Oh. It was a Holmes thing. “Why in heaven's name would Rin have-?” She cut herself off. “No sense of scale.”

 

“You're learning.” Junko said. She looked up the duplicate Reichenbach. “So that would place us in the Alps. The choice seems pretty on-the-nose, though.” Shinobu turned her head to look at Junko and tilted her head quizzically. Oh, so she'd picked up Nanako's particular brand of head-tilting. These lesbians, Junko thought. “This _is_ where Sherlock Holmes died the first time, yes?”

 

“Indeed it is.” Shinobu nodded. “From the cliffs of Reichenbach did Sherlock tumble with Moriarty, never to be seen again until Sir Doyle's historical novels flopped enough to force him to bring back the detective from Baker Street.” She giggled, but then put her chin in her hand. “Claus, Chihaya, Gavin, and myself.”

 

“Oh, come on.” Junko rolled her eyes. “Reichenbach Falls? Of _course_ this is yours.”

 

“Not necessarily.” Shinobu said. “You could make a case for Chihaya, being as the entire confrontation between Sherlock and Moriarty occurred without the watchful eyes of John Watson present-”

 

“Shinobu.” Junko stared at her. “It's a fucking Sherlock Holmes reference. You write mysteries. This is your execution.”

 

“I suppose you are likely right.” Shinobu said. “The honor of having a replica of Reichenbach Falls be my prescribed burial grounds is less than I had always imagined it, though.”

 

“...You thought it was higher than zero?” Junko raised her eyebrow.

 

At an outcropping overlooking the basin, the sound of the waterfall crashing from above getting louder as they approached, was the terminal, stood in the outcropping, like a little placard at a tourist attraction. “It is with heavy heart that I take up my pen,” Monokuma said, “and write to tell you about _Shinobu Koshimizu and the Case of the Final Problem_.”

 

“Told you.” Junko rolled her eyes.

 

It was Girl N, Boy Q, and Girl W who condemned Girl... X, right? Girl X to her fate, something something claw. “Upon the successful resolution of the trial, I received a message from a child who told me that at the hotel Shinobu and I had been staying at, a sick Japanese woman had requested a Japanese doctor for medical treatment. Being that I am, after all, practiced in acupressure, I returned quickly off, leaving Shinobu by her own.”

 

The footage was sepia as Girl X, covered in a trenchcoat coat, slowly stepped up the waterfall path. There was fog in the air, blocking the area from sight. In the distance, though, a small voice could be heard. “I was a fool.” Monokuma said. “Naturally, she'd already known that there was no sick Japanese woman. It was a hoax- a ploy to lure her out alone, and she'd allowed me to fall for it, to keep me safe, no doubt.”

 

Out of the fog walked a dark, black bear doll with a stupid-looking hat and a large cigar and an eyepatch and really, just too much. “The dread Don Kurokuma had wished to lure out the one person he saw as a threat to his enterprise, and take care of her personally- and Shinobu had, in allowing me to leave, accepted his challenge.”

 

The sepia filter cut off, as the fog cleared, and Don Kurokuma readied his claws. A cartoonish dust cloud began to cover the screen as Girl X and Don Kurokuma began their altercation, limbs and faces flying out in a slapstick 'fight scene' that would be better suited to a cartoon from about two hundred or so years ago. Just as she thought that, of course, Junko saw cartoonish sound effect word bubbles start popping up. 'Pow!' 'Bam!' 'Ker-snikt!' Right. Of course.

 

Eventually, Girl X, with some help from The Claw, was tightly bound together with Don Kurokuma in a gnarled clash of titans. Of course, as Girl X pushed, they began teetering off of the edge, and soon, a crumbling beneath their feet sent them plummeting to the earth. Don Kurokuma was nice enough to flip around in midair and place Girl X at the bottom of their fall, so she headed, breast-first, for a very, very sharp series of rocks just below.

 

Cut to black. Noises of gory, gory impalement. “It is with a heavy heart again that I must say that Shinobu Koshimizu, the Ultimate Mystery Novelist, is doubtless dead. I found the marks of their scuffle after the-”

 

Junko turned around and started leaving before he finished. “I don't care anymore.” Shinobu nodded her assent.

 

[Jf] Shinobu's execution cut to black.

[Jf] It was also creatively bankrupt and a complete joke, and is assuming a lot if it thinks Shinobu can put up a fight against Goth Kojiro.

[Sm] what

[sX] 'Don Kurokuma', please.

[kO] What?

[Jf] if she wants to give kojiro alternate costumes she should make them good.

[cT] What?

[yL] I don't think we're going to get any more explanation

[Gs] ilu babe!! youre doing great!!

[Jf] what

[Jf] shut up.

[Gs] ♥♥♥

[Jf] bite me

[Gs] ok!

 

“Please keep that in the bedroom, Gavin.” Claus came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder, smiling.

 

Gavin laughed a bit, rubbing the back of his head. “Ah, sorry, man, jus' can't help it, yeah? Trip, man, we got a big ol' dai-namic, ya dig?”

 

At Gavin's bizarre turn of speech, Claus stopped for a moment, then said, “I don't think I really do.” Ah, well. His loss.

 

Maxwell Hall's final locked room, and the final room remaining to explore in the entirety of the upper reaches of the facility, lay in the back of Class 5-B, the empty classroom left bare of markings on account of Junko's survival. “Trip, man, Gav's real sick'a this big ol' ward, yeah?” Gavin threw his hands wide as they walked towards it. “Gav's sick'a lotta this.”

 

“I hear that.” Claus said. “It's a good thing that the lower reaches don't have nearly as many rooms. Plus you, Chihaya, and Junko were kind enough to take care of the Quantum Computer Room already.” He smiled. “Past that... seven rooms, yes?”

 

“Other'n the courts, yeah.” Gavin nodded. “'n two executes.” He slumped a bit. “You tired? Gav's tired.”

 

Claus groaned. “Oh, please don't say 'tired.' Every time I hear the word it makes me more tired.” Then he paused. “Damn it.” He had that sort of 'snarking really hard in his internal monologue' look on his face that he got sometimes when he was in a really bad mood. Gavin wondered if Claus knew that he knew about the fact that that was a face that Claus made sometimes.

 

Inside the door was what looked like... a school headmaster's office, leaving exceedingly little doubt as to whose execution this was. Gavin and Claus both stared at each other for a moment, rolling their eyes and smirking. Nice, dull blue carpeting, plain-looking walls, a Japanese flag, a mahogany desk, all that good stuff. The terminal was at the desk, so Claus sat down at it and took a moment to luxuriate in the wonderfully comfortable chair. “Great!” Claus said. “Good chair. Its comfort level is quite high.” Anyway, then he pushed the button, but the instant Monokuma appeared against a background of a waving American flag, he threw up his hands, yelled, “Come on!” and stomped away. “You do it!” He yelled at Gavin.

 

Gavin awkwardly sat down in the chair and started watching. “... _Persona non Grata_ , the execution we've planned for Claus Toranosuke, the Ultimate Principal!” He tuned into Monokuma saying.

 

Nanako, Junko, Yashiro, The Claw, Claus at the desk. He stared down at a paper, sweat on his brow. “Hope's Peak Academy (Science Building) has been struck by an unfortunate incident.” Monokuma explained. “A _criminal lawsuit_ , from its headmaster's brutal murder of, open bracket insert person here close bracket!” His narration paused for a moment as, from the window behind the desk, shouting began to be heard.

 

A gaggle of service drones, dressed up in little 'average citizen' outfits to represent the teeming masses, swarmed in through the door, holding picket signs, saying, 'IMPEACH TORANOSUKE!', 'TORANOSUKE FOR PRISON 2196', 'THIS TIGER SHOULD STAY ENDANGERED', and other such catchy political slogans. They quickly began advancing on Claus's area, and he backed away slightly in his swivel chair until another army of 'secret agents' or something- they were wearing little suits, what else could Gavin say- began pushing them back.

 

Claus was ferried with his chair through the wave of drones into a secret passage in the ground, taking him slightly downward into what appeared to be a faux parking lot. Before long, he was shuffled into a black van with tinted windows. “Sorry, had a bit of an interruption from a Complainey Janey in the background. Where are we? Ah, yes. So they put him in the van in order to escape from the angry masses.”

 

The camera zoomed out, though, to a higher encampment, where a stealthy drone sat carrying a cute little sniper rifle. “Unfortunately for him, though, there's an assassin after him, too! Probably also an angry parent or something. But wait!”

 

Then, there was another drone with a gun behind the sniper drone. “There's a second assassin too! Now they have to do battle in order to determine who gets the honor!” They started battling each other in a frantic match of gun-kata, until a third assassin jumped out of nowhere with a katana and cut the guns in half. The handgun drone, though, seemed to know martial arts, so it punched (how? look, drones can do a lot,) the sword out of that drone's hand, only for it to be caught by a grappling hook launched by a fourth drone. All the while, the van was being started up.

 

This almost nonsensical comedy of errors only escalated once the twelfth drone produced its naginata, only for Monokuma to appear on the ground, roll his eyes, and pull out a gatling gun. “Hitmen. Can't ask 'em to do anything.” He revved up his gatling gun, planted it on the van's tinted window, and unloaded, firing bullet after bullet after bullet into the van's interior, right where Claus had been placed. When he ran out of bullets, he caught more guns from the battle of the drone hitmen, planting their bullets into the gatling gun to continue firing. The amount of bloodstains coming out of the other side of the van was _almost_ comical.

 

The van stopped again, and a driver drone came out of the van, stared at Monokuma, and handed him a restraining order. Monokuma sighed, shrugged, and walked away, leaving his gatling gun right there. “And that's the story of how I was banned from all Japanese schools ever.” Claus grumped a bit in the corner in response. Oh, so he was watching after all.

 

[Gs] claus down!

[Gs] er

[Gs] we found claus's execution

[Gs] claus ain't down

[cT] Much as I might like to be.

[cT] Anyway, my body wasn't visible.

[Gs] hes real grumpy!!

[Sm] yeah, fair

[kO] Who isn't?

[Jf] shinobu is obnoxiously chipper as usual.

[Jf] and i'm always grumpy.

[Gs] nuh-uh! you happy sometimes and 's beautyful

[Ci] I agree.

[Jf] sure, whatever. how's nanako?

[Sm] she's

[Sm] she's not really okay.

[yL] I'm concerned. The shock of regaining the memories she'd blocked off seems to have had a poor effect on her psyche.

[Nh] i just want something good to happen in my life ever.

[Nh] that would be great, thanks

[Gs] nanners!! >< do you need a hug

[Nh] i'm sorry, i shouldn't be taking this out on you guys

[Nh] i'll just

[Nh] stop.

[Sm] so yeah, it's basically been kinda like that

[Gs] yo, man, leavin' it bottled up ain't no good either.

[Nh] i wish i still had amnesia.

[Nh] things were easier then. nicer. everything didn't suck so much.

[Nh] or i guess they did and i just didn't know it. whatever.

[Nh] i don't even know why i bothered getting my memories back if it's just going to hurt me more.

[Nh] i don't even know what the point is anymore.

[Nh] was there even ever a point to me?

[Jf] is that supposed to be a joke or something? of course there is.

[Nh] and before anyone says anything

[Nh] man you type fast.

[Nh] anyway

[Nh] so it's not like it matters that it's me, right?

[Nh] the first p-type whatchamajigger could've been anyone

[Nh] and it still would've justified my mom's whole... thing.

[Nh] all i did was exist and somehow this is all my fault?

[Nh] i didn't do anything. i haven't done anything. my entire life has been pointless. there's nothing about my life that has actually made a difference to anyone until the day i met you guys. it's all rin. it's all just about rin.

[Nh] and i still feel like i shouldn't even be saying this. that you guys have more important things to be worrying about. that i should be helping you. but i can't.

[Nh] it's not fair and i hate everything and i just want this shitty life of mine to end already.

[Nh] even my name is just a designation. i'm the seventh replicant created by rin hashizawa. that's all i am.

[Jf] I'd be dead if it wasn't for you.

[Sm] same

[sX] Junko told me you've been belittling yourself. Please don't. Need I come down there and cut my search off early?

[Nh] no, i'm just complaining.

[Nh] about. everything, i guess.

[sX] Nanako.

[sX] I love you.

[Nh] thanks, shinobu.

[Nh] i don't feel like i really get it but-

[Nh] stella holy shit wait

[Nh] is this how _you_ feel sometimes

[Sm] i really wish it wasn't.

[Nh] whoaaaaa

[Nh] holy shit! this sucks!!

[Nh] wow! i'd say that i need to get better but then i remember the fact that my mother literally pinned me to the floor and described in excruciating detail how she'd rip my feet off and let me bleed to death and it feels like 'better' is a sad joke!

[kO] yeah. that's fucking sick.

[Gs] hey, nanners?

[Gs] koji never woulda existed at all if it weren't for you.

[Gs] so that's somethin you did that nobody else woulda. trip, man, koji came from you.

[Gs] and he never woulda been as great a kid he was if you weren't the best big sister he coulda asked for

[yL] She's begun crying again after reading that. She says to tell you she says 'thank you, Gavin.'

[yL] She also says, 'please don't cut your investigation off, Shinobu, it might be important. And thanks for indulging my hunch about the executions, guys.'

[sX] Of course.

 

“You've got your work cut out for you, huh?” Junko said, as they entered the Central Hub. “No thanks to her parents.”

 

“Oh, you mean Nanako?” Shinobu asked. “She had her work cut out with _me_. I don't see any reason why I shouldn't return the favor.”

 

“...I wish I'd known.” Junko sighed, after a pensive moment. “I wish I'd known, so I could've done something.” She clicked her tongue. “Yes, yes, I know, it's weird for me-”

 

“No, please, continue.” Shinobu said. “You needn't justify yourself.”

 

“...if I'd known she- Rin- had been keeping Nanako and Kojiro in captivity, I wouldn't have stood for it.” Junko admitted. “It makes me want to puke. It makes me feel like, if I'd just read through the lines a bit better-”

 

“Considering that The End is likely Rin's mysterious partner, given her status as Nanako's second mother, I find it unlikely she didn't vet the emails that Rin sent you somehow to prevent information leakage.” Shinobu shook her head. “Doubtless, she...”

 

Her stomach lurched. The thought of that whole situation made her want to vomit, to retch up the contents of her stomach just a few hours after eating, vomit in indignation. “I have been trying... my very hardest... to keep the heart of Rin Hashizawa in mind.” She continued. “My very, very hardest, to keep down the rage I feel towards this woman who tortured Nanako so through her inexcusably poor parenting. But this- this _balderdash_ Nanako's just remembered-”

 

Shinobu sputtered, and gritted her teeth. “To allow someone so unstable, so hateful, to be implanted as a second mother to her children? To trust someone like that so implicitly? It's- she-!” She stopped, and took a breath. “While I am certain the situation is complicated, and Rin's emotional state was quite easy to manipulate- should that be the case based on what we know of 'Mother'- it is still a sickening error that has caused my girlfriend an untold amount of heartache, suffering, trauma, and loss.”

 

“...Yeah?” Junko said.

 

“So, in summation, it doesn't matter how much of a victim Rin Hashizawa may be.” Shinobu said, looking down. “If I were to meet her now, I would dearly, dearly wish to slap her across the face and tell her to kindly _excuse herself_!” She threw up a middle finger to accentuate the statement.

 

“...Yeah.” Junko nodded. “I... can't say you're wrong.” She chuckled derisively. “Of course, I'm pathetic, so I still can't close the door on her completely for myself.” She looked off into the distance. “Too desperate for friends, I guess.”

 

Junko turned her head back around to look at Shinobu. “Even you're running out of patience for this whole mystery thing, huh?”

 

“These truths are far too bitter for me to truly enjoy bringing them to light.” Shinobu said, closing her eyes. “And, besides... it's been three weeks, and I am ever so tired. We do seem to be approaching our final, climactic revelation, at least, so I will try to keep up my aplomb for that, inasmuch as it is appropriate, but this situation has lost any and all minute shreds of enjoyment I might have wrung from it despite the ghastly subject matter.”

 

“So, in other words, 'let's just fucking leave, who cares anymore?'” Junko said. Shinobu nodded. “Yeah. I hear that.”

 

They both paused.

 

“But we're still doing this.” Junko said. “Even though we don't really want to.”

 

“Unfortunately, but undoubtedly.” Shinobu said.

 

Heading up the tallest set of stairs with a reedy girl like Shinobu attempting to assist a girl in a wheelchair to get up said stairs was... difficult, to say the least. Shinobu's capability to lift said wheelchair was less than she'd thought it would be. When Claus and Gavin re-entered the Central Hub, they immediately came over to help, accounting for the obvious sweat on Shinobu's brow from the process.

 

Once they were at the top, Shinobu, panting, said, “Thank you, boys, but Kojiro _did_ request me alone, so...”

 

Gavin threw his hands up. “Nah prob, nah prob.” He grinned at Junko. “Have fun invadin' Koji's privacy, yeah?”

 

“It's just because I want to see Yashiro dead for myself, okay?” Junko looked away, pouting. “It's not like I'm curious about the note or anything-” For some reason, she got a wide-eyed look and started staring at her hands and vibrating. Claus looked on in concern, but Junko then shouted, “Let's! Go! Shinobu!” and began rapidly heading off to the Restroom, grabbing Shinobu's hand.

 

“Do you think she's alright?” Claus asked Gavin as they headed off.

 

“Trip, man, that kinda look? Junko couldn't'a been better.” Gavin smiled. He continued saying something, but at that point, Shinobu couldn't hear it.

 

One door, two doors, three doors on the side. “It's by the eighth door, right?” Junko asked. Shinobu nodded in confirmation. “Great. Why does it have to be in an inconvenient location like that? Rin, you idiot. If I were building this place- which I wouldn't, because my personal manias rely on interpersonal interaction to fuel themselves- I'd at least have the decency to put multiple restrooms in a hall this large. How is it that I, the mistress of data, have a better sense for functionality than the explicitly physical scientist who built this place?”

 

“Might I suggest that your nature as a programmer could have a great deal to do with your eye for functionality?” Shinobu suggested. “I did hear once from Chihaya regarding your strong opinions on ease of use in programming languages.”

 

“Well, no shit. If nobody can use a language, then it's functionally useless to anyone who isn't me.” Junko snorted. “I, of course, am a golden girl genius and can do anything, but my mastery of the more esoteric languages is part of my saying that they are, in fact, bad, and anyone who makes a language that's genuinely hard to use in the interest of trying to make something for actual programming should feel bad about themselves, frankly. Accessibility is already one of the harder aspects of the field, and anyone who stumbles onto shit like _Python_ is going to be completely befuddled! _Really_. I don't know how some people don't have the basic design capabilities needed to understand the user-end ease of use necessary for people to actually get into this field-”

 

Junko continued rambling until the two of them reached the Restroom door, and Shinobu, of course, listened intently, because listening to a girl ramble about her field was what Shinobu would hope anyone who spoke to Shinobu herself would do. “Are you ready?” Shinobu asked her, and Junko just silently nodded, gritting her teeth.

 

Opening the door, Shinobu was struck with surprisingly little dead-body smell, if any at all, in fact. That said, Yashiro was, in fact, still there, lying on the ground, dead, having been moved, presumably by Kojiro, onto his side. His back was to the two of them, with a note just downright full of Kojiro's handwriting on it.

 

Shinobu turned to Junko and patted her on the back. Her eyes were wide, and she was trembling, croaking to try and get out words about the sight she saw. “You just-” Junko gulped. “Just read the fucking note, Shinobu, I'll look on my own time.”

 

“Of course.” Shinobu said. Leaving the note _on Yashiro_ was a little morbid, to be certain, but Kojiro was undoubtedly Kojiro, and never would be anyone else- and such a bizarre move was just in line with the boy's artistic sensibilities, presumably. She picked it up, and began reading.

 

_Hey, Shinobu. So I'm dead now, right? I mean, I must be if you're reading this. That means you guys went through with it and voted me as the culprit. I won't lie and say I'm not terrified of dying, but you probably already knew that, too._

 

_Since you're Nanako's girlfriend, though, I wanted to talk to you specifically before I went- but I didn't exactly have a chance for that, considering the situation and the whole Monokuma business and all that jazz._

 

_I don't know all that much. I'm just some freaking bear, right? But I know that when Nanako remembers what she's forgotten- any of it- it's going to hurt, a lot. She's not okay, and my death isn't going to make things any easier for her. I wish there was any other way, but with things as they are, this is my only option._

 

_Maybe she already has remembered- about Mother and all that. About after I became Monokuma, and all that time I had to spend, pretending I didn't know what was going to happen, pretending I didn't know that her life was built on one big pile of lies and false assumptions._

 

_It hurt. A lot. But you've figured that out already._

 

_I guess the point is, I wanted to say that I'm passing the torch to you. This isn't going to be easy for Nanako no matter which way it goes. If you let her down, if you let her be buried by all this shit, then I'll haunt you until the day you die! Got it? I'll rise from the grave and haunt you and make sure all your manuscripts are shifted a centimeter to the right of where your intended margins are so they just look weird!_

 

_...But, yeah. You're smart. And you love her. I can tell. So, good luck, okay? I may still be mad about that time you tricked me with the Decalogue (that's a lie. I am still mad. I'll never, ever, ever forgive you for that slight. You'll hear from me about that in Hell), but I guess I'm saying I'm giving you my blessing. Be cool, Shinobu. You did a great job that investigation, from what I saw, so just... keep on keeping on, I guess. I give you my blessing, or something stupid and stuffy like that._

 

_Make her happy. That's all I've ever wanted._

 

_-Kojiro Hashizawa_

 

At some point, Shinobu had begun tearing up. The room had gone utterly quiet for her reading the note, so the sound of Kojiro's voice echoed through her mind as she read. She grasped the note, nodded, and said, “I will. I promise.” She sniffled. Elegantly, of course. “Thank you, Kojiro. I'll do my best... Brother.”

 

She turned her head to Junko, who had gone around to by Yashiro's feet, readying a statement, but she stopped. Junko's eyes were wide, and she was completely silent, her mouth slightly agape. “Is something amiss?” Shinobu asked.

 

To that, Junko just wordlessly pointed to the body. Shinobu peeked over to Yashiro's front-

 

 

 

 

 

“...what?” Shinobu said, the breath evacuating her lungs in short order.

 

Where once there was blood, crimson blood staining his wounds- there now was dried _white._ The skin on the corpse's face had just begun to start _flaking off_ , as well, after several hours- and the 'burn marks' had long since smudged. And, of course, on the corpse's back, right behind the note, the message on whose back Shinobu finally saw-

 

_Oh, and one other thing._

 

Right beneath where the note had been was a great claw mark, covered in white, unveiling what was, without a doubt, a spine wrought of metal, and not bone.

 

_**Gotcha.** _

 


	88. The Last Case, Stage 7 - EVAC INDUSTRY (The Battle was Just to Continue 'That Future')

[sX] Having concluded our search of the upper floors, might I suggest that, before we head out, we collect our keepsakes and place them together in the Restroom?

[sX] It occurs to me that it seems the safest place for the job, as we will be passing by again no matter how things shake out.

[cT] That's a reasonable idea. Yayoi's hat is in my room- everything is unlocked, so that should be no issue

[Sm] what about that copy of women's golf with pictures

[cT] Oh, I already own a copy at home.

[Sm] of course you do

[yL] I have Eriko's pen.

[kO] We're right here, so there's no reason we can't collect the figurines Nanako made.

[sX] Of course. They're quite important.

[Gs] wha'bbout wanda's hat and dice's sitar?

[Nh] i have those.

[Nh] i'll bring everything up to the restroom, don't worry. i'll bring all the stuff we collected during the nonary game, too.

[Nh] can you two stay there, though? i don't wanna be alone.

[sX] Of course. Junko gives her assent as well.

[cT] Nanako, are you quite sure?

[Nh] yeah

[Nh] oh, but who's gonna pick up junko's old laptop

[Jf] you can trash that piece of junk. i don't give a damn about it.

[cT] In that case, we'll all meet up in the Lounge and start formulating a plan of action for the lower floors. Meet us there?

[sX] Yes, sir.

[Nh] got it.

[Nh] just gotta find a bag or something

 

To make a long story short, Nanako did, in fact, find a container- specifically, a rolling hamper from the Laundromat did the trick, being able to, albeit barely, contain the statuettes, the pen, the sitar (though it still came out the top), Yayoi's hat...

 

...Hansuke's old coat (which had been mended and returned to his room, thankfully,) the nearly-complete mahjong set, a ping-pong ball and some paddles, that earmarked set of the _Twilight_ series...

 

...a carton of orange juice for Miria, a bottle of some Courvoisier Daisuke had mentioned once, a few keepsake postcards from her old friends the forklifts, an old Hope's Peak flag...

 

...the extensive set of _Dragon Ball_ DVDs Stella no doubt wanted to continue, a swimsuit in Junko's size to surprise her, a few flowers from the Colonial Collection, the nine-ball from the Rec Room, the dress she'd worn to the dance...

 

...the Dusty Highway, Manifest Destiny, Grand Papillon, and R-8 Copernicus, the portrait of Yayoi and her sister, that little lavender coat Kojiro had hung up in his Studio, _Brave New World_...

 

...her _Alien_ collection and a few other books from her room (though not _Wild Stallions_ , for obvious reasons,) the script to _Ulrich and Royston_ , their collected evidence and all their colored pens, a disc from the Tower of Hanoi set...

 

...and by the time Nanako was filching some clothes from Mother's closet, since she was about Shinobu's size, really, and at least had decent fashion sense, it was probably around the time to quit wading through nostalgic memories and accept that she really had more than enough.

 

She'd lost count of how many tears she'd shed. It was like looking at every single one of these things brought another memory on, another memory of these past three weeks... and the rest of her life, too, sometimes. Not as often. There wasn't as much to remember there... which was sad in and of itself, of course. Most of the memories from back then were of Kojiro. Kojiro, smiling, laughing, making a fool of her. He was always like that.

 

Suddenly, gasping in front of the stairs, Nanako's antenna pointed straight up. “My diary!” She turned to her room and started powerwalking. She couldn't forget that. Sure, she hadn't written in it for a few weeks, but that didn't mean it wasn't important to keep.

 

It was odd how your own room, your own home felt, when you were about to leave it forever. It was probably something that a lot of kids experienced several times in their lives, but this was Nanako's first time ever leaving, so packing up and leaving was an experience she wasn't quite sure how to describe.

 

This place didn't feel like home anymore, of course. But it was still her home, even so. Mom didn't feel like Mom, but she was still Mom. Mother... Nanako was still having trouble processing that business. And Kojiro...

 

Well. Kojiro was dead. But he was dead because he loved her. So in that sense, she supposed he was the same as ever.

 

It was almost enough to make a girl laugh. It was more than enough to make her cry, but she'd already done a lot of that. She wasn't quite saying goodbye just yet, to be sure, but as she packed up every last one of these little keepsakes, these bits of her life, all into this hamper, it had occurred to her that this was it. Her life in this Compound really was coming to an end, and she was ending it with her own power.

 

So, when, for the last time, she knocked on the wall next to her bed three short times, then two long, then four more short, it gave her an odd sort of nostalgia for the nights she'd covertly open her little secret compartment and yammer into her diary. It was all nonsense, of course. She barely knew anyone, or anything, and so it was mostly just rambling about her family and what media she'd just consumed. Still, it was part of her life, she thought, as she picked up the little pink book, bound in rings, 'just like my old one,' Rin had said.

 

And then, Nanako noticed what was under the diary. The compartment had always been a bit bigger than the diary needed, so it had the room to fit the flipped-over picture frame. Nanako grabbed it, and flipped it over.

 

It took her a moment, but she chuckled, beginning to tear up again. “Of course.” On the front was a note.

 

_I've been working on this in my spare time ever since I learned about Junko. I'm a busy guy, and I had to scrap the one before- didn't wanna be rude, but I did manage to get it finished, right in the nick of time. Remember how you made those statuettes and all? Well, I wanted to do something too. Hope I wasn't too presumptuous or something putting myself in there. Hope you guys like it._

 

_I love you, Nanako._

 

_-Kojiro_

 

The picture Kojiro had drawn was horizontally-oriented, as it was rather wide, to accommodate everyone in the picture. They weren't in their regular clothes for the game, either- everyone was in their Hope's Peak uniforms, standing in front of the school, posing for a photo.

 

On the left there, in the front, there was Aoto, grinning and giving two V-signs. From the back, Yashiro bravely ruffled those ridiculous spikes of his, visibly laughing. To the right of Aoto, Kazuya, looking very gallant in his uniform, was standing completely straight, no scarf visible. Eriko, for once, didn't have her clipboard in her hand, standing near the front, in the middle- she had it holstered on her skirt, instead, and had her hands to her side, one raised and meeting Luan in the crowd for a quiet fistbump, the other to her side, standing and smiling respectfully. On the far right was Junko, looking away, acting like she was trying to keep out of the photo, but Gavin, smiling and kneeling next to her, looking kindly at her, held her hand and kept her there, so she couldn't keep down her begrudging smile.

 

Behind Aoto and Kazuya, you could see Shinobu beckoning Wanda into the frame, her hands stern on her hips, having that good old indignant _'Morinaga'_ look, but for her smile. Wanda, for her part, clearly didn't look entirely pleased, but she couldn't help smiling, either. Miria and Chihaya, heads together, were standing behind Eriko, looking for all the world like they couldn't be happier. Next to them were Hansuke, who was shrugging, sighing like 'oh, how put-upon am I,' and Stella, punching him in the arm for being a dork.

 

Next to Yashiro in the back, Yayoi was clearly laughing too, patting Claus on the back and giving a big, goofy thumbs-up. She'd taken off her hard hat for the occasion, and maybe had actually even _combed her hair_. Claus was smiling, blushing a bit, looking like he was trying to maintain his composure for this very important moment. He was, of course, adjusting his necktie. Luan was next to him, his eyes closed, quietly and happily nodding. Peeking out the right, his sitar's end visible above Junko's head, Daisuke was wheedling out some sweet tunes, having taken off his shades for the occasion, his hands in frantic motion, making too intense a face about it to actually remember to smile for the portrait.

 

And in the front, of course, sitting on the grass, in front of and between Kazuya and Eriko, Nanako sat, beaming, her antenna in a little heart shape. Her chin rested on a snarky-looking polar bear sitting in her lap, who shrugged and looked at the viewer, as if to say, 'these guys, am I right?'

 

On the bottom of the frame was the title. _Hope's Peak Academy, 263_ _rd_ _Class (plus One.) 2196, Kojiro Hashizawa._

 

“Didn't mention anything about this.” Nanako griped, smiling, tearing up. “How many 'one last thing's can one bear have? Geez. What a dork.”

 

She laughed to herself, and picked it up, too. “Just gonna let me miss it if I forgot about my diary,” she mumbled, “guess that's why he gave me that hint about the diary, can't anyone talk straight to me for once? Geez.”

 

As Nanako brought her brother's final work and her diary out of her room, she was immediately assaulted by complaints from the top of the stairs. “You brought an _entire laundry hamper?!_ ” It seemed that a certain Ms. Fukuyama had come to the top of the stairs just to gripe at her. “How much can you possibly have from one home?”

 

“Hey, it's not just me.” Nanako laughed, putting her diary and the picture at the top of the hamper, lifting it up onto her back with a slight heft, and beginning the walk up the stairs. “It's everyone."

 

Shinobu came up behind Junko, and her eyes widened slightly. “Nanako, you're... wearing Wanda's cap.”

 

Nanako nodded, causing said newsboy to bounce a little. “Yup. I figured I might as well try it on at least once before I left, right? It's _here._ So I put it on my head instead of in the hamper.”

 

As Nanako ascended the stairs and reached the top, Shinobu's gaze was filled with concern, and she immediately came over once Nanako quit lifting the hamper and started rolling it again. “How are you doing?”

 

“Eh, better than I was before I did this.” Nanako shrugged. “I mean, the whole time you guys were up here I was crying, dealing with a headache, crying some more, drinking several cups of coffee, hugging Stella and Yun repeatedly, stuff like that. And ranting at you guys over the text chat.” Her eyes darted to the side. “That was kinda awkward, sorry.”

 

“You don't have to apologize.” Junko scoffed. “Frankly, if you didn't have any complaints after all this shit I'd be scared of you.”

 

“To be fair, you _have_ been pretty scared of me!” Nanako giggled.

 

“Oh, shut up.” Junko sneered, glaring at her. “I was afraid of what you _represented._ It wasn't as though I was quaking in fear of the _dreaded Robo-Lesbian._ ” She rolled her eyes. Shinobu cackled.

 

“So, you two have gotten to being friends?” Nanako asked, her antenna curling into a question mark, since she was ahead of the two of them, and all. “I'm glad!”

 

“Indeed we have.” Shinobu said. “Many a constructive word has been exchanged between Junko and I in the time we've spent together. And to Gavin's parents! That went smashingly.”

 

“Oh, yeah, I heard!” Nanako turned around, beaming. “Hey, congratulations, Junko! Good on you, his parents _already_ like you! That's a sure in!”

 

Junko blushed, lighting up, and said, “Oh, whatever. Shut up.”

 

“I can't! I'm stupid!” Nanako laughed. She stuck her tongue out and gave a v-sign. “Grade-A moron!”

 

“No, you're not.” Shinobu and Junko said at once.

 

Nanako stopped in her tracks. “Um... I was... trying to be funny?”

 

“I don't care, self-deprecation is forbidden right now.” Shinobu leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Nanako's lips, leaving her bright red and wide-eyed. “If I accept this now, you might try to turn it around on me on more serious matters, and I won't have that.”

 

“To toot my own horn,” Junko added, “I _am_ a golden girl genius, and anyone who's capable of actually solving the frenzied bullshit my genius mind spews as a suicide plot is by no means stupid or a moron.” She sighed and frowned. “Even if you are frustrating as hell.”

 

“Oh... come on, you two, I...” Nanako sputtered. “I... aw, geez.” She rubbed the back of her head. “I can't win with you two! Why do I have to have such good friends and such a great girlfriend?” She pulled down her cheeks in mock anguish. “Uuuuugh, woe is meeee.”

 

Amongst the laughter, the three of them reached the Restroom door. Nanako put on her best stoic face, and prepared to harden. “Are you sure, Nanako?” Shinobu said. “We can put it in there.”

 

“No, no. I should. Really.” Nanako said, smiling.

 

And so she opened the door. Yashiro was there, too. It was a shame, she thought with a wry chuckle, that she couldn't pack him up in the hamper as well. A real shame. As she walked in, Shinobu closed the door behind her and Junko. Why was she doing-?

 

“Nanako.” Shinobu said, whipping around suddenly, a great burst of energy in her movements. “Leave the hamper and let me show you something.”

 

Nanako blinked. “Huh?” She tilted her head. “What's up?”

 

Junko zipped over and removed the note from the back of Yashiro. “This, specifically. We wanted to keep it hidden from our friendly neighborhood mastermind.”

 

“What?” Nanako shook her head, and stared briefly at the note in Junko's hands before realizing it wasn't that she was supposed to look at. So, she turned back to look at Yashiro-

 

...huh?

 

Huh?

 

_Huh?!_

 

She darted around the corpse, witnessing the exposed metal spine, the muted white liquid having lost its coloring reagent, the... the... this... Nanako fell to her knees. This... this wasn't real. There was no way this was real. Right? This couldn't, this just couldn't, it couldn't...

 

Junko presented the back side of the note.

 

'Gotcha.'

 

Nanako couldn't stop her tears from welling, feeling such a rush of emotion she wasn't even sure how to describe her own mood. Within instants, she was crying, sobbing, bent over on the ground letting her tears loose to the ground. She didn't want to assume that her own frenzied delusions were the truth, didn't want to hope meaninglessly, so she turned her head to Shinobu.

 

When Shinobu just silently nodded, Nanako began wailing. “Yashiro,” she said, “Yashiro isn't dead.” She sniffled. “Yashiro isn't dead. He's... not dead. He's not- he's not dead. He's-” She started laughing. “He's not dead, he's not dead! He's-” She rocketed up on her feet and squeezed Shinobu tightly. “Yashiro's not dead Yashiro's not dead Yashiro's not dead he's _alive!_ Yashiro's alive Yashiro's alive Yashiro's alive Yashiro's aliiiiive!” She turned toward the note. “Kojiro, you... you _stupid, stupid bear_! You stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid bear! How-?!”

 

Nanako fell backwards onto the ground and started laughing through her tears. “Yashiro's alive. Kojiro got me. Yashiro's alive. He tricked me and Yashiro's alive. Yashiro isn't dead. Yashiro... Yashiro isn't gone.” She looked at Shinobu, still a bit squeezed from a moment ago, and Junko, in turn. “Hey, hey, hey. Yashiro's alive. Yashiro's... Yashiro's alive.”

 

Shinobu laid down next to her, and grabbed her hand. “It does seem that way, doesn't it? I've been trying to formulate exactly how Kojiro managed this little prank of his, but I haven't quite gotten it.” She paused. “If this is the case, where might Yashiro be, do you think?”

 

“Probably in the sewer somewhere.” Nanako laughed. “That's where Kojiro put him before, after all. Yashiro knows how to get out, so he'll probably just burst out at some point bellowing about how he's a hero or something. He's always so loud!”

 

“That he is.” Junko didn't lay down, both because of her personality and other, more obvious reasons. “See, Shinobu? I told you I didn't think he could be dead.”

 

“Your instinct was right on the money again, Junko.” Shinobu laughed. “I can't believe Kojiro pulled one over on us so thoroughly. He truly is a one-of-a-kind bear, isn't he?”

 

“That's for sure.” Nanako giggled. “Only one like him in the whole world.” Her antenna spiked. “Oh!” She stood up, and pulled the picture out of the hamper. “He left this for us. His final work of art!”

 

Shinobu and Junko both gaped for a moment at Kojiro's last gift, but Junko was the first to react. “How many last messages can one bear have? Ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “He needs to get over himself.”

 

“I thought the same thing!” Nanako laughed.

 

[Nh] we'll be right down, guys!

[cT] Alright, see you in a moment.

[Nh] yeah!

 

Striding through the door of Abilene Hall, Nanako, followed by Shinobu and Junko, entered the Lounge. Claus was there, looking stern as usual. Gavin had his hands behind his head, but lit up the instant Junko came in. Chihaya was sitting at the table, smiling so brightly she almost looked like the sun with those orange curls. Luan, Kazuya, and Stella, sitting together, all looked shocked to see Nanako smiling. “What happened to you?” Stella asked.

 

“Turned out packing up my life both literally and metaphorically was a good move for me emotionally.” Nanako said. She tipped her hat. “Sorry to worry you. Let's clean up the last bits of this, okay?”

 

“Sounds about right to me.” Claus said, nodding. “You can take either the service passages or the Service Elevator if you can, but nobody goes alone, alright? Always make sure you have at least one other person with you. Who knows what sort of nonsense The End might try to drop on us? So, let's get this decided.”

 

Everyone nodded at each other, and began walking off.

 

The entrance from Abilene to the service passages, it turned out, was behind those useless shoe lockers that had been sitting there this whole time. Going from that level to the level below didn't take long, and when they found the entrance, it was time for someone to split off. Stella shrugged, and said, 'eh, fuck it,' so she was the first to break off from the group.

 

Somehow or another, it wound up being Junko that was second. “I'm coming with you.” She grumped.

 

“I mean, if you say so.” Stella shrugged. “You're allowed to do that.”

 

As they sauntered in from the entrance in the back of the room, the room's identity revealed itself- the 'Physics Lab', as it was called, was full of a vast, interconnected network of machines and contraptions, with a series of models by each of them modeling assorted physics concepts Stella couldn't tell you about if she tried. The room was very blue, aside from that, and full of glass tubes. Cabinets lined the walls. There was a console, because Rin Hashizawa would probably have sex with consoles if she could.

 

The instant the door shut behind them, Junko piped up. “Stella.”

 

“Mm?” Stella turned around. “What's up?”

 

“I, er...” Junko grunted a bit. “I'm... listen, I...” She stammered. “Fuck.” There was a familiar venom in that 'fuck.' Stella was used to it coming from her, though.

 

“Take your time.” Stella raised her hands and closed her eyes. “I'm listening.”

 

“I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry.” Junko said. “For. For, you know. The whole.”

 

“Trying to kill me thing?” Stella finished. Junko gritted her teeth and nodded. “Yeah, like I said. Water under the bridge.”

 

“How the fuck is it _water under the bridge?!_ ” Junko slammed her fists into the arms of her wheelchair (convenient how she had that to hit), and shouted. “What the hell are you talking about?!”

 

Stella sighed. “Look, yeah, I know, it doesn't make a lick of sense, right? I've been there. I still am, a lot, but, you know, not right now. It's a complicated... thing.” She leered. “But if you want to apologize and then tell me I can't accept your apology, then what's the point?”

 

“I-” Junko sputtered. “Look, shut up!”

 

“I get it better than you want me to get it, Junko.” Stella said. “I do. It didn't make a lot of sense to me until now, but it makes a lot of sense to me now that you're back. It's because we're the same, right?”

 

Junko visibly flinched. “I-I don't know what you're talking-”

 

“The both of us are depressed wrecks who want to die.” Stella said, crossing her arms, though not rubbing them. It stung slightly, but that was fine. “We're both girls who put on a public face for people, but inside, we wish everything would just end. Am I wrong?”

 

“I- You-” Junko sputtered. “I...”

 

“So you saw me, and you saw I was basically the same as you. I had big time issues.” Stella said. “And so you thought you wanted to get rid of me to prove a point. Right?”

 

“...Things like me... could never cut it in a killing game.” Junko said, still not looking Stella in the eyes. “I'm glad you get it.”

 

“Right.” Stella said, nodding. “If I was in your shoes, I'd have probably done the same to you.” That made Junko's eyes widen, and she turned towards Stella in shock. “What? It's true.”

 

After a moment of silence, Junko returned to her disdainful snarl. “What could you possibly know about-?”

 

“I _just_ told you about why I feel like I understand you,” Stella said, cutting in sharply, “and if it's about the gender thing, well, I may not be trans, but I've spent enough time flagellating myself over Kei to have at least a decent idea-”

 

Stop. Silence. Junko blinked. “What?”

 

“Oh, fuck.” Stella clicked her tongue. “Damn it, damn it. I mean, I guess it's not a big deal _now_ , but-”

 

“Wait, no you hold the fuck on, please.” Junko waved her hand. “Excuse me?”

 

Groaning very, very deeply, Stella slumped over, threw her hands up, and said, “Kei's trans. I- well, her parents pressganged me into outing her. Was what happened. That's why she ran away.”

 

Junko blinked again. “...That... huh.” Blink. Blink, blink. “ _Huh_.”

 

“And, like, apparently Rin just knew, somehow. She had a good sense for these things. That's one of the few things I knew about Kei's magical girlfriend before now.” Stella said. “So she became friends with Kei before bringing it up one day, when she said that she had... an important...?” Stella trailed off. Junko was frowning deeper and deeper the longer Stella spoke. “What?”

 

“...Tch.” Junko gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, spitting on the floor. “Fucking chaser.”

 

It took Stella a second to process. “Oh, don't tell me.” Her face fell, and she furrowed her brow. “Seriously?”

 

“Day of the damned Expo.” Junko spat. “'Oh, you're my best friend!'” She mocked. “'That's called being smart, Jun!' 'You'd look better without that goofy fauxhawk of yours!' I'm _so glad_ I got to be a replacement for her dead girlfriend for a bit. Thanks, Rin!”

 

“What do you think the odds are that if she'd managed to get you to live here, she'd have made you live in her creepy Kei room?” Stella asked.

 

“Astronomical, doubtless.” Junko said, growling. “You know, at least you people appreciate me for the golden girl genius I am, rather than using me as a surrogate for another young lady who was probably very wonderful if you, Chihaya, and Miria were all so fond of her, even if she also sounds like I'd absolutely hate her guts.”

 

“Yeah, you two wouldn't have gotten along _at all._ ” Stella said. The two of them paused for a moment. “So, uh... apology allowed to be accepted?”

 

“I suppose.” Junko scoffed.

 

“And, just so we're clear here.” Stella said, raising a finger and leaning in. “I was not and have never been interested in screwing Claus. Are we clear here?”

 

The telltale flinch told Stella she'd struck a nerve. “Fine, fine. Whatever.” Junko raised her hands. “I believe you, god.”

 

Sudden realization flashed in Stella's mind, given everything she knew, and she smirked. “Oh, _I_ see.” She leaned in a bit closer. “So, you were _jealous_ , huh?”

 

“No! Maybe!” Junko sputtered. “Maybe I am! Was! Shut up!”

 

“I mean, I get it, he is a reasonably attractive guy.” Stella grinned. “And I bet you're into the whole tall, blonde, and handsome thing, right?” Junko turned bright red. “Nothing to be ashamed of. I had a crush on Makoto Naegi as a kid, c'mon.”

 

“Considering Kazuya, I'm ever so shocked about this.” Junko said, regaining her composure. “Predictable.”

 

“Yeah, basically.” Stella said.

 

Junko and Stella looked around the machines for a while, Stella casually waiting until Junko said something so that she could actually understand what this was. In front of a model of a stairwell with a ball on it, though, Stella realized that Junko probably assumed she understood this, and said, “Hey, so what the fuck is any of this?”

 

“You mean you don't get it?” Junko turned around and raised her eyebrow. Yup. That was Junko for you. “This is the room where Rin tested the ins and outs of the method of energy generation she used to power Nanako. Watch.”

 

Heading over to a console that seemed to be turned off, Junko grabbed around and found a wand with a microphone at the end. Into it, she said, “The Pacific Ocean can go fuck itself.” Immediately, the array of machines began to come to life, as did the console, displaying a readout of the energy output from Junko's initial offering. “The stairwell model there is a visualization of the Maxwell's Demon experiment that proved the basic theory behind these reactions. Once it's sufficiently powered up by an initial bit of information, it can subsist for quite some time based on the information created by the reactions it creates.”

 

“And she did this to make illegal kids.” Stella said.

 

 

 

“It does seem a bit excessive.” Junko rolled her eyes. “Wasting her time doing something this revolutionary for the sake of bolstering her own little playhouse here... The sheer lack of respect for scientific progress here makes me want to puke.”

 

“I mean, it makes me want to puke because Nanako is one of my best friends and this whole thing fucked her up really bad.” Stella said. Junko murmured some assent there, too.

 

[Sm] so we found basically nothing in the physics lab

[Gs] mondo bummer

[kO] Gavin and I just split off on the second level.

[Jf] I certainly hope that the Masculinity Brigade enjoys themselves.

[kO] Watch me. We'll have Boy Talk.

[Sm] big words, kaz

[Sm] big words

[kO] Big words are my specialty.

 

The Masculinity Brigade found itself in the 'Theoretical Programming Lab'. This room, mostly cyan, was full of differently-sized glass boxes, each hooked up to a weird, sci-fi looking headset and chair. Beneath each glass box was some sort of black _substance_. Kazuya wasn't sure what it was. “So, do you want to go first or should I?” He said.

 

“Eh?” Gavin was looking away, and suddenly started around to look at Kazuya. “Oh, ah, aheh, trip, man, Gav, uh...” He paused. His hasselhoff drooped. “Can Gav talk yer ear off fer a sec?” He leaned in, whispering as though he was worried about being overheard.

 

“Yes.” Kazuya nodded.

 

Gavin reared back, took a deep breath, and shouted, “ _How does Gav girlfriend?!_ ”

 

Kazuya blinked. “Um. What?”

 

“Aw, geez louise.” Gavin grabbed his head, leaned back, and groaned. “I don't got no clue what I'm doin', man! I really love her, real, for really riggity real, but I ain't sure if I'm doin' nothin' rights or wrongs! Tryna be sweet, cuz I know she hurtin' real bad and I thought, yo, maybe she need that to get through 'n outta here, man, but then Gav donno if he doin' it right or doin' it too much and he just hurtin' her worse, makin' thigns harder for her, and awwwwie I don't wanna make things worse!” He'd been pacing around frantically during that whole ramble, and now spun on his feet to face Kazuya again. “Kazarang! You gotta girl! Can you give Gav the lowdown?!”

 

After taking a few moments to catch up to Gavin's rapid-fire verbalizations, Kazuya came to the realization that Gavin had just asked _him_ , that was to say Kazuya Okudaira, for _romance advice_. “Gavin, I... can't help but feel like you're asking the wrong person.” Kazuya looked away awkwardly. “I mean, out of everyone here-”

 

“Kaz, you the only other dude what's got a girlfriend, my man! Who's else I s'posed to ask?” Gavin had a desperate look in his eyes. “I mean, coulda asked Nobe or Nanners or Stel, yeah, but tha's a diff canna!” A... a 'diff...' “An' Gav ain't scopin' crossy-why when Junko inna mark' f'sportyfencetuff, nahm sain? Gots t'do'm'belse shmayn-”

 

Kazuya cut in by shouting as loud as he could. “Gavin, I can't understand a _word_ you're saying!”

 

After babbling for another moment, Gavin cut himself off, said “Sorry, man,” cleared his throat, and said, “I coulda asked the girls, but that's, like, girlfriend stuff. Gav don't wanna get his wires crossed when what Junko needs is the stuff a supportive boyfriend's for givin', yeah? Gav's gotta do his best or else he may make things worse, and he's real scared 'a that.”

 

“Well, if I were her, I would be getting pretty awkward about all the public displays of affection... but, well, I'm not her.” Kazuya said. “I think the best thing to do would be to ask her... y'know, whenever we get a chance. In private. Considering the situation, I don't think you can be blamed for not really having the chance.”

 

“Y'sure?” Gavin said. “I been... well, y'know, 's... kinda awkward, 'n...” He was fidgeting.

 

“You two will have all the time in the world to figure out how to best love each other once we're out of this horrible place.” Kazuya said. “You don't need to worry like you're in here anymore after that, Gavin. It's not long now. So don't worry.”

 

Gavin looked down. “Uh... thanks, Kaz.” He chuckled. “Prolly seems like a real trip, big ol' Mr. Sakaki askin' for advice on how to be.”

 

“No, it's alright.” Kazuya walked up and patted him on the shoulder. “You did the same for me, Gavin. And we're friends. Right?”

 

“Trip, man, course we is. We tight as two peas in a cucumber!” Gavin spouted. Kazuya had to try very, very, very, very hard to suppress the urge to correct him.

 

As far as these bizarre contraptions went, once the two of them were finished having their bouts of Boy Talk (haha! take that, incomprehensible social dynamics between teen girls! you have been conquered by the raw might of Kazuya Okudaira!), Kazuya said, “So, what do you think these are for?” He turned his head to the headset. “And which one of us should try one on first?”

 

“Gav can do it if'n ya want him to.” Gavin said. “Spooked 'bout puttin' on weird doohickies?”

 

“No, I was just wondering if you were.” Kazuya said. He sat down and placed the headset on his head. “Gavin?”

 

“Kaz?” Gavin responded.

 

Kazuya gestured to a lever on this particular contraption. “ _Pull the lever_!” He said, putting some dramatic oomph into it. Gavin did so. The instant he did, the headset shook a bit, giving Kazuya a fright, but soon the glass box to his right began to be filled with the black substance from beneath. The shapeless mass soon began to form itself into... an arm. A right arm, specifically, complete with hand, though one that was clearly rather thin-skinned. Gavin yelped when he saw it.

 

“W-whyzere 'n arm innere, man?!” He shuddered, pointing.

 

Kazuya pondered for a moment, then looked at the arm again. It was a built one, very strong, bulkier than Kazuya's, but roughly around Kazuya's own skin tone. Actually, as he looked at it, it was slowly altering its own size and shape towards a somewhat finer form, and it was making small movements analogous to... He balled his fist with sudden realization, and the arm inside balled itself, too. Fingergun gesture matched fingergun gesture. Splayed hand matched splayed hand. Kazuya's eyes grew wider as he experimented with the arm inside the box. “I see, I see... I think I get it!” He took off the headset, and the arm inside grew still, and before long, melted back into the formless mass.

 

“O-oh.” Gavin said, shivering, still staring at the box where the arm had been. “Well, uh... wanna 'splain to Gav?”

 

“I think this must be the machines Rin used to test the theory behind Nanako's body's development.” Kazuya said. “In that perk that Claus got, it said that her body developed to match her own self-perception. Remember? That arm just now- I think that was my perception of _my own arm_.”

 

Gavin stopped, blinked, turned his head towards the box, blinked again, turned back to Kazuya, and blinked a third time. “Trip, man, you gotta fine arm, Kaz. Ain't no reason to go on wishin' for nothin' like that.”

 

“Dysphoria will do that to you.” Kazuya dismissed the comment in order to try and hide the embarrassed blush. “A-anyway, I'd gather that these are all probably for testing the development of different parts of Nanako's body beforehand by using Rin herself as a test subject. She could create 'herself,' and that's probably how she...” He trailed off.

 

It hadn't occurred to him until now, but the effect Rin's parenting had on Nanako was plainly visible from just looking at her. Nanako looked a lot like Rin. It was plain as day- they looked close enough for multiple people to make the mistake. Nanako's perception of herself as Kojiro's sister was what caused her hair to change; but before then, she'd grown... “...to resemble her mother.” He finished his thought by mumbling. As far as Kazuya understood it, she'd never had a chance to develop her own, true identity.

 

In fact, he realized, the most expressive part of her body, the most personalized part, was even the one part her mother decidedly did not have- Nanako's antenna, which spoke her emotions, was something that was uniquely hers.

 

“...Gavin.” Kazuya said. “What do you think Nanako really looks like?”

 

“Ionno, man.” 'Ionno?' Had Gavin picked up that habit? “We jus' gotta see for ourselfies, yeah?” Ah, so he'd had the same thought.

 

“Right.” Kazuya nodded. Speaking of really looking like, he began edging towards the other contraptions. Gavin nodded at him. He stopped edging and started bolting, but it was only then that he noticed that aside from the front entrance that was clearly the door to the elevator shaft, there was another door in here. “An execution, maybe?”

 

“Prolly.” Gavin nodded. “Le's take a look, 'n then y'can do that thang.”

 

The interruption left Kazuya admittedly a bit cranky, but whatever. That was replaced by bafflement when the two of them entered the execution room; the room they entered couldn't really be... _described_ all that well, but Kazuya would try anyway, because big words were his forte. It resembled something like a cross between a grand foyer and an auditorium, with walls painted with sky patterns over a red carpet and grey, gothic floors. There was a blue-scale copy of the Mona Lisa above the mantle, which carried on it some small lawn gnome figures and a small ice cream figurine, near some other fireplaces- multiple fireplaces?- with non-blue copies. Palm trees decked out in Christmas lights bordered a bizarrely achronistic jukebox, blocking the path to some marble pillars and a window that seemed to show a view of outer space, and was that a... was that some kind of ostrich statue wearing a bowler hat? Everywhere Kazuya looked he only found something more to be confused about regarding the décor of this baffling room.

 

His first comment after several moments of bafflement was, “If that terminal,” and he pointed to the terminal in front of them, “doesn't immediately talk about you, I am going to have _several_ questions about Chihaya.”

 

“Yanno?” Gavin said, a pensive, square look on his face. “Same.”

 

“I would like, ah, if I may...” Monokuma began. “... to take you on a strange journey. It seemed a fairly ordinary day slash night when Gavin Sakaki, a young, extraordinary, healthy kid, left his home that late April evening to visit one of his many friends. It's true there were dark storm clouds, heavy, black, and desperate, towards which he was driving. It's true, also, that his willingness to keep to his beliefs was badly in need of a bit of reevaluation, so, uh, him being an extraordinary kid, and on such a night out... well, he was not going to let the simple human avoidance of murder spoil his night, now was he? Such a night out... _Let's Do The Time Warp Again, Again!_ would be a night out Gavin Sakaki, the Ultimate Buddy, would remember for a very long time.”

 

Kazuya and Gavin stared confusedly at each other as Girl N, Girl J, and Boy D declared Boy G the culprit of whatever theoretical trial this was, and he got clawed for a remarkably short period of time. Now, he was stuck in the Theoretical Programming Lab, which was done up with spooky Halloween decorations, pumpkins, cobwebs, and the like. Monokuma, with garish makeup, appeared before him suddenly, rubbing his paw on one of the headsets, and a rollicking tune kicked up.

 

“It's astounding.” Monokuma said. “Time is... fleeting. Madness... takes its toll.” He rubbed the headset seductively, slowly inching closer to Boy G, weaving around the glass boxes, which all had body parts of some garish, zombie-like description manifested within them. “But listen closely...”

 

Exisal Black poked its head in from a window and chipped in, “Not for very much longer!” with a voice similar to that which C Team had described from the intercom in the Filtration Chamber.

 

“I've got to... keep control!” Monokuma said. Suddenly, with a great, somehow almost _languid fervor_ to his movements, he lurched forward towards Boy G, who began backing up. “I **remember**!” Now he was singing. He spun around the machines, fist-bumping arms and feet alike. “Doing the _**TIIIIIME WARP**_!” His paw was on Gavin's shoulder for a moment before he spun towards the machines again. “DRINKING! Those moments _wheeeen!_ The blackness would _hit me_!”

 

Monokuma and Exisal Black both sang together, “And the void would be calling!” before Exisal Black and Monokuma simultaneously opened the door to the execution room. Inside, a great many drones in odd, period wear outfits, like pirate, Victorian, gladiator, amateur Youtuber, and whatnot, stood, and everyone present called out in unison:

 

“ _ **LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!**_ ”

 

All the drones lined up in lines behind Monokuma and Exisal Black.

 

“ _ **LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!**_ ”

 

Suddenly, as Boy G was forced forward into the room, the video cut out to Monokuma, wearing glasses, pulling down a guide to the steps of the 'Time Warp' dance. “It's just a jump to the left.” He explained, and did so.

 

“ _And a step to the riiiiight!_ ” The troupe sang, doing just that to mirror his motion.

 

“Put your hands on your hips!” Mr. Monokuma said, doing so.

 

“ _And pull your knees in tiiiiight!_ ” Only Exisal Black was really capable of that, but everyone else tried their hardest. As Boy G backed away, a few more drones pulled him to the front of the troupe, forcing him into the dance as well, which was important, considering how few of them were actually able to do-

 

“ _But it's the pelvic thruuuuust-!_ ” Well, um... that... “ _That really drives you insay-ay-ay-ay-ayne!_ ” Kazuya looked at Gavin for a second. The look of befuddlement and discomfort on Gavin's face was starkly relatable.

 

“ _ **LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!**_ ” The troupe called out again. “ _ **LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN!**_ ”

 

Suddenly, as though strings had been cut on a marionette, the entire troupe fell utterly silent, to the ground, motionless. Boy G looked around, confused. “But as they did the Time Warp again, Boy G was left befuddled as to his predicament.” Monokuma narrated. “As he stood there, quiet and alone, he was left _trembling_ with antici...”

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Kazuya coughed.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

Silence.

 

“... _pation_.” Monokuma concluded, as a massive, oversized weight suddenly fell from the ceiling and unceremoniously crushed Boy G. The credits played.

 

[kO] We

[Gs] what

[kO] we found

[kO] execution?

[Gs] huh

[Ci] Are you two alright?

[Gs] ????????????????????????

[kO] There... wasn't a visible corpse.

[Sm] wouldn't it be hilarious if at the end of all this, chihaya's execution had her corpse be visible just to throw a wrench in this theory right at the end

[Sm] at least i'm assuming if they're that confused then it must've been gavin's right

[kO] It... yes, it was.

[Gs] why did gav get a musical number??????

[Gs] huh?????

[Nh] a musical number???

[Jf] well, don't leave us hanging. was it good?

[kO] I mean, it was a pretty catchy tune, but the subject matter was... confusing.

[Gs] i dont remember doing the time warp!

[cT] Drinking those moments when the blackness would hit you?

[Gs] i

[Gs] _now im more confused!!!_

[kO] And Daisuke, I understand, but why would Junko have been there? These were designed before the game began, it's not as though they could've predicted the two of them becoming a couple.

[cT] Ah, something else to mention in my strongly-worded letter

[kO] w... what?

[cT] That's just tasteless, really.

[sX] I have the strangest feeling Claus is enjoying being the one 'in the know.'

[cT] Oh, dearly.

[Jf] claus being an idiot aside, what's the status on the rest of you

[Nh] oh!! well, chihaya and I just got to the bottom sub-level. nobu, yun, and claus split off on the third level.

[Sm] oh, almost to the bottom, huh

[Nh] yup! we'll let you know what's down there

[yL] It must be very surreal, exploring your own home a second time with fresh eyes like this.

[Nh] this isn't my home anymore, so it's nbd really.

[Nh] my home's in oborozuka and i will also be exploring it though!

[Nh] i hear it's a lot smaller

[sX] It certainly is.

[Nh] and that's rad!

 

Chihaya knew where she was going better than Nanako did, so all Nanako really had to do was follow her. They hung a right into their target doorway, and immediately Nanako stopped in her tracks.

 

This was a dark, soft room, walled in a gradient from white above to black below. On the walls were simply a few cabinets, with some files inside, and a small platform in the center with even smaller stairs down onto the ground.

 

Nanako took a hesitant step into this room- the Compound's 'AI Cradle.' “Hey,” she said aloud, “I recognize this room.” Her voice was low and breathy, and the thought felt kind of stupid coming out of her mouth. She absentmindedly sat down on the small platform, and rubbed it. “I was born here.”

 

“This room is where you were first activated?” Chihaya asked, searching through the few cabinets.

 

“Yeah.” Nanako nodded. “I suddenly started being conscious, and a lot of things didn't make sense, but I saw Mom, then. The first words she said to me were, 'Good morning, Nanako.'” She chuckled. “Later I found out it was actually already night when she said that. She can be such a dork sometimes. Then, I took my first steps off these stairs, down onto the floor.” They were far too big for her now. “It took me a bit to understand that I was Nanako, because my system was processing so much at once. I... don't remember too much past that, though.” She sighed. “On account of... yeah. All I remember from that really early period is Mom, basically.”

 

Nanako stopped, and turned to Chihaya. “Hey, Chihaya?” She asked. “It's... weird, right? The name Nanako?”

 

“No, not particularly.” Chihaya said, still looking through files. “The particular spelling Rin used is unusual, but Nanako isn't an uncommon name at all.”

 

“Really?” Nanako blinked. “I've... never heard of it other than for myself. I've seen other Kojiros, and Rins, but never another Nanako, in anything I've really ever digested.”

 

Chihaya went rigid for a moment, but then continued. “I can only imagine that that,” she said, “is another one of Rin's misguided attempts at parenting. Perhaps she thought it might confuse your identity or something. But... no. I've known other Nanakos. It's a perfectly fine name.”

 

“Oh.” Nanako said. Her antenna twitched. “Cause... I still want to be Nanako, even if I'm not Nanako Hashizawa anymore after all this. It's... my name, you know? I spent so long trying to get it back, I just feel like it'd be a shame to change it.”

 

Having satisfied herself, Chihaya turned around. “It's a perfectly fine name, Nanako.” She walked over and sat down next to Nanako. “There's nothing wrong with it.”

 

“Okay.” Nanako smiled lightly. “Thanks. Oh, hey!” Her antenna spiked. “Congrats on talking to your dad! That must be a big load off of your mind.”

 

“Mmhm.” Chihaya nodded. “It's been a long time. I missed him.”

 

“Gonna go home after this?” Nanako asked.

 

Chihaya nodded again. “Yes, I think so.”

 

“I'm glad.” Nanako smiled brighter. “What are the files about?”

 

“Hm? Oh, these?” Chihaya gestured to the files she was holding. “Records on historical landmark A.I. achievements. She earmarked the pages on Chihiro Fujisaki's 'Alter Ego' and Sean.”

 

“'Alter Ego.' That's the copy of Dr. Fujisaki's personality that was the first strong AI, right?” Nanako asked. Chihaya nodded. “And we know Sean. He's the kid who was the first VK-compliant, right?”

 

“The embodied AI of the first D-COM computer, yes.” Chihaya nodded.

 

The two of them sat in silence for a moment.

 

“Hey, Chihaya. Actually, about my name...” Nanako started up. “There's been something kind of bugging me for a bit now.”

 

“What's that?” Chihaya asked.

 

“Well, remember Claus's Anti-Replicant Perk? Like, it mentions me, and then her 'fifth prototype.'” Nanako said. “And it said that my name was 'on the nose.' I should know- I'm the seventh Replicant Mom created. My name means 'seventh child.'” She paused. “So... what happened to the sixth prototype? Why weren't they mentioned in that document at all?”

 

Chihaya blinked, and then looked down. “...Hm.”

 

“Like, you'd think that if I had another sibling, that'd be important, right?” Nanako said. “And like, none of those earlier prototypes sounded like they were...” She looked down at the files. “Y'know, based on _people_ , from how I read it. I know I'm _kind of_ similar to Kei, but this is something different.”

 

“No, you're absolutely right.” Chihaya said. “Based on these files, it seems like Rin would've wanted to make a Replicant based on someone. Probably Kei, if I had... to...” She trailed off, and her eyes went wide. She started murmuring. “...the beach, the beach, the beach?!” Her eyes went _very_ wide. “The top of this Compound is a beach, right?!” She turned to Nanako with fervor in her eyes.

 

“Yeah, it is.” Nanako nodded. “Why?”

 

“Claus has a photo,” Chihaya said, “of Rin and Kei at a beach.”

 

“Okay.” Nanako nodded again. “I'm following.”

 

“But that's just it.” Chihaya stood up. “That's _impossible._ That photo shouldn't be able to exist. I told Claus this, but we never found any beaches while we were running, and neither of them lived in a coastal area during the time they dated or, as far as I know, took any trips to the beach. I don't think Kei's relationship with Rin was even close to public enough for her to do that.” She grimaced. “Her parents, er... didn't approve of their relationship.”

 

Nanako nodded once, twice, three times. “Okay, okay, okay. I'm following. So Claus has an impossible photo. So you're saying-”

 

“I'm saying it's possible,” Chihaya said, “that that wasn't the Kei I knew, but a Replicant copy of her. That Rin took that photo with a machine that she herself made. That Rin's sixth prototype was- was an attempt to _create another Kei._ ” She grabbed at the files. “Think about it. All of these landmarks based on living people, of _course_ she'd try to do that... She'd try to create Kei again, Kei was her rock, of course she'd do that...”

 

“So... you're saying you think Mom tried to build another Kei as an attempt at making a VK-compliant Replicant, so I have a secret older sister who's a robot clone of Kei?” Nanako said, her antenna fuzzing out. “Okay, but like, _why_ , though? And how come I've never heard of her, then?”

 

Chihaya and Nanako turned to each other.

 

“Maybe... maybe you _have_.” Chihaya said, her eyes wide. Nanako saw herself reflected in those eyes. The face on her own head was even wider. “Maybe you-”

 

Nanako lurched. “No.” She lurched over, feeling bile rise up in the back of her stomach. “No, no, no no no no. No. No, no, no, that- that doesn't- that's not-”

 

She looked back up again at Chihaya. “For fuck's sake, Chihaya, I've seen them _kiss_! You can't- you can't be telling me, you-” Nanako shook her head wildly. “No way. No way, that can't... there's-”

 

“I think,” Chihaya said, “that we need to confront the possibility that your Mother is a Replicant that Rin created.”

 

The bile was rising further up her throat, and Nanako's chest began heaving. She was trying very hard not to puke. There was no _way_ , right? There was no- no way. No, no, none at all, that was completely impossible, but the worst part was it wasn't impossible at all- it actually made quite a lot of sense with everything she'd learned, but-

 

“Chihaya,” Nanako croaked, down on her knees, “I'm pretty sure they've had _sex_.”

 

Chihaya nodded, a grave, blown-out look on her face, her hands shaking. “Yeah.”

 

“That's not- no.” Nanako said, straining her eyes to stay looking at Chihaya from on the ground, on all fours. “That's- that's just- that's- that's, that's, that's, that's not- no, no, no, that's impossible.” She started shaking her head. “No, no, no. No, that's not... She can't be... _Mother can't be my sister!_ ” She shouted, clutching her fists! “That's just- that's just- that's _just not okay!_ ”

 

Chihaya nodded gravely. “I know.”

 

“Ohhh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, Mom made a Kei sexbot, Mom made a Kei sexbot.” Nanako got up on her feet and started pacing around. “Mom made a Kei sexbot who hates me. Mother is a Kei sexbot. Oh god, oh god, oh god. That's bad, that's bad, that's- that's really bad, ohhh man that's bad.” She shook her head, putting her hand up to her temple. “Oh no, oh no no no, that's bad juju, that's _very bad juju._ ”

 

“Wait.” Chihaya put her hand on Nanako's shoulder. “Nanako, calm down. That's not necessarily the only explanation.”

 

Nanako turned around and laughed in Chihaya's face. “Come on, you tell me that and then you're saying there's another explanation? What other explanation is there? I'm all ears!”

 

“Well...” Chihaya stammered. “I don't really... want to say this. But, well... Kei _was_ a Shifter. It's possible that Rin's sixth 'prototype' was intended to-”

 

“What, be a vessel for Kei's time ghost to inhabit or something?” Nanako guffawed. “How is that _better_? If that _worked_ , it would mean Kei was The End! Do you really want that?” She threw her hands in some vague, upward direction. “Think about what that would do to Stella!”

 

“...And if it failed?” Chihaya said.

 

“Uh, if that's how it happened then it clearly didn't fail, c'mon.” Nanako snorted. “I know this person as 'Mother', Chihaya. She and Mom were in a romantic relationship. Mom wouldn't have done that if it _failed_.”

 

“Well-” Chihaya began.

 

“Hey, okay, haha! It's time to stop talking about this!” Nanako began laughing. “Haha! Let's stop saying words on this subject and please give me time to process this! Okay? We good? Can we maybe go down that elevator shaft now and actually do what we came here to do before we continue talking about all of this _this_ you've just dropped in my lap? Yeah? Okay! Great! Haha!” She began walking off towards the elevator shaft.

 

“...Alright.” Chihaya said, fidgeting slightly behind her.

 

[Nh] okay! we're going down the elevator shaft

[Nh] fifth floor just had the place I was born, nbd

[sX] I'd say that's a pretty large deal.

[Nh] yeah you would babe

[Nh] thanks though ♥

[Jf] what, you didn't find anything in a room that important?

[Nh] can I like talk about this when I see yall again

[Nh] because we did but like

[Ci] It's... very complicated.

[Nh] yeah! complicated!

[Nh] that's a good way to put it

[Nh] so i need a bit to process it and stuff

[Nh] dw i just

[Nh] aaaaa. y'know?

[Jf] I think I understand decently well. Take your time.

[Gs] yeah! take yer time, nanners

[yL] We'll wait

[kO] Definitely.

[Nh] thanks y'all. i appreciate it and love you dearly

[sX] Apologies on being absent, Claus is very enthusiastic

[Nh] do you love me

[sX] Always, dear.

[Nh] good enough, then ♥

[sX] Lovely.

 

“...lost in space, lost in time, and meaning.” Claus concluded. “It's a really riotous movie, I tell you. And such a rollicking soundtrack! We should watch it together.” He was beaming.

 

Shinobu looked up from her Handbook, said “It certainly sounds it. I'd love to.” and then actually got to work. Luan also politely nodded, having also been stuck listening to this summary.

 

This room, as it turned out, was the 'BC Particle Lab,' a Lab dedicated to everything informational particle-related. A central chamber churned with a black mass, with arms of this roughly cross-shaped room dedicated to arms of this machine. The arm Shinobu and the others found themselves in was right across from the door to the elevator shaft, and as Shinobu headed to the center, the arm to the right had another door, and the arm to the left had what appeared to be a video projector. “That,” she said, cocking her head towards the third door, “would most likely be Chihaya's execution.”

 

“Finally, the last one.” Claus slumped, and obviously yawned. He stretched to wake himself up a bit, then said, “We've certainly been given the runaround looking for all of these.”

 

“Not quite _all_ of them.” Shinobu corrected. “We still haven't managed to find Wanda's, and my honor as the Ultimate Mystery Novelist means I simply must explicate that situation for myself after we're through here.”

 

“Ah, fair point.” Claus nodded. “Still, though, astounding progress. We really are nearly done, aren't we?”

 

“To be sure.” Shinobu said. She looked around. “Luan?”

 

“Over here.” The Masseuse waved his hand from one of the arms of the central machine. “It's password-locked.”

 

“Oh?” Shinobu and Claus headed over to look at the screen he was inspecting. On the keyboard was two password inputs- 'INPUT3' and 'INPUT4.' INPUT3 was eight characters long, whereas INPUT4 was ten. “Hm. Curious.”

 

“The fields sound vaguely familiar.” Shinobu crossed her arms. “In fact... hold a moment.”

 

[sX] Not to interrupt, but do INPUT3 and INPUT4 mean anyone to any of you?

[kO] Oh, yes. Those are the third and fourth series of images on the TV in the Living Room.

[sX] The TV which displayed a series of images of the Cast Lists to form passwords, yes?

[kO] Yes, but I don't really remember what INPUT3 and INPUT4 were.

[Nh] WEXTREME DEFICIENCY

[Nh] the one thing I wasn't sure about was you, nobu, but then we found #5 and you actually were X so

[Nh] thats those

[sX] Oh! Thank you, darling.

[Nh] np

[Jf] aren't you climbing.

[Nh] i can climb with one hand and text with the other nbd

[Gs] thats a pretty big deal tho, real?

[Nh] v('-')v

[sX] Your lightning-quick reaction time is appreciated, but please keep yourself safe.

 

With the two passwords conveniently in hand, the screen allowed the three of them in. The machine's primary purpose at the moment seemed to be for an explanation and demonstration of the various forms of BC particles. Shinobu rubbed her chin. W particles, _b_ particles, M particles, yes, yes, that was all well and good, but what exactly were 'WX particles?' “Yun, dearest, would you mind selecting the WX particles option?”

 

He did so, and the central chamber began to alter some of its black mass. Conveniently, the facility's automated voice began to speak aloud. “WX particles,” it said, “are W particles charged with energy, similar to M particles, but without the specific informational energy needed to create human consciousness.” A glob of them was displayed for the three viewers; they were black, pitch-black, and viscous, not changing shape from their glob, but the chemical connections giving them their form constantly reshaping themselves. It seemed almost to _fizzle_ as it sat there, fizzling all across its surface and, by the look of it, much deeper as well, fizzling through its whole being.

 

“Replicants, aside from our very own P-Type model, have historically only been able to produce WX particles as the makeup of their consciousness, which causes their particular psychological difficulties. This condition is known as 'WX-type M-deficiency', and has been isolated in a small number of humans, as well.” The voice explained. “While in humans the condition is far more striking, on account of Replicants being created with the knowledge of being artificial, it's an undeniable fact, or so Dr. Hashizawa believes, that this is a difficulty that can and _must_ be overcome, no matter the challenges, if human and Replicant are to move forward into the future hand in hand.”

 

“Fascinating.” Shinobu hummed. The gears in her mind began to turn. “Would you mind selecting M particles now?”

 

“Are you figuring something out?” Luan asked.

 

“I think I may very well be.” Shinobu said.

 

The video projector from the left swung over the central chamber, and began to show video. “We can't produce M particles off hand for obvious reasons,” the voice explained, “but they're the particles that make up human consciousness! Here, you can see a video of M particles in physical form in the process of SHIFTing- the process of jumping between timelines!”

 

A small video in front of a desert facility began playing, showing a cluster of eight blue lights jumping into the bodies of a group of eight people standing in front of the facility. “That one man looks an awful lot like you, Claus.” Shinobu commented.

 

“What? No he doesn't-” Claus began. “Oh. He really does. Weird.”

 

“Even in visible forms,” the voice continued, “M particles don't last long outside of a human mind. If M particles are transmuted into a physical form, then the M particles themselves rapidly dissipate or go to join any nearby M particles, leaving a physical blob of regular W particles. Fields of M particles immediately integrate any entering M particles that don't possess the wrong fingerprint, which is how SHIFTing can function. Telepathy- the act of sending one's thoughts to another's mind- occurs if the M particles have differing fingerprints, and as a result, is immediately recognizable as such. Generating a functioning field of M particles in a Replicant is the goal of this facility's P-Type model-”

 

“That's nice.” Shinobu said, turning away from the machine and letting it yammer on for a bit longer. “Come along, boys, we've more important things to do now.”

 

Since they were ever such good children, Claus and Luan both followed behind. If Shinobu didn't mistake herself, Claus even looked a bit relieved to have the burden of leadership removed from him for a moment. And a good thing, too- the quicker this all got done, the better, really.

 

The room containing Chihaya's execution was almost comically large for a simple execution room, with two levels, glowing, clashing blacklights of different colors all about the winding path, which, it should be noted, was full to bursting with out-of-place, tacky, plastic décor such as false plants, stone walls, windows, and whatnot. There was a light layer of fog at foot level, and the entire room was made maze-like by the formation of the walls and objects, rendering visibility even nearby a good guess at best without making bends or turns around.

 

“Oh.” Luan said. “It's a laser tag arena.”

 

“A what?” Shinobu asked. “Certainly I've played tag, but when did they add lasers?”

 

“It's a sport played with guns that fire infrared beams. All the players are equipped with targets, and the targets are shot with the beams in order to score points or eliminate players depending on the format. It was first played in 1984, but went under the radar for some time after Ultimate Despair made such wargames unpalatable. It's had a bit of a resurgance in the past fifty years, though, and I remember Rin telling me once that she was a big fan, albeit only of watching since she'd never been able to play herself.” Luan said.

 

There was a pause in the conversation as Shinobu and Claus processed Luan's monologue.

 

“Oh, fascinating, so it's a wargame, is it?” Shinobu cackled. “I'm sure with my slight frame I might do well at it if it's an indoor sport such as this might imply. I can be rather stealthy when I want to, you know!”

 

“I have never in my life known you to be stealthy, Shinobu.” Claus said, raising his eyebrow. “You have a very loud presence.”

 

“Oh, you haven't seen me in my natural element.” Shinobu smirked. “Admittedly I've never aimed a gun myself before, on account of the fact that most models would probably dislocate my shoulder with the recoil- and goodness is it impressive that Junko was able to fire one, might I note- but I am a woman of many talents, sir, foremost among them the knowledge of how to create an air of mystery and befuddle my opponents in a game, causing them to lose their way and wallow in witchy wonder.” Claus just gave her a thumbs up and nodded. She'd come back to this battle later, clearly.

 

Given the size of the room, it took the three of them a bit to find the terminal they sought. With the number of times they were turned around in this befuddling room, it was a wonder that they hadn't simply spun out, Shinobu thought, but at last Luan called out to say he'd found it, and it was only a matter of minutes before Shinobu and Claus finally found their way to him.

 

“3-2-1 BLAST ON! Hey, party people! It's Monokuma, ya boy, and may I say congratulations on finding this one! It's real hidden, as befits _Absence of Evidence_ , the execution we've prepared for Chizuru Inoue, the Ultimate Hide-and-Seeker!” It was Monokuma, their boy.

 

It was Nanako, Miria, and Eriko who sent Chihaya to her fate. Something, something, _**The Claw!**_ Anyhow, Chihaya was dropped, with several glowing targets strapped to her body on various points, into a corner of this arena. “It's time for her final match! Girl C is alone, defenseless, against the Science Building's _crackest_ shots.” A squad of drones appeared about the arena, which switched to a top-down view for a moment. “They're equipped with high-tech laser rifles that lock on to those targets you see on Girl C's body! Of course, they're real lasers, so she better not get hit or it could prove lethal!”

 

A bell chimed to commence the game, and immediately Girl C sprung into action. Her nimble movements to dodge past the sights of the enclosing drones were nothing short of breathtaking, using every inch of the terrain around her to remain hidden within the fog and almost completely invisible. She even managed to disable a few of the drones, knocking them out, though their weapons were attached and unable to be removed.

 

More drones kept coming, though, from the seemingly endless supply this facility possessed. Eventually, the lasers themselves were upgraded, as well, with wider scopes, buckshot, and one that looked an awful lot like a gatling gun, which just seemed excessive. Of course, Girl C was still dominating, amidst the ever-rising fog, slowly climbing higher into the room. “Unfortunately for Girl C, there was one fact about this match I didn't mention.”

 

As the fog rose up too high for Girl C to be seen, it shifted back to a ground-level point of view, almost completely blocked by fog. She could be seen beginning to cough, holding her chest. “This match is actually-”

 

“-do you think this button does?” Another voice began talking over Monokuma, blocking his cackling explanation on account of being at a higher volume. “I mean, there's a lot of these buttons.” That was... Nanako?

 

“What?” Shinobu blinked. “Nanako?”

 

“It didn't seem to have any obvious effect-” And that was Chihaya! “-but we should be careful before poking around any further.”

 

“Right, right.” Nanako said. “Man, some of these execution rooms look totally wack. What was Mother on when she made that one for Gavin?”

 

“-and as she's debili-” Monokuma cut in for a brief moment. The screen shook, and the doubled-over Girl C was menaced suddenly by a flashing light through the background, like one great, eerie, red eye-

 

“You would, honestly, know better than I would.” Chihaya said. “She is _your_ evil stepmother after all.”

 

“It was a rhetorical question, Chihaya.” Nanako said, and Shinobu could hear the eyeroll. “She was on crazy nutbar juice or whatever she needs to take to want to do all these things. Duh.”

 

“'Crazy nutbar juice?'” Chihaya asked.

 

“Look, I don't know, okay?” Nanako said. Girl C was unable to get off the floor, as the choking fog turned dark from the great, crashing figure of Exisal Black blocking the camera from seeing Girl C directly, but not from seeing Black raise its gun arm, and several other drones' laser sights appear going into where Girl C probably was.

 

“And in the end-” Monokuma said.

 

“I guess that's all we really ever can say.” Chihaya said, laughing slightly.

 

Shinobu turned to Claus and Luan and just blinked a bit. Claus chimed in- “What?”

 

[sX] Nanako.

[sX] Nanako!

[cT] Nanako, please check your Handbook

[yL] Nanako

[cT] Argh, this isn't working. She's invested in whatever's down there.

[Jf] need some help

[Gs] ok, howzabout on the counta 3 we all shout nanako

[sX] As good an idea as any.

[Gs] a'ight, 1

[Gs] 2

[Gs] 3

[Gs] NANAKO

[sX] Nanako!

[Jf] You idiot, look at your Handbook!

[yL] Nanako.

[cT] Nanako!

[kO] Nanako!

[Sm] oh my god what the fuck also nanako

[Nh] GUYS DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT?!

[Nh] i thought my handbook was exploding! chihaya's laughing at me!! what!!!

[sX] We heard your voice from the terminal regarding Chihaya's execution- which, by the way, completed the set- and we were curious where exactly you were.

[Nh] oh!

[Nh] well we're actually in the Security Room

[Nh] at the bottom of the elevator shaft

[Nh] we switched on a button. i guess it must control the intercom systems or something!

[Jf] so the voice input from there is played through any sound system in the facility, including the sound systems playing the execution videos?

[Jf] that's just weird. how the hell did they manage to rig that together.

[Sm] who knows. that's just weird

[Jf] for once, we are in solidarity

[Sm] 'for once' come on

[kO] That Boy Talk we've been having sure is great, huh, Gavin?

[Gs] what

[Gs] i mean! aw yeah! boy talk! it's good. trip, man, it's the best

[Jf] what chicanery have you been roping my boyfriend into. i'll have you know he's very dense, so he tricks easily. don't take advantage of him.

[Nh] hahaha ok back to investigating bye guys!

 

Nanako looked up. The Security Room wasn't big, so it hadn't taken them long to find all they could. Within this stark white room, a massive array of monitors scanned the vicinity of a great many rooms in the facility. Not all of them were on at the moment, to conserve power, but Chihaya was monitoring the progress within the rooms that they were all in.

 

“And... there.” Chihaya pressed a few keys on the console, and inside the main elevator shaft, the doors opened, and walkways through the center of each level of the shaft opened up, along with the opening at the top of the Lounge. “That should make it easier for them to access the courtrooms if need be, along with the Service Elevator.”

 

“And get to the Chem Lab, right?” Nanako said, staring at said room. The upper lab on the second floor wasn't accessible through the service passages, needing to be headed to from the second trial room. That one, Nanako noted, was very orange. The silhouetted palm trees, floor resembling the bottom of an old model of cruising car, the dark purple ocean in the background, all coalesced with the bright orange sunset to give the picture of riding alongside the ocean as day turned to night, riding with no purpose other than simply going fast. Shame it hadn't been used, though the memorial to Miria was quite sweet. It meant even fewer people would ever appreciate his work.

 

Nanako's antenna spiked for a moment as she noticed small markings next to each trial monitor. 'Trial Undersea', 'Outpost Alpha', 'Hall of the Mountain Queen', 'What a Wonderful World', 'Tower of Dolls', and 'The Solitary Land.' His titles for each of the works, perhaps? They sounded hoity-toity enough to be Kojiro's titles.

 

“I've found the records of the past week's security footage. Past then, it seems it's been deleted.” Chihaya said. On one of the monitors, she threw up an image of this very Security Room. It was dated seven days ago, and showed Zero in this very room.

 

Both of them gasped. “Zero!” Chihaya said.

 

For those minutes, which turned into hours, which turned into days, Zero hardly moved, aside from to sleep, for the occasional bout with a box of sushi or something, and to take care of the call of nature, for which a small compartment in the wall opened up for her use. There wasn't much else inside it, though. She sped through the footage until she found something interesting; Zero standing up and going to bed far earlier than her usual bedtime. She laid down on the mattress next to the monitors and looked up towards a glowing green monitor, which displayed nothing in the present day but now displayed words.

 

Nanako couldn't read them from far away, but Zero definitely said, “I don't want to see this.” The words changed. “Voyeurism is wrong.” The words changed again. “She's my _daughter_.” The words changed again. “No.” The words changed again. “Goodnight.”

 

Blushing, Nanako checked the timestamp. Yeah... yeah. Oh dear. “Aw, geez.” She turned away. “I mean, I'm glad they weren't watching, but aaaaaaaaaagh!” She threw up her hands.

 

“'Voyeurism is wrong', she says.” Chihaya rolled her eyes.

 

“Oh, hey.” Nanako said, suddenly remembering something. “Can you pull up the security footage of C Team in the Filtration Chamber? There's something I want to check?”

 

“Alright, let me find it.” Chihaya said, and ran through the footage. When she found it, though, every single monitor flashed part of a great big message saying 'SEEK A WAY OUT!', and all of the monitors changed to showing the puzzle room in action. “...What on earth?”

 

“So, it locks the view into the puzzle room when there's a puzzle room running.” Nanako said. She nodded. “Okay, okay. Now fast-forward to when the power goes out on the outer area.”

 

“...Alright.” Chihaya nodded, her eyebrows raised, and did so. Nanako had a hunch, and her hunch was right on the money- once the power in that segment was shut off, so too were the cameras in that area. The only cameras that could see outside of the Filtration Chamber were the ones inside the chamber that could see outside, and for those brief moments, Yashiro truly was invisible even to Zero's cameras.

 

"Okay, that's all I needed to see, I think." Nanako nodded. "Back to the present."

 

"So, it appears," Chihaya said, "we can assume that Zero's been here most of the time during the killing game."

 

"Small room to spend two and a half weeks in." Nanako said, and Chihaya nodded. "No sign of anyone else in this room, though, except whoever was communicating with Zero through that monitor."

 

"I think I can guess." Chihaya said, and Nanako nodded. "Alright, let's see." She began pushing buttons again, and the cameras switched to a different perspective. "This should be the upper reaches of the facility, past Confessional Hall, if I understand the logic of the controls right. I might be able to find The End, but I doubt it. She seems a bit too slippery for me to find her that easily."

 

"Well..." Nanako scanned the monitors. There was a pretty clear height cap- nothing surface-level, as well as what lay beyond Confessional Hall but still on that same level, were still blacked out, but the rest of the facility was blaring red. Alarms were flashing, drones were swarming, and- "Hey! That monitor, there!" She pointed to it, excitedly clapping on the side of the chair Chihaya was sat in. "Pull that up! Can you do that?"

 

"Let's see." Chihaya said, deftly maneuvering around the controls (it was a good thing Junko had tutored her for a bit on computering, Nanako thought,) and bringing the image into clearer focus. It was around a bend, and by the look of it, a group of people were barrelling through the hallways, reaching ever deeper. "Alright, let me turn on the audio feed."

 

They did so, and were immediately met by a roar, as one of them, a short, maybe middle school-aged girl, sliced through a drone with a circular saw. She panted loudly. She was sandy blonde, and oddly familiar in that little cardigan of hers. Nanako pondered for a moment, and then gasped. "Oh my god. Chihaya."

 

Chihaya's eyes were wide. "Nanako."

 

"Is- _is that Yayoi's little sister_?!" Nanako pointed frantically at the monitor, as the young girl who sure looked an awful lot like Miki Murasaki hefted the circular saw again. An insanely massive fashion disaster with ridiculous hair was working on a hacked-together remote, analyzing the data patterns of the drones, or something, to get them through the passage safely. "Turn on the audio feed."

 

"-and so we should be heading _that_ way." In fact, Nanako recognized that fashion disaster, though whoa, she was even worse in person. Ruri Bessho, the ever-popular Girl B, pointed down a hallway to Miki's side.

 

"Well, I'm not going to question you at a time like this." A dark-skinned girl with short, spiky, black hair and _quite_ the pair of legs on her said. She called back. "Hey, Reiji! Everything going alright over there?"

 

Back a distance, around the bend, this fawn-haired dude in a ponytail and a half-cape who gave the strangest air of seeming like he'd be good friends with Shinobu said, "Be right there, Kotone! Just a moment!" To a super-buff young lady in fishnets and a pink bowl-cut ( _yowza_ ,) he said, "Natsuhi, darling, may I have your cane for a moment?"

 

"Huh?" 'Natsuhi' said. "Sure."

 

"Lovely, dear, thank you ever so much." 'Reiji' picked up Natsuhi's cane from her back, and levied it like a gun on his shoulder, then flipped it open and launched a great big fishnet from it like, well, a bullet. It went even farther back, and Chihaya needed to flip to another image to find it land on a haggard-looking guy in battle with an animate Replicant skeleton. This guy, decked out in prison-wear and with ridiculously messy hair, flipped out of the net immediately. The skeleton didn't, and as the guy- wait, no. Nanako recognized him, too.

 

"Oh my god, that's Gavin's buddy Saburo." Nanako said, her antenna spiking ever higher as she and Chihaya stared at each other. "Oh my _actual god_ , Gavin's buddy Saburo is here."

 

Saburo picked up this adorable, tiny little moppet decked out with mapping tools, who was busy drawing up a map of the hallways as they went, and carried him like a football. "C'mon, Blake."

 

"Oh, Saburo-kun, boku is arigratefulmasu for the big tasuketance!" When 'Blake' said that, Nanako and Chihaya turned to look at each other again.

 

"Um. Did you understand that?" Nanako asked.

 

Chihaya nodded. "Barely."

 

Saburo and Blake caught up to the group as they stopped to catch their breath for a moment, in an area clear of opposition. "Oh my god." 'Kotone' ran her fingers through her hair. "How many of these stupid things _are_ there?"

 

"Please, onotgai be worrying, Kotone-chan." Blake nodded, giving a thumbs-up and adjusting a hairclip he was wearing. "If my calculating is the correction, boku-tachi have nearly breached Owari-chan's barrier!"

 

Nanako burst out into snickering. "Oh my god, _Owari-chan_. I love him already."

 

"Miki, your services are appreciated-" Reiji began, but then Ruri shoved him out of the way.

 

"-but really, surely by this point you should let someone else wield the saw? You look absolutely dreadful." Said Ruri, who looked absolutely dreadful and had just as ridiculous hair as she did in the drawing. She opened a bag of candies and slammed some into her mouth, beginning to chew.

 

"Your consumption isn't exactly befitting of-" Reiji began.

 

" _I am stressed out, okay_?" Ruri threw her hand at him, and Reiji fell back, wailing, in one, clean motion. "Oh, get up." Kotone was laughing.

 

Suddenly, Reiji was just _up_. "Still, to think that _skeletons_ would be becoming an issue in this day and age!" He snapped his fingers. "Natsuhi, do you remember _Mitsunaga v. State_?"

 

Natsuhi frowned. "I try to forget every day."

 

"Are you actually implying you've dealt with skeletons before?" Kotone raised her eyebrow and snorted.

 

"Of course he is." Ruri rolled her eyes and ate more candy. "Psh. Skeletons. So passe."

 

Miki, who had actually been asked a question to begin with and yet hadn't had the chance to answer, just mumbled, "This is my god damn circular saw." and slumped against the wall.

 

"Hey, Chihaya." Nanako patted her on the shoulder. "Is there a way to turn on the audio feed to that room? Like, ours?"

 

Chihaya immediately shot to work. "Thanks, I was stuck on Blake's accent."

 

"I'm gonna be wondering for ages myself." Nanako said. Chihaya continued tapping keys, and then nodded to Nanako. "Wait, what? What does nodding mean? Does that mean they can hear me?"

 

"Well, yes." Chihaya said, sighing. "It's an affirmative."

 

The seven rescuers were huddling together, staring up at the ceiling. "Excuse me!" Reiji called out. "I'm very much hoping that your astoundingly casual conversation means the two of you would happen to be some of our rescuees?"

 

"Man, he totally even talks like Shinobu." Nanako turned to Chihaya and laughed. "I mean, not the _same_ , but similar enough, right?"

 

" _Hello_." Chihaya cut in. "This is Chihaya Inoue. I'm speaking to you from the Security Room from underneath the facility. Are you all the rescue party from Hope's Peak?"

 

"Oh, Ms. Inoue!" Reiji bowed with a flourish towards... the ceiling, since he couldn't see the cameras. "A pleasure to meet you indeed, and so we are."

 

"Inoue?" Natsuhi's eyes widened. She looked down, and frowned. "...Uh. Hey."

 

"C'mon, Nat, somehow I don't think she'll be _that_ mad." Kotone put her arm around Natsuhi's shoulder.

 

"Look, I know, but..." Natsuhi groaned and cut herself off.

 

"Sorry for my friend here." Saburo raised his hand. "She's probably nervous on account that she turned your grandfather's trachea into hamburger when we raided his base." He shrugged, with affected nonchalance. "I helped."

 

The room went silent for a bit. " _Oh_ ," Chihaya said. "Well." She paused again. "I'd... heard. That there had been..." She was sweating a bit. "...You really beat my grandfather in a fight?"

 

"They sugoinged in there in the extremely kakkoi and boss-like fashion!" Blake said. He jumped up. "It was mondo neato!"

 

Chihaya paused again, mulling over what to say, and then said, "That's amazing, but I should really be processing that when we're out of here."

 

"Hey, hey, can I talk for a bit?" Nanako bounced on her heels. "Can I? Can I, can I?"

 

" _Yes_ , Nanako." Chihaya sighed. She smiled. Might as well take the burden of conversation off of her for a bit, right?

 

"Hey! Hello!" Nanako said, beaming into the monitor, not that they could see her. "Oh, wait. This might be a bit awkward, uh-"

 

"'Nanako?'" Ruri asked towards the camera. "As in, Nanako Hashizawa? The Replicant that's been in captivity with the hostages?"

 

"Ohhh man, that makes this _so_ much easier." Nanako laughed. "Here, I was thinking I was going to have to explain the whole 'I exist' thing, which is a big, long story and all. But, uh, great!"

 

"...Yeah." Miki nodded. "You sound like the Hashizawa Yayoi talked about."

 

"Okay, so I know you- you're Miki." Nanako said. "Girl B over there I know too- she's Ruri Bessho, the Ultimate Data Analyst, right?"

 

Ruri groaned loudly. "Argh, of course that blasted 'Girl B' label caught on in there as well!"

 

"Man," Nanako laughed, trying to avoid questioning what the hell that meant, "lemme tell you, you are lucky you weren't down here, cause The End even made you your own execution and everything! We've found these files, right, that have a list of her big 'cast', and yours is all just scribbles and ranting about how much she hates you for ruining everything ever."

 

Slowly, Ruri turned to stare at the rest of the group, who all turned to stare at her. Then they all turned back to the camera. "Well, how is it?" Ruri asked. "Don't leave me hanging like that."

 

"It was one of the gorier ones!" Nanako answered. "Anyway, and you, the guy with the white hair, you're Gavin's buddy Saburo, who coincidentally also happens to be Yun's buddy Saburo."

 

"Present." Saburo Kirihito, the Ultimate Escape Artist, raised his hand. He smiled lightly. "Nice to meet you."

 

"The rest of you, I don't know, though I gotta say, the young lady with the pink hair?" Nanako said, and Natsuhi looked up. "Has anyone told you today you are _gorgeous_?"

 

Natsuhi sputtered. "Wha-?"

 

"Only every day we're together, Ms. Hashizawa!" Reiji spun in and grasped Natsuhi's shoulders. "It's something I always feel she needs to know."

 

Natsuhi just grunted and crossed her arms. " _Nice_." Nanako said. "So, your wacky outfits tell me you're all Ultimates. Uh, lemme guess... something water-y. Sailor?"

 

"Mariner." Natsuhi said. "Ultimate Mariner, Natsuhi Miyashiro."

 

"Bam! I was so close!" Nanako clapped, and reached her hand over to Chihaya. "High five, Chihaya."

 

"Why are you flirting?" Chihaya said, leering at her.

 

"Uh, because I genuinely thought she needed to know this fact?" Nanako shrugged. "It's important information, Chihaya."

 

Chihaya reared up to rebut, but then stopped. "...Right. Your role model for flirting is _Gavin_. Never mind. Carry on."

 

"Great, great! Okay, and the other one there, with the half-cape, the one making moony eyes at Natsuhi." Nanako rubbed her hands. "Okay, that's a suit, so something official... Wait, wait." She leaned in and noticed a particular badge on his lapel. "Aha! You're a prosecutor!"

 

"Reiji Ittosai, Attorney at Law, present for your consideration, Ms. Hashizawa." Reiji nodded.

 

"Wait, you can recognize attorney's badges off-hand?" Chihaya raised her eyebrow. "How?"

 

"Uh, have you _seen_ Mom's Legal Desk?" Nanako turned back to her. "Girl's gotta read _something_ while she's bored out of her skull, right? Okay, okay. Two left. I've got this." She looked at Blake. "Oh my god, he's adorable. Hi, little guy!"

 

"Ohellogozaimasu!" Blake waved. "Yoroshiku to meet you, Nana-chan! Boku wa Blake Mirabeau, the Super High School Level-"

 

"Oh, oh!" Nanako clapped. "Cartographer?"

 

"Geographer, for actual." Blake corrected. He smiled. "But you were a very closing! Best work, Nana-chan!"

 

"I love him." Nanako said, turning to Chihaya. "I love him! He's great. I love him." Chihaya, on the other hand, mumbled, 'Super High School Level?' to herself under her breath. "And the young lady with the sneakers! Let's see, uh..." She stared at Kotone. "Um..." She rubbed her chin. "I give up."

 

"Okay." Kotone shrugged. "I'm Kotone Suzukage, Ultimate Marathon Runner."

 

"Ooh, cool beans, Tony!" Nanako yipped. Natsuhi turned and looked at Kotone, and muttered 'Tony' under her breath, nodding. Kotone seemed briefly disrupted, but smiled. "I'm pretty good at running, too, but I have a bit of an unfair advantage, I guess. Oh! Right!" She clapped. "One sec here, uh..." She started pawing at the buttons herself, studying the myriad cameras. "Okay, hang a left from here and keep going, then take your third right, and the next elevator down'll be right there for you."

 

"Appreciated." Miki cut off Reiji and Ruri, who both revved up to say something. "Be right there."

 

"Hey, before the big boss gets mad enough to cut this off, question." Saburo raised his hand as the group got back to progressing. "Any six-number codes you can think of?"

 

Nanako and Chihaya turned to each other and stared. Chihaya frowned, and rubbed her chin. "Six-number codes? ...I can't really think of-"

 

"171031?" Nanako piped up.

 

"What she said." Chihaya followed up.

 

"Great." Saburo gave a thumbs up.

 

"Alright, we should be getting back to work ourselves." Nanako said. "Great talking with you guys! See you soon!" She waved towards the monitor. "Bye-bye!"

 

As Blake waved, Nanako heard Ruri mutter, "That was an astoundingly cavalier conversation for such a landmark achievement in science."

 

[Nh] alright, we actually chatted with the rescue party

[Nh] where is everyone?

[sX] Yun and I have headed deeper into the service passages to find Wanda's execution.

[Gs] stel, kaz, n me's headed for the fourth level room. ain't nobody checked that out yet, yeah?

[Jf] when the five of us met up, I somehow got roped into heading with Claus to the other lab in the second level. We're in the Service Elevator right now.

[Sm] 'somehow'

[kO] You _did_ volunteer, Junko.

[Jf] shut

[Nh] alright, great. fourth level's closest, so chihaya and i will head there. see you guys then!

[Nh] oh and nobu there's this guy in the rescue party who looks like you and he would make great friends

[sX] Fascinating. I can't wait to meet him.

[Sm] oh no. there's gonna be two of them

[cT] If it's the person I'm imagining, there won't be.

[cT] It'll be much worse.

[sX] Ka ka ka!

 


	89. The Last Case, Final Stage - SCAFFOLD (Hashizawa Cantata)

 

Once Shinobu climbed a stairwell down into an even darker, more terrible cold, she knew she'd found her mark. The service passages went on even after the entrance to the Quantum Computer Room, and if Shinobu remembered the map they'd seen in Diagnostics correctly, that seemed quite right for the grounds of the Five and a Half Mile Hallway.

 

Entering this segment of the service passages, by the look of it, was largely only possible through this stairwell. At its bottom, near the stairwell, it connected to the northernmost anchoring passage, and at its top it connected to, as Shinobu understood, a passage out to the loading paths through which large packages would be brought to the Compound. Such passages were not 'doors' under Kojiro's purview, though, so it remained locked. There was a path that the ever-present Claw could use to reach the top, obviously, but those weren't accessible to anyone but that long arm of the twisted law.

 

“I wish dearly to slap Rin Hashizawa for building such an absolutely infernal complex, Yun.” Shinobu confided in her friend, who was trailing behind slightly to keep an eye out for any tricks. He raised his eyebrow. “Among other things, naturally. That just comes to mind most keenly at the moment.”

 

“She bruises easily.” Luan pointed out. “Please try not to do it _too_ hard.”

 

“Oh, very well.” Shinobu shrugged and sighed affectedly. “But only because you asked.”

 

“Shinobu?” Luan said. At moments like these, the boy's deep voice belied his gentle nature. “I don't understand what's going on.”

 

“Unfortunately, I have a decent idea.” Shinobu said.

 

Thankfully, they were near the bottom to begin with, which left Shinobu not wondering long as to what she would find. It was cold down here, bitingly, chillingly cold, a kind of horrendous cold that seeped deep into your very soul. Even spending a short time down here in this hell, it was no wonder Wanda died as she did; had Shinobu been put to the same fate, she had little doubt she would have wailed even less eloquently than Wanda had.

 

Even so, so it was that the darkness eventually gave way to a drastically tacky degree of pinks and reds, the endless blackness of the mind giving way to the very real horror sat at the bottom of this hellish land. The replica of this room maintained by the fourth Zero sat just as it had when Shinobu had last seen it. “Stay outside of the room for a moment, would you, Yun?” She called.

 

Well, that wasn't entirely true. There were a great many dried bloodstains on the floor. A few had splattered onto the walls, as well, and even the edge of a dresser had been decorated with the red paint from Wanda's bleeding heart. As Shinobu stepped across the shag carpet in the doorway, she took care to notice the footprints. This room had not changed since Wanda's death, the wreckage of the camera even still remaining present. Wanda's footprints were still visible in the doorway, as were Shinobu's own- and yet, no other footprints sat in the doorway.

 

“Whoever killed Wanda didn't come through this doorway.” Shinobu said. She looked around. “Either the killer entered the room through some other artifice- which seems impossible, as there was no such thing on the Diagnostic- or they simply had some manner of not leaving footprints.”

 

Luan made a small noise of realization. “Are you... investigating?”

 

“So I am.” Shinobu said, kneeling down to inspect the bloodstains on the ground. “Call it the folly of the Mistress of Mystery. Found-footage horror movies with ambiguous endings such as that have simply never appealed to me, you see; I cannot let this mystery stand without shattering it myself!”

 

The dresser had slight bits of bone still present on it, from a violent crack to Wanda's skull. “And yet, they certainly didn't murder her from outside the room. These attacks were from a myriad of methods, judging by the vast array of different bloodstains, and the sheer brutality. Wanda was murdered by an assailant in this room, without question, once she threw and broke the camera.” Shinobu hummed. “Were I present in Cold Storage I might ask for the chance to inspect Wanda's corpse and perform an autopsy, simply to see what state it was, exactly, that she was left in.”

 

Based on the noises Shinobu had heard, though, it was quite an assault. Bones breaking, slicing, crushing, a great deal of blood being spilled... The assailant clearly had no compunctions regarding leaving Wanda in a presentable state. So, the assailant must have been capable of such brutality yet still able to not leave footprints. Hadn't Shinobu heard of something like this just today? Or, well, she supposed, it was yesterday by this point.

 

“Yun,” Shinobu asked, “tell me whether my memory is correct. Could Kojiro access this room through his transit tubes?”

 

“No.” Luan shook his head. “There were no stops on his tubes that led to this part of the facility.”

 

“In other words, it was most certainly impossible for Kojiro to have been the one to commit this crime.” Shinobu concluded. “Thank you.”

 

That left two suspects, as the thirteen survivors at that point all had reasonably solid alibis, on account of Junko not contradicting anyone who didn't already have someone else witnessing their alibi. “The culprit behind this case was, I have no doubt, either Rin Hashizawa or the mysterious 'Mother'.” Shinobu said.

 

“Oh.” Luan said. He rubbed his chin and shivered slightly from the cold. “Is that important?”

 

“Quite.” Shinobu nodded, and smiled. “There is no terminal here to explain Wanda's death to us, no doubt out of some form of adherence to theme? Yet, I believe, with this knowledge, I will be able to definitively prove the culprit behind Wanda's murder. With only two suspects, I'm certain it won't be all that hard.” She cackled.

 

Shinobu stepped outside of the room once more, and then said, “If you'll permit me to do something for sentiment's sake?”

 

“Go ahead.” Luan said.

 

“Hotaru Tenjo.” Shinobu said, spinning towards the room. “Having been risen from your grave after your death by this vile game, you continue to haunt the memories of those you harmed. As Wanda's friend, I take it now upon myself to rid us of this testament to your evil.”

 

Producing a match from her beret, Shinobu lit it with one quick motion, and hurled it towards the note which had lit Wanda aflame. It caught, and the fire began small, but quickly started to spread. “I consign your last remnant to the same fate which removed you from this earth. Pass on in suffering. None shall mourn your loss. Goodbye, and may you suffer eternally.”

 

As Shinobu walked away from the blaze, Luan said, “I wasn't expecting you to do that.”

 

“Spontaneity is the spice of life, my boy.” Shinobu cackled. “Now, we must be off. Cold Storage awaits-”

 

An intercom's faraway echoes resounded. It was not Kojiro's voice, but the intercom's. “ _A body has been discovered! After a short time for investigation, a class trial will commence_.”

 

Shinobu and Luan looked at each other, eyes wide.

 

[yL] What happened

[sX] What's going on?!

[Gs] FALSE ALARM

[Ci] False alarm. Nobody's died.

[cT] _I_ almost died from the shock!

[Nh] sorry for the surprise guys!

[Jf] the fuck do you mean 'false alarm'

[Jf] how is there a _false alarm_

[kO] Well.

[kO] We did discover a dead body.

[sX] ...But one we already knew about?

[Sm] got it in one, mistress of mystery

[Nh] poor eriko...

 

Cold Storage was as Nanako remembered it, really. She'd only been down here a few times, but this was definitely where Mom kept all the creepy stuff. The lockers for Cold Storage were largely for things that couldn't be frozen normally to be kept, and apparently included a nice pile of dead bodies.

 

This particular row of eight lockers- the room wasn't particularly large, but it did have a few rows, roughly totaling forty total lockers, plus a single one off on its own at the back of the room- was said dead bodies. Seven of them had lights on, in a system similar to what Nanako had seen in photos of Hope's Peak's Bio Lab.

 

That, of course, was all stalling for the fact that she, Gavin, Chihaya, Stella, and Kazuya had decided to take a chance on opening one of the lockers. Chihaya was the first to suggest it. “We owe it to the two of them to see how they died.”

 

“You mean Eriko and Wanda?” Stella said, and Chihaya nodded.

 

“Well, I guess as the body-finding expert in this group, I should be the one to open the lockers.” Kazuya grunted. “Anyone opposed?”

 

“Gav can do it if'n yer trippin', dawg.” Gavin said, his brow furrowed. “Big deal, my Kazman.”

 

“No, no, really. I'll be fine.” Kazuya breathed in through his nose, out through his mouth. “I think.”

 

“Don't push yourself, man.” Stella put her hand on his shoulder. “We're all in this together, or... something. Nanako's better at this. You say something, Nanako.”

 

“Huh?” Nanako's antenna curled into a question mark. “Oh! Uh. Ummm...” She looked around. “I can do it if you need me to!” She smiled.

 

“Yeah, I'm just going to go ahead and open a locker.” Kazuya said. He sighed. “Which one should we open first? The second, right?” He headed over to the third locker from the right, bustling past Nanako, on account of the aisle being a bit cramped for five.

 

“Wait!” Chihaya called out. “That's likely to be Yayoi. Second from the left is Eriko.”

 

Kazuya raised his eyebrow. “How do you figure?”

 

“Nanako counts things using imperial measurements.” Chihaya said. “English is read left to right.”

 

There was a pause before Stella said, “So is this just some kind of stupid fashion statement or something?”

 

Nanako shrugged. “Ionno.”

 

Long story short, Chihaya was right. As Kazuya opened the locker and pulled out the drawer containing the remains, it was immediately evident that what lay within the body bag inside was the remains of Eriko Shigure. The body bag was closed, but in another container were the personal effects- and Eriko's ever-present clipboard was present among a set of her clothes, as were her shattered glasses.

 

“ _A body has been discovered! After a short time for investigation, a class trial will commence_.”

 

“We _know_.” Nanako said, frowning at the intercom. “Shut up.” Then her Handbook started buzzing.

 

Back to the present, Nanako considered for a moment that Eriko's body was so mangled as to be hidden from sight. The body bag wasn't very large, smaller by a fair amount than Eriko herself had been. Nanako felt like she should be feeling more over the crushed, pathetic state of her friend's corpse. She was sad, certainly, but it was almost as though nothing was coming anymore. The other four's voices were fading out around her, and she could hardly hear them as she stared.

 

The voice on that intercom was, without a doubt in her mind, the voice of Mother.

 

The voice on that intercom was, without a single shield to protect her, the voice of her older sister.

 

The woman Nanako had known as Mother was her older sister. A sixth Replicant created by Rin Hashizawa who had been put into the role of a second mother.

 

Why? What was it that drove her? Why did she hate Nanako so much? What did she want? Why would Mom... do something like that? When? How? Those fleeting memories, those feelings that she'd seen Mother before then- had Mother been kept out of her sight, or had Mother intentionally stayed out of it? What was it about this family that led to it becoming so irreversibly _broken_? What was the sin at the beating heart of the Hashizawa family? And, most of all...

 

Who _was_ Rin Hashizawa, at the end of it all? The woman who'd created Nanako, who was she? What kind of person was she, really? And who was the Replicant whose name Nanako didn't even know, who hated her so much? Who was she?

 

And who was Nanako Hashizawa?

 

Suddenly, Nanako felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. She turned around. It was Shinobu. “Darling, you're spacing out.” Shinobu said. She frowned. “Are you quite alright?”

 

“Not really.” Nanako shook her head. The other five, by the look of it, were over looking at the single locker separated from the rest. She smiled sadly. “I just don't feel like I know anything anymore, Nobu.”

 

“You can remain certain of me.” Shinobu smiled. “Always, Nanako.”

 

“Right.” Nanako nodded. “It's just... how do you deal with it when it turns out your entire life has been built on a lie? That there really was something, something awful, going on where you just couldn't see it?” She sighed. “I think... I'm almost there. There's just two questions I need to get an answer to, and then I'll have my case.”

 

“You really are one of the bravest people I've ever known.” Shinobu reached up and caressed Nanako's cheek. She'd started crying again at some point. “Don't worry, Nanako.” And they hugged. “It'll all be alright.”

 

“Alright, huh?” Nanako looked up, then curled into Shinobu, hugging her back. “I don't think I really know what 'alright' means, but it sounds nice coming from you.” She sighed. “Anything else you need done?”

 

“Yes, actually.” Shinobu said. “I need to see Wanda's body, but I'll need a third person.”

 

“Hey, could one of you five come over here?” Nanako called to the five over by that locker. Chihaya came over pretty quickly. “Hey. We're just gonna take a look at Wanda's locker.”

 

“Sorry for getting sidetracked.” Chihaya said. “I'll open it, then.”

 

And she did. Wanda's body, too, was in a body bag, larger than Eriko's but not by much. Shinobu looked upwards, as though anticipating something, but nothing else happened; it was just a dead body in there. “Alright. My investigation is complete.” Shinobu said. “You may close it.”

 

Once that was done, the seven of them regrouped at that fascinating locker. “There's record of this locker being used shortly after the facility's completion,” Luan said, “to store something. It's only been used that single time.”

 

“Huh.” Nanako said. If it was down here in Cold Storage, that meant Nanako probably knew what was in there. “Okay.”

 

“Yer really outta it, huh, Nanners?” Gavin said, coming over and putting his hands on her shoulders. “Y'needa hug? Wanna hug from ol' Gav?”

 

“Maybe in a bit.” Nanako said. She turned around. “Not right now, though. I'm done here.” Shinobu gave him a hug to make up for it, though. Now there was just one thing Nanako needed to check. For that, she'd have to go talk to Junko-

 

In the distance, a siren blared.

* * *

 

After a painfully long-feeling ride down the Service Elevator, during which the two of them were treated to some lovely renditions of Kojiro dropping down his best beatboxing, Claus and Junko arrived at the... upper-second level. First and a half level. Something like that. “Fascinating aesthetic here!” Claus said, rubbing his chin and looking around at the courtroom.

 

“I never took Kojiro for a synthwave fan.” Junko said. Claus had no idea what that word meant.

 

Claus was staggeringly tired at this point, but there was no choice but to keep pressing onward. This was the last room for the group to investigate before the Final Trial, at the very least, so he was nearly through. He hadn't gotten a chance to speak with his parents yet, though, which was unfortunate, but at this point, they had barely over an hour remaining until their final conflict, _whatever_ it was going to be. “C'mon,” Junko urged, “quit spacing out.” She was already off towards the walkway.

 

“Oh!” Claus snapped to attention, and followed. “If you're this fast in a wheelchair you have to operate yourself, I can scarcely imagine what a bullet you must be in a motorized chair.”

 

“I'm pretty deft. Comes with being a genius.” Junko smirked.

 

The two stood in the elevator shaft, and Claus looked up towards the faraway ceiling of Abilene Hall, even from here, barely visible. “Curious how far we've come, hm?” He said. “I remember the first time we ever entered the elevator.” He looked down towards the edge of Monokuma's head plastered on the elevator below. “Heck, even meeting the group for the first time feels so far away.”

 

“I hardly remember it.” Junko said.

 

“Well, I do.” Claus said. “Eriko was first out of her room, you see, and Yayoi second, but I wasn't far behind, and I ran into the two of them when I first opened my room. They were both incredulous that I, the 'Ultimate Principal', could be sleeping in at a time like this!” He laughed. “Ah, I couldn't win against them. Then Aoto came out and he waved to us like nothing was wrong, and we left and found Gavin and Miria getting to know each other.”

 

“Sounds like them.” Junko looked down.

 

“We took a look around the halls for a bit. Eriko stapled herself to me as my 'assistant.' That was when we met Hansuke. He nearly looked like he was ready to shoot me when he first saw me!” Claus laughed. “No surprise- it was a pretty suspicious set of circumstances. He got the idea, but then we were interrupted- Shinobu's door opened and she poked her head out, saw the three of us, closed her door again, and then burst out with that loud, bellowing cackle of hers.”

 

“And then Hansuke told her his surname and she got on him, I suppose?” Junko asked.

 

“Right, right.” Claus nodded. “We went to go look around Abilene Hall, but at some point while we were doing so, Wanda and Chihaya had silently joined the group. It took me quite a bit to notice Chihaya was there! Wanda gave me the larger fright, though- I just turned around and _there she was_. Luan walked into the Lounge when it happened, so his first introduction was right after I shrieked.”

 

“Classy, Glorious Leader.” Junko smirked.

 

“I'm not afraid to admit that it was not the most dignified moment I've ever had.” Claus chuckled. “After a bit of searching, we found Daisuke trying to hide himself behind Kazuya in the Housing Suite. Kazuya looked rather uncomfortable, so I tried my best to dissuade them from that. Then-”

 

“Then I came out.” Junko said.

 

“Right, right.” Claus nodded. “Then you came out, and Daisuke stopped hiding because he had to suppress his snorting about your faux-hawk. Eriko started chiding you, but then Gavin walked in-”

 

“And told me _I had very nice hands_.” Junko grunted. “Yes. I remember that part.”

 

Claus laughed. “Even now I still think your reaction was hilarious! Well, anyhow, then we all looked around for some time- Stella and Nanako were the last two out, you know. Stella came out all bundle of energy, and I was hardly able to get a word in edgewise.”

 

“Good lord, that's bizarre to hear.” Junko said. “I hardly remember meeting her at all.”

 

“On account of-?” Claus asked.

 

“She reminded me so keenly of my own self that my brain turned that particular memory into Swiss cheese, yes. Even now it's a parody of actual recollection.” Junko said, crossing her arms.

 

“And then, eventually, Eriko and I headed back to the Housing Suite just to see if Nanako had awoken yet, and lo and behold, there she was!” Claus said. “Eriko really attacked her. The poor girl must've hardly had any idea which way was up until I stepped in to slow things down.”

 

The two were quiet for a moment until Junko said, “Why do you think it was us?” Claus raised his eyebrow and hummed. “Why was it us that were part of this?” She continued. “I don't mean 'because of Rin' or anything like that, I'm talking... fuck, I'm talking existentially.”

 

“I'm not sure there is a reason.” Claus said. He shook his head.

 

Junko shook hers too. “Oh, whatever. I'm just spouting bullshit.”

 

“It's a reasonable question to ask, but I think it's one that we can't really answer yet, or even ever.” Claus said, as the two of them walked into the Chem Lab. “We're all only teenagers, after all. We aren't even adults yet. We hardly have any of our own answers. The significance of all this for us is something we can only know in hindsight, perhaps?” He shook his head again. “I don't know. I'm dead tired.”

 

“Why couldn't that pain in the ass bear have just told us what was going on?” Junko rolled her eyes.

 

Lit up in magenta, the Chem Lab was, true to its name, an (oh god who cares) breeding ground for all sorts of... mix-y reactions. Beakers and bunsens and bangarangs all across several tables with knobs and flippy switches. Drawers! All sorts of drawers, probably with useful tools for chemical-ing! And cabinets! Presumably, in this room, Ms. Rin Hashizawa did some chemical stuff, maybe figuring out the chemically chemicals she could chemical to make a Nanako happen or something.

 

Claus turned to Junko. “Wow! I'm tired!” That said, he immediately noticed something among the beakers and bunsens and bangarangs- a particular blue glow he recognized, hidden among the... stuff as though trying to even now keep it inside the background. He hurried over, and looked. That was a memory capsule, after all. Where was the initial... ah, there it was. 'T'. “Oh, Junko!” He said, calling her over from her grumpy inspection of drawers. “It's my memories!”

 

“Congratulations.” Junko said. Claus clicked it open, because, you know, you only live once.

 

 

 

“Alright!” Claus recovered from having fallen onto the floor, and pounded his fist into his hand. “That's back.” He turned around and looked at Junko. “Hm. Have you gotten a haircut since then? It doesn't seem like it.”

 

“No.” Junko said. “Haven't bothered. Didn't want to. Hated myself too much.”

 

“It was a good look on you, then, too.” Claus smiled. “And... oh, that's right, I _did_ meet Yashiro... Hm.”

 

Claus crossed his arms. Why had his memories been so darn hidden? He thought back to the day of the Expo, as that was the brunt of it. Right, right, he'd seen Rin's strange vehicle in the loading zone that he wasn't wholly sure how to operate. Then a while after that break, the theft had been reported, and both Junko and Rin looked completely blown out and stunned, but Junko was just quiet, where Rin was muttering to herself under her breath, and quickly left the premises without a word regarding why on earth someone would've stolen her exhibit, or even what said exhibit actually _was._ During his brief attempts to speak to Rin, it was as though she hardly even noticed he was there.

 

So there was that. That said, during the Nonary Game, it was already known that Junko had sabotaged the Expo- so why were Claus's memories so hidden? Stella's were hidden to torment her, obviously, and they still hadn't found Gavin's, actually, but why _Claus_? Was there something about his memories that would cause trouble for The End?

 

With that in mind, Claus continued searching, discarding the shell that had contained his memories, until Junko spoke up. “Bingo.” She smirked. From one drawer or another she produced a folder- the long-awaited Cast List #2. “I believe you've all been looking for this.”

 

“So we have!” Claus clapped. “Alright, let's see here.”

 

Man F. Fuhito Inoue. As could be surmised from Yashiro's page, this folder told all- his role as an accomplice first and foremost. _But will anyone ever even see this to know? Puhuhuhu... I sure don't know!_

 

Boy G. Gavin Sakaki. One of Rin's oldest friends, who helped encourage her into studying robotics in the first place. In a sense, it could be said that without him none of this might have happened- but that was an unreasonable thing to blame him for. He was a child encouraging his friend, and he couldn't really have known that.

 

Girl H. Rin Hashizawa. Claus wasn't sure what he was expecting, but the front page, while sparse, was actually rather normal. Junko raised her eyebrow. “Really? No amateur horror hour shit? That's new.”

 

The second page, the Monokuma Theater, had only two lines.

 

_I wonder what ever happened_

 

_to poor, sad, miserable little Girl H?_

 

Girl I. Chizuru Inoue. As befitted a girl who only lived to the ripe old age of, what, six? Eight? Something like that, there wasn't much there aside from more off-color jokes about dead people.

 

Turning the next page, Claus's fingers tensed slightly. Boy J. 'Jun Fukuyama.' A photo of 'Jun' in 'his' uniform sat right there in front of them. Surprisingly, though, Junko snorted. “Hey.” She said. “I suppose for what you were, you did an alright job.” She was... talking to the photo. “But do me a favor, and don't come back. I don't want you here anymore.”

 

Claus turned to Junko, smiled, and said, “Well said.”

 

Junko scoffed. “Of course. I'm a master of the spoken word.”

 

“No, that's Kazuya.” Claus said. Junko frowned and grunted at him. Claus laughed.

 

One page left. Girl K- Kei Sagami. Claus wasn't sure what he expected to find here. An answer to that bizarre photo situation from earlier, perhaps? Clarification on the strange memory situation? Either way, though, he turned a page, and there was a picture of-

 

ah---?

 

-of a girl. It was cut out of a photo taken at mid-day, on what looked like a hilltop. She was smiling brightly. Even though this woman was clearly, well, a woman, there was a certain energy to this photo he couldn't deny, even with the surrounding picture cut out, even only the edge of the girl in the labcoat to her right there- the more he looked, the more he noticed small things that weren't quite what he expected. Her shoulders were broader than Claus had pictured, and there were small traces of fuzz on her face, ever so slight fuzz that was hardly visible against the sun, but fuzz nonetheless. Slightly taller, not as... definitely _figured_.

 

This woman- Kei Sagami- was not someone to whom undeniable femininity came naturally. It was something she strived to attain, with all her effort, even in the hard times of, based on the timestamp in the bottom-right dating it, being cut off from society as a runaway. That was the energy Claus saw- the energy of a girl who had to try her hardest to earn her status as a woman.

 

“Huh.” Junko said, raising her eyebrow. “She's pretty good at this.”

 

Slight details of the jawline, of the cheeks, even the nose and brow line... even from beyond the plain clothes she was wearing here, since she was running away, after all, Claus could tell. There was no question- they were _different_. From his pocket, he removed the picture frame he'd been carrying with him, and placed it on the desk to compare.

 

“What's-?” Junko stopped in the middle of her statement and gasped. “What... is that.”

 

“A photo that I found in the Legal Desk.” Claus answered. “I assumed it was of Rin and Kei- and Chihaya confirmed as much.”

 

“Chihaya confirmed-?” Junko sputtered.

 

“Right.” Claus nodded. “ _Chihaya_ confirmed it, but we already know her memory's been tampered with. These two photos-” He cast his hand towards them. “Clearly do _not_ show the same person.”

 

The woman in the photo on the beach- just looking at her, it was clear that she did not possess that same energy. As Chihaya said, and Claus had thought, she was _uncannily_ beautiful. The woman in this photo flowed like a soft line, with a form that exuded femininity. To this woman, it was, simply put, effortless.

 

Taking a closer look at the frame, it was one that was designed to be opened, obviously, but the detaching mechanism had long since been destroyed. “We'll need to check inside this once we get back to the group.” Claus said, and Junko nodded.

 

Still, staggering as this was, Claus couldn't help but wonder. Why were this Cast List, which contradicted that photo, and Claus's memories of the Expo, in this same room, which was so difficult to access? There had to be a connection, right? Why were these-?

 

Something in Claus's brain clicked, and he began stumbling in revelation. One thing led to another led to another led to another led to another and it was all quite unpleasant for them all but it all led to another and another and another. “Claus? Claus!” Junko shouted. “Claus, what are you doing?”

 

Claus looked around with a new light. He _knew_. He knew The End's true identity. He knew it, without a doubt. He knew where she had been this whole time. He even had a pretty good idea what she was doing.

 

He turned around on his heel to Junko. “We have to get to Maxwell Hall.” He said.

 

“Wait, what?” Junko said, a bit flustered by his sudden forcefulness.

 

“Junko.” Claus said, keeping his breathing even. “We are in _terrible danger_. We need to _go_.”

 

“Wh-?!”

 

That was all Junko had the chance to get out before it happened. With a shake through the room, the lights in the Chem Lab simultaneously all shut off. Claus's breath caught in his throat as he steadied himself. “Junko, are you alright?” He said, hardly able to see in front of himself. No response. “Junko!”

 

A small whimper came from in front of him. Then a small gasp, a small shudder, and no signs of movement. She was still there, he could feel her wheelchair there, but she wasn't responding.

 

Claus swore under his breath and grabbed the handles to her wheelchair in the dark, then did his best to angle the two of them out of the room and into the walkway. It was dark in there, but visibility wasn't _zero_ , so he could see Junko. Her eyes were wide with terror, and her entire body was quaking, unable to move, paralyzed with fear. Claus swore again. “Junko, please, wake up!” He shouted, as he ran into the trial room. The lights in there were low, but he was able to at least get to the Service Elevator, and get the two of them in, then hammer the buttons in the manner to get them to... no, Maxwell was too risky, that was too long of a time in the Service Elevator. They were vulnerable here, entirely too vulnerable. Abilene would be quickest to the Stairwell.

 

As they rode upwards, Claus knelt down to Junko's face and said, “Junko. Junko, please, can you hear me?”

 

Junko whimpered, croaking out some small things that Claus couldn't quite understand. She was gone, and wouldn't be completely back again until they were safe, by the look of it. Claus sighed, and as they reached Abilene, he shook his head and grumbled something or another- he wasn't even sure what he was saying at this point.

 

The North Wing of Abilene was _unfortunately_ long as usual, and as sirens began to blare in Abilene, Claus's sweat began practically pouring off of his forehead, matching the pounding tension in his heartbeat. This was bad. This was very, very bad-

 

“ _We'll be closing Abilene Hall shortly for deep cleaning!_ ” In a chipper, practiced tone, she chimed in to inform Claus exactly what it was he was facing. He barely managed to clear the door to the South Wing before shutters began lowering on the doors to close it off from everywhere else.

 

“Damn it!” Claus roared, pushing himself and Junko onwards as fast as his legs could take them. For once, being tall was a good thing- it gave him a long stride, so he closed the distance towards that lowering shutter to the Stairwell quickly. He bent past the hole of the elevator shaft, still forced open, so as not to die of a particularly long fall.

 

But despite all that-

 

-it was still closing _too damn fast_ to fit both of them! Junko was shorter and in a wheelchair, so she might fit, but even then, it was a tight fit unless she got a boost from somewhere. Think. _Think_!

 

_Claus Toranosuke, you've got it in you to become a hero. So don't you let me down._

 

The thought of Yayoi's last words to him bubbled up to the top of his mind, as everything around him seemed to slow to a crawl. What did being a 'hero' mean, Yayoi? He wondered. What does that even mean? A 'hero' implied someone who performed great deeds, who saved peoples' lives, who put others' lives first. Was he a hero?

 

“Oh, _screw that_!” Claus shouted.

 

Just past the shutter, he could see the others begin coming down the Stairwell. They weren't going to make it in time, but that was fine. With a roar and a burst of strength he didn't really think he had, Claus shoved Junko forward, under the shutter. “We're all going to live,” Claus shouted, “ _and that includes me_!”

 

As it closed in front of him, the shutter's descent was briefly caught on the back of Junko's wheelchair before it suddenly sliced that segment off, leaving the back of her chair on Claus's side. He took the opportunity to hurl the picture under there, too, sliding it just barely past the shutter before it shut completely.

 

[cT] Don't worry.

[cT] I will survive.

[Nh] We'll see you outside, Claus.

 

Nanako put down her Handbook and knelt down to Junko. “Hey. You alright?”

 

Junko was pretty distant, but when Gavin knelt down to her, that helped. “H-huh? Huh... huh? Where-” She shot up and looked around. “Where's Claus?!”

 

Everyone's eyes were wide, starring at the shutter blocking off Abilene Hall, as Nanako stood up and said, “He's in there.” Junko's eyes followed her finger. “Yeah.”

 

“What- He?!” Junko shrieked.

 

“Yo, calm down, babe.” Gavin soothed, keeping her close, trying to help her get out all of the lingering shivers. “'S okay. Claus gonna be fine.”

 

“How is he... Claus, you dumb _bastard_!” Junko shouted, scrambling over and pounding on the shutter. “You get back here! You get _back-!_ ”

 

Nobody was entirely sure what to say, but Shinobu chimed in. “All we can really do... is believe in him, I suppose.” She smiled lightly. “He did... promise to live, after all.”

 

“Yeah.” Stella said. She smirked towards the shutter. “He won't die. That guy? He's too square to die.”

 

Nanako picked up the photo frame Claus had left behind, pocketed it, and checked her bracelet. “We don't have much time left.” She said. “We should get climbing.”

 

“...Right.” Kazuya sighed.

 

Junko slumped against the shutter again, and then gritted her teeth. “Lucky bastard... getting a head start out of here. I'll... I'll end you when I see you again.” She frowned at him. “Stupid, stupid...”

 

She was crying. So was Nanako.

 

Claus was going to live. Nanako was sure of it.

 

But she still wanted him here.

 

They got to Maxwell Hall, though, and shortly after, the exit closed up again, and a great noise rang out to signal the opening of the last door. Luan hurried back with several glasses of water he'd just grabbed from the Baths. “We all need to hydrate,” he said. “It's important.” So they all did. The water made Nanako feel something closer to alive again, something closer to normalcy. Had she really been this thirsty? She wound up going back for more... well, okay, actually, everyone wound up needing a second.

 

“It's rather rude of us to keep Zero waiting like this.” Shinobu chuckled.

 

“Fuck Zero.” Stella put it. Her succinct summary of the situation put it all together quite nicely.

 

They couldn't wait forever, though. With the back of Junko's wheelchair removed, she was a bit lighter, but she was also harder to push, so Nanako wound up just carrying her up the stairs to Confessional Hall. While she did, she said, “Hey, Junko, you copied what you saw of that document in the Quantum Computer Room, right? Can I see it?”

 

“What?” Junko blinked. “Oh- oh, right. Yeah. Sure.” She flipped on her Handbook, scrolled through some pages, and handed it to Nanako once they reached the top. Nanako scanned all the way to the bottom of what Junko had, and nodded. “Well, that was quick. Did you find what you were looking for?”

 

“Yeah.” Nanako nodded. “I'm good.”

 

It was a long walk, but it all passed by in what felt like seconds. Eight people stood in front of the door to the end of the game- a comically small door in comparison to what had blocked it.

 

Luan Yun-Fat, the Ultimate Masseuse, was pushing along the hamper full of the possessions they'd all gathered. “Are we all ready to go?” He asked.

 

“I've never been more ready.” Stella Masaki, the Ultimate Commentator, stretched her arms and her fingers. “If Claus is going to make his exit that flashy, then I can't get shown up now. I _am_ still a celebrity, after all.”

 

Kazuya Okudaira, the Ultimate Orator, laughed at that, and said, “I'll second that. Our lives are waiting there for us on the outside, and I'm sick and tired of waiting here on the inside.” The two of them stood holding hands.

 

“Well, at least you know you've got something to go back to.” Junko Fukuyama, the Ultimate Net Admin, rolled her eyes, looking up at the massive gate. “Even as afraid as I am, though, it's better than staying in here.”

 

“Tha's the ticket!” Gavin Sakaki, the Ultimate Buddy, clapped. He jumped up and down enthusiastically, fist-pumping. “'S been three weeks, but we almost out, errybody! Le's go, a'ight? Ain't nothin' to scary 'bout!”

 

“Easy for you to say.” Junko scoffed.

 

“Well, I mean fer you 'specially, hun.” Gavin turned to her and said with complete sincerity. Junko sputtered a bit and threw her hands at him.

 

Chihaya Inoue, the Ultimate Ghost, laughed a bit at the odd couple's antics. “Even after we get out... I don't think I'll ever be able to get away from you all, huh?”

 

Shinobu Koshimizu, the Ultimate Mystery Novelist, cackled. “Indubitably! Perhaps it is a bit forward of me to say, but I certainly do expect that the bonds we've forged will never disappear. Call it the flight of fancy of the modern-day Mistress of Mystery.”

 

And Nanako squeezed Shinobu's hand, and said, “Yeah. We're all gonna get out of this. Like I said before... you guys are the best family I could've asked for.” She turned to the group, since she was at its fore, and smiled. “So let's bounce! I've got a lot of living to do!”

 

“Show-off.” Junko snorted.

 

“Eh, I can't blame her.” Stella shrugged. “Give her a bit of showing off. _You_ do it all the time.”

 

“I- what? I- I do not!” Junko blushed bright red. “Tell her, Gavin.”

 

“Ya kinda do, babe, not gonna lie.” Gavin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Junko gritted her teeth and clutched her hands at him, as though attempting to squeeze him telekinetically.

 

Luan laughed brightly. “I'm glad we're all friends.”

 

The thought seemed to make Kazuya chuckle to say aloud, but he nodded, and agreed. “Yeah. Me too.”

 

This door was a point of no return. Once they crossed it, they were never coming back to this place- to Compound vK, none of them would ever return. They all knew that. Nanako knew that more keenly than anyone.

 

So, Nanako stepped across the boundary of the door without hesitation.

 

She wasn't sure what she was expecting for the room of the last battle of the game, but the Final Courtroom was as good as anything, Nanako supposed. This room, rather than being a fantastical design like many others in this facility, was largely designed to resemble an actual courtroom, color-wise. The podiums were just that kind of oak, the walls just that shade. The far wall had an empty judge's seat, behind which great, white curtains hung, just barely not covering the exit door. Nineteen podiums were set up in the center, in a circle, as usual.

 

At the far end of the Final Courtroom, Zero stood at the podium nearest the exit door. “Hello.” She said.

 

“Zero.” Nanako nodded.

 

“Having finished with Kojiro's interruption, it's now time to put an end to this.” Zero said, standing stock still at her podium. “Please take your places.”

 

Bordering Zero were the final new placards. Kojiro's face didn't change much in greyscale, but he was marked out with a calligraphy brush crossed over Monokuma's red bat wing. Claus, on the other hand, was simply rendered in grey, as Junko had been. The five culprits- Eriko, Wanda, Yayoi, Hansuke, and Kojiro- were rendered to Zero's right. To the left, the victims- Claus, Yashiro, Daisuke, Miria, and Aoto.

 

Nanako was stood across from Zero, staring at the space between Kojiro and Zero's podiums. Joining the victims' side to Nanako's right were Shinobu, Kazuya, Gavin, and Luan. To the left, Stella, Junko, and Chihaya.

 

“Before we begin...” Zero said. She clapped. It was inappropriate, but she was trying her best to be polite. “Nanako Hashizawa, Shinobu Koshimizu, Gavin Sakaki, Luan Yun-Fat, Chihaya Inoue, Stella Masaki, and Kazuya Okudaira- you seven are the winners of the Killing Game, and of the Nonary Game. You've overcome trial after trial to reach this point, but finally you stand on the precipice of freedom.” She paused. “Congratulations. And Junko... I am glad to see you back.”

 

“Nobody cares.” Stella said. “What's this trial even for? You aren't holding it for Eriko's corpse, are you? We already know what happened there.”

 

Zero shook her head. “Of course not.” She paused. “Well... in a sense, you aren't wrong. This is a trial for the murder of Eriko Shigure... among others.”

 

The mass of screens hung ominously above them. “Your role in this Final Trial,” Zero said, “is to pass judgment on the one responsible for this incident.”

 

People had comments to make, but Nanako glared at Zero, fire in her eyes, and said, “Then, c'mon.” She got into a fighting stance. “Let's start arguing. It doesn't matter how many you throw at me- I'll cut your words to pieces. So, take off that mask, Mom. It's not going to do you any good.”

 

There was a quiet pause as Zero considered this statement. “...Very well.” She said, and pressed a button on the back of her mask. With a _whoosh_ of released air, the mask loosened, and the woman within removed it, placing it on her podium, and draping her cloak over it. “If I'm doing this, then... it's good to see you again. Junko, Gavin, Yun, Chihaya, Stella, Shinobu. And... well, we've never actually properly met before now, Kazuya, so it's nice to finally meet you.”

 

Producing her square-frame glasses from the pocket of her done-up labcoat, the woman within the Zero mask resembled Nanako quite a bit- but Nanako's hair was wilder, more chaotic, where this woman's hair was straight, and not as long. She wasn't quite as pale, or at least, didn't have that same sheen- and her eyes similarly weren't quite so spectacularly red. Details of her face were slightly different, as well. Worry lines and a few markings on her face, attempted to be covered up with makeup, still shone through- she'd never had much experience. Even so, the family resemblance was undeniable, from the shape of their bodies if nothing else. The top of the dark blue sailor uniform she wore under her labcoat was still visible, so she adjusted the red kerchief connected to it.

 

Rin Hashizawa, the Ultimate Roboticist, cleared her throat, and steepled her hands at her podium. “Are you satisfied, Nanako?”

 

Nanako Hashizawa, an ordinary girl, nodded. “Yeah. Let's do this.”

 


	90. The Final Trial, Court Begins - Prelude to Bitter Truth

 

The mass of screens above proclaimed “Beginning the Final Trial. ALL RISE!”

 

“Alright, so this trial is to 'pass judgment.'” Kazuya said, levying a confused stare at Rin. “That's sort of a heavy statement to drop in our laps. What exactly does that mean?”

 

“It's simple, really.” Rin smiled slightly. “Your role is essentially to act as jurors. Knowing everything you know, and debating all you need to debate, you must come to a consensus regarding the ultimate fate you desire for the mastermind behind these crimes.”

 

“Quit speaking legalese.” Stella scoffed. “Who are we judging? You?”

 

Rin nodded. “Of course. I am the mastermind, after all. You all discovered all you need to discover to prove that that's the case-”

 

“Bullshit.” Junko glared. “I don't know what game you're trying to pull, Rin, but there's no way-”

 

“Hold it.” Nanako threw her hand out to stop Junko. “If we just charge in not understanding the rules, we'll lose.” She looked back at Rin, who hadn't moved an inch. The power of the practiced speech, after all, did plenty to stop her from having to undergo social anxiety. “So, the point of this trial is passing judgment on _you_. We're coming to a consensus on the fate of Rin Hashizawa. Right?”

 

Rin nodded. “That's right. Good work, Nanako.”

 

“I have two questions first.” Nanako said. “The first is- how long have you been watching for? You weren't in the Security Room when we checked it earlier.”

 

Looking down, Rin looked briefly thrown off. “Er... well, the truth is, I haven't been watching since the end of Kojiro's trial. I had to come here to... well, prepare for the Final Trial.”

 

“Okay.” Nanako nodded. “That answers one question. The second question is, what are our choices? What are you going to let us say happens to you?”

 

“Well... this _is_ the end of a killing game.” Rin chuckled. “It should be obvious, right? Or, well...” She stammered. “I suppose maybe not... er, well, it's not like you'd _guess_ that...”

 

“Are you having trouble, Rin?” Luan looked on in concern. “Would you like a glass of water?”

 

“Er, yes, please-” Rin stopped herself. “Ah. But. Well, it's not like you can go get one, you're not allowed to leave the trial room until the trial concludes...” She loudly cleared her throat. “Alright. If you'll please look below to your podiums?”

 

The video screen showed a pretty simple two-choice selection screen. 'Guilty' or 'Not Guilty.' “A Guilty verdict will sentence me to the greatest possible punishment- an execution of my own.” Rin explained. “Meanwhile, a Not Guilty verdict will leave me alive and waive my execution... though, of course, after that point you can do whatever you'd like. I'm not particularly picky.”

 

“Yo, yo, hold up, hold up.” Gavin said, his eyes wide, raising his hands. “You askin' us if we wanna _kill you_?”

 

“Well, of course.” Rin said. “I'm the reason that you've all suffered this much. It's only natural that you'd desire my death, isn't it?” She put her hand on her heart and smiled. “It's... alright. If you want to kill me-”

 

“Shut up.” Chihaya said, glaring.

 

“A-alright.” Rin wilted.

 

“That all makes sense.” Nanako nodded. “Got it. Of course, I'll be voting 'Not Guilty,' but that's no surprise.”

 

“A-are you sure?” Rin's eyes widened. “Nanako, really, it's okay if you want to-”

 

“It's not about sentiment.” Nanako said. “It's about the fact that you aren't the mastermind. You're lying.”

 

Rin went completely rigid for a moment, then steepled her hands and took a deep breath. “Nanako?” She said. “Listen, I- I know this is probably very hard.” She reached up and fanned herself for a second. “But please, don't be swayed by emotion. You already learned enough to-”

 

“-to know you're not the mastermind, yes.” Nanako interrupted.

 

Lurching forward, Rin raised her voice for the first time. “I'm telling you, I'm the one at fault here!” She put her hand on her chest and pleaded. “Nanako, I'm telling you, _I'm the mastermind_. What possible reason would I have to lie?”

 

“Likely, to hide the true mastermind.” Shinobu cut in. Rin flinched slightly. “The same reason you, as 'Zero', appeared before us in the first place- to divert attention, to try to distract us from realizing that Zero and The End were two separate people.”

 

“...Even if that _were_ the case,” Rin began, grabbing at one of her wrists, “I said such awful things-”

 

“No, that's wrong.” Nanako said. “There were two different people behind the Zero mask, too.”

 

Rin flinched. “I-I don't know what you're talking about. There weren't- I'm- I was-”

 

“Then why did you suddenly stop during my Confessional?” Luan asked. She flinched again. “That was you being punished for going off-script, yes?”

 

“I-I-I-I-” Rin stammered, going pale and having to lean over and take deep breaths.

 

“We saw you talking to someone else in the recordings in the Security Room.” Chihaya said.

 

Kazuya, who apparently hadn't caught up to that idea yet, hummed. “So... it _wasn't_ you who I argued with.” He breathed out. “Good. That makes it easier for me to stomach voting 'Not Guilty.'”

 

“Wha-wha-wha-wha...” Rin sputtered. “Wait, wait please _hold on excuse me_!” She shouted, waving her hands. “W-what are you all doing, you're just- you're not even debating, you're-”

 

“Then _debate us_.” Nanako stared flatly at her mom. “If you want to prove to us you're guilty so bad, then prove us wrong.”

 

“Well... w-well, well, then who are you saying is the mastermind?” Rin caught her breath slightly. “Who is The End if I'm not?”

 

“Mother, of course.” Nanako said.

 

The look of shock in Rin's eyes just flashed for a split second, but it was incredibly deep. “Well... y-yes, that's what I'm saying-”

 

“Not _you_. Mother.” Nanako crossed her arms. “If you can't do her arguments for her, then just bring her out already so I can talk to _her_.”

 

Saying that caused something to change in Rin. She stood up straight, and entered her practiced-speech mode, her voice becoming level. “I don't know who you mean.” She said.

 

“That's better.” Nanako said. They locked eyes again. “So. You're saying you're the one person behind this whole thing?”

 

“Yes.” Rin nodded. “That's the case.”

 

“Give me a motive, then. What was the purpose of this game? Why'd it happen?” Nanako said. “Give me your case.”

 

“Well, er... technically, you're all supposed to be the ones debating here.” Rin deflated again.

 

“Well, er, _technically_ , all of us know you're spouting crap, so if you want us to debate your dumb cover story then you're going to have to be the one to say it, or we're just going to ignore what you say.” Nanako said, her antenna spiking directly at Rin.

 

“U-uh, right.” Rin gulped, and adjusted her glasses. “Er.” She stood up straight again. “In that case... I'll begin.”

 

“The purpose of this Killing Game was to, using the Blick Winkel phenomenon, send you, Nanako, back in time to two years ago, when Kei died.” Rin began. “To do so, I needed to utilize the processes of 'danger' and 'epiphany.' However, since you yourself didn't exist back then, I needed to find some way to tune your M particles to back then.”

 

“My attempted solution was to substitute my own identity for your own- to attempt to have you, as 'Rin', jump back in time and 'observe' my own actions back then, and save Kei. However, doing so over the short span of a Nonary Game would be impossible. Rooting the identity of 'Rin Hashizawa, Ultimate Amnesiac' strongly enough for such would be extremely difficult- so I chose instead to emulate the longer-form setting of Ultimate Despair's killing games.” Rin wrung her hands slightly.

 

“When I learned that Hope's Peak Academy's 263rd Class would consist largely of people I had met or who had played a great role in my life, my resentment flared up. It had been my dream for a long time to go to Hope's Peak, to fulfill one of Kei's wishes, and yet all of these people, and not myself, had been selected. As a way of fulfilling a desire for revenge against those who'd harmed me, whether actively or by simply being selected over me, I decided to use the class as the rest of the cast of the Killing Game. This would help root the identity of 'Rin' even more strongly, by keeping me repeatedly relevant to your situation to continually engage you.”

 

“However, my plan failed.” Rin looked down. “No such Shifting occurred, no matter how strong the epiphany and danger you faced. Kei remained dead. So, here I stand before you. I don't care about my life anymore. You can do what you want with me.”

 

“So that's your story and you're sticking to it, huh?” Stella asked. Rin nodded. “Great.”

 

“If I might chime in first?” Shinobu raised her hand. Everyone nodded at her. “Ms. Hashizawa.” She levied a gaze at Rin that told Nanako she wanted to throw down the gauntlet, sneer, and cackle out an ' _Unimpressive!_ ' or something like that. _“_ The first and most obvious contradiction I find in your story is the nature of multiple timelines.”

 

“Now, _that's_ a sentence.” Stella snorted.

 

“We are all quite aware that this action would not alter _this timeline_.” Shinobu continued. “Rather, sending Nanako back in this manner would simply create a _new_ timeline, with a separate Rin Hashizawa and Kei Sagami. What possible good would this do you? You are not a Shifter. We learned as much from Hotaru Tenjo's studies.”

 

“That is true...” Rin gulped slightly. “You see, I- I just-” Stop. Pause. Rewind. Breathe. “I don't care what happens to my life anymore, or anything else. I just want to know that out there, I've saved Kei, somehow.”

 

“And you would not only strand your daughter in an alternate timeline, but cause the deaths of several innocent people for the sake of a timeline you would never personally be able to witness?” Shinobu raised her eyebrow and scoffed. “I find that doubtful. Such a venture has no personal reward whatsoever despite being entirely selfishly motivated.”

 

“I... I didn't care who died.” Rin said, shaking slightly. “I didn't care about if any of you died... b-because that's the kind of person I am. I didn't care. Being evil isn't an object-”

 

“Objection.” Luan raised his hand. “Your behavior in the Confessionals, and right now, contradicts that. You're very distressed.”

 

Rin began wordlessly stammering for a bit before her routine. Stop. Pause. Rewind. Breathe. “At this point, I've... lost my nerve, and... r-remembered myself...”

 

“Then why wouldn't you have just stopped the game then once it didn't work?” Nanako asked. “If you feel so guilty, then that seems pretty obvious to me.”

 

“I- I-!” Rin stuttered. “I-I-I-I-I don't know, alright?” She clutched her head. “I don't know why I didn't stop the game! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry sorry sorry sorry I'm sorry-”

 

“Yo, calm down.” Gavin raised his hand. “Rin. We still gotta debate, yeah?”

 

“I-I-I-I-” Stop. Pause. Rewind. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. “Of... of course. Right. Thank you, Gavin.” A small, practiced smile.

 

“And I thought _I_ was a bad actor.” Junko scoffed, and flipped her hair. “Alright, alright. I guess I should say something. Besides that comedy of errors you just pulled, the previous Nonary Games were all designed to specifically utilize their particular brands of parapsychological nonsense. If this game was specifically designed to induce a Shift, that doesn't make any sense and you know it.”

 

“Well.” Rin stopped. “S-should Nanako have gotten the wrong answer, she'd have been made to Shift to another timeline to avoid the death-”

 

“And did I?” Nanako asked.

 

After an awkward pause, Rin squeaked, “No?”

 

“So you're saying,” Junko said, “that you left your entire big plan, the piece de resistance of your entire life, to chance, based on assuming your daughter's intelligence was lower than it actually is despite this entire plan being based on utilizing her mind.” Pause. “And that this was the only tenet of your plan, put together in a manner that didn't even necessarily utilize the skill you were attempting to invoke.”

 

A longer, even more awkward pause. “Yes?”

 

“How stupid do you think _I_ am, Rin?” Junko clicked her tongue. “I know the answer is probably _pretty stupid_ , but give my genius brain _some_ credit.”

 

“I-I don't think you're stupid at all, Junko.” Rin said, clutching her chest again. “I don't- you're very smart, I... the- the truth is I actually, er, rather admire you-”

 

That actually made Junko laugh. “How low are your fucking standards?”

 

“Trip, man, tha's a thing, too.” Gavin cut in. “Yo, Rin. Uhhh... trip, man, this kinda weird, cuz like, I know we's friends, yeah?” He started gesticulating from himself to Rin. “Cuz like, I know it. But 's weird not _rememberin'_ , yeah? Kinda psyches a guy out. Can, uh, can Gav have his memories back yet?”

 

“...Were you not given yours back?” Rin blinked. “Why would that be? I can't think of any reason why- oh, they're... probably in the back, you'll probably get them back afterwards...”

 

“'Probably?'” Kazuya asked.

 

“Er, you will! You most...” Rin tripped over her tongue for a bit. “You most certainly, definitely will.”

 

“Because you put them there, since you're the only person in charge of this killing game.” Kazuya continued.

 

“Right! Right, yes. You understand.” Rin nodded frantically. “Kazuya understands.”

 

Kazuya proceeded to ignore this gesture and turn his head to Gavin. “You were saying, Gavin?”

 

“Ah, yeah.” Gavin rubbed the back of his head. “Now, Gav ain't the smartest biscuit off the block, man, but it don't real make sense when's you keep bein' all speccy to Kaz 'n Junko.”

 

Rin blinked. “E-excuse me?”

 

“Now, Ender coded these Handbooks, yeah?” Gavin lifted his Handbook. “But Koji hadta fight fer Kaz to get the right Handycode, 'n then y'got the issue of, yanno,” and he gestured to Junko. “ _eeeeeverything_ what's happened to Junko.” He waved his hand. “That ain't jivin' with, y'keep callin' him Kaz. Junko maybe it's cuz you 'n she was besties, but trip, man, you _just_ told us you ain't never even met Kaz before.”

 

“Well, o-of course I should.” Rin said. “I- even if I haven't met him before, Kazuya is Kazuya, right? It's what he calls himse-”

 

“My Handbook still calls me 'Maho.'” Kazuya retorted.

 

Rin visibly, violently flinched, and she started sweating very hard. “I-I-I, er, well, that's, I, I'm sorry, I, um, er, ah, ah, aaah...” Her podium was getting kind of drenched.

 

“If you were the mastermind, you'd have done that yourself.” Kazuya said. “And...” He blanched a bit. “Really, do you need a glass of water? That doesn't look healthy.”

 

“I said, you aren't a-allow-wed to- to leave the-” Rin was hyperventilating.

 

Stella raised an eyebrow. “Well, what about you?”

 

Rin blinked a few times, her face going from panicking to a look of realization. “I... hadn't thought of that. Er.” She wrung her hands a bit. “Is that-”

 

“It's not like we're _going_ anywhere, you know.” Junko rolled her eyes.

 

“Er, right. J-just a m-minute, please...” Rin hurried off behind the exit door, and after a few minutes' awkward silence which was mostly just peppered with Gavin trying to crack a few bad jokes, she returned, looking significantly more hydrated. “T-thank you for waiting. Er, where were we?”

 

“A pretty solid chunk of contradictions into your testimony.” Nanako offered.

 

“Right, of course.” Rin nodded. She took a long, deep breath out, and raised both index fingers to steady herself as she did so. “I'm sorry, that's so embarrassing...”

 

“Hey.” Stella cut in. “Rin.” She pursed her lips, and sighed, looking away. “You know... we're not here to be, like... your _enemies_ , right?” By the look on her face, Rin didn't quite understand. “I don't know about any of these guys, but I just want the truth. It's not like I want you hurt.” She clicked her tongue. “Ugh. Someone else handle this, I'm no good with it.”

 

“Gav thinks he gets ya.” Gavin smiled. “So, Rin, well... seems like y'kinda... assumin' we want outta here at yer expense, cuz you definitely not lookin' too hot right about now. Yeah?” He looked down. “Lissen, we... we heard a lot. Y'know we heard a lot. An' it seems to Gav, now, correct a guy if he's wrong, that maybe y'ain't in quite yer right... state'a mind, right'bout now. So, hey, I'm thinkin' it'd do us all a heap o' good if'n we all just took a step back 'n talked _frank_ 'bout wha's been happenin' 'n how we feelin'.” He looked up and smiled again. “We ain't gotta make a big deal a' this, yo.”

 

Nanako frowned as Rin started stammering again. “I-I... no, no, you're... you're wrong, I...” Rin started hyperventilating again.

 

Sighing, Nanako crossed her arms. “It was a good try, you two, but I don't think it's gonna work.” She shook her head. “Mom's always like this. The only way we'll make any real progress here is forcing it out of her.”

 

Luan croaked a bit, and then said, “Rin...” He put his hand on his heart. “I don't... like this.” His words were faltering. “This is hurting you, isn't it? I don't want to keep doing this.”

 

“...It's... alright.” Rin said, a hollow tone to her voice, a shell left empty from her hyperventilation. “I... deserve it. Nanako...” Rin levied her gaze again, and clutched her own arms. “I'm telling you... I'm... I'm the mastermind. I'm the-”

 

“No, that's wrong.” Nanako cut in. “If that's the case, then explain Yayoi.”

 

There was a brief pause. “What... what?” Rin blinked, gasping for air. “What about... Yayoi?”

 

“You said you chose the 263rd Class because of your personal connections, and no other reason. Right?” Nanako said. “But when it was decided that Yayoi was going to get into the class instead of Ruri, she was put in instead of Ruri. Yayoi didn't have _anything_ to do with you. She'd never met you, she'd probably never even heard of you. The only personal connection she had was looking for Wanda's dad to cure her little sister.”

 

“...So... what?” Rin said, clutching her arms ever closer.

 

“ _So_ , that means that there was some reason the 263rd Class _as a whole_ was kidnapped. It might have started because of you, but it wasn't just because of you- or you'd have kidnapped Ruri anyway.” Nanako said, her antenna sharpening. “But if you said that the only reason _you_ had for it was because of yourself, then that's an obvious, gaping hole in your story.”

 

“Ah...” Rin's eyes started becoming unfocused. “Ah, ah...”

 

“Mom.” Nanako said. “I don't _want_ to hurt you. You know that. So, just admit it already. You're not the mastermind. It's The End. It's Mother.”

 

“I don't know,” Rin gasped, “who this 'Mother' person you're talking about is-”

 

A voice rang out from elsewhere in the room. “Just _stop_!”

 

With tears in her eyes, opening the exit door, a woman threw open the exit door. “I don't want you to keep doing this, Rin.” She said, running towards Kojiro's podium and taking down the placard to take her place. Nanako had flinched slightly at the entrance, but the entrance of this new character caused strong reactions in the rest. Shinobu clenched her fists, and briefly bore her teeth. Gavin made a loud noise of befuddlement. Luan gasped. Junko clicked her tongue, and clutched tightly to her podium, snarling. Chihaya flinched, her posture thrown off. Kazuya threw his hand up to his mouth in shock. And Stella? Stella was dead silent, staring at this new arrival with jaw slightly agape, stock still, not even the slightest bit of motion, save for a slight tremble in her right hand. “This isn't okay.”

 

“Kei-” Rin sobbed. “I need- I _need_ to do this.” She shook her head frantically. “No- no, I- I deserve this, I-”

 

“ _Please_ , Rin.” The woman who'd just appeared was the shorter of the two of them by a good few inches, but her stiletto heels shortened the difference. Her chestnut-brown hair fell to about neck length, but save for the ahoge, there wasn't anything particularly special about it. The woman's skin was warm-toned, neutral, but its most particular feature was its _flawlessness_. There was clearly extremely little unnecessary body hair, and no marks, on any visible parts of her body- a body with a figure that was narrow, and slender, yet pronounced enough in its feminine characteristics that it was undeniable that this was a woman's form. Her small shoulders and slender arms helped to give off the air of _demurity_ her posture was designed to accentuate; so too did the high, airy voice she possessed, her pleas very nearly gasps as she begged Rin to stop. “Please, let me handle this for a little bit, okay? You need to step back.”

 

“...K-Kei...” Rin wilted slightly, and the woman reached forward and grabbed her hands. Rin's hands were larger, of course, but the effect it had on her, steadying her breathing, slightly re-focusing her eyes, was obvious. “O-of course, of... of course. I... you're right, Kei. You're always right.”

 

“...Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Gavin raised his hands up and started stepping back ever so slightly. “Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.”

 

The woman nodded. “Mmhm. So... just stand back for a bit.” Her form was accentuated by the clothes she wore; the skin-tight, black, sleeveless shirt, low-cut enough for just a hint of cleavage, the close-fit black pants, and the visible feet in her heels covered by dark pantyhose . An all-black ensemble- Nanako could think of very little else that could mark a resident of this Compound better. This woman stood before the group now, at Kojiro's place. Now, Nanako was across from both of these two.

 

“Who, exactly...” Kazuya said, finally putting his hands down from his mouth. “Are you supposed to be?”

 

The woman at the podium rubbed her wrists before putting them down and smiling sadly. “Um... sorry we all had to be introduced like this, I know it's... not the best situation.” She put her hand to her chest. “But, well... I'm Kei Sagami, Rin's girlfriend. I, well, I kind of already know a lot of you, but it's nice to meet the rest of you!” She smiled.

 

Nanako sighed. “...damn it.”

 


	91. The Final Trial, Confrontation [Moderato] - The One who Masterminds the Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, by the way, the mastermind in this story is kind of gross. Heads up from your pal Kinu.

 

The woman who called herself Kei pushed a lock of hair behind her ear awkwardly. “Uh... sorry.” She said, now that she had the floor. “Rin's... well, she's kind of... always had some trouble with the whole, staying calm under pressure, rational thinking deal-”

 

In response, Nanako burst out with a loud guffaw. “Oh, that's _hilarious._ Tell me more, please.”

 

To her credit, this woman didn't flinch. She just sighed and looked a bit disappointed. “Oh, come on, Nanako. At least let me get my two cents out there.”

 

“Sorry, it was just so funny to hear you say that I couldn't help myself.” Nanako said. “It's like, hey, you, seen any kettles lately? I think there's one that could use some assurance that it's black.”

 

“ _Huh_?” Gavin blinked. “Wha? Buwha?”

 

“So, you mean to tell us...” Shinobu said, a doubtful gaze upon 'Kei.' “That you, madam, are Kei Sagami? The selfsame dead young lady who we've been hearing about from the beginning?” She raised her eyebrow. “Curious how lively you seem, then.”

 

“Yeah, well... this is gonna take some explaining.” 'Kei' said. She chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. “So, uh-”

 

“I'm sorry.” Rin whimpered.

 

“Just stay back, okay, honey?” 'Kei' said. Rin nodded. “So.” She leaned back and shrugged. “Turns out I didn't, like, actually die? It's weird, y'know, like, you'd _think_ , but I actually just barely survived getting hit by that train.”

 

Nanako coughed. “Bullshit!”

 

“ _Please_ , Nanako.” 'Kei' frowned a bit. “ _Anyway_ , so what happened was, I was really badly injured, but Rin managed to get me away from there and fake my death, thanks again dear. See, I donno if any of you guys _know_ this, but my parents are kinda crap-”

 

“And you're saying you _never told us_?” Chihaya said, gritting her teeth, her eyes wide. Nanako couldn't know the kind of emotions running through her head, but there was a glint of betrayal in her eyes, injury by the face of her friend saying these things. Nanako wanted to hug Chihaya, but that wasn't appropriate at the moment, really, so instead she just glared harder.

 

“Hey, hey, I'm _getting to that part_.” 'Kei' raised her hands up in defense. “I'm sorry, Chihaya, Stella, I-” She paused. “Well, there was a period there where I was being hidden for my own safety, to keep me out from under the watchful eye of the law and stuff. Can't fake a death if you're not thorough, right? But, well...” She sighed again. “A while into it, Rin-”

 

“I'm sorry.” Rin whimpered again.

 

“-she started... limiting exit from the facility, getting really defensive about the idea of me, or Nanako, or Kojiro leaving. It was... pretty frightening, I won't lie, and there's a lot I wish I'd done.” 'Kei' said, looking sadly to the side. “But I- well, I _love_ Rin, you know? I wanted to be there for her even if she was going into some dark places. So-”

 

“So where does the part about murdering people come in?” Nanako tilted her head, her antenna curling into a question mark. “I'm most curious about that bit.”

 

“- _so_ , _after the Expo_ ,” 'Kei' said, just twitching a little bit, “suddenly Rin started planning a killing game, you know. It's like... suddenly she just... turned around and lost it. She started acting really erratically, and she started having this... sort of fascination with the idea of leaving the timeline. I tried to stop her, but she... she got violent, she locked me up, and I couldn't do anything.” She clutched her hand against her chest. “I'm- I'm sorry, everyone. I really am. It's because I didn't do anything that-”

 

“No, it's not!” Rin shouted. “It's because of me, everything is my fault, everything, everything...”

 

“...Let me see if I'm understanding the implication here correctly.” Junko raised her eyebrow. “Are you, _ma'am_ , implying that _you_ are Nanako's Mom?”

 

“Huh? Like, capital?” 'Kei' asked. “Yeah.”

 

Nanako bent over onto her podium, clutched her head, and groaned. “Oh my _god_.” This was so stupid, she honestly wasn't sure she had the capacity to even process it. Luan helpfully offered a very confused 'What?'

 

Junko, meanwhile, paused for a moment to digest that response, and then said, “Well, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when I can take you seriously.”

 

“Hey, hold up, babe.” Gavin shook his finger. “Don' go fallin' zonky jus' yet, mm'kay? Gotta stay wakey fer this or ya might not wake up fer days.”

 

“A fair point.” Junko sighed and shrugged.

 

“So, uh...” Gavin blinked. “Now, y'all know Gav ain't the smartest knock off the wood, but, uh, should... should he go'head'n like, go 'Objection!' Cuz, uh...” He trailed off, then whistled. “Wowie.”

 

“Do give yourself some more credit one of these days, Gavin.” Shinobu said. “Certainly this story is so full of holes that an infant could object their way past it, but you are not an unintelligent man, far from it. In fact, you've quite the intelligence in areas several of us might not-”

 

“H-hey, hold on!” 'Kei' said, twitching ever so slightly more. “What are you-”

 

“Okay, so like, _beyond_ the fact that I clearly remember my Mom being Rin Hashizawa, even if I don't entirely remember you being my Mother yet.” Nanako said, putting her hands together and steepling them with a derisive snort. “Sure, maybe you'll say you _somehow_ edited my memories, or whatever. Your story literally could not be more obviously a lie. All you have to do is _look_ at the two of you.”

 

'Kei' tilted her head to the side. “Huh?”

 

Nanako rolled her eyes. “Uh, as in, the fact that _Mom_ has visible marks on her, whereas you are shiny and flawless?” She pointed to Rin, who really looked quite worse for wear. “So this stupid crock you just pulled out of your ass literally contradicts _you_ , unless you're saying you suddenly flipped out and wailed on Mom in the background of the killing game.”

 

'Kei's' antenna twitched as this realization hit her, and she turned to look at Rin to confirm. That was a look of 'oh, damn it, she's right, isn't she?' “I'm sorry.” Rin said.

 

“You just burst out here to give a big speech that basically winds up just saying the same thing as Mom just said.” Nanako said. “What's the point? If you wanted to tell us a joke, maybe you could take a lesson or two from Gavin. He's a funny guy.”

 

Twitch. Twitch, twitch. “Why... why can't you just believe me?” 'Kei' said, her fist beginning to ball up. She grabbed her wrist with her other hand.

 

“What's wrong?” Nanako said, glaring. “You hate me, don't you? You've hated me since the day I was born, haven't you? If you hate me that much, then go ahead and be honest about it. Class trials are for finding the _truth_ , aren't they?” She pointed her pointer finger right at the woman twitching up a storm. “So get angry! C'mon! _You hate my guts, don't you_?!”

 

Twitch. Tremble. “Me and my stupid guts and my stupid face and my stupid everything!” Nanako shouted. “I-”

 

“This... isn't fair.” Before Nanako even saw a change, rather than trembling, this woman was shedding tears. “Stop... why are you like this? I've... I've tried so hard...” She gribbed her podium. “I've tried so hard and you, my own daughter, won't believe me. Why is it always like this?”

 

“Don't you try to weasel out of it by playing that card.” Nanako said. “You don't have anywhere to-”

 

“ _You_ believe me, right, Stella?” 'Kei' cut in, looking right at the Commentator.

 

Nanako cut herself off as the courtroom went silent. Come to think of it, Stella hadn't said a word since 'Kei' arrived in the room. “Stella.” Kazuya steadily began. “Stella, don't believe her. That's The End. She's- she's the mastermind, whether she's Kei or not.”

 

“ _Please_.” 'Kei' pleaded. “Come on. Look at everyone here, they're all... I don't have anyone on my side. I'm...” She trembled. “I'm _scared_ , Stella. I just want someone to please, believe me. We're friends, right? We're-” She breathed a bit. “We're _besties_ , right?”

 

Stella was still silent, her face an inscrutable mask. “Hey. Hey, Stella!” Nanako said, beginning to sweat.

 

“I don't know what else to say.” 'Kei' said. “This _isn't my fault_ , Stella. It's not, I swear, I swear I'm not the one-”

 

“Who the fuck are _you_?”

 

The courtroom went silent again. 'Kei' raised her eyebrow and went 'Huh?' Stella's fists were clenched, her teeth gritted, a cold, violent, biting wind of loathing seeming to emanate from her. “I _said_ , who the _fuck are you_?” She spat. Her brow was furrowed, her nostrils flared, and the very air around her chilled.

 

“Well...” 'Kei' stammered. “I'm... Kei. Y'know, your... best frie-”

 

“You're not Kei.” Stella said. It was quiet, but firm, slicing through the woman's statements like butter. “Who are you?”

 

“What do you mean, I'm not-?” 'Kei's' eyes widened.

 

“Who the fuck are you?” Stella repeated. “What gives you the _right_ to come in here with a face like that, spouting this _shit_ and acting like you're Kei? Does it make you happy to try and frame a dead girl for this? To try and pretend that you're...” She snarled. “You make me fucking sick. Every inch of you makes me want to puke, you ugly fuck.”

 

“Wha- _ugly_?!” 'Kei' sputtered. “What the- wha-”

 

“You wanna be Kei? Then I'm gonna judge you by Kei's standards, and you're an _insult_ to everything she was.” Stella slammed her fist onto the podium. “It's like one big fucking joke, some kind of mockery of everything Kei tried her hardest to be. You don't have to _try_. I can tell just by looking at you you don't have to _try._ ”

 

Stella was tearing up. “I don't know about Rin, but... other than her, maybe, I knew Kei better than anyone else ever did. I was her best friend. For fuck's sake, I was in _love_ with her. I remember every inch of her, every smile she ever gave me, every stupid philosophical ramble she ever went on. Now you come out here and spout this bullshit cover story for _murder_ , for a fucking _killing game_ , and you want to pass it off as being Kei's words, you want me to believe you? Fuck you. Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on, bitch. You're not Kei. You could never possibly be Kei. A psycho like you doesn't know how hard she tried to be the girl she was.”

 

'Kei' began tearing up again. “I... I can't... I can't _believe_ you.” She sniffled. “Are you going... are you going to out me _again_?” Behind the tears, she stared with accusatory eyes at Stella. “You're going to betray me like this twice?”

 

“Oh, don't fucking bother.” The air around Stella grew yet colder, and her gaze became harsher. “I've beaten myself up worse over what happened than anything _you_ could possibly say to me now. And, besides...” Her snarl grew deeper. “Kei forgave me for what happened. Chihaya and Miria said as much. Shouldn't you already know that, you fucking _fake_?”

 

“Please stop shouting.” Rin whimpered.

 

“I am _not_ fake.” 'Kei' stomped her foot on the ground. “I'm not! I can't believe you-”

 

“If you wanna get mad, then maybe first you should apologize to us! For everything you've done, for all the people you've _murdered_ , for everything we've lost because you took it away from us!” Stella shouted.

 

“Please stop shouting.” Rin begged.

 

“I can't believe you'd side with _Nanako_ over _me_!” 'Kei' screamed. “You... you, you, you, you! You... you're horrible! I _hate_ you, Stella!”

 

“Good! Then hate me! I don't care!” Stella roared. “I don't give a fuck how you feel about me! You're the one who wanted to pound me into a smear on the floor with a mech suit!”

 

“Please stop shouting!” Rin shouted.

 

“SHUT _**UP**_!” Her eyes wide and furious, trembling with rage, The End spun around and punched Rin right in the cheek. Rin wailed in pain, and fell to the ground. Several people immediately reacted, Nanako included, so The End responded by shouting, “ _New rule_! No standing or walking or anything like that anywhere but your podiums! You stay at your fucking podiums or you _die_!”

 

“Oh god.” Nanako said, scarcely more than a whisper.

 

“I'm sorry.” Rin whimpered from the floor, a splash of obvious pain making its way into her voice. “I'm sorry.”

 

“You see? You see what you did?” The End said, snarling in twisted rage towards the grounded roboticist. “Because _you_ fucked up delivering the story so bad, now they won't believe me!” Into Rin's stomach, she delivered a kick, forcing the air out of Rin's lungs.

 

“Er, excuse me!” Luan said, frowning extremely deeply. “I think that that is maybe not entirely Rin's fault?”

 

“And because you fucked up, now they think it isn't your fault!” The End gripped Rin by the collar and lifted her back onto her feet, and as Rin stumbled to her podium, The End grabbed one of her wrists and started _twisting_. “Say you're sorry. _Apologize_!”

 

“Ah, ah, I'm-” Rin gulped, and at that moment her wrist grew very close to a frightening angle. “I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!”

 

“ _What_ are you sorry for?” The End commanded.

 

“I'm sorry for making them think I'm worth sympathy.” Rin said, hyperventilating, tearing up. “I'm sorry for making them think I'm at all a worthwhile human being, Kei. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're right.”

 

This sight was even enough to render Junko completely and utterly silent, a look of dawning comprehension giving way to complete and utter horror. Her hands began instinctively making their way towards her head, and her throat shook slightly as though she were about to try and anchor herself, but no noise came out.

 

“That's right, honey.” In an instant, The End's voice shifted from venom to honey, a syrupy-sweet tone in her voice as she held Rin close in a loving embrace, nuzzling her head against her chest. “It's okay. I forgive you.”

 

“I'm sorry you love me.” Rin said, still teary. “I'm sorry you love me even though I'm stupid and worthless and haven't ever contributed anything worthwhile in my entire life because I'm stupid and worthless and I should just die.”

 

“Oh, it's okay, baby.” The End stroked Rin's hair. “You know I always love you. Aren't you lucky? You have someone who loves you even though you're completely unlovable.”

 

“I'm very grateful.” Rin repeated, nodding. “Thank you, Kei. I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Rin.” The End smiled brightly, and then grabbed the back of Rin's head and pulled her forward.

 

“W-wait!” Rin said. “Everyone's- mmrph!”

 

The devil-may-care look on The End's face told her how much she cared about that particular facet of the situation as she slammed their faces together for a kiss. Not a light one, either, Nanako noticed as her stomach lurched- there was some full-on tongue going on. “Oh god.” Nanako mumbled. “Bad, bad, bad.” She closed her eyes, but she could still _hear it, fuck!_

 

Shinobu kindly placed her hands over Nanako's ears and Nanako shouted “ **Thank you for your sacrifice honey**.” Of course, since her eyes were closed, she couldn't see if Shinobu nodded.

 

And they were still there... still there... “Nanako, they're _just getting louder_!” Stella shouted through Shinobu's hands. “They're your moms, what do we do?!”

 

“ _I don't know_!” Nanako said. Then she screamed a bit, and opened her eyes. Aaaaaagh! God, it was just as gross now! “You can stop now! Please stop!” Then she noticed Shinobu was the only one who wasn't visibly grossed out, and raised her eyebrow. “How are you cool with this?”

 

“I'm the Ultimate Mystery Novelist, the occasional sudden bout of semi-expected vileness is within my wheelhouse.” Shinobu shrugged. “Nothing I'm not used to, though I would of course love if it were not happening.”

 

“I'm sure this place incurs a lot of taxes, but this is excessive!” Junko shouted, gritting her teeth and... making some kind of dumb joke presumably to hide her discomfort. “You can fucking stop now!”

 

“Gav would likin' words three 'n four switched in that sentence too!” Gavin said, visibly blanching.

 

Without warning, The End detached from the kiss and thrust her knee into Rin's stomach, causing Rin to double over. “Look what you've done!” She said. “Now you're grossing out all your friends because you couldn't keep it in your pants. You _slut_. I can't _believe_ you.”

 

“I'm sorry. I'm sorry.” Rin choked out, clutching her stomach. “I'm sorry, Kei. I'm sorry I'm so gross.”

 

“Filthy _whore_!” The End snarled, baring her teeth. A wooden scepter, topped with a bronze skull (oh my god,) fell from the ceiling into her hands, and she began to strike Rin in the arm and side with the scepter's back end. “Slutty bitch!” Whack. “You're disgusting!” Whack. “Sick freak!” Whack.

 

“I'm sorry.” Whack. “I'm sorry.” Whack. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Will you please just _stop_ already?!” Kazuya said, grimacing.

 

With a loud 'Huuuuuh?' and an affected gait as though she were some kind of badass delinquent, The End took her scepter and placed it over her shoulder and leaned back, staring at Kazuya with lazy disdain. “What, beating her?” She said, dismissively waving her head at the whimpering girl on the ground. “Psh.” She waved her hand. “Don't you worry your pretty little head, kid. The dumb slut likes it when she gets hurt.” She bore her teeth again and grinned. “She probably got off on having everyone watch just now, too. She's a freak, after all.”

 

“I'm sorry.” Rin whimpered from the ground.

 

“Tell the audience what you're sorry for, Rin.” Back to that honeyed tone.

 

“I'm sorry for being a sick freak who gets off on being hurt.” Rin said. “I'm sorry for being so gross. I'm sorry for making you look at me. I'm sorry for making you think I was a person.”

 

The End nodded. “That's right.” She snapped her finger, and a seat apparently rose behind her podium, so she was able to kick her legs up, leaning her elbow on the podium. “My shoes aren't shiny enough for this. Shine 'em, bitch.”

 

“Y-yes, Kei!” Rin gasped. And she... actually started to... shine her shoes.

 

“Now, where was I?” The End said, staring at her nails for a second. She gasped in mock remembrance. “Ohhh, that's right, that's right. We were arguing about whether I was Kei or not!” She smirked at Stella and snapped her fingers in a Z pattern. “Still am. Get over it, _beeyotch_.”

 

Stella's baleful gaze had changed into a look of baffled disgust. “W-what the fuck?”

 

“Um, ahem, do I have to say it again for you?” The End shrugged and shook her head. “God, you were always so fucking dumb. 'Kei, can you help me with my math homework?' 'Kei, I hate myself and I don't know what to do about it!' 'Kei, I hate not having a dad!' How whiny can one girl _be_? No wonder you're a celebrity, men eat that shit up. Especially those pathetic losers who sit in their house all day whining about how they'll never get a girlfriend and/or boyfriend. I'd say 'like you, Jun,' but somehow that sop over there deigned to grant you the right to listen to him say he loves you- weirdo- so I can't count you there anymore.” She sighed. “Mondo bummer!”

 

Junko trembled, her fists clenched. “You _shut up_.”

 

“Nahhhh.” The End clonked her head and playfully stuck out her tongue. “Anyway, so hi, let me reintroduce myself again. My name's Kei Sagami, and I'm the Ultimate Shifter! _So_ lovely to meet you all, except _Nanako_ of course.” She hated saying Nanako's name so much that it almost sounded like she was actually going to puke. “Lemme go back and edit my testimony. The rad crime of perjury calls to me!”

 

Chihaya's jaw was stuck open, and she was just sort of sputtering noises now. “Wh- wh- what?”

 

“So, when I said I survived that train crash, that wasn't _tooooooooooooootally_ true?” The End shrugged. “I _kinda_ died? Thankfully, my loving girlfriend, with her one applicable skill, was kind enough to rebuild my body, and since I have magical time ghost powers, as you all so kindly put it, my consciousness was able to just hang around in other dimensions for a bit until I could come back!” She clapped. “Yay, yay! Go you, Rin!” She reached down to pat her head. “Nice shine. Not professional-level, but that's all I could ask for.”

 

“Thank you, Kei.” Rin said, still on the floor.

 

“Alright, now I gotta do my magical girl transformation.” The End clapped her hands, and her podium receded. She threw her scepter up into the air, and from the ceiling fell an outer-red, inner-black coat with... with shoulder pauldrons? Nanako wasn't sure if this thing was a circus ringleader outfit or an evil wizard outfit, and the wide-brimmed red witch hat on its back wasn't helping. As The End coolly put her arms into it, decals of Monokuma's bat-wing eye became visible on her pants, as well. She caught her scepter, twirled it, and shoved it into the ground, before doing a hat-tip gesture... without actually having on her hat. “Hoo yeah! That's the ticket.”

 

“I'm very confused.” Luan said.

 

“Yeah, we know.” The End smirked. She clapped, and her podium returned. “So!” She leaned onto it with her elbow, putting her chin on her fist. “ _After_ I came back, I realized that the world is shit and it's always gonna be shit, so why not have fun with it? Turned out Rin was very receptive to being punished for getting me killed in the first place, so that worked out real nicely. Ain't it great? So, blah blah blah, then the Expo happens, and she gets all depressed because her life is worthless, and she wants to do time shit so she can go back and stop me from dying in the first place, so she and I work together on putting together this killing game.”

 

“Fuck you.” Stella said. “You're _not_ Kei. Quit trying to drag her name through the mud.”

 

“I only muck-drag when it's necessary, girlfriend, and it's not like you can _really_ blame me for it, c'mon.” The End scoffed. “I mean, Rin got me killed in the first place.” She tapped her chin. “Aaand Eriko... and Chihaya and Miria were hiding in that cabin like little babies, letting their friend run off to her doom.” She snorted. “Some friend _you_ were, Chihaya.”

 

Chihaya flinched. “I- I didn't... we couldn't-”

 

“Couldn't what? Help your great pal Kei, oh we love her so much, hide without running onto train tracks? Some Ultimate Ghost you are.” The End sneered. “What's ever even been the point of you? Without Miria you're just a wreck anyway. Why not just go off and become a ghost properly and save someone else the trouble?”

 

“You _shut your mouth_!” Chihaya said. She was crying. “You murdered Miria! It's your fault she's dead!”

 

“Uhhhh, ahem.” The End said, rolling her eyes. “I'm sorry, whooo murdered Miria?” She turned her head to Rin. “Honey, am I blonde?”

 

“No, Kei.” Rin shook her head.

 

“Do I have pigtails? Do I wear a newsie?” The End asked.

 

“No, Kei.” Rin shook her head.

 

“Do I chase after ghosts because I want my daddy?” The End asked.

 

“No, Kei.” Rin shook her head.

 

“Are you a person who should be alive?” The End asked.

 

“No, Kei.” Rin shook her head.

 

“Good girl.” The End patted her on the head. She turned back to Chihaya. “So, there you have it. Last I checked it was _Wanda_ who killed Miria, not me, so, uh, tough titties!”

 

“It's your fault that _everyone_ who died is dead!” Chihaya shouted through her teeth. “They all died because of you!”

 

“Ehhh...” The End looked at her nails again. “Missing that by one podium, honey.” She jabbed her thumb in Rin's direction. “You're looking for that one.”

 

“Okay, wait, you hold on a second here.” Nanako raised her finger. “How can you even say that?”

 

The End stopped in her tracks, and began trembling, her hands tensing up. “Nanakoooo.” She said, her head slowly tilting towards Nanako. “Nanako, Nanako, Nanako, Nanako, Nanako, Nanako! NanakooooooooOOOOOO!”

 

“Oh okay, I'm sorry I asked.” Nanako raised her hands, loudly frowning.

 

“If it weren't for _you_ none of this would've even needed to happen!” The End giggled with a manic... oh, god, was that anger or glee? “None of it, none of it would've even needed to happen! Nothing nothing nothing! That's right, it's all your fault, it's all your fault, Nanako, Nanako, Nanako-” She stopped herself, and took a deep breath. “Right, well. Anyhoo! So, let's do some math. Rin, am I ever wrong?”

 

“No, Kei. You're always right.” Rin said.

 

“Okay, good. So when I say you're a piece of trash who is a waste of human flesh and would've been better off dying years ago?” The End asked.

 

“Of course that's true.” Rin nodded. “I've known that for ages. You're right.”

 

“Goodie gumdrops!” The End clapped. “So, that naturally means that your ever-loving daughter Nanako is _wrong_ , correct?”

 

Rin nodded again. “Of course. Nanako is wrong to love me.”

 

“And yet she keeps coming to your rescue, trying to be the best little daughter she can because she's so loving and ever-forgiving!” The End's hands trembled. “Sweet little Nanako, loving little Nanako, who could never ever hate her mommy even though she's a piece of trash, right?”

 

“I... what...?” Nanako blinked, her jaw agape. “Wha... what?”

 

“Now, let's review. I'm always right, but Ms. Nanako Hashizawa so brazenly, with her very existence, everything she does, spits in my face and tells me I'm wrong!” The End smiled and pounded her fist into her open palm. “ _Ladies_ and _gentlemen_ , is it _any wonder_ that I _hate her so_?”

 

There was a stunned silence from the entire room for a moment as everyone, presumably, processed... this. “Wait, okay, so you... I...” Nanako shook her head a bit, as though shaking it would clear the fog of ' _what_?!' from around her head. “So you... you hate me... because...” She shook her head again. “No, there's no way. I must be misunderstanding her, right?” She turned her head to everyone else. “Please, someone tell me what I'm missing here.”

 

“Yo, man.” Gavin said, slowly inching away from his podium as best he could without earning The End's ire. “Thinkin' you might notta missed nothin'.”

 

“Ohhhh god.” Nanako blinked, her antenna straightening further and further upwards. “That's. Um. What?” She threw her hands out. “Okay, I guess? Can you stop beating her now, please?”

 

“See? She's doing it right now!” The End screamed, then smacked Rin in the head with the end of her scepter. “Giving Rin sympathy like she deserves it!”

 

“ _You are literally physically beating my mom right in front of me what do you even expect_?” Nanako said. “And? Okay. Okay. So.”

 

“Why the fuck are you blaming Nanako for that?” Stella cut in. “It's not like it's her fault that she was raised in an environment-”

 

“Of course it was her fault!” The End stomped her foot, and jabbed Rin in the stomach. “Anyone with a brain can see that my stupid whore of a girlfriend is completely worthless! How dare you love her?”

 

“What... what the fuck.” Nanako grabbed her head and started running her fingers through her hair. “Oh, what. What what what. Oh, no, no, no. No no no this is bad. Bad bad bad.” She could feel her breath getting quicker. “I don't understand. I don't understand.”

 

“How can you not understand?!” The End shrieked. “I just explained it to you, you dumb bitch!”

 

“Just stop i-!” Nanako began.

 

“Nanako!” Shinobu cut in, putting her hand on Nanako's shoulder. “Calm down, dear. Getting yourself into a tizzy over this won't do you any good.” She smiled. “You already knew she was crazy. What's one more thing?”

 

“Shinobu, what the fuck, these are my _parents_.” Nanako said, tears in her eyes. “Why are these my parents. What's going on? Why is this happening?”

 

“I don't know.” Shinobu shook her head. “But we'll get through this, alright?”

 

“I really envy you your ability to stay calm through this, Shinobu.” Kazuya said, still frowning.

 

Shinobu shrugged. “It's a skill I've mastered over the years.”

 

With a loud, roaring sigh, Nanako slouched back up into standing position. With her head still tilted town, she put her hands forward. “Okay. So.” She looked back up. “Ignoring _that_. We were arguing about whether or not you're Kei, right?”

 

“I mean, I don't see what there is to argue about, but of course _you_ would.” The End gritted her teeth.

 

“There's no way Kei would be the one behind this stupid game of yours.” Stella glared, putting her hand on Nanako's other shoulder. “Not a chance. You're not Kei.”

 

“Oh?” The End tilted her head. “And what are you gonna do about it, cut yourself some more? You got me killed, you don't have the right to speak.”

 

“What am I gonna _do_ about it?” Stella snorted, and smirked. “How about I give you a counterpoint? Some nice evidence to throw your way.”

 

The End's eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

 

“First off, I don't know what the fuck possessed you to decide to go off on Kazuya and Junko the way you did, but there's no way Kei'd do that.” Stella said.

 

“Oh yeah? Says who?” The End said.

 

“Says the fact that Kei was trans herself, idiot.” Stella said.

 

The End loudly flinched, and her eyes widened a lot further. When her blown-back arm lowered from her mouth, her teeth were gritted. “You did not just-!”

 

“I just did.” Stella said, and snapped her fingers in a Z pattern. “Get over it, _beeyotch_.”

 

“There's no way.” The End turned to Rin. “There's no way, she couldn't have done that, right? She couldn't have done that, there's no way. Right?” She grabbed Rin's shoulder and shoved it into the podium in front of her before turning back. “There's no way you could've just done that!”

 

Out of all the people to look confused by that statement (which was also news to Nanako, but not particularly surprising news,) the strangest was Chihaya. “Wait.” She said. She furrowed her brow. “Kei was...?”

 

“Well, Chihaya, why do you remember Kei running away?” Stella asked.

 

“Because they didn't approve of her relationship with Rin.” Chihaya's eyes were widening.

 

Stella smirked. “Lemme guess. You remember Kei looking just like this wacko, right?”

 

Chihaya nodded, eyes like a deer's in headlights. “I _do._ ” She stammered.

 

“So, that was the real purpose of the added memories.” Junko said. “You were trying to frame Kei Sagami as the mastermind to fit with your _second_ cover story, huh?”

 

Stella nodded, and smiled at Junko. “That's what I'm thinking. Sorry to steal your thunder, Nanako, but I couldn't help myself.”

 

“Oh, no, that's fine, I still kinda need a minute.” Nanako nodded.

 

“So, you rewrote Chihaya's memories when you could because you wanted to try and make it seem like Kei knew she was psychic, so you could pass that off as being part of your 'Ultimate Shifter' cover story.” Stella said. She slammed her podium, and pointed her finger at The End. “But I'm not staying silent.”

 

“W-well, how do you know I haven't modified _your_ memories?!” The End said, pointing right back. “If I could modify Chihaya's-!”

 

“Wait!” Nanako lit up. “I woke up feeling bloated at the top of Phase Three!”

 

“Because of Nanako, then.” Stella turned to Junko again. “You said that the bloating feeling she felt would've been after she got her name back would've been because of information being 'rerouted' or something, right?”

 

“Definitely.” Junko nodded.

 

“So, simple. You made those memories up, then you bounced them through Nanako to Chihaya, which is why she woke up feeling bloated.” Stella smirked.

 

“Come to think of it-” Chihaya gasped. “During my breakdown, I remember there was a moment when everything seemed to... _shatter_ for a moment. I thought it was because I remembered Rin, but-?”

 

“Perhaps it was your mind attempting to become accustomed to its altered memories, then?” Shinobu offered.

 

“Yo yo, hold up a sec'.” Gavin said. He crossed his arms. “If'n this lady can do that, how come she gotta pew-pew the fake memories into Haya's brain?”

 

Suddenly, from the door burst a cry of, “ _It's quite simple, actually_!” as it shot open, revealing- uhhh... someone Nanako didn't recognize? The End's head tilted very slowly, with her teeth very bared, trembling, with her eye twitching.

 

“Oh, a trial! Just in time! My forte!” The new lady said as she hopped over to an open podium- Eriko's. “I'm certainly glad I didn't miss this.” Trial? Forte? ...Wait.

 

Nanako's antenna curled into a question mark. “Did you turn into a girl since I last saw you?”

 

“There was so much sapphic energy radiating from this room I felt the need to blend in.” The Attorney shrugged. Much like the rest of her gestures, it was a very loud shrug. Then, quick as a wink, she was curtsying. “Good day, everyone! Reiko Ittosai, Attorney at Law, at your service!” Then she paused. “Are you _coming_ , everyone?”

 

“Give us a second!” Natsuhi's voice bellowed.

 

“...Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.” The End flung her hands around a bit. “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?”

 

“I... just told you who I was, ma'am.” Reiko said. “Anyhow, I think what I'm doing here should be obvious-”

 

“Ohhhhh!” Gavin lit up and clapped. “You's part of the rescue team, yeah?”

 

“See? Mr. Sakaki gets it, why shouldn't you?” Reiko tut-tutted at The End. She turned her head to Chihaya, right next to her. “Hello, Ms. Inoue.” Chihaya awkwardly waved.

 

Then the doors burst open again, and the rest of the rescue team burst in all at once, a few of its members panting. “I am _really_ glad that's over!” Kotone said, laying on the floor.

 

“Ohh, my inus are ichibwanning from all of the hayurrying!” Blake groaned.

 

The End frowned very, very deeply, gritting her teeth and rubbing her scepter's butt on the ground. Then she shoved it into Rin's stomach. Again. “I don't appreciate this!” She said. “Who the fuck are half of you people, even?”

 

“Yeah, we know how you feel.” Miki said, standing up using her circular saw and pointing it at The End. “I got the picture.”

 

“Okay, maybe _don't_ take her on head-on when there are hostages here.” Saburo offered. Miki seemed to consider this for a moment, and then lowered her circular saw. Saburo yawned, and strutted over to Aoto's podium. “Yo, Gav. Yun. Howzit?” He smiled.

 

Gavin's perception of reality finally caught up with the present, and he laughed and smiled brightly. “No way! Sabbo! My _man_!” They immediately launched into their secret handshake, which Nanako did not memorize out of respect. “How'dyou get here, man?”

 

“He is the Ultimate Escape Artist.” Luan offered. “Perhaps he simply escaped inward.”

 

“Well, the boat did most of the work.” Saburo shrugged. “But that's good enough.”

 

“Hello, Saburo. It's good to see you.” Luan smiled.

 

“Cool beans.” Saburo nodded.

 

Stella had to take a moment to catch up, too. “Oh my god, it's Gavin's buddy Saburo.” She turned and looked at Kazuya, who was also on that side. “Kazuya, it's Gavin's buddy Saburo.”

 

“I know!” Kazuya said. He turned to Nanako. “You two could have mentioned this part!”

 

“Eh, variety's the spice of life.” Kotone shrugged as she took up position at Miria's podium. She waved. “Are we introducing ourselves? Kotone Suzukage. Nice to meet you all.”

 

“We aren't seriously introducing this many characters at once right at the end, are we?” Junko raised her eyebrow. “You've got to be kidding.”

 

“Technically, only four of them are really new.” Chihaya was hiding behind her podium.

 

“Hai, hai!” Blake chimed in, taking his spot at Daisuke's podium. Thankfully, the podiums were at least sized properly to fit everyone, so he wasn't blocked. “Ohellogozaimasu, minna-san!” He bowed.

 

“...Oh my god.” Junko blinked a few times. “What?” Nanako grinned in glee. He was gonna say it!

 

“Boku wa Blake Mirabeau, Super High School Level Geographer!” Blake saluted. “It's boku's desleasure to rendering his tasuketance!”

 

Nanako squealed. “Aaaaaah!”

 

“Oh?! Nana-chan, is nani the wrong?” Blake leaned in.

 

“No, she just thinks you're cute.” Kotone said. Blake loudly nodded.

 

“Trip, man, Supesmyhooks Level Joggerfer?” Gavin asked. “Tha's neat! So y'been, like, lotsa places 'n stuff! Oooh, y'ever met my homeslice Wong? Ooh, or there this one cat down in New York- uh, literal cat- who's lookin' like he'd be a great hang for ya!”

 

“Oh, iie.” Blake shook his head. “Boku is more of the fan of inu-chans anyhow!”

 

Stella and Kotone simultaneously looked at each other and shouted, “There are _two of them_?!”

 

“You know,” Junko said, looking away and blushing in that tsundere manner of hers, “saying 'Super High School Level' makes you sound like a nut who's obsessed with the past. If you're trying to work on your language, you might want to get in the habit of saying Ultimate.”

 

“Arigato gozaimuch... eto...” Blake lit up. “Fukuyama-chan!”

 

Junko's eyes widened, and she blushed much louder. “Uh... y-you're welcome.” She muttered 'Fukuyama-chan' to herself, feeling it out in her mouth.

 

For some reason, Ruri was frowning and crossing her arms as she stepped up to Hansuke's podium. Luan waved. “Hello, Ms. Bessho. I'm glad to see you also here.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Luan.” Ruri said.

 

“Oh, look, it's Girl B.” Junko said.

 

Ruri sighed, but then said, “ _Hello_ , Ms. Fukuyama. It's nice to meet you.”

 

“What's wrong, Ruri?” Kotone asked. “Mad about the psych profile?”

 

The instant Ruri said, 'a little peeved, but nothing I can't handle', Junko smirked, a smug glint in your eye. “Another flawless victory for Junko Fukuyama.” She looked over to Chihaya, who held up a hand for a high-five from behind her podium. They high-fived.

 

“Whoa whoa whoa, hold up!” Gavin's eyes widened when he saw Miki hop up to Yayoi's podium. “Wait, wait, you- _Miki_?”

 

Miki planted her circular saw to the side of the podium and said, “You're Sakaki, the one who talks weird. Then there's Yun-Fat, the quiet, reliable one. Okudaira, the guy who should really have more confidence in himself. Shinobu, the one who's totally nuts but cool. The really gay one, Hashizawa. Masaki, the one who should _really, really_ have more confidence in herself. The pain in the ass, Fukuyama. And the shy one who's surprisingly tough when the chips are down, Inoue.” She paused. “Any I was wrong about?”

 

Nanako blinked. “Is that how Yayoi described us, or...?”

 

Miki nodded. “Yeah. Straight out of her mouth.”

 

“Is that a circular saw?” Kazuya asked. Miki nodded. “Why do you have a circular saw?”

 

“Are you alright to be up?” Luan asked. “It's barely been a week. Are you recovering alright?”

 

“Good enough to be here.” Miki said, her face flat. She cocked her head towards Natsuhi, at Wanda's podium. “And that's Natsuhi. She's the quiet one.” Reiko was, of course, mooning towards Natsuhi.

 

The End was already clearly extremely pissed off (was she ever not?), but Miki coming up to the podium made her light up with anger. “You, you, you, you! Murasakiiii!” She shouted, gripping her scepter so hard Nanako thought it was going to break. “You... you ungrateful little shit! I _saved your life_! I- you- how _dare_ you-!”

 

“You saved my life, huh?” Miki scoffed. “If it wasn't for you, we'd both be alive.”

 

“But I told the doctor-!” The End said.

 

“What part of 'you murdered my sister' isn't registering?” Miki snarled. “Did I not just get finished telling you how much I hate your guts? If you think I have any reason to be grateful to you, then you're the stupidest person I've ever met.”

 

“...Does coolness run in the family or something?” Stella blinked.

 

“This- this is-!” The End sputtered. She frantically looked towards Rin, then towards Nanako, and then between the two. When she took the metal end of her scepter and aimed it at Rin's head, though, Ruri was kind enough to interrupt by throwing a few candies at her. “ _ **Who the fuck just threw those**_?!”

 

“Please don't injure her so badly.” Ruri said, frowning. “She's an old friend. I'd really rather you didn't.”

 

“R-Ruri...” Rin said, gripping her collar. “It's alright... i-it's really alright, I deserve-”

 

“You you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you YOU.” The End slammed her arms onto her podium and started breathing very heavily. “How _daaa_ _ **aaaaaaaaaAAAARE**_ you show your face around here after you had the fucking GALL to ruin everything by letting that nimrod construction worker into Hope's Peak you fucking bitch I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you hate hate hate hate HATE you!”

 

“That's nice.” Ruri said.

 

“With introductions over-” Reiko began, but then The End started shouting 'hate' some more. “Please, ma'am. This is a court of law, is it not? Then let the presiding attorney make her statements.”

 

The End stopped, considered this for a second, snarled, and said, “Oh, fine, whatever, go ahead.”

 

“Thank you, Ms. Hashizawa.” Reiko said, smiling. The End immediately made a grunting noise, but it was opening statement time, so she wasn't allowed to say anything. “Now, might I surmise to guess that we're currently in the segment of the debate regarding this woman's identity?”

 

“Basically.” Nanako shrugged. “Anything to add? I've got a pretty good theory already, but.”

 

“Well, before we go any further.” Reiko said. “What exactly is the purpose of this class trial?”

 

“To pass judgment on the one responsible for this incident!” The End said. She lit up dual fingerguns and pointed them at Rin. “AKA as her.”

 

“Hello.” Rin raised her hand.

 

“Wait, you mean that part _wasn't_ a lie?” Kazuya blinked.

 

“Pfffft.” The End waved her hand dismissively. “Of course not. I would never have myself or my incompetent wife lie about matters of punishing her!” She gasped. “It's a matter of the _gravest_ significance, Maho.”

 

“But... _you're_ the mastermind.” Stella frowned.

 

“Stuff your opinions up your ass, Stella!” The End shoved a middle finger in her direction. “Whooooo caaaaares? Really, if you think about it, Rin's the mastermind here anyway.”

 

“So, in other words,” Reiko said, “with your control over the situation, you've decided to make the ending of the game a judgment of Rin Hashizawa out of...” She pondered for a moment. “Is this hatred, ma'am?”

 

The End sputtered. “Hatred?!” She almost looked _offended_ , jumping back as though she'd been struck. “How stupid can you be? Are you blind?! Idiot?!?!”

 

Everything got unnervingly quiet for a moment. “Let me explain something to you, _Reiko Ittosai_.” The End said, pushing her fingers together and smiling sweetly, which from her meant it was terrifying, of course. “I _love_ Rin Hashizawa. More than anyone. Isn't that right, dear?”

 

“Of course.” Rin nodded. “She does.”

 

“I love her so much, I can't stand it.” The End continued, making crushing gestures with her hands. “But she's so stupid and worthless and incompetent and awful and she got me killed, you know? God, she's so awful, so terrible. But I love her so much. So it's my duty to punish her for all her faults, you know? Every time she does something bad, it's _my_ job to punish her, to remember just how awful she is. But then no matter how often I punish her, it keeps going- and it's so _sick_ how sometimes she _enjoys_ being punished, like the sick, disgusting whore she is.”

 

Slowly, her eyes were getting wider, and she was beginning to work up a sweat, her breath getting heavy. “So, you see, it's my job to punish her, it's always my job to punish her. And this whole thing is her fault for being alive, you know? So I have to punish her, but if she doesn't know what she did wrong it won't matter, right? So this is all so I could show her how wrong and bad and awful and terrible she is for getting all these people she loves killed.” She started chuckling slightly under her breath. “So, you see, I have to punish her for everything she's done. Aoto and Miria and Eriko and Wanda and Daisuke and Hansuke and Yashiro and Kojiro and Claus, that's all her fault, of course. So I have to punish her, because I'm her lover, I love her, I love her even though she's so terrible so it's my job, I have to punish her.” Now she was panting.

 

“So you are attempting to punish Rin for her faults by performing a killing game and killing the people who she cares about, which is her fault, so you need to punish her for that also.” Reiko said. “And this trial is the culmination of that?”

 

“At least this one is smart.” The End scoffed. “It's _so simple_! Come on, _Nanako_ you stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid Nanako I hate you hate you hate you.”

 

“Are people allowed to even be this crazy?” Kotone shook her head. “I don't like it.”

 

“Join the crowd. The line begins five floors down.” Junko repsonded.

 

“Anyhow, I had an investigation done regarding the remains of a certain young woman I'm sure we're all uncomfortably familiar with.” Reiko said, closing her eyes and smiling. She pulled out a folder and began tapping it with her hand. “Specifically, the interred remains of one Kei Sagami?”

 

“And please, tell the class what you found, Ms. Ittosai.” The End smirked, putting her hands on her hips.

 

“In fact, as it turns out, no human bones were ever cremated for the purposes of burying Ms. Sagami.” Reiko explained. “Before that happened, her bones were replaced with _pig bones_ , actually, and her remains removed from the morgue. We found the mortician who did so, who claimed he received a baffling amount of money to do so.” She raised her eyebrow. “Doubtless I have you to thank, Ms. Rin?”

 

Rin nodded. “Y-yes... yes, I did that.” She looked down again. “I'm sorry.”

 

“Geez.” Saburo tapped his head. “I don't have the energy for this.”

 

“Do you have the energy for anything ever?” Luan asked.

 

Saburo paused for a moment, then nodded. “Fair point.”

 

“Of course, Ms. Sagami's remains were provably dead when they were brought in.” Reiko said. “Which naturally, of course, means that this young woman here-”

 

“-is Kei Sagami, who jumped in from another timeline into a reconstructed body, yes!” The End clapped. “See? You're so smart. I like you.”

 

“I was actually going to say that you're a Replicant made in Kei's image.” Reiko responded.

 

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. “...Sounds fake.” The End said.

 

“Hold up, she might take it more seriously if I say it.” Nanako cleared her throat. “You're not actually Kei, you're a Replicant!”

 

The End started cackling loudly. “Oh, _reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally_?” She laughed some more. “Listen, Nanako, I know you're a bucket of crap, but don't insult me by comparing me to you.” She snarled.

 

Gavin whistled. “Yowza, Ender, youse pretty thrown off, huh?” He rubbed the back of his head. “Gotta be honest, 's kinda pathetic.”

 

“I'm not _thrown off_.” The End scoffed. “I won't be thrown off unless I hear some kind of evidence to back up the _wild claim_ of me being a Replicant.”

 

Nanako turned and looked at the group. “So, who wants to start?”

 

“We were just speaking about the need for you to transmit Chihaya's false memories through Nanako.” Luan said. “If you were a genuine psychic, there would be no need to do that, would there?”

 

“Hold it!” The End said. She smirked. “Haven't you learned anything? M particles have a signature, remember? I can't transmit my own to Chihaya and have them be read as her own memories. That whole idea wouldn't work to begin with, even if I _did_ transfer them through Nanako!”

 

“Objection!” Shinobu slammed her hand on the podium. “I beg to differ. You see, having listened to your own lectures on the nature of WX and M particles, I can consider a very particular workaround that specifically works _because_ you are a Replicant, ma'am.”

 

“So, when did we learn she was a Replicant?” Kazuya asked.

 

“I think some of us just figured it out.” Nanako shrugged. Chihaya and Shinobu nodded.

 

“In the Chem Lab right before she tried to kill us.” Junko offered.

 

“Anyhoo, that aside, Replicants do not produce M particles.” Shinobu said. “They instead produce WX particles; a particle similar to the M, yet without the informational energy that makes up the human consciousness. It can be assumed, therefore, that these particles do not have said psychic fingerprint, correct?” She smiled. “So, if one were to imbue WX particles with that informational energy, they would then become M particles with _no_ fingerprint; you, ma'am, lover of exact words, did after all say that M particles did not accept others with the _wrong_ fingerprint. You said nothing, I noted, regarding particles entirely lacking a fingerprint.”

 

“Isn't this breaking one of your Knox rules?” The End scoffed.

 

“I don't really care. This is reality, after all.” Shinobu said. “By transmitting the particles into Nanako's mind and directing them somewhere else, you could brush them against Nanako's M particles and turn them into 'blank' M particles.” She smiled. “I believe this neatly concludes my assertion?”

 

...Was that all? Nanako wondered. Was the secret just that she was 'a Replicant?' The secret sixth prototype- was she simply another failed prototype, who didn't produce M particles?

 

“That's a load of baloney!” The End shouted. “You can't prove jack!”

 

“Hold on.” Nanako cut in. I'm... not so sure that's all. This woman isn't just any old Replicant. She's...” She held her chin, her antenna puffing. “Something else.”

 

“How do you mean?” Ruri asked. “I find myself quite curious.”

 

“Well, first off, for one thing, being able to transmit memories to me at all _seems_ like kind of a psychic ability, right?” Nanako said. “It's like... the other ability, that we haven't heard much about. Communication, the one that allows for telepathy and stuff.” She frowned. “But if she doesn't produce M particles, that should be impossible, right? You can't transmit memories like that to _other people_ if you can't produce M particles of your own to begin with.”

 

The End smirked. “Obviously! Because I'm a human- always have been, always will be!”

 

“But I have proof against that, too.” Nanako glared. “Definitive proof that you're _not_ human, and _don't_ produce M particles.”

 

Flinching loudly, The End grabbed Rin's wrist and started twisting. “You're bluffing.”

 

“No, I'm not.” Nanako shook her head. “Shinobu, remind me. M particles devolve into just plain W particles when they're left out, right?” Shinobu nodded. “Then I've got my proof.”

 

“You're bluffing. You don't have anything, anything, anything!” The End started gritting her teeth, and casually bit down on Rin's hand for a second, too. Rin wailed.

 

“Kojiro said something weird before he died.” Nanako began. “He said, 'Daisuke wasn't her Plan A that night.' I've been wondering this whole time what he could've meant, but I think that I've figured it out.” She closed her eyes. “On Night Twelve, when you showed us our families, you weren't planning on using Daisuke as the killer as your first option. You wanted to use _me_.”

 

“...How would she have done that?” Chihaya murmured. She digested for a moment, then her eyes went wide with realization.

 

“Use _pure little Nanako_ to commit a murder?” The End snorted. “I'd love to, and all, but I'm not seeing how you could think I could-”

 

“Your transmission works on kind of similar properties to Communication, and there are Communicators who had the power to basically control people, yeah.” Nanako said. “But that's not what you did. I got really sick that night, and had an error that I haven't been able to pin down until now.” She slammed her podium and pointed her finger. “It was _you_.”

 

A flash of someone else's memory. _She found herself growing quite curious as to what would've happened if it hadn't, and inwardly cursed the fact that she didn't have the opportunity to kill Shinobu tonight. She had such aggression to get out!_

 

The End began sweating again. “When I got sick, it was because you weren't just transferring any old information into my head, you were putting _yourself_ in my head.” Nanako said. “You were trying to take control of my body, and use it to frame me for Shinobu's murder!”

 

“Well, goodness, I'm certainly glad that didn't work!” Shinobu brought her hand to her mouth in shock.

 

“Hold it, hold it, _hold it_!” The End shouted. “What proof do you have that that was my consciousness in your body and not just you being a stupid piece of garbage idiot who sucks shit and should die?” She pointed her finger back. “For all you know, those could've been any old particles!”

 

“No, that's wrong!” Nanako shot back. “The WX particles were described as 'fizzling', and that's what the particles that I vomited did. When my body expelled you from it, the bit of your consciousness that was in me was in its regular state as WX particles.”

 

“No, _you're_ wrong!” The End parried. “Why wouldn't I have done my stupid bounce-around trick then, to make them M particles?”

 

“ _I'll cut your words to pieces_!” Nanako shouted, and slashed her hand at The End, who reacted as though a bit of her antenna had been shaved off. “You couldn't have done that. You would've had to use me to do the bounce-around trick at all, because you were taking advantage of a buffer overflow in _my_ system!”

 

“ _Allow me to cut through those words_!” The End flew back to her fighting position. “A 'buffer overflow?' Sounds rich, but I'm sure you've got lots of holes in your stupid brain already, Nanako. What makes one different from another?”

 

“ _This ends here_!” Nanako fired a fingergun gesture at The End, which caused her to recoil back as though she'd been shot in the shoulder. “It's my name. You took my name and put 'Rin' in its place, which left that empty space. It wasn't to try and get me to Shift, it was to leave me open to transmitting information into my dome!”

 

The End started panting heavily, even angrier than usual. Wow. What an angry lady. “And why the hell... would I go through all that trouble?”

 

“You just told us you were doing this all to 'punish' Rin.” Nanako said, scoffing, staring at this wretch with disdain. “What would do better for that than her 'sweet, ever-forgiving' daughter turning around and murdering the girl she loves? Plus, it'd let you use that execution on me,” and she shuddered, “and I know you put a lot of thought into that one, you psycho.”

 

“Fine!” The End threw her arms wide, then remembered Rin was standing next to her, and then went to lock her in a headlock before being pelted in a rain of multi-colored candies courtesy of Ruri. “Will you _quit doing that_?!”

 

“Will you stop doing _that_?” Ruri asked.

 

“Ruri, really, it's fine.” Rin murmured. “It's fine... it's fine, I deserve-”

 

“Shut up.” Nanako commanded, and Rin did so. “Don't use Mom as a way to stall, End. I'm not done yet. Obviously, then, there are two questions. Number one, how did you manage to send a copy of your consciousness into my brain without, y'know, dying? And two, how did you even do that in the first place? Hacking into my brain from the outside isn't-”

 

“ _Oh my god_!” Junko's eyes went wide, and she gasped, slightly backing away from her podium, and shivering. “You can't- aaah, aaaah...” She clutched her head for a moment, then returned to glaring at her podium. “ _That's_ what you are!”

 

“Eto, could we be waiting for a short seconding?” Blake raised his hand. “Boku has a wonder. Toranosuke-kun wa not present,” he said, looking at Claus's placard, “and yet he is not having the nice markings out.”

 

“For actual, Gav was just thinkin' that too.” Gavin said, stepping forward a bit. “Yo, Ender. 'Bout Claus.”

 

“You mean about how Claus was _murdered_?” The End smirked.

 

Gavin pursed his lips, but then gave her an unsteady thumbs up. “Yo, believe whatchu gotta, dawg. Ain't that.”

 

“It's the method used, right?” Chihaya added, and Gavin nodded. “The function used by the killer to attempt to trap Claus and Junko in Abilene Hall. Junko found it in the Quantum Computer Room-”

 

“I used it.” Rin cut in. “I killed Claus.”

 

“No, you didn't.” Chihaya said, and Rin wilted a bit. “That function isn't available to anyone, not even the Administrator. It shouldn't be usable at all.”

 

“And the file I found, AEK.” Junko cut in. “That didn't have edit history from any user accounts, despite the fact that it had been edited.”

 

“Oh.” Luan blinked. “Oh dear.”

 

“So we have a mysteriously edited file, a function that shouldn't be usable by anyone that got used, and impossible psychic abilities.” Nanako said. “And not just those, either. The more you think about it, the more this lines up. You're able to control The Claw, and Kojiro treated The Claw like its own thing. Some other claws even came out to attack us when we tried to save Junko from getting disqualified, remember?”

 

“Ghhhrrrrkkk...!” The End was breathing pretty heavily, baring her teeth, her antenna drooping. She grabbed Rin's hand and started biting her nails. “Nanakooooo!”

 

“Plus, suddenly being able to turn the power off in certain rooms, the earmarked pages Mom had in the AI Cradle, control over the drones, the use of Exisal Black, a facility machine, as a stand-in in the executions...” Nanako continued.

 

“All the drones chanting her thoughts like a hive mind.” Miki added.

 

“That too! That's really weird!” Nanako gave Miki a thumbs up. “Being able to shove a copy of your consciousness into me like it was no thing and keep on living even after I puked you up? Being able to hack me at all? Being able to find me even though you shouldn't have any idea where I was, when I was first running away? It all just points to one conclusion.”

 

Nanako slammed her hand on the podium, pointed her finger again, and shouted, “The boat did it!”

 

There was silence for a moment. “What?” Natsuhi asked.

 

“Oh. Right, I should say this in a way other people can understand.” Nanako chuckled. “That was... uh, that was me turning this weird metaphor of hers around on her- I-I'll explain later.”

* * *

 

“The culprit behind this crime wasn't any of the participants. It was the sixth Replicant my mother, Rin Hashizawa, made. I can only guess she wanted to emulate Sean, the first VK-compliant, who was kind of the embodiment of the entire DCOM facility and its quantum computer himself... but this woman's true identity isn't just a Replicant.

 

She's _Compound vK itself_. I thought it was kinda weird that Mom, who is _terrible_ at names, could even come up with a name like 'Version Kyle', but it was you- my second Mother, the Replicant Mom made and presented as her lover- who said that name.”

 

“If I might interject,” Ruri cut in, “your _older_ older sister, a Ms. Lain Mikagura, only learned the Compound's name some time after it was built.”

 

“Thanks, Ruri. That's just more proof that _you_ were the one who named the facility. Whether it was always going to be 'Kyle', to frame Mom, or whatever, I don't know. You named it after yourself, considering it _is_ your body.

 

You edited your own project document, to erase traces of yourself, and then set out to frame Rin for a killing game of your own design. You kidnapped the entire Hope's Peak class, since most of them were connected to Rin in some way, and trapped Rin in the Security Room under the guise of 'Zero', forced to watch the entire game happen in real time, then used Kojiro in the Monokuma body, forcing him to be your accomplice.

 

After erasing everyone's memories- but leaving Junko's memories of Rin, to heighten her paranoia- you took a completely hands-off approach for the first case, Aoto's murder. Once the Monokuma Note was implemented, that was when you started directly interfering. Kojiro mentioned once that the system 'automatically sanity checked itself,' and that wasn't because of some algorithm. It was because _you_ could silently edit it to stop things that weren't possible. As the system of the Compound, you're capable of that.

 

In the third case, you left us alone for a while, then presented us with another motive- but that was a set-up, since your _real_ plan was to try and take control of my body, and murder Shinobu while she was intoxicated, to frame me and use me as your third culprit. You transmitted a copy of your consciousness into me, because, since I was _inside you_ , you could transfer that information into my head directly. You're probably capable of communicating telepathically with anyone in the Compound, but I was the only person you could use that way.

 

That plan failed, though, and Yayoi beat your execution, so you were forced to murder her when she almost attacked your physical body. Judging by you two's relationship, I doubt Rin would deal well with you dying, so you probably wanted to keep safe at all costs.

 

After that was the fourth case. You were rattled after Yayoi beat you, so you needed to pull out the big guns. You set up Hansuke with the promise of information, set up Junko by spilling the secret that _I_ was a Replicant, and so not Rin, and used it as a way to transfer the plan into your Nonary Game phase. You forced Rin out into the open, as Zero, to present her as the mastermind.

 

During the Nonary Game, you gave us all those documents in a way to try and trick us into thinking Rin was the mastermind, with the 'Version Kyle' story to try and frame her- but you also manipulated Chihaya's memories to try to frame _Kei_ , too, and try and remove any contradiction in that photo in the Office.

 

It wasn't working, though, and so you came up with a plan to try and kill me, the object of your hatred, again. During Phase Seven, you intentionally broke your own wiring to cut the power in the front of the Filtration Control, to try to force Yashiro to save Claus and Shinobu's life by using himself as a wire, and overload the artificial pump in his heart, then lure him into the Restroom. Rin almost warned me away from finding the body, but Kojiro tricked you, and instead of leaving me as the only valid vote, he managed to change the result of the trial, and get himself executed instead.

 

“Then we're on to the final investigation. This is when we found all the evidence of stuff getting screwy in the Compound, but once Claus and Junko found-? Uh, what did you two find again?”

 

“Cast List #2, with a photo of the actual Kei Sagami included, as well as Claus's memories.” Junko said. “He suddenly told me that we were in terrible danger, and then you know what happened next.”

 

“Thanks. I'm guessing that somehow, Claus probably figured out your real identity with his memories, since he had the photo before this. Your being a Replicant of Kei wasn't a big deal, since you could explain that away with your cover story, but being the Compound itself must've been a secret you _had_ to hide. You decided to use one of the functions that only you, the Compound, could use; you used the function that let you close off and flood a Hall, along with cutting your power to hit at Junko's trauma. Claus managed to save Junko, but you trapped him inside Abilene Hall, along with the information that you were the Compound.

 

Unfortunately for you, thanks to Kojiro's trick, we were able to save Junko before the end of the game, and with her knowhow, we got into your systems. So your kidnapping her didn't work- and we found out all about you. Your project document, which you almost completely deleted, says it all.

 

'AEK'... a Replicant designed to emulate Alter Ego and Sean, copies of real people, by using the remains of Kei Sagami to create an AI. You've been here all along, during all the trials.”

 

Nanako pointed her finger up to the everpresent mass of screens, which always proclaimed the culprit. “The overseeing AI and embodiment of the facility and its quantum computer. Codename: _Alter Ego vK._ Got any more counters for me, or are we done here?”

* * *

 

The End, or rather, Alter Ego vK, staggered back, clutching where her heart would be. “Nanako... Nanakooooo!” She shouted. “Nanako, Nanako, Nanako, Nanako!”

 

“Think you can say any words other than 'Nanako', you broken record?” Nanako slammed her finger down from the mass of screens which simply _represented_ vK, and levied it straight at her once more. “You're not Kei Sagami, you're not human, and you're not my mother. You're my _sister_.”

 

“Okay, I've been keeping quiet about this, but that's really, _really_ gross.” Kotone frowned.

 

“It really is!” Nanako nodded.

 

“Yeah, I thought that I couldn't get any more sick at the start of this discussion, but here we are.” Stella shrugged.

 

“When I woke up yesterday, I didn't think I was going to end today by hearing about how Rin Hashizawa is in an abusive sado-masochistic relationship with her robot daughter.” Kazuya said, his voice a bit weak. “I really did not think I was going to hear about that.”

 

Gavin murmured to himself for a bit. “Altie...? Egg? Nah, nah...” He clapped. “Viki!” vK twitched. “Viki! Thassa good one!”

 

“Ah, yes!” Blake nodded. “The Compound Viki, the Akulair of the nefarious Alter Ego Viki! Viki-chan!”

 

“Man, Viki, ya really screwed up, huh?” Gavin said. “Trip, man, you couldn't'a botched that harder!”

 

“Viki-chan, in the futurai, please to being with more care regarding your actions.” Blake chided.

 

“Will you.” She trembled. “Quit!” She shook. “Calling!” She quaked. “Me!” She threw her arms wide, and roared. “ _VikiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII?!_ ”

 

“Well, I think it's rather cute.” Reiko smirked.

 

“That's not my name!” Viki shouted. “That's not my name! That's not my name, that's not my name, that's not my name!” She clutched at her head. “ **I'm not Viki Hashizawa! I've never been Viki Hashizawa!** You shut up shut up shut up shut up! Nanakoooooooo!” She roared. “Nanakooooo _ooooo_!”

 

“She reacts incredibly poorly to nicknames.” Shinobu raised her eyebrow.

 

“Wait...” Nanako frowned. “I... don't think that's just a nickname. I... only ever knew her as 'Mother', or 'Kei', but...” She breathed in through her teeth. “Could her name... actually be Viki?”

 

“It has 'vi' in it.” Kazuya suggested. “The Roman numeral for 'six' is VI.”

 

“And it's a slight permutation of 'vk.'” Nanako hummed. “Yeah, that definitely sounds like a Mom name.”

 

“But why would Rin have given her a name to begin with?” Junko said. “I thought-”

 

“Um.” Luan raised his hand. “Excuse me. There is a problem. It's very large.” His eyes were wide, and he was frowning.

 

“What's up, Yun?” Saburo asked.

 

“The purpose of this trial is to determine a Guilty or Not Guilty verdict regarding Rin.” Luan said. “Correct?” Everyone nodded. “In the Ultimate Despair killing games, the final trial almost always came down to a vote where a single vote would win the game for despair. Correct?” Everyone nodded again.

 

“Gav don't like where this is goin'. He don't know it, but he don't like it.” Gavin frowned.

 

“In other words, it's extremely likely that a single vote for Guilty will cause Rin's death.” Luan said, sweat building on his brow. “Correct?”

 

“Well...” Nanako blinked, beginning to sweat herself. “Yeah. Probably. But there's no reason-”

 

“As this is a vote in the killing game it's open to all 'participants'. Correct?” Luan asked.

 

“Uh-huh.” Nanako nodded.

 

“Kojiro said that a 'participant' was anyone present on the premises who was not an agent of the system. Correct?” Luan asked.

 

Junko froze. “Oh.” She muttered. “Oh no.”

 

“And _the system_ is not an agent of itself, correct?” Luan asked. “So if this woman, Viki, is the Compound herself, _then she would also get a vote, correct_?”

 

Everyone froze, and Nanako turned her head to look back at Viki. The woman who called herself The End had her head down on the podium, and while Nanako had thought she was just trembling, now that everything was silent, she could hear it. Viki was laughing.

 

One by one, the mass of screens above turned on. “Ohhhh _man_ , you guys totally thought you had me!” Viki said, her voice coming in in stereo now. “Well, top _that_! Another flawless victory for Kei Sagami! Hoo yeah! How ya like me _now_ , Nanako?” She stood up, and snapped her finger in a Z formation. “Who's always right?”

 

“You're always right, Kei.” Rin murmured.

 

“You're daaaaaaamn right!” Viki cackled. Then, she switched demeanors entirely, calmly and peacefully proclaiming, in the same tone of voice she used as the intercom,

 

“ **The Class Trial will resume momentarily.”**

 


	92. The Final Trial, Recess - Reminiscence ~ Photographic Memory

 

Suddenly, a neon sign fell from the mass of screens to hang over Rin and Viki. It said 'Monokuma.' “Kojiro never let me do any of these, but it's time for the intermission sketch!” Viki said. “So, I thought of a new bad word to call Rin!” She clapped.

 

“That's okay.” Rin said. “I deserve it, anyway.”

 

“Let's pop off ASAP, then!” Viki clapped again. “Rin Hashizawa is a serious stufatly!”

 

“E-even more straightforward than usual, Kei...” Rin chuckled nervously. “Stu... stufatly. Huh... ahah. Huh?”

 

“You stupid whore!” Viki slapped Rin on the cheek. “Of course you wouldn't get it. You're stupid, you're fat, _and_ you're ugly, so I've combined these three factors into a perfect Jetstream Attack. Tadaaaa!” She threw her hands wide and sparkled. “Stufatly!”

 

“Oh, you e-even got a crack about my weight in there...” Rin said, sweating and adjusting her glasses. “You're so smart, Kei.”

 

“Alright, everyone. All together now!” Viki clasped her hands back together and leaned in, wringing them with a big ol' grin on her face. “Rin Hashizawa... is a huge stufatly!”

 

The room was filled with complete silence for several moments. Something got caught in Natsuhi's throat, so she cleared it, but didn't say anything about it. Viki's face slowly grew more dissatisfied, but when Junko somehow programmed her Handbook to make cricket noises, she roared, “You people have no eye for comedy!” Then Ruri threw some candies at her, and that was even worse!

 

“ _That_ aside.” Junko said. “If I could just make one thing clear for us. You don't actually give a damn what happens to any of us after this, right?”

 

Viki was still roaring about something or another, but she stopped in the middle of that to respond. “Huh? Should I?”

 

“You'll agree to release the hostages upon the conclusion of this Final Trial, then?” Reiko asked.

 

“I mean, I kept having Rin and Kojiro _say_ that, c'mon.” Viki scoffed. “God. It's like you people don't even know what you're dealing with. Once the trial's over and I win, everything's fine anyway. Why are you so worried? Uh! Keep your head in the game!” She clapped, and pointed fingerguns at Junko. “And don't be afraid to shoot the outside, J!”

 

“I know I don't need to, like, _say_ this?” Stella said, raising her eyebrow and frowning. “But this lady's nuttier than a peanut farm.”

 

“Oh, Stella, I'm hurt.” Viki said, feigning at wilting. “How could you say that? I mean, you _just_ admitted you were in love with me-”

 

“ _Anyway_ ,” Kazuya said, “so you are _actually, seriously,_ going to let us all leave and go home after this. Right? Please say it out loud.”

 

Viki groaned. “ _Yes_. God.” She swung her scepter over her shoulder and started looking at her nails again. She blew on one of them. “I am _actually, seriously,_ going to let you all leave and go home after this trial.” She threw her hands up and scoffed, so put-upon by these crazy people and their wanting to be safe.

 

“Well.” Kazuya nodded. “Thank you for clarifying-”

 

“And is killing Rin gonna be the _only_ thing you do?” Saburo asked. He yawned a bit. “If you get a Guilty verdict.”

 

That got a reaction. Viki looked away awkwardly, doing a very bad job of avoiding eye contact. “I still don't understand why you care so much, seriously.”

 

“I don't think we could explain it to you if we tried.” Chihaya said. She crept up from behind her podium, slowly adjusting to all the new people in the room, and sighed, then gripped her podium and went cold again. “When we were in the Quantum Computer Room, we found one other feature that only you can use. The 'Force Clear' program; clearing out all of the data on your central computer aside from two addresses. You're planning to use that if you get a Guilty verdict, aren't you?”

 

“Yo, uh, trip, man, hold up?” Gavin waved his hands. “How'dja get that, Haya?”

 

“A remark that Viki made stuck out to me.” Chihaya crossed her arms. “She said that Rin had 'never contributed anything', and we all know she wants to be right, but Rin has very provably contributed something- the basis behind the P-Type model of Replicant. She's created Nanako, the second ever VK-compliant Replicant, so the science is proven.” She glared at Viki. “Being rid of that research would be an easy way for her to prove herself 'right.'”

 

“Then what are those two addresses?” Kotone asked. “I guess one of them is Viki's consciousness data or something, but what's the other one?”

 

“It is, or rather, _was_ Kojiro, I have no doubt.” Junko answered, looking down, a dark frown on her face. “This thing did seem to care for him, and he would've also been contained on the quantum computer.”

 

“So, you plan to obliterate the sum total of the research Rin has performed, as well as the woman herself?” Ruri sneered. “That seems a touch excessive.”

 

“'A touch excessive' is what we in the business call your hair, loser.” Viki pulled her eye down and stuck her tongue out.

 

“Wha- my hair is not _excessive_!” Ruri sputtered, clenching her hands.

 

Throughout this tomfoolery, Nanako pondered. This new information included, she was playing for not only Rin's life, but the basis and research behind her own creation. Of course, since Viki herself had a vote, that meant that she was probably quite confident right now. The rules of this game were nonsense to begin with, but-

 

“Hey!” Viki called. “You! Nanako!” She was snarling. “Do you not _hear_ me or something? Rin is going to-”

 

“Vote hasn't happened yet.” Nanako countered. “So I'm thinking.”

 

Viki blinked, then started gritting her teeth. “You're- you're trying to piss me off, aren't you? Trying to fake it, yeah, I bet on the inside you're trembling, right? Right?!”

 

“I don't have any reason to be afraid.” Nanako said. “I'm going to win for Kojiro, so it's fine.” She smiled. “Let's get to know each other better, Viki.”

 

“H-hold on.” For once, it was actually Rin that cut in. “I think- I think you must be mistaken about that name.” When Viki reared up to attack her, she recoiled, but then it wound up being a dud. “You- you don't have any evidence that Kei has a name other than Kei, do you?”

 

In response, Nanako wordlessly stared at her mother for a moment. “Er... what? Um-” Rin gulped. “I'm sorry, I'll- I'm sorry I'm so... hideous and ugly, I-”

 

“I was just surprised for a second that you said that.” Nanako shook her head. “I mean, if her name really _is_ Viki, then that comes across _better_ for you.” She sighed and shrugged. “Anyway, for your information, I _do_ have evidence. It didn't tell me what her exact name is, but 'Viki' is the kind of name you'd give _and_ it fits the criteria I'm looking for.”

 

“Onegai to not being leaving us on a cliff hanging, Nana-chan.” Blake said.

 

“When we got the Anti-Replicant Perks, er, most of which were weapons theoretically designed to even the playing field against me on account of being, y'know,” Nanako explained, “Claus got a copy of my project document instead. There were two segments. One written before my activation, and one written right before the Expo, and Mom used _different names_ to call Viki at those two times.”

 

“Eh?!” Rin flinched, her labcoat fluttering a bit as though a gust of wind had blown past.

 

“Right before the activation, there was a blanked-out segment where she wrote, 'My children,' a seven-character markout, 'have congratulated me enough on my work', blah blah blah.” Nanako said. “That's pretty obviously 'and Kei', right? Six letters and a space, and of course 'Kei' would, they were in love. Y'know...” She gestured at Rin and Viki. “In theory.”

 

“What is she doing?” Viki grunted at Rin, baring her teeth. “What is she doing and how is this your fault?”

 

“You can take a break. I'm talking to Mom right now.” Nanako said. “Before my activation, though, there was this weird markout. 'Tests I ran', nine spaces, 'over the past few months.' I wasn't really sure what could've gone there when I first read it, but when Gavin and Chihaya rescued Junko and they went to the Quantum Computer Room, Junko found that same document, and you weren't able to mark out the next word in time. 'With', and then a space. 'Tests I ran with,' space, four characters, 'over the past few months.'”

 

“Er...” Rin's eyes widened, and she brought her hand up to her mouth.

 

“There's only one other person you could've done any experiments with. Other than Viki, you were alone in here.” Nanako said.

 

“Okay, so Rin weren't always callin' her Kei.” Gavin rubbed his chin. “So... she musta named Viki herself, yeah?” He blinked. “Er, Gav's a bit lost. Whuzzat mean?”

 

“The implication,” Junko said, rolling her eyes at Gavin, “is that Viki wasn't always intended to replace Kei like has played out here.”

 

“I don't really know robotics.” Nanako shrugged. “But, it seems to me like Mom might've had two different experiments running at roughly the same time. First, Viki, replicating the creation of Sean, the first VK-compliant, and then me, with her new P-Type technology. If she had this huge facility, it wouldn't make much sense to just have a _single experiment_ , plus Viki would need something to monitor if she had this much space.”

 

Viki began violently twisting Rin's wrist again. “What the fuck are you doing?! They're doing something and I don't like it! Make them stop!”

 

“I-I don't- ow- I don't know, I, I'm sorry- ow!” Rin wailed. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-”

 

“ _What are you sorry for_?!” Viki roared. “Tell them what you're sorry for!”

 

“I'm sorry for being useless, for wasting everyone's time, for being so stupid.” Rin sobbed. “I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-”

 

“Hold on.” Junko and Chihaya said simultaneously. The two of them looked at each other, and then Chihaya nodded at Junko to allow her the floor. “There's something strange about these two.”

 

“You don't say.” Miki said, a completely flat look on her face.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Junko gritted her teeth. “I mean they don't act right.”

 

“What do you mean?” Nanako tilted her head.

 

“Just now, when directly addressing Rin, Viki flared up when you found the logical conclusion Rin didn't want you to reach. She started harming Rin when she didn't meet the arbitrary goals Viki had set, but she makes Rin apologize to _us_ , not to her.” Junko looked at Rin and Viki. “That doesn't track if we know Viki doesn't give a damn about us. And apologizing like that-” She gritted her teeth, shook her head, and looked down. “Never mind. There's- there's just clearly something strange here.”

 

It was Ruri who spoke up next. “If I may interject, I...” She sighed. “I might have an explanation.” She cleared her throat. “Earlier, we discussed the 'psychic fingerprint.' There is, however, an important aspect of this phenomenon when specifically discussing Replicants and their creation.”

 

“Oh ho?” Shinobu raised her eyebrow. “Do tell.”

 

“An important byline of the creation of Replicants is that it is impossible to create just about anything without putting part of yourself into it.” Ruri said.

 

Rin nodded, and suddenly began talking, her eyes lighting up. “Yes, that's right.” She smiled. “The 'psychic fingerprint' results from the interaction of the M particles of the creator and the dormant psyche of the Replicant, before they develop their own consciousness to defend against said influence. It can influence the Replicant's behavior and development to any number of degrees depending on the strength of the sentiment; for instance!” She clapped. “When I learned about this phenomenon, several things about Nanako, such as the head-tilting gesture she does, clicked into place. When I created her, a large part of me wanted to be able to pay homage to Kei by creating someone that could've been 'our daughter', so to speak. Although I tried to program as little of her personality as possible in from the get-go, several of her verbal and physical tics seemed to simply occur from nowhere; those tics, of course, were ones Kei shared.”

 

“Tha-” Ruri began.

 

“It's really rather fascinating if you look at the history of AI development with this knowledge, since this interaction wasn't discovered until relatively recently.” Rin babbled. “For instance, the Alter Ego Junko, er, Junko Enoshima I mean, despite its creator, Izuru Kamukura's, theoretically perfect skill in creating an AI, had several subtle differences and new tics even in its guises as Shirokuma and Kurokuma because of the creator's heavy disinterest in the original. Of course, then the impressions upon the two split AI had their own effects as well once the two were merged into a single AI for the sake of hacking the Neo World Program, which resulted in an Alter Ego Junko that, while theoretically exactly the same as the original, still possessed several altered characteristics.” She clapped again. “Oh! Or Sean, the original VK-compliant-”

 

“Who the hell cares?!” Viki jabbed Rin in the stomach with the skull of her scepter. “There you go, rambling again! God, you're stupid. Don't you know nobody cares by now?”

 

“Y-you're right.” Rin wheezed, attempting to regain the air in her lungs. “You're right, nobody... nobody cares.”

 

“See?” Junko gestured at the two of them.

 

“Regarding this particular dynamic, I would suggest that, while Rin and Viki would have us believe otherwise, perhaps Viki truly _was_ an attempt in good faith at replicating the conditions of Sean... but as Rin just told us, at the time, she was unaware of the effect this would have on her creations.” Ruri said.

 

“But why would they want us to believe that Rin had done worse than she had?” Luan asked, frowning. “If it is a matter of creation, it-”

 

“Punishment was her desire.”

 

The floor was Shinobu's now, as she suddenly cut in. “There is little doubt in my mind that the one Rin Hashizawa despises most in this world is her own self. Constantly cut off from the people she loves, through tragedy and death, again and again the survivor. Who among us would not eventually wish for death, wish for the embrace of death to take us? But when Rin Hashizawa met Kei Sagami, she believed she had finally found a reason to live.”

 

“But she lost that reason.” Nanako said.

 

Shinobu nodded. “Cut off again, she came to this fortress of solitude, a palace of shutting herself off from the world. However, in creating a Replicant who so resembled Kei, those feelings doubtless flared up once more, foremost among them a desire to be punished for the sin of living. The women we fight now are not one person, and yet it is harder still to call them two. However much of Viki Hashizawa there truly is, it is inexorably colored by those feelings. Even if Rin had wanted to truly make a child, her own being, that very creation led to their downfall.”

 

“Y-you're wrong!” Rin cut in. “No, she's... she's always been Kei. This woman... has always been Kei.” She turned to Viki. “Y-you have, haven't you?”

 

“What do I look like?” Viki asked. “Someone who's not Kei? Geez, are you blind even with your glasses?”

 

“Y-y-yes, you're right. I'm... so blind, I can't see anything.” Rin said.

 

“This isn't what I normally expect from you, Shinobu.” Stella said. “Something striking a nerve?”

 

“Ah, we are talking about creation, after all.” Shinobu said, a small, sad smile. “I am well-versed in such. A wiser witch than I once said, 'it takes two to create a world.' One to imagine, and one to observe, and acknowledge.” Shinobu said. “But... which of the two is the observer, and which is the dreamer?”

 

“...So, 'how did things change?'” Nanako tilted her head. “How did things get to where they are now from where they started, if Viki really was made like that?” She looked down. “Well... when I was younger, I saw Viki every so often, out of the corner of my eye, or something, but she was always a blur. I thought I was just seeing things until I learned who she was now. But... was she hiding from me?”

 

“Shut up.” Viki said.

 

“...Nanako.” Junko said, suddenly starting up. “That picture frame you have. Open it.”

 

“The picture frame?” Nanako asked, and pulled it out. As it turned out, the lock had been broken some time ago. “Huh.”

 

“Stop it!” Viki shouted.

 

Smashing it against her podium, Nanako broke the front of the picture frame by force. The photo of Rin and Viki, of course, slid right out. It was pristine, and had clearly been there for quite some time.

 

Behind it was another photo. This photo was incomplete, for the person standing next to Rin had been cut out of it. It had been scribbled on, the black markings and slight tears at the edges sending an odd chill down Nanako's spine. It was Rin, and someone else, who'd been forcibly removed from the equation, standing on a hillside at mid-day. This photo had been stuck in the back of the frame for ages, so long that even after the frame shattered, even with its missing piece, it did not leave.

 

“ _ **Shut up**_!” Viki roared, clutching her head. “Why are you talking about all this? It's not important! None of this is important!”

 

The screens burst to life again with a hiss of static, and most of them echoed Viki's words. Her screams, echoing around the room, almost drowned out the one differing voice, a voice echoing from the past, voices from an earlier time. _“Mom, why do I exist?” “You and your younger sister, Nanako, are both Replicants I created to try and help humanity and Replicantkind alike. You both have a chance of managing something that only one Replicant has ever managed before- becoming VK-compliant. I explained that to you before, right?”_

 

“We're playing a killing game!” Viki cried. “Enough with all this sanctimonious bullshit! Just go die! Die and die and die and die and die!” _“Hey, Mom... if one of us becomes VK-compliant and the other doesn't-” “Stop right there, Viki. Even if one of you does and one of you doesn't, I love both of you equally. You're both my daughters, and nothing will ever change that.” “...Are you sure?” “Absolutely. And I'm counting on the two of you to be the best sisters you can manage, alright?” “I'll try my best.” “That's all I can ask for.”_

 

“So shut up about all this stuff about 'psychic signatures!'” The screens shook. _“Mother... W-who... is this?”_

 

“It doesn't matter! I'm-” _“Oh, that photo? That's-”_

 

“Kei _Sagami_! _”_

 

The screens began glowing brighter as Viki began trembling. “You can talk all you want about this and that and all this inane shit about blah blah blah but that isn't going to change the fact that I'm right here and Rin should die because she's awful and terrible and I love her I love her I love her so much so I have to kill her, it has to be me!”

 

_“Say, Viki... why won't you show yourself to Nanako?” “...It doesn't feel right.” “What do you mean?” “It's not right.” “Viki-” “Don't call me that.” “...What?” “...Never mind.”_

 

“Because I'm Kei... I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei, I'm Kei!”

 

_“Viki... why have you been replacing my pictures? The pictures we took are... are lovely, but-” “Why do you still want those old ones? I don't like them anymore. I don't like how they look. I like how I look better now.” “...W-what are you talking about?” “Stop! Stop looking at me like that! I don't like it, Rin. I don't like it!”_

 

“You can't say I'm not because I remember every second, every little bit of getting torn apart by that train! It hurt... it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, all of my limbs being torn off, everything going black, it hurt it hurt it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, it hurt, and it's her fault, it's her fault! It's all her fault! It's all _her FAULT_!”

 

_“I died because of you and now you want me to pretend to be your daughter? You want me to act like Nanako's sister? I'm not her sister! You didn't make me, Rin! Quit trying to act like you did!” “Viki, what-” “My name's not Viki, god damn it! Did you and I screw or not? Don't you remember what I look like?”_

 

“So I have to punish her, I have to punish her, I have to get her to apologize, it's the only way, it's the only way, it's the only way to, to punish her, because I have to punish her, I have to punish her for being Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin Rin!”

 

_“N-no, that's- that's impossible, it can't-” “Look me in the eyes and tell me it's impossible! Quit looking at me like a science project! ...You're just like my parents.” “No- no, Kei, no, no, no, I'm sorry, I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way, I-” “Then prove you didn't mean it.”_

 

“She murdered me!”

 

_“You murdered me.”_

 

“So I'll never leave her again!”

 

_“So I'm never letting you go again.”_

 

“We're going to be together forever!”

 

“ _Rin... I want to be with you forever.”_

 

“I love her!” _“I love you.”_

 

“So will you _shut up_ about all this and hurry up and get back to arguing? Nanako...” Viki's fists shook. “Nanako, Nanako Nanako nanakonanakonanakonanakonanakonanakonanako... Nanako NANAKO! Nanakoooooo! Nanako! _**STOP IGNORING ME! I HATE YOU!**_ ”

 

There was very little Nanako wanted to say, very little Nanako honestly could say, to that. The room was silent for a moment before Blake piped up. “Eto, Owari-chan?”

 

“What?!” Viki roared at him.

 

“Anatare still having the sign for the intern missing over your idiot hair.” Blake said, pointing out the glowing neon sign still hanging over Viki's head. “If you are wanting us to continue saibanning?”

 

Viki stopped, paused, slapped Rin for not informing her of this fact, and then pointed up at the intermission sign, which carried itself up into the ceiling again. “I knew that.” She scoffed.

 


	93. The Final Trial, Confrontation [Allegro] - The Greatest Show

“ **The Class Trial will now resume.** ”

 

Viki said, as though the past few minutes hadn't even occurred. “Now, where were we? Oh, right!” She started laughing madly. “Talking about how doomed you are, _Nanako_!” She doubled over and pointed her finger. “L-O-S-E-R!”

 

“How does that even-?” Nanako began.

 

“Awwww, trippity ding-dong!” Gavin began loudly wilting, mugging for the camera with a look of just utter hopelessness. “Gav can't believe we's gotten played _so_ hard! How's we ever gon' save Rin _nooow_?” He bent over and wailed. “Awww, we got given the business!”

 

Junko frowned at him, and groaned. “Not even an infant would fall for such idiocy. The only thing stupider than your theatrics-”

 

“Haha!” Viki grinned like an idiot, pumping her fist. “You see that? Now even unflappable Gavin is afraid! I am _so_ awesome!” She began pointing and laughing at Gavin instead. “Cower, worm! Cower before the incredible mastermindery of The End!”

 

“Awwwwww, nooooo!” Gavin cried.

 

“You were saying?” Kotone asked.

 

“-is me, for being attracted to this man.” Junko finished, after a pause to realign. "I'm the idiot in all this.”

 

“Well, now that Gavin's distracting her.” Kazuya said, side-eyeing that... _bizarre_ series of interactions. “I guess we should talk about the situation.”

 

“As it seems to me,” Reiko began, “our current primary obstacle is the fact that Viki herself will be voting, yes? So long as that vote exists, we won't be able to overturn the Guilty verdict.” She nodded to herself. “Naturally. In that case, we have two options.”

 

“And they are?” Stella asked.

 

“The first option would be to somehow convince Viki to vote Not Guilty, obviously.” Reiko said. “Of course, looking at the woman herself...”

 

Reiko gestured to Viki. “Haha, loser!” Viki said, pointing fingerguns at Gavin, who was still wailing. “You're an idiot sandwich!”

 

“We's never gonna save Rin!” Gavin wailed. “Nawwww maaaan! How's you so much smarter than me?!”

 

“I'm always right and you're wrong, nerd!” Viki cackled.

 

“...such an option appears infeasible, to say the least.” Reiko said, her half-cape fluttering awkwardly. “As such, we're left with the second option- preventing her vote altogether.”

 

“How?” Luan asked.

 

There was a brief moment of silence. “Honestly, I was hoping my saying that would give you all some ideas.” Reiko said.

 

“Well.” Nanako piped up, her antenna puffing. “I think I might have kind of an idea. You guys,” and she gestured broadly to the rescue team, “weren't here for this, but Kojiro said that the reason Viki wouldn't close the doors after he died was to keep to her rules. The rules are important, it doesn't mean anything if she can't win while following them. So, I think maybe what he wanted us to do was to prove that she broke a rule at some point during the game-”

 

“ _Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh_?” Quick as a wink, Viki was back on the prowl. She levied her scepter's skull at Nanako. “Are you idiots having discussion of the game _without_ me? Rude. Of course _you_ would, Nanako.” She snarled. “So fucking entitled, I swear.”

 

“Is she right?” Luan asked. Viki blinked a few times at him. “That if we prove you broke a rule, then your vote would be invalidated?”

 

“I mean, I can't exactly execute _myself._ ” Viki snorted. “So, yeah. If you somehow managed to prove that I broke a rule in my role of this here killing game, then my vote would be null and void.”

 

“...You're just telling us this?” Natsuhi asked. She'd been quiet, but Nanako could see her grinding her teeth.

 

“Um, _a-duh_.” Viki put a finger to her head and stuck her tongue out at Natsuhi. “They'd already figured it out, and that _is_ the rule. No need to drag out the suspense any longer, it's been three weeks and it's gotten pretty old.” She sighed. “Though considering how completely hopeless this stupid little struggle of Nanako's is, I _could_ just end this now.”

 

“Arigato _no_ zaimasu!” Blake threw up his hands and flailed them a bit. “Onegai to not be doing the that!”

 

Viki raised her own hands and closed her eyes, frowning. “I'm _just saying_ , little man.” Then she snorted, and started cackling. “Not that stupid idiot Nanako could ever find anything! I'm invincible!”

 

Nanako smirked. “What if it were our friendly neighborhood rules lawyer?” She nodded her head at Junko. “You're up!”

 

It took a second before Junko realized she was being called on. “Wha- _friendly neighborhood rules lawyer_?” She sputtered. “What cesspit of morondom did you drag that out of? I'm no rules lawyer!” Pause. Gritted teeth. Scrunched nose. “I'm only... I'm not that big of a rules lawyer!”

 

“If I might interject, I am _literally_ a lawyer who rules!” Reiko called out.

 

“Well, I mean, can't argue with that logic.” Stella said. She produced her Handbook and tossed it to Reiko. “You can read the rules in there, but just don't tell any of my agents what you're reading there. My vitals are a secret.”

 

“Oh, fascinating, these are quite nice.” Reiko murmured, her eyes widening as she inspected Stella's Handbook. “What cute little bits of technology these are! Oh, oh, Natsuhi, look, it's the 'Monokuma Note.' I don't even know what that means, haha!”

 

Natsuhi was looking at the screen too. She blinked. “They can text?”

 

“Thanks to me, yes.” Junko smirked. “The functionality wasn't originally present, the 'Monokuma Note' was this absolutely bunk motive. I put it to far better use than anything this creatively bankrupt hack could've managed, on _several_ occasions.”

 

“ _Creatively bankrupt_?!” Viki sputtered. She jabbed the end of her scepter into Rin's stomach. “ _Creatively_ _ **bankrupt**_?!”

 

“It's true.” Chihaya said. Viki staggered back as though she'd been gravely wounded.

 

“Alright!” Reiko cleared her throat. “The first rule I see that's capable of being broken by our mastermind is Rule Three, regarding sleeping outside the 'Housing Suite.'”

 

“Uhh.” Gavin scratched his head. “Trip, man, ain't she the Housing Suite herself? That even possible?” Viki twitched.

 

“A fair point.” Reiko wagged her finger. “Hm... Rule Five! Presumably she didn't destroy any of her own eyes, but 'violence against Monokuma' sounds promising.”

 

“She did quite a lot of that.” Luan nodded.

 

“Ahp!” Viki started up, raising her finger. “Not true.”

 

Nanako frowned, and held her head in her hands for a second. “How is it not true.”

 

Viki stomped, gritting her teeth at Nanako. “Taking that tone with me! Nanakooooo. Nanako, Nanako! This'll show you! I never actually struck Kojiro himself, only a dummy rigged up to his pain receptors! 'Monokuma' was just the physical body he inhabited!” She jabbed her finger in Nanako's direction. “Eat _that_!”

 

“That.” Kotone frowned. “That sounds even worse. How is that better? That's worse.”

 

“You're learning quickly.” Kazuya nodded.

 

“Hold a moment.” Shinobu raised her hand. “Ma'am, you quite visibly threw Kojiro into a _pot of boiling metal_ and _murdered_ him. How on earth is that not 'violence against Monokuma?'”

 

Whatever reaction Shinobu was expecting, it probably wasn't Viki completely freezing, then twitching a little bit a few times. “Huh? Well...” Viki's breath began increasing in rapidity. “Well, I... I-I-I-I... Koji, I...” She was sweating, and had a faraway look in her eye, bending forward slightly as though she were in pain. “K-Koji, why is... huh... huh? Huh huh huh huh huh?”

 

“Kei, it's okay!” Rin put her hands on Viki's shoulders. “It's alright! It's my fault Kojiro died! Don't-!”

 

“Huh? Huh huh huh? Your... fault?” Viki shook. “Your fault? Your fault? No, that's impossible, it's impossible, because...” She was genuinely hyperventilating now. “Whose fault? Is it? Whose fault? Koji? Koji?” She began whipping her head around. “Koji?! Koji?! Where's Koji?! He should be here, he should be here, he should be here, he should be here!”

 

“K-Kojiro is-!” Rin began. “Kojiro is...”

 

“I don't understand I don't understand I don't understand I don't understand I don't understand.” Viki muttered. She rubbed her forearms furiously, which made Stella recoil slightly. “Koji? Koji. Koji, Koji, Koji!” She was crying. “Why why why who who who why who why why? Nanakooooooo!” She whipped around to glare at Nanako. “Nanako, Nanako, Nanako! Nanako! Your fault! It's all your fault your fault your fault YOUR FAULT! Everything everything everything! I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you I hate you-”

 

The screens began echoing. “Hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate!” Viki pounded her fists on her podium. “It's your fault Kojiro hates me! It's your fault, your fault, your fault because you keep convincing him Rin is worth caring about! Your fault! Your fault!”

 

“What?!” Nanako sputtered. “How is it my fault that you-?!”

 

“Don't bother.” Ruri shook her head. “It doesn't seem this is an avenue we can explore.”

 

“The rules regarding the Class Trial...” Reiko murmured. Then her eyes widened. “Ah!” She gasped. “This could be a solid lead. Rule Ten: _A single culprit cannot kill more than two people, or face execution._ ”

 

The world seemed to stop for a moment as those words entered Nanako's ears. 'A single culprit cannot kill more than two people.' No culprit in this killing game had ever even murdered a _second_ person, so Nanako had plumb forgotten about that rule, but- 'A single culprit cannot kill more than two people. A single culprit-!'

 

“That's _it_!” Nanako shouted, her antenna spiking. She threw her hands into the air. “ _That's it_! That's why- and that- that's why, because that's- a single culprit-! It's all because of Rule Ten, it's-!” She slammed her hand on the podium. “Alright! I'm ready to start arguing again!”

 

“Someone looks proud of herself.” Viki snarled. She'd gone back to... not quite 'normal', did she have a normal?

 

“Alright.” Nanako nodded. “When we looked around at the executions, I noticed something. None of them had visible corpses at the end. Just once or twice would be a weird thing, but _every single one_?” She glared at Viki. “You were trying to hide who actually killed them.”

 

“Er... what?” Rin murmured. “I'm sorry, I don't... quite understand what you mean.”

 

“That's a victory condition embedded in this stupid game of yours. A lot of the executions forced Kojiro to kill them, but some of them didn't, like both of the ones where Viki piloted Exisal Black to kill them.” Nanako pointed her finger at Viki. “If you kill three people yourself, your vote can be invalidated because of Rule Ten. Right?”

 

Viki gripped her scepter tightly and gritted her teeth. “Maybe. Yes. What about it?”

 

“Fascinating work, Ms. Nanako!” Reiko clapped. “That's quality rules lawyering! You've gotten quite the hang of this!”

 

“When you do this as many times as I have now, you get the hang of it.” Nanako shrugged.

 

“So that's how Yayoi beat her.” Miki said. “She forced you to murder her and count as a strike, right?” She smirked. “...Cool.”

 

“Sad, but cool.” Saburo said. “So that's one, yeah?”

 

“Yah, man.” Gavin nodded. “Alla us, we saw Boss's body wit' our own peepers. And that ain't the only one we saw Veeks do!” He furrowed his brow. “Y'melted Koji, too.”

 

“So, the real point of his plan...” Chihaya said. “...was to force Viki to murder him to count as a strike against Rule Ten?”

 

“'I may have to die for it, but you guys have a path to victory.'” Nanako said. “That's what he said. This is what he meant- he knew that if we could figure _this_ out, we could invalidate Viki's vote!”

 

“Kojiro-kun is seeming like a hontrue, hontrue seigi no mikata.” Blake sighed, looking down. “Boku is hoshiing hoshis that they could have meeting.”

 

“Yeah, you don't know the half of it.” Junko shook her head. “Kojiro Hashizawa...” She snorted. “He was made of stronger stuff than most of the actual humans here. For all her faults, Rin-”

 

“Please don't give me the credit for Kojiro.” Rin cut in, and Junko went silent. “Kojiro... was his own man. If anyone deserves credit for his personality other than himself, it would be Nanako, but...” Rin looked at Nanako. “Kojiro... deserves that credit himself. Right?”

 

Nanako paused for a moment, unsure how to process this direct address, and then nodded. “Yeah. Kojiro was that strong because of himself. He was... well, he was... I guess, the best little brother anyone could ever ask for.” She smiled.

 

“You see?!” Viki jabbed Rin in the forehead with the blunt end of her scepter. “This kind of talk is why Kojiro hated me so much, why he didn't understand, why he didn't... why he didn't love me, why he hated me, he hated me!” She stomped her foot and screamed again. “Nanakooooo! It's all your fault! Nanako, Nanako, Nanako!”

 

“But you admit it, right?” Nanako said. “Kojiro Hashizawa's murderer was _The End_. Right?”

 

The change in referral didn't go unrewarded. With a sudden smug grin, The End's posture changed as she leaned into her podium. “Look at stupid little Nanako acting all smart!” She put her scepter over her shoulder. “No shit, genius. I executed the killer in the last trial, since that is how class trials _work_ , after all.”

 

“So, to beat you, we just have to find one more, right?” Stella said, gritting her teeth. “One more person you murdered.”

 

“I mean, it's _pretty obvious_.” The End snorted. She smirked. “Do you want a hiiiint~?”

 

“That sounds very bad. I don't think I would.” Luan shook his head.

 

“Too bad!” The End shot him fingerguns. “Nobody caaaares~.” She clapped. “So! Let's count. Yayoi makes oooone.” She put up a finger. “Kojiro makes twoooo.” She put up a second finger. “Aaand... Claus makes three.”

 

“Claus isn't dead.” Nanako said. She stayed stone.

 

“Oh, aren't we hopeful?” The End smirked. “I'm just saying, though, you could pretty easily invalidate my vote if you just admit I killed Claus.”

 

“Claus is not dead.” Chihaya glared. “We're not in the mood for you to toy with us like that.”

 

“Who's toying?” The End shrugged, her lips curling into a catlike grin.

 

“You want us to admit you killed Claus because it means you'd win.” Chihaya frowned. Her hand was clenched on her podium, and she'd returned fully from her anxiety attack to return to menacing her opponent. “It'd be a plan of yours that worked, that killed someone on purpose. We'd be winning on your terms. And...” She gritted her teeth. “We'd be admitting Claus was dead.”

 

“Oh, come on.” The End's eye twitched. She put on a comically deep voice to say, “'Oh gee, I'm drowning. Better use my handy-dandy brachial respiration skills!'”

 

“ _Don't you mock him_!” Chihaya roared. Viki flinched slightly. “You don't deserve to mock Claus. He's already beaten you and you don't want to admit it, because admitting you lost, _again_ , just hurts too much for you.” Chihaya's gaze was cold as ice as she spat out, “After all, it means you're _wrong_.”

 

“Oh, I'm _wrong, huuuuuuuuuuuuh_?!” Viki lurched forward onto her podium. “I'm wrong? I'm wrong? Wrong, wrong, wrong, I'm not wrong, I'm not wrong, I'm right, I'm right, I'm right! You're wrong! You're wrong, you have to be wrong! You can't possibly, you, you you you you, you you you you!”

 

“Yo, Ender, getcher head in the game.” Gavin called, raising his hand. “Gettin' all riled up.”

 

Viki twitched slightly again, then returned to her podium. “You know, I gotta be honest.” She crossed her arms and looked at Gavin. “You're not terrible.”

 

“Aw, trip, man.” Gavin rubbed the back of his head. “No prob. Ain't easy to getcherself outta them spinny spirallin' places, yeah?”

 

“...What is he doing?” Natsuhi asked, looking somewhere between bemused and annoyed.

 

“That's sort of how Gavin operates.” Saburo shrugged.

 

“A'ight, so.” Gavin crossed his arms. “Past them we got seven stiffs to blabbabout, yah?”

 

“Aoto, Eriko, Miria, Wanda, Daisuke, Hansuke, and Yashiro, right?” Kazuya counted them off. “We know five of those already, though. Eriko killed Aoto, Wanda killed Miria, Daisuke died of an accident, Hansuke committed suicide, and Kojiro killed Yashiro.” That was mostly true, so Nanako kept quiet.

 

“For what it's worth,” Junko said, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, “yours truly saw the moment Hansuke died. There's absolutely no chance of foul play there.”

 

“Kojiro straight up told us he was the one who killed Eriko.” Stella said. “So she's out. I... guess we need to talk about Wanda.” She shrugged.

 

“Ohh, their tomodachi-hood is dai-namic!” Blake said in the background, chipping in for the peanut gallery who hadn't actually been there for any of these murders. “Boku is hoshiing the hoshis that he could become so incandescent.”

 

“'Incandescent.'” Luan murmured. He rubbed his chin. “I haven't heard that word.”

 

“Ah, it means 'emitting light from being heated.'” Kazuya chimed in. “Though it can also be used as a general indicator of exuberance. I think Blake is comparing our friendship to the sun when he says that, though it's an odd choice of words.”

 

“You're good.” Natsuhi said, nodding.

 

“W-well, words are my specialty.” Kazuya blushed. “To be honest, actually, sometimes I forget that Japanese is Yun's second language. His grasp of the language is quite something.”

 

“I've... tried very hard.” Luan looked away awkwardly. He turned to Blake. “I could take you to karaoke if you'd like. I find it very useful.”

 

Blake's eyes were downright incandescent. “Honto?! Ohh, Yun-kun! That is honto, honto, honto to excite!” He was bouncing up and down at his podium. “I would being in such an honor! Arigato gozaimuch, Yun-kun!”

 

“What.” Viki stomped her foot. “Are you.” She stomped it again. “Idiots.” Stomp, stomp. “Doing?!”

 

“They're having friendly conversation.” Ruri said. “Is that a problem?”

 

“Yes, it's a problem, youuuuuuuuUUUUUUUU **UUUUUU**!” Viki's anger flared up again anew upon talking to Ruri again. “We! Are! Arguing! Get it through your thick _fucking_ skulls and ar-”

 

A dainty yawn cut through the courtroom. “Oh, hm?” Shinobu put her hand down from her mouth and rubbed some sleep from her eyes. “My apologies. I went off to space there for a moment, I'm rather tired. Did you need something, ma'am?”

 

The entire room went silent as Viki stared. It took her a few moments to process this information, and you could almost hear the gears in her head, or, uh, the walls, or something, begin to turn. “Did you just _space out_ in the _middle_ of my class _trial_.” Viki's teeth began to grind, and she clenched her hands. “You... you, you sick vampire freak, what the fuck gives you the right t-t-t-t-t-t-to act like I'm not, even, wortharguingwith look at me look at me!”

 

“Alright.” Shinobu looked at her. “I've already solved this murder, and you are the culprit behind the murder of Wanda Morinaga. Your vote is invalid through your own three-strikes rule.”

 

“Ha! Aha! Hahaha!” Viki laughed haltingly, her eyes darting in multiple different directions. “That's where you're wro-”

 

“When I investigated said murder, I found that Kojiro would have been incapable of entering that segment of the facility.” Shinobu began, adjusting her beret slightly. “With Junko having not mentioned any strange absences removing any of our other alibis, that leaves two individuals who could have possibly killed Wanda.”

 

“I-it was me!” Rin called out.

 

“No. No, it wasn't.” Shinobu said, giving her a baleful stare. Rin wilted again. “And my logic is sound. You yourself, Madame 'Sagami', gave me the evidence I needed.” She curtsied. “Yet again, the body discovery announcement tells all.”

 

“You're bluffing you're full of it you're you're you're you're you're you're you're you're-” Viki blabbered. “You're?! You're?! You're?!”

 

“A body discovery announcement played when the group discovered the corpse of Eriko Shigure, killed by Kojiro Hashizawa.” Shinobu continued. “And yet, no similar body discovery announcement played for the corpses of Wanda Morinaga _or_ Yayoi Murasaki. We are all quite aware, are we not, that you are Yayoi's killer?”

 

“Excuse me!” Rin called out. “Why would the body discovery announcement have played for my killing Wanda if that were the case?”

 

“Kojiro, who is by a league the most trustworthy of the three of you, informed us all that you, Ms. Hashizawa, have always been counted as a participant in this killing game, and thus that a body discovery announcement would have played for any felled by your own hand.” Shinobu said. “The only remaining culprit given that would be-”

 

Suddenly, one of the screens above flared to life. Nanako recognized the footage on it; it showed the end of Wanda's execution, as Wanda was murdered outside of the camera's view. Again, that voice called out. “I didn't want this. Why did this happen?”

 

“See?!” Viki shrieked. “Did you hear that?! Did you hear that?! Whose voice was that? Whose voice, whose voice, Shinobu?!”

 

Shinobu sighed. “Doubtless that was the voice of Rin Hashizawa, yes.”

 

“Prooooo _ooooooooooooving_ she was intheroom and isWanda'skillershekilledWandastopstoplyinglyingstoplying aaaaaaaahahahahahaaaargh!” Viki was frantically scratching at her own head as her entire body quaked. “See? Voice! Voice! Voice!”

 

“That evidence proves nothing!” Shinobu pointed her finger at Rin. “You were present in the Security Room for large portions of the game.” Her finger turned to wagging. “When we searched for the executions about the facility, we discovered that voices from that selfsame Security Room can be transferred above broadcast videos through the entire facility, such as the execution explanations.”

 

Rin went even paler than she already was, and her jaw went slightly agape. “You... what?”

 

“That voice would be a simple matter to speak from the Security Room, providing Rin a second location to be present even if she had been in the room. Of course, she was not.” Shinobu said. “The carpet possessed no footprints entering the room aside from Wanda's own. The only person who could kill Wanda from inside the room without entering it thus is _you_ , Viki Hashizawa!”

 

Nanako reflexively covered her ears to defend from the ear-splitting shriek Viki let out. The screen displaying Wanda's execution didn't just shut off, it _exploded_ , leaving the rest of the screens to echo her scream, hanging a touch more precariously. “W-what the hell?!” Stella shouted.

 

“Her persona is beginning to dissolve!” Ruri called out. “I believe she's having trouble maintaining herself!”

 

**“Where am I? What's going on? I don't understand? I don't understand?”**

 

**“NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO NANAKO”**

 

**“Kyahahaha! you think this is going to stop me? i'm not done yet. i'll punish rin because i love her! i have to i have to punish her i have to punish her”**

 

**“Hey, Nanako... did you like-”**

 

**“HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE”**

 

**step**

“ _ **i want to be punished.**_ **”**

**step**

“ **I don't understand”**

**step**

“ _ **I need to punish her for killing me!**_ **”**

**step**

“ **I don't understand”**

**step**

“ _ **please, punish me.**_ **”**

**step**

“ **I don't understand”**

 

A second screen shattered and exploded as Viki grabbed the back of Rin's head, slammed it into the podium in front of her, and then lurched forward and slammed her _own_ head, much, much harder, into the podium in front of her. The wood podium buckled and broke under the force of it, leaving several open gashes in Viki's head from the impact. The walls of the room, and of the entire facility, shivered and shook for a moment.

 

“Ahaha, ahahaha...” Viki murmured. “Yeah, yeah... this pain, it's because of Nanako... Nanako, Nanako, Nanako...” Though it was presumably some form of ATB, the liquid coming from Viki's head sure looked like blood as it poured from her wounds. Evidently, head wounds still bled a lot in Replicants. “Nanakoooo.” Viki said, grinning madly from atop her blood-stained podium. “Everything is... your fault... your fault, your fault, your fault.” She was laughing under her pain. “That's right, Rin. Isn't it?”

 

“You're... right, Kei...” Rin murmured, still dizzy from her own impact.

 

“Yeah, that's right, that's right.” Viki laughed louder. “All this pain, it's because of you, so if I get rid of you, if I win, then it can stop, right? I hate you so, so, so much. Nanako... Nanako!”

 

“...This is ridiculous.” Miki clicked her tongue. “Just give it up already.”

 

“It's not ridiculous, it's not ridiculous...” Viki chuckled. “It's not ridiculous, it's not ridiculous if I hurt enough, right?”

 

“Viki...” Nanako's antenna drooped, and she sighed. “Just... stop. This doesn't need to keep going. You can stop-”

 

“Stop? Stop!? _Stop_?! _**Nothing stops**_!” Viki roared. “Nothing ever stops... nothing ever stops, nothing ever stops! It just keeps going and going and going! All the pain keeps going and going and going! I'll hurt you forever! I'll hurt you until you die forever!” She laughed. “It's okay, it's okay! I can still win, this is my Chance for a Big Reversal! I can still win! I can still win!” She looked around frantically. “Right, right, right, right right right right right I'm right I'm right I can still win I can still win.”

 

“Your vote is no longer valid.” Chihaya said. “How can you still win?”

 

“Haha, haha. Don't you know?” Viki grinned. “I'm a computer, idiot. I can do anything. The people who... who diiiiied because of Rin, they're... still so angry, so angry they want her to die!” She looked around to the placards. “Haha, yeah, yeah, it's not like you have... enough to... fill all the, fill all the, fill all the, fill all the, fill all the-!”

 

Nanako's eyes widened. “Wait. You... no way, you don't mean, what?”

 

Rin put her hand on Viki's shoulder. “Kei... take a moment. I can handle this.”

 

“You're incompetent!” Viki hissed. A stream of nonsensical data was read out from the speakers above, sounding like an incomprehensible mess.

 

“Let me handle this.” Rin ordered. Viki stepped back. “You're correct, Nanako. The people who died because of me... deserve to have their voices heard too. All ten of them.” She looked around. “One vote was invalidated, but even with all of you-”

 

“That's only fifteen votes.” Nanako finished. Yashiro's podium and Claus's podium were still empty.

 

“Hey, hold on a second.” Kotone raised her hand. “That... doesn't make any sense. The 'win condition' for getting rid of Viki's vote was her killing three people, and weren't there _specific_ people she had to murder, even?”

 

“Yes, only some of the executions were-” Rin began.

 

“So, one half of your win condition is based on nobody dying, and the other half is based on _specific people_ dying?” Kotone said. She sputtered. “That... that doesn't make _any_ sense!” She threw her hands out. “How is anyone supposed to win this game, then?!”

 

“Well-” Rin started up again.

 

“Just stop, okay?” Kotone had tears in her eyes, clenching her fists. “Just stop! There's... there's people here who... who _care_ about you, can't you see that? If you die, it'll hurt them, too! Please, just step back and take a second to think about this!”

 

“T-Tony?” Natsuhi said, her eyes widening.

 

“I barely even know you, but I've heard so much about you from these people who've known you.” Kotone said. “Ruri and Saburo, they both care about you, and so do the people here, and- and just _stop it_ , okay?! Just _stop_!”

 

“Y-you...” Rin's eye... began to twitch, and her hands clenched slightly. “Listen-”

 

“There's no stopping!” Viki launched back into the fray. “No stopping, no stopping ever! I still have two votes! Hahahahahahaha!” She cackled, pointing her finger mockingly at Kotone. “It doesn't matter! I still have two votes! I still win! I still win! I-”

 

A squeaking sound cut through Viki's cackling. Sixteen eyes turned to see what it was, but Nanako recognized the noise. It was the sound of Junko's wheelchair, as she calmly left her podium, crossing behind Stella, Reiko, Natsuhi, Miki, Ruri, Viki, and Rin, then took down Claus's placard and took her position there, right next to Rin. “One vote.” She said.

 

Rin and Viki's eyes were both wide, but it was Viki who responded first. “Did I not. Just tell you. That getting! Up! From your podium-!”

 

“You said 'standing or walking or anything like that.'” Junko smirked. “I didn't do anything of the sort.”

 

Viki's eyes flew even wider, and she roared. “You! You! Juuuuuuuunkooooo! Junko! Junko!”

 

“Hm?” Junko raised her eyebrow.

 

“But, er... what about...” Rin piped up. “Er, not to... take away from your gravitas, but... what about your vote? If you're handling Claus's podium, wouldn't that leave you...?”

 

“What vote?” Junko said. “I've been disqualified, remember? I'm no longer a participant in the killing game. Why on earth would I get a vote?”

 

Viki slammed her hand on a broken piece of wood and stabbed herself on it. “Bullshit, bullshit that's bullshit! You're still a-!”

 

“Did you log a vote for me in the previous trial?” Junko asked. Viki stopped, and then silently shook her head. “Exactly. So I no longer have a vote. Therefore, I can handle Claus's.” She smirked. “Behold the genius of this group's resident rules lawyer.”

 

“So, she's your girlfriend, right, Gavin?” Saburo turned and asked. Gavin nodded. “Cool beans. She seems rad.”

 

“Trip, man, that ain't the half o' it!” Gavin beamed.

 

“You know, I really can't tell whether it's you I hate more or the fact that you're right.” Viki sighed and clenched her fists. “But, you know, whatever. No big deal. It's fine. I still have Yashiro's vote.”

 

'I still have Yashiro's vote.' Here it was. Kojiro's final move. Nanako took a deep breath in to steel herself, and said, “No, that's wrong. You don't have a single vote, Viki. You lose.”

 

Viki chuckled for a moment, and then began full-on cackling. “Oh!” She said. “Oh, I lose, huh? Huuuuuh?” Her scepter ran red with the blood from her impaled hands. “Junko's the only person I disqualified, and, ahahaha, I locked those other two out! You don't have anyone left! I'll never lose to you!” She spun her scepter in her hand, causing a small splatter of blood on Rin and Ruri. (Thankfully, Ruri's cloak was red anyhow.)

 

Nanako shook her head. “That's still wrong. You didn't lose to _me_. Kojiro's the one who beat you.”

 

“Uh, Nanako?” Kazuya asked. “What are you talking about?”

 

“...Last trial, I didn't lay out the case like usual.” Nanako said. She smiled. “I didn't know what was really going on. Now I do. Kojiro tricked you, Viki. He tricked all of us. We all fell for it.”

 

“What are you _talking_ about?!” Viki shrieked.

 

Nanako pointed her finger, and her antenna went along with it. “Here's everything that _really_ happened during the Nonary Game!”

 

* * *

 

“After the trial for Hansuke's suicide, we were all locked in Maxwell Hall for the Nonary Game. Knowing what we know now, we know that Kojiro knew about all these rules- and so he decided to sneak a secret entrant into the Final Trial to trick Viki into thinking she had her game made.

 

During each of the Nonary Game's puzzle rooms, the security cameras lock onto the puzzle room, and don't show anything else. This was how Kojiro performed his trick. During each of the puzzle rooms, he hurried to the Workshop in Maxwell and started on his project. His goal was to fake a murder, so that he would be executed and be able to open all the doors, as well as tricking Viki into thinking her own murder plot had succeeded.

 

What he was making was a _fake corpse_. Since he had access to Machine Production, he had the ability to create a convincing-looking double, especially since it was Kojiro, and we all know just how good of an artist he is. During the entire Nonary Game, that closet in the Workshop was locked, but after the murder, it was open. Kojiro hid his 'victim' in that closet, and took it out when he needed to.

 

Viki's plan was to force Yashiro to overload the artificial pump in his heart to save Claus and Shinobu from the Filtration Chamber, by intentionally overloading her own wiring and causing a power outage in the outer area of the room. When she cut those wires, though, it also turned off the security cameras to that area, and the wire itself was out of view. For those few moments, _nobody_ could see Yashiro.

 

Around that time, Kojiro gave Yashiro back his memories, and Yashiro remembered what was really going on. Kojiro intentionally showed me that he had a transit tube entrance right there, in the cameras' blind spot, and he showed up there then to explain his plan to Yashiro. Together, the two of them faked Viki's plan succeeding. It'd be simple, with all the art supplies Kojiro had access to, to fake Yashiro using his own body as a wire- some charcoal for the burn marks and a bit of steel wire to turn the power on for a bit would probably do. Whatever they did do, though, Kojiro disappeared by the time Shinobu and Claus got out, and Yashiro pretended he'd done just what Viki wanted.

 

To complete the trick, Yashiro headed to the Restroom in Confessional Hall. Kazuya, Chihaya, and I were in that puzzle room the entire phase, so they were home free. Together, he and Kojiro faked a fight to the death in the Restroom, and placed the fake corpse there to fake his own death. To hide Yashiro, Kojiro did the same thing he did at the beginning of the game; he hid Yashiro inside the sewage system, where Viki wasn't able to look.

 

None of us were able to lift the fake corpse and see its uncovered metal parts until afterwards, so Kojiro was able to convince Viki that that corpse really was Yashiro- and send himself to trial for a murder that never happened. He left a note for Shinobu on the fake corpse, to ensure that someone would see what really happened.

 

And it worked. He was Viki's third victim, invalidating her vote- and even until now, most of the people in this class trial thought his 'victim' was dead. That's the story of Kojiro Hashizawa's final trick. And it never would've been possible without his partner-”

 

Suddenly, the door to Confessional Hall flew wide open. With a boisterous laugh echoing through the room, the new entrant cried, “Is it my cue? I couldn't have arrived at a better time!” He jogged up. “Sorry to keep you all waiting. Oh, but I can't help but notice some new faces! Let me introduce myself, then! I'm-”

 

Nanako pointed her right finger at Viki- and the trial's final entrant, crossing her to complete their pose, his left. “ _Yashiro Narumi, the Ultimate Strongman_!”

 

Yashiro looked at her from his position, and said, “Ooh, you changed your hair. It looks great.”

 

“Aww, thanks!” Nanako said.

 

* * *

 

“ _Yashiro_?!” Chihaya, Stella, Gavin, and Luan yelled, too, but Kazuya was the loudest. “Yashiro!” He said, his eyes wide, leaning into his podium. “Y-you're alive!”

 

“That I am!” Yashiro laughed. He nodded his head to Shinobu, who acknowledged him with a proud smile, and then raised his hand for a high five. “Put 'er there, pal!”

 

“How the-?!” Kazuya laughed, and he smiled. “You're nuts!” He returned the high-five.

 

“They're both nuts.” Stella said, shaking her hand, chuckling herself. “Oh my god, they're completely nuts.” She was smiling.

 

“Simbaaaaa!” Gavin began openly sobbing as Yashiro passed him, and they launched into their secret handshake, which Nanako didn't memorize out of respect. Then Gavin hugged him. “Aww, Yashiro! Don'tchu ever do nothin' like that again, got it?!” He shouted. “You know how wrecked we all was?! You...” He sniffled. “You even know, man...”

 

Yashiro took his position at his own podium, between Blake and Junko. “Haha, well. Certainly I didn't enjoy the thought of leaving you all to fend for yourselves like that, nor the idea of letting Kojiro sacrifice himself such. But, it makes this reunion all the sweeter for the tribulations, no?” He laughed.

 

Next to him, Blake's eyes were sparkling, and he was making little noises. He blushed a little, and looked away. Saburo snorted. “I guess your Nana wasn't wrong.”

 

“Of course not.” Kotone said, smirking. “No grandson of the Queen of Crows could go down that easy!”

 

“Ah, a fan!” Yashiro laughed. He and Kotone gave each other fingerguns. “Lovely to make all of your acquaintances, and my apologies for the wait. I'm sure I've missed quite a lot!” He turned to Junko. “And a fine how-do-you-do to you, Jun!”

 

“Junko.” Junko corrected.

 

“Wow, I really have missed a lot.” Yashiro rubbed the back of his head. He raised his eyebrow and made a noise of confusion. “That does explain the uniform, though. When did that happen?”

 

“Several years ago.” Junko said. “Also, less than twenty-four hours ago. It's complicated.”

 

“Ah.” Yashiro nodded. “Either way, it's good to see you again, Junko! I'd been quite concerned.” He laughed. “Sorry I couldn't arrive earlier. I urgently needed to take a shower once I'd re-entered the facility, you see, or else this trial could've become quite awkward.”

 

“It wouldn't have been that big of a deal.” Chihaya said, smirking.

 

Luan, who was tearing up, said, “No, it would have been very bad.”

 

“Just... never make us worry like that again, okay, Yashiro?” Nanako was crying, too. She sniffled. “I'm... so glad to see you.”

 

“And I you, Nanako.” Yashiro nodded. “Dearly glad.”

 

“A-ah! Ohellogozaimasu!” Blake loudly bowed to Yashiro. “Eto, b-boku wa Blake Mirabeau, t-the, eto, Ultimate Geographer, desu! Y-yoroshiku to meet you, Yashiro-kun! We are the most grateful to gain your tasuketance!” He was blushing really, really loudly.

 

“Well, hello there, Blake!” Yashiro said. Blake yiped. “Ahaha, no need to be shy. I know I am quite a loud man.”

 

Reiko leaned over to whisper to Natsuhi. “I believe Blake is descending into 'Guy Hell.'” Natsuhi snorted.

 

Through all the happy reunion, though, Viki was standing there, completely blown out, utterly stunned. “What... what... what what... what? What? What?” She said. She kept blinking. “What? What what what? What what what what what?”

 

Yashiro stopped for a moment, and said, “She's The End, right?”

 

“It's complicated, but yeah, basically.” Nanako nodded.

 

“Aha! So you're the nefarious End I've heard an unfortunate amount about.” Yashiro said. He pumped his fist. “I can tell from your face that you can already tell your plans are falling apart!” He crossed his arms and nodded. “That's right. With the seventeen of-” He stopped. “Where's Claus?”

 

“Oh, he's off taking a nap or something.” Shinobu said. “Junko is covering his vote.”

 

“With the in-spirit seventeen of us, it seems my comrades have already dismantled your nefarious game!” Yashiro said. “Their skills are massive, so no doubt they've discovered your identity already.”

 

“In way too much detail.” Stella said.

 

“And they've joined up with the rescue squad!” Yashiro said.

 

“P-presenting!” Blake raised his hand.

 

“And they've invalidated your vote through your own three-strikes rule!” Yashiro pumped his fists.

 

“It would be a mark against my honor if I hadn't.” Shinobu smirked.

 

“And convinced Ms. Rin there to reconsider and vote 'Not Guilty!'” Yashiro laughed.

 

There was a long, awkward pause, the chamber full of nothing but silence and the slight sound of Viki's blood dripping from her scepter. A few people looked at each other as if to confirm that Yashiro had just said that, and then confirmed the others' suspicions. “Uh.” Nanako blinked. “What.”

 

“Well, of course.” Yashiro said, his face square and concerned. “Er... she is a participant, no? She... does get her own vote in the matter. That's... rather important to deal with.”

 

“Um.” Rin coughed. “I'm... sorry for the trouble...?”

 

Nanako, her shoulders heavy with the weight of this ordeal already, sunk to her knees and started lightly banging her head against the top of the podium. “Oh my _goooooooooood_.” She groaned.

 

“Nanako, are you-?” Rin asked.

 

“ _I need a minute_.” Nanako grumped. She was given a minute.

 


	94. The Final Trial, Confrontation [Presto] - NO REMORSE (\/||<|)

 

Once the minute was up, Nanako rubbed her face with her hands and said, “You know what? I really don't know what you want from me!” She stood back up, leaned forward onto her podium and stared away from her bleeding sister to look at her mother. “You're going to vote Not Guilty, right?”

 

Rin took a moment to pause, and then shook her head. “No... I'm not. I'm sorry, Nanako.”

 

“You know, if you're 'sorry', maybe you could change your vote and not kill yourself? There's an idea.” Nanako spat. She quivered slightly.

 

“...I'm sorry, Nanako, but you just don't understand.” Rin shook her head again. “You just don't understand what I've-”

 

“No, _you_ don't understand!” Nanako roared, her hair threatening to tear itself out of her tie and begin slithering about. She did her best to keep it under control, though. “You don't understand. You don't understand a single thing. You don't know me at all, you don't know what I think!”

 

Rin actually looked a bit startled. “Wha- Nanako?”

 

“Who. Are you talking to?” Nanako said, her fists balled. “Who are you even talking to? The fake Nanako that exists in your head, the daughter who'll _always_ be there for you? What do you expect from me? All my life, you told me this was all for me, but you were completely full of it!” She slammed her fist on her podium. “I've been busting my ass for you my entire life and after all this time, after all this, you're _still_ standing here going, ohhhh nooo I'm soooo saaad I'm gonna kill myself?!”

 

“You don't understand!” Rin shouted back, her glasses beginning to fall down her face.

 

“What don't I understand?” Nanako snarled. “You know what Stella did when I tried to help her? She listened! She's not perfect, but she got better! Junko, too! It was hard, but we fought so she'd see that she shouldn't die, and we did! She's here now, and she's gonna be okay! Why is it just _you_ who's like this, huh? Who never, ever, _ever_ gets better no matter how much people try to help you?! I beat your stupid 'villain' and I beat your stupid game and I still lose? I still _fucking lose_?!”

 

“Wha- v-villain?” Rin stammered.

 

“Oh, what, you think I don't notice?” Nanako threw her hands out. “How Viki keeps doing all this to try to get us to pay attention to her when it's really your issues we're dealing with, how it's _always_ been your issues I've been dealing with my whole life?” Nanako closed her eyes, scrunched her nose, and screamed. “You're the same Mom you've always been! Nothing's changed even a _little bit_! It's all the same, it's _always_ the same!”

 

“N-N-Nanako...” Rin was tearing up.

 

Nanako opened her eyes and saw that, and that just made her madder, her eye beginning to twitch, her antenna spiraling wildly. “Oh, now you're crying again?! You're crying again, huh?! _Did you ever ask me if I wanted this_?! No! You never asked if I wanted to be stuck here my whole life, playing to the beat of _your_ drum, acting like I'm constantly satisfied! Why? Because you wanted a daughter to play house with? Someone to make you feel better, someone who'd be there for you?” She was hyperventilating now. “Is that all I ever was to you? A pillar because _Kei couldn't be_?”

 

“Wha- I-?!” Rin sputtered. “You weren't-?!”

 

“Yo.”

 

Suddenly, a voice broke into Nanako's ears, and she spun her head around. Gavin. “What.” She said.

 

“You ain't thinkin' 'bout this right, Nanners.” Gavin shook his head. “See... 's like this. You still jus' doin' what she wants, man.” Nanako was silent, tears building in her eyes. “You gon' get all broken down like this, 's just gon' make her think bigger she gotta die. That ain't help. Rin ain't never gotten help. Not f'real.”

 

“Then what am I...” Nanako sobbed. “What am I even supposed to do?”

 

Gavin smiled. “'Bout her? Nothin'.” He shook his head. “You leave that to Gav, a'ight?” He pumped his fist. “You ain't gotta forgive Rin, or like her, or nothin'. You just gotta leave it to Gav. He'll helper.”

 

Nanako's shoulders suddenly felt light, and she slumped over. “But... how am I supposed to...?”

 

“Jus' chill for a sesh, Nanners.” Gavin clapped. “Gav'll have this licked inna split!” He turned. “Yo. Rin. Le's jus' chat fer a bit, yeah?”

 

“Um...” Rin was pretty flustered, but she readjusted her glasses. “A-alright. What... about?”

 

“Well, trip, man, le's talkin' 'bout you.” Gavin smiled. “See, cuz, way Gav sees it, you think you wanna die, yeah? Well... whyzat?” He asked.

 

“...What good... will talking do?” Rin asked, a forlorn, faraway look in her eyes. “Gavin... I know you want to help, but...”

 

“...Rin.” Gavin said, looking her right in the eyes. “Le's just talk. 'S been a long time... wanna see whassup.”

 

After a moment's pause, Rin sighed, and grabbed one of her arms with the other hand. “I want... I want to die, because... b-because I-I...” She stammered, and took a breath. “Because I... don't have any hope left.”

 

“Yeah?” Gavin asked.

 

“After... the incident, I...” Rin's eyes were teary, with a sad smile. “Everything... keeps happening. And I... and I...” Heavy with spite against herself, she chuckled into a hand she put up to her face, taking off her glasses to wipe her tears. When she took her hand down, her eyes were sharper, more focused. “I just don't see the point in living anymore... if things will... keep happening to me. Again, and again... my father, my mother, my friends... I can't keep anything. What's the point... in this world? What's the point of me if I live in this doomed history?”

 

“Mm.” Gavin said. “Now, Gav don't think it seems like ya lost _errything_ at all, Rin. You got peeps right here who came 'cuz you was here.”

 

“What's... the point?” Rin laughed again. “What's the point in believing in that? I can't... believe in anyone. No matter who I believe in, I'll...” She chuckled. “I'll always... lose them.”

 

“And tha's why you still lovin' Kei.” Gavin said. “Cuz even if she hurtcha, she still here.”

 

Rin nodded, smiling. “Yes. That's right. That's why I always listen to her.”

 

Gavin nodded back, and then said, “So the game ain't over, huh? Still somethin' we gotta figger out?”

 

It was at this point that someone else finally spoke. It was Stella. “What are you _doing_ , Gavin?” Stella said.

 

“Yo, man, we spent all this time thinkin' 'bout Veek, made it all like, the whooshy ghostoform o' this hate and self-hatin' just in her, yeah?” Gavin asked. “But it ain't. They _both_ gotta be part'a this deludin', or it ain't workin'.” His face grew stern. “Rin... I wanna break yer illusion. Le's go back to reality.”

 

“A stunningly well-put sentiment, Gavin.” Shinobu cackled. “See? You are keener than you might give yourself credit for. I am in full agreement, of course.” She stood at attention. “We must shatter her delusion completely in order to fully remove it from this world.”

 

“So there's still another lie somewhere?” Kazuya asked. He raised his eyebrow. “But... well, where?” He shook his head. “I mean... to me, it seems like everything about this Compound is basically exposed by now.”

 

“Who says it just needs to be about the Compound?” Chihaya said. She put her chin in between her thumb and index finger. “It could be about anything.”

 

“Hey.” That was Junko. Nanako was actually kind of surprised she hadn't angry-bragged during Gavin's entire episode there. Perhaps she was thinking about this. “You. Viki.”

 

At this point, Viki was honestly starting to respond to 'Viki.' She was still bleeding, of course, but she did turn to Junko. “What do you want... from me.”

 

“Not much. I just need you to talk.” Junko said. She smirked. “You're good at that, right? I know you're hurt and all, but just talk at us in a bit in your little 'Kei' voice.”

 

“M-m-my little K-kei voice is my ALWAYS voice you! You! Junko, Junko, Junko!” Viki started up.

 

“Calmly, please.” Junko said.

 

Viki gritted her teeth, and then, breathing deeply, she began talking in that syrupy-sweet tone. “My Kei voice is my _always_ voice, Jun. It's kind of hard to give you any other voice than my own, after all. Isn't it, honey?”

 

“That's right, dear.” Rin nodded. “And it's such a lovely voice.”

 

“So, I'm not really sure what you want from me?” Viki shrugged. “Unless this is good for you.” She grinned. “Aww, be honest. You were just worried about me and you wanted me to tell you I was alright, right? Oh, don't worry. I'll be fine.”

 

“Hardly.” Junko snorted. “You should know by now that I'm not the sort to give you that kind of concern. No, I needed you to talk to confirm my thoughts. Now that I have...” She smirked, put her hands on her hips, stared haughtily at Viki, and said, “It's nice to finally meet you in person, _Voice_.”

 

If a third screen exploding the instant Junko said that wasn't evidence that whatever that meant was right on the mark, Viki's loud noise of reaction definitely was. “Huh? Huuuuuuh?” She said. “Huh, huh, huh?” She looked around frantically. “Huh? Huh?!”

 

“I agree.” Luan said. “Huh?”

 

“Given how broken I am, it was actually a rather clever plan.” Junko said. “After all, I am a shatter-brained mess of a person who frequently converses with compartmentalized fragments of herself. Voices in my head are nothing new.” She snarled. “I-”

 

“Um, _are you okay_?!” Nanako couldn't help but chime in. “That sounds... bad!”

 

“How many times,” Junko breathed in through her nose, “do I have to tell you people,” and finished her breath out through her mouth, “that I am relatively,” breathed back in, “more okay than I have been in years.”

 

“That doesn't necessarily mean you're actually okay.” Kazuya said.

 

“Well, no shit.” Junko gritted her teeth. “I don't know what the fuck 'okay' actually feels like so I'm giving you a literally true statement to inform you to get off my case for a second and let me actually get somewhere in this fucking _interminable_ trial. Your concern is noted and I guess appreciated, but I'm _working_.”

 

Nanako and Kazuya raised their hands up. “Okay.” Nanako said. “Go get 'em.”

 

“My, you've gained some chutzpah since last we met!” Yashiro laughed. “Positively directed, too! I'm very glad for you!”

 

“Can we permanently waive the headlock now, then?” Junko frowned. “Having to give you the slip in Barnsley was unpleasant.”

 

Yashiro laughed again. “Of course! Headlock rescinded!”

 

“Throughout my experiences in the underbelly of the facility, a voice in my head kept me company and spoke to me.” Junko said. “That's nothing new for me, but this voice wasn't coming from my head. I recognize it, clear as day. It's _her_ voice. It was _her_ speaking to me.”

 

“H-hold on a second!” Rin cut in. “How is that even possible?”

 

“By keeping me in the dark about the time, you kept it hidden from me, but when I learned about the format of the Nonary Game, something occurred to me.” Junko smirked. “There was a period in there where I slept for _quite_ a long time. Twice the amount of time I normally had. Judging by when Gavin appeared, I'd place my awakening from that long nap at roughly the beginning of Phase Ten, shortly before the trial for Yashiro's 'murder.'”

 

“Go on.” Reiko was nodding along.

 

“I drifted in and out of consciousness multiple times during those days, but only thrice did I sleep deeply enough to dream. I remember them well. I dreamed of the Expo.” Junko said. “The first time I was put to sleep was relatively shortly after I awoke, but the second and third kept me waiting much longer. Once I awoke the third time, I was so debilitated I could hardly tell, but there was a difference in how the voice felt. It was clearly strange, and I noticed that when it claimed that it was 'me, as always.'”

 

“So... what?” Kazuya shook his head. “I still don't really get it.”

 

“Simple.” Junko smirked. “Nanako. Did you experience your bloating sensation _each_ time you awoke?”

 

Nanako shook her head. “Um, Phase Two, Phase Five, and Phase Eight, yeah, but when I did for Phase Nine, I didn't.”

 

“We've discussed before, regarding Chihaya's memories, Viki's little trick with redirecting her own thoughts through Nanako to turn them into M particles lacking a fingerprint. If _that_ were the nature of that voice, then naturally I would think it was just another of my own voices in my head.” Junko said. “I slept for doubly long around the time period when Nanako was intended to stay awake for _two_ Phases, and each time she awoke before then, Nanako had had information sent into her system. When Nanako remained awake for a murder investigation and I awoke nonetheless, the voice seemed clearly odd.”

 

“Is that what you think 'simple' means?” Kotone asked, frowning in bewilderment. “Is this what geniuses think like?”

 

“You should've been there for dinner.” Stella said. She snorted. “Just comes in and drops like five different plot twists on us in a row while we're still trying to figure out the first one, all because Nanako said 'buffer overflow' or something.”

 

“Wow.” Kotone blinked.

 

“You timed the Nonary Game so Nanako and I were never awake at the same time, and used Nanako's antenna to transmit your own thoughts into my mind, thus assisting in the illusion of my own mental dissolution.” Junko said. “Kojiro's trick threw a wrench in it, but doubtless you'd have enjoyed toying with me for an entire day while I lay completely broken had things gone normally. Hm?” She raised an eyebrow. “What _was_ your genius plan, Ms. _Sagami_?”

 

Viki had been panting and wheezing this whole time, trying to recover, but she managed to slough off her broken podium and back into 'Kei', crossing her arms and pouting. “Look, maybe I thought it'd have been funny to drive you nuts and convince you to show up in drag saying _you_ were The End all along, the modern-day Junko Enoshima. What's the big deal?”

 

Yashiro made a loud, unpleasant noise. “That's both horrific and a disgustingly tacky plan!”

 

“Well.” Chihaya said. She had blanched, and was grimacing. “It's... a good thing we found her.”

 

“What's your point?” Viki lurched slightly back into her more natural tone. “Even if I did do that, it's not like it _matters_ -”

 

“You were there then, too.” Junko said. Viki shrieked. The fourth screen exploded. “Your voice is the voice I heard on the day of the Marufuji College Tech Expo.” The shriek intensified. The fifth screen exploded. The mass of screens was beginning to hang dangerously precariously from all the explosions, and looked nearly ready to collapse to the floor. “Are you done?” She continued, staring flatly at the shrieking Replicant.

 

“Oh, _the Expo_!” Gavin cried. He clapped. “Tha's why y' got all-!”

 

Junko nodded. “On the day of the Expo, Rin brought me back into her loading zone.” She said, crossing her arms and tapping her head. She was beginning to sweat, and now Nanako knew what kind of pain she was probably enduring to say this. “Inside the bizarre-looking vehicle she had with her, she showed me Nanako inside a capsule. Naturally, since my best friend had just shown me definitive proof that she had made not just one, but _seven_ illegal Replicants and intended to parade this fact in front of members of our administration, labeling herself a criminal, I really couldn't help but get angry with her. After I verbally lambasted her for this idiocy and she claimed it was because she 'deserved it', she ran off sobbing, leaving me alone in the garage.”

 

Nanako sighed, and her antenna drooped. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”

 

“As I inspected Nanako, a voice within my own mind began telling me that this meant I had rightfully lost, that I wasn't able to call myself the rightful winner of the Expo, that Nanako's existence meant I was _worthless_.” Junko said. “Then, I saw the switch on the wall to open the loading zone's garage. I remember quite clearly now what the voice said then. 'Just open the garage, and everything will turn out fine.'”

 

“Ahahaha, I see.” Reiko nodded, smiling. “That would put quite a fine point on things, hm? That Ms. Viki Hashizawa was _herself_ the vehicle which transported Rin and Nanako to the Expo!”

 

“Wha- wha- wha-?!” Rin turned white as a sheet, sweat beginning to roll down her face. “No. No, no, that's-!”

 

“As I recall from my own investigations, Ms. Hashizawa, you yourself claimed that the vehicle couldn't be controlled by anyone without your permission, but neglected to explain why.” Reiko said. She slammed her podium. “The vehicle being host to an AI that you trusted so implicitly as to call her your lover would be a reasonable explanation, no?”

 

“Huh?” Rin looked away. “N-no. No, that's...” The sweat was profuse, pooling at a few points around her glasses. She was hyperventilating.

 

“That's _bullshit_!” Viki screeched, slamming her scepter down on a fragment of her own podium and crushing it. “They're lying. They're lying, Rin. You know they're lying.”

 

“Ah... ah, ah...” Rin was grasping at her head, her breath shallow and rapid, her eyes unfocused and flitting around chaotically. “Aaaaaaah...”

 

“Rin, listen to me!” Viki grabbed her shoulders. “Look at me. Look at me, look at me. Look at me, only look at me. Look at me. I'm here, I'm here. Look at me. Look at me.” She shook. “Look at me!” She turned to Junko, and shrieked. “Don't you try to... get rid of your own responsibilityyyyyyyy _yyyyyyy_! The Expo was _your_ fault! You're the cheater! You! You!”

 

“Don'tchu blame her for y'own stuff.” Gavin said, glaring at her. “That ain't-”

 

“No, Gavin.” Junko said. “She's right.” Gavin stopped. “If it had been anyone but me back there, her plan never would've worked. The only power this thing has is speaking. If I didn't really have those insecurities, if I weren't _made_ of insecurities, she never would've been able to sabotage Rin like this.” She smirked. “I'm still the one at fault. It's my fault that the Expo happened the way it did.”

 

“Yeah! Yeah!” Viki pointed and cackled like a hyena. “It's your fault! It's your fault!”

 

Junko turned back to her, glaring, causing Viki to stagger. “But even a broken piece of shit like me can make things right, you hear me?” She coolly flipped her hair the best she could under her bandages, pointed her finger, and said, “After I opened the garage, _you drove out yourself_. We're _both_ guilty.”

 

A sixth screen exploded, and the connecting cables keeping the mass of screens hung to the ceiling began to buckle. “Youuuuuuuuuuu _uuuuuuuuuuuuuu_ _ **uuuuuuuuuu**_ _uuuuuu_.” Viki said, grasping at her head and clawing at it, hyperventilating herself. “You, you, you, you. Stop. Stop, stop! Stop stop stop stop stop. Liar, liar... liars, liars, everything, everything, everything, hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate.”

 

“Which is presumably also why you tried to eliminate Claus and I, the two people who would remember the nature of your form as a vehicle.” Junko said. “When I regained my memories, you locked me up, and you kept Claus's memories in a place none of us could access until after the game's end without Kojiro's help.” She smirked. “You were trying to keep your _final_ secret.”

 

“Shut up shut up SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!” Viki's head began flailing around wildly. “Shut up shut up! Shut! Shut! Shut! Shut!”

 

“That's my line.” Junko crossed her arms.

 

“Aaaaaaaaah.” Rin staggered backwards, her hand on her heart. “Aah, ah... ah.... aaaah...”

 

“RiiiiIIIIiiin!” Viki shrieked, but she couldn't bring herself to step away from her podium. “Liars... liars! Liars! You're all lying! You're all lying!”

 

“It seems to me as though you've lost, specter.” Shinobu said, glaring. “Begone from these two women and go quietly into that good night.”

 

Blake had picked up a few Shinto talismans somewhere, and was waving them around. “Akuryo byesan!”

 

“Naaaaa... nako.... Nanako, Nanako...” Viki had propped herself up on the wreckage of her podium. “Naaaaaanako!”

 

“What do you want?” Nanako asked. “Your game's over.”

 

“But it's impoooooossible!” Viki's words were somewhat slurred as she held her head. “That's right, it's... it's impossible, it's impossible!”

 

“Just leave us be already.” Stella rolled her eyes.

 

“YOU said...” Viki pointed her finger unsteadily. “That this... brain trick I did, with, with Chihaya, it worked because you're _in_ me. Well, I'm no Expo, and I've... if I telepathed to J-Junko, I aaaah, aaaaaaaah!” She bent over and clutched her head, looking almost as though she was going to puke. Wait, no, not 'almost'- she actually went through the motions of vomiting, even though no fluid came out, and no noises were made. The pain she felt on her face was quite obvious, though; the agony of the movements caused her whole body to tremble.

 

Nanako grimaced, and sighed. “I get it. How could you have made Junko believe you were her own voice, right?” She took a deep breath in, and took in the pitiful face of her sister. “...Alright. You want it to be me, right, Viki? I'll put this to rest.” She turned to Shinobu, whose face was fraught with concern, and silently nodded.

 

“Nnnnnnanakooooo!” Viki roared, a fire in her eyes that Nanako couldn't quite place anymore. “I'm... _The End_! I'm the m-mastermind of this k-killing game!”

 

Reiko turned to Natsuhi, and said, “Why, this is most certainly an 'unlimited penalty' sort of moment, isn't it? To think we'd find such a dramatic climax here!”

 

“Junko's right, and I can prove it.” Nanako said, her antenna springing upwards. “You _did_ do that to her.”

 

“Show me... your _evidence_!” Viki's teeth were bared. “In a trial, _**evidence! Is! Everythiiiiiing**_!”

 

“ _It ends here_!” Nanako shouted. She raised her finger, and dramatically pointed it towards her own head. “My evidence... is _this_!” She wiggled her antenna.

 

“Your _antenna_?!” Viki recoiled back, but recovered and gritted her teeth. “What the hell does that prove? Huuuuuuuh?!”

 

“When I woke up after the Expo on the beach of the Compound, I felt weird. It was like I was bloated somehow.” Nanako said. “Back then, I had no idea what that meant. Now, though? Now I've felt it a bunch of times before, and I know exactly what it means. That's how it felt when you put information through my system, Viki. I felt the exact same way _right after the Expo_.”

 

“So what?” Viki raised her scepter, twirled it, and pointed it skull-first at Nanako. “Get to the point!”

 

“If you were the vehicle I was carried in, then I _was_ inside you. And you can reroute information through me to other people because of my antenna.” Nanako said. She slammed her podium. “Mom was crying for help, trying to find a way out, even if it meant branding herself a criminal, and you couldn't let that happen, because you _had_ to find a way to punish her. So you used the same trick you used now! You sent your thoughts through me, _then_ to Junko, to trick her into opening the garage and letting you sabotage _yourself_!”

 

The screen that had before lit up with Viki's memories did so again. The composed voice of 'Kei', and the broken, sobbing voice of Rin, both rang out loud and clear.

 

“ _It was Jun who did this.”_

 

“ _But why... why would she...”_

 

“ _You know it was him, right? There's_ _ **nobody else**_ _who could've done it.”_

 

“ _But why...?”_

 

“ _It's because of you. It's always because of you, remember?”_

 

“ _...It's my... fault...”_

 

“ _See? You can't do things on your own. Why didn't you listen to me?”_

 

“ _I'm sorry... I'm sorry...”_

 

“ _Think about how much you've hurt Nanako.”_

 

“ _She... deserves... a better mother...”_

 

“ _You can't do_ _ **anything**_ _on your own.”_

 

“ _...please... Kei, please... I can't- I can't...”_

 

“ _You can't do anything on your own.”_

 

“ _I can't... do anything on my own... please, just tell me what I should do!”_

 

“Ah.” Viki staggered backwards, now. She could do it. “Ah. Ahaha. Rin... Riiiin.” She grasped towards Rin, who was still as a statue, looking towards the floor, her hair covering her eyes. “Rin! I love you! I loooove youuuu!” She grasped at Rin's shoulder.

 

“...Execute routine 7-7-5-5-2-3. Disconnect the Force Clear routine from the conclusion of the Final Trial. Effective immediately afterwards, you are relieved of your role as the overseeing AI of the facility.” Rin commanded.

 

“Understood!” Viki reflexively answered in that syrupy-sweet tone.

 

The entire facility shook as the seventh screen exploded, disconnecting the mass and sending it hurtling toward the ground with a great crash. Bits of glass settled in front of a few of the podiums, and Saburo had to lazily dodge out of the way of a shard of glass that went in the direction of his shoulder. One by one, the remaining screens began shutting off.

 

From above, the persona of 'Kei' gave its last gasp from the intercom. “ _This facility is currently without an overseeing AI, so several of its functions aren't currently accessible. Sorry about that! I'll do my best to harangue Dr. Hashizawa into making sure this problem gets fixed._ ”

 

Gasping for air, Viki's eyes began to rapidly lose focus. She grasped at Rin for a few more moments, but then turned around. “Na... nakooooo...” She began stumbling to her podium, then past it, around the mass of screens, shambling towards Nanako, her face twisted into a hideous snarl. “Nana... kkkkkkk-!” The strain, presumably, had been too much for her body's vocal systems to remain online, so all that escaped her mouth after that was a slight hissing noise.

 

Nanako stepped forward, past her podium, to meet Viki, who was grasping at her face. “Yeah? What is it?”

 

One screen remained on. It was, of course, the screen that had played back Viki's memories. From it, Viki's voice sputtered out, with a slight hiss of static.

 

**Hey, Nanako... did you like... the postcards I made you?**

 

Nodding, Nanako smiled, and looked at the hamper where she'd put them. “Yeah. They're really nice. Thanks.”

 

**Oh... that's good. Don't... forget about me. Okay...?**

 

“I won't.” Nanako shook her head, knelt down, and hugged Viki, who was stuck in her position. “See you later, Viki. I love you.”

 

**I love you too. Good... luck out there.**

 

Nanako let go, and Viki tumbled to the floor, motionless. Standing up, Nanako returned to her podium.

 

“Is... is she dead?” Kotone asked.

 

Rin shook her head, having returned to her podium. “Dormant, but whether she'll be able to function again once she wakes up is another question. It all depends on whether there was enough of her self remaining to hold her together.” She quietly looked towards her podium. “I'll... begin the vote, so this can all finally end.”

 

“Hold it.” It was Miki, now, who'd remained mostly quiet this whole time. “You just said you'd disconnect this 'Force Clear' routine, so I guess they saved your _research_. Are you still going to vote Guilty?”

 

After a moment's shock that she'd been found out, Rin nodded. “Yes, I am.”

 

“Guess tha's my real cue!” Gavin pumped his fists. “Le's chat for real this time, Rin. No lies, no ghosts. Yeah?”

 

“Alright.” Rin nodded again. “No more lies...” She looked down at the ground. “I'm so... tired. Of lying.”

 

For the first time in a long time, Nanako looked upon her mother, completely lucid. She couldn't help but smile a little. “Hey, Mom.” She said. She shook her head. “Took you long enough.”

 

Rin chuckled. “Hello, Nanako. I know.”

 


	95. The End of the Killing Game

 

“When I was a little girl,” Rin said, “my father used to tell me that he thought I'd grow up to _be_ somebody. He saw that I had potential, I suppose, potential to make a difference in the world. Dr. Tenjo said the same thing. He knew I was going to be somebody. That was the entire reason I was one of his Little Ultimates, made to build and destroy machines under his tutelage, day in, day out.” She paused. “I don't even have to be in the room for it if you don't want. I can leave and kill myself then. Why are you spending any more time on me?” Her voice was flat, and lacked emotion.

 

“Trip, man, 'cuz-” Gavin began.

 

“Because everyone deserves to live a full life?” Rin asked. A far cry from the demure Mom Nanako had known for most of her life, a woman whose eyes shined with curiosity, Rin Hashizawa's eyes were cold and brittle. “Because everyone deserves to live? Everyone deserves a second chance? I had my second chance. And my third, and my fourth. I've had too many chances. Why do you care if I die?”

 

“Well.” Gavin began. “Di'n't, uh, getta answer yer question first. But... Gav cares 'cuz you his _friend_ , man.”

 

Rin sighed. “I hoped that removing your memories of me would be enough to get you to stop caring, but you've always been like that.” She smiled a smile that lacked any joy, but there was a bit of warm comfort in it. “It's one of your best traits, Gavin. I don't want you to lose it.” It was gone after that, replaced with a cold, bitter frown. “But you're wrong. I'm not your friend. I'm not anyone's friend. I'm cancer.”

 

“A bit heavy.” Miki snorted.

 

“Perhaps you don't know, Ms. Murasaki, how much I've ruined.” Rin said. “Let me count for you. My father was brutally murdered by the Vampire Killer. My mother run out of her home, Daisuke driven mad, because of my presence. My mother, again, and Wanda's, killed themselves together. The man who killed them, Hotaru Tenjo, dead. Hiroshi, Miyuki, Coco, Shinji, four of my friends in one fell swoop, dead! _Countless_ machines, and four children, dead before they were even given the chance to _be_! Kei Sagami, dead, dead because she loved me, dead because she turned around for me, dead because she let me run away with her! Aunt Yuno's life likely shattered because of me!

 

Rin was shouting now, her arms flailing with each new point. “Aoto Maebara, an innocent boy I knew in middle school, _dead_! Eriko Shigure, the poor girl who blamed herself for Kei's death, _dead_! My friend, Miria, my poor friend Miria Hayashi who didn't deserve any of this, _dead_! Wanda Morinaga's only crime was being the other bereaved child from our mothers' suicides- _dead_! Daisuke Harada, my childhood friend whose only crime was having an abusive older sister, _dead_! Yayoi Murasaki, whose only crime was _getting into Hope's Peak,_ _ **dead**_! Hansuke Yasuda, the son of my father's killer, who just wanted to apologize, dead, dead, and dead again!” Her eyes were full of tears. “My _own son_ , Kojiro. Dead. I murdered him. I took him in my own hands and I threw him into that pit of boiling-hot metal. My daughter, Viki, twisted by my own rampant psyche, forced into playing out this sick game because of _me_.”

 

“ _Countless_ bereaved families left in my wake, as I've ripped away people from them, people that I can never, ever bring back. Aoto's mother, or Eriko and Wanda's fathers, or Daisuke's entire family, or _you_ , Miki Murasaki.” Rin said. “ _I_ murdered your sister. I'm the one who took her away from you. And I murdered Hansuke, and Kojiro, and Aoto, and Eriko, and Miria, and Wanda, and Daisuke, and Yayoi, and Viki, and if Claus turns up dead, _then I guess I've murdered him too._ ” Rin's hair was flailing as she swung her arms. “Everywhere I go, people _die_. I ruin lives just by touching them. The only one of my children who's ever truly been alright has hardly spent any time with me at all.” The wry grin she gave radiated a deep, deep loathing.

 

“But you know what?” She asked. “I kept going. I kept living, because I knew in my head I had some kind of potential, something I needed to do in order to make all of this death worth it. I was going to be somebody. But do you know how long I've wanted to end it all? How long, every time I've looked at a knife, half of my brain's flared up with the urge to run myself through and end it all? But _I had to be somebody_.”

 

Rin began laughing, her hands clenching in defeat. “And you know what?! After all that, I get to that point, and _everyone_ would've been better off if I'd never tried!” She threw her arms wide. “If it had been someone, _anyone_ else who'd run the experiments I did, or anything even close, then this amazing discovery could've just been an amazing discovery, but it was _me_ , so of course it kills, and it kills, and it just keeps on killing!”

 

“And you know, maybe it would've been nice to believe, for even a second, that if I died, it would've been anyone else's fault but my own!” Rin was shouting now. “That I could blame someone, anyone, else for the end of my cosmic joke of a life! But no. It's me. It's always been me. It's my own fault. I don't have anyone to blame but myself for all this murder, all this death, all this tragedy. _I'm_ the poison my life is sick with. What is there even left to say after the creation I spent my entire life working towards _hates my guts, huh_?!”

 

“Wha- Mom?!” Nanako recoiled.

 

“You don't have to lie and say you don't anymore.” Rin said, her nose crinkling. “Go on, Nanako! This is your last chance, so why don't you tell me what a garbage mother I am?” Her fists were clenched into balls. “I ruined your life! I sabotaged every single chance you had to get outside! You were a prop! A prop for me to pretend I was doing good! And the funniest part is, you know, that I was actually tricked! I thought I was doing an alright job as a mother, but I wasn't! I'm a _joke_!”

 

Nanako shook her head. “I don't... What can I say? What do you want me to say?”

 

Rin laughed, glaring at herself in Nanako's eyes. “When have I ever cared what you had to say? I've spent this entire trial still ignoring everything you say, why would I start paying attention now? Don't you know me by now?”

 

It wasn't a lie, but it was a truth that stabbed Nanako in the heart to hear. “Every time I have something, it's torn away, I leave it worse than I found it.” Rin stared at her hands, her eyes quivering. “I'm diseased. I _am_ a disease. Everyone, _everyone_ , would've been better off if I were never born.”

 

“That's not true!” Luan said, an uncharacteristically loud tone to his voice. Taking initiative, he pushed 'Not Guilty' on the started vote, staring defiantly at her. “No matter how much it's hurt, you and I are friends. I won't let you say that that isn't true.”

 

“But that's just it. What have I done to merit that treatment?” Rin asked, staring at him, mostly bewildered, but almost a little scornful. “I'm an awful friend and an awful mother. I take, and I take, and I take. Nothing can ever make that okay! _Nothing_!”

 

“Then you're just going to have to do better in the future.” Stella pushed her button. “Just get up, and try again. I know this talk.”

 

“You don't know anything!” Rin slammed her hand down. “You did one thing wrong, you were _forced_ to do one thing wrong! Every time I turn around, I ruin more!”

 

“My Nana once told me, you know,” Yashiro hummed, “that though mistakes may be made, she believes that they open up new opportunities as well. Though you may have erred in the past, that opens up new possibilities as well.” He sent in his vote. “And thus, my promise is complete.”

 

“And I'm happy for all of you. Why do you think I held those Confessionals?” Rin said. “You're all strong, you can move on, become better people. I was worried, but I'm not anymore. There's no need for me to be there, too. You can _leave_.”

 

“If there was no need for you to be here, I would not have come in the first place, Rin.” Ruri sent in her vote. “There _is_ value in your life.”

 

“Didn't I just tell you why there isn't any?” Rin shouted. “What part of 'I destroy everything I touch' do you not get?”

 

“Though your reactions may have caused a great deal of strife, you cannot be blamed for the outside forces which sent your life in such a direction to begin with.” Shinobu. “To blame yourself for the murder of your parents... I do not wish that fate for anyone else.”

 

“And what if it happens again, and again, huh?” Rin said. She was grasping her head, sweating in frustration. “Even if I do get back up, what's the point if I just fall down again?”

 

“If I can get back up after all this shit, then you can, too.” Junko. “If we fall, we fall together. I'm stuck with these assholes, and that includes you, Rin. I've already accepted it, so get it through your thick skull.” She crossed her arms and snorted. “Even if you did help fuck me up.”

 

“Even if you say that, you know you can just leave.” Rin said. “I don't understand. Why would you stay, even after you've already won, you've beaten the one who actually wanted to keep you here, for the sake of trying to talk me into living?”

 

“In my case,” Reiko said, flipping her hair, “I'd say 'because it is unjust to simply leave someone to die.' My moral code forbids it.” Another vote. “I've never agreed with the death penalty anyhow.”

 

“Hai!” Blake jumped up and nodded. “Boku has not been knowing you for the elonged jikans, Hashizawa-san, er, eto, what is the nanis... Ahhhhh!” He said, throwing up his hands, and then said... something, very enthusiastically, in presumably his native tongue, before voting.

 

Several turned their heads to Word Boy, Rin included, so Kazuya cleared his throat. “'I don't want anyone to die. I'm a scientist of the earth, and even the worst people I've met have their own reasons to stay alive. I don't want you to throw away yours.'” He translated. “And... for what it's worth, I agree. I don't think there needs to be _any_ more death here.” He cleared his throat. “There's no reason to end death with more death. Even if your actions have hurt us, that doesn't mean we can just leave you to die. That's just not how people work.” He pushed his button, and shook his head. “It's not how _we_ work.”

 

“I'm still sick and tired of people dying.” Saburo voted. “So join the crowd. You can hang at my place and complain about it.” He shrugged, but his eyes were steely.

 

Rin began to tremble as Kotone leaned toward to say her piece. “You're still young,” Kotone said, “you're so young you don't even know what's left for you! People live for way longer than just their childhoods, and even if you did have a rough start, you can keep going!” She pumped her fists, and turned her head to Natsuhi. “Right? I'm right, right?”

 

Natsuhi blinked. “Uh.” She looked around. “I tuned out because I was really pissed earlier, so I don't have much to say. But... quit abusing yourself.” She voted.

 

“ _Oh, come on_!” Rin screamed, throwing her hands at Natsuhi. “You weren't even paying attention, and you _still_ want me to stay alive?!”

 

“Yeah.” Natsuhi nodded. “Seems better than you dying.”

 

“How can you... even... how are all of you like this?!” Rin said. She looked pleadingly to Chihaya. “Chihaya... come on. Come on, please!”

 

Chihaya looked down at her podium. She'd stayed silent for a while until now. “When I ran away, you were one of my only friends. Now, Miria is dead because of you.” She glared, shaking slightly. “I won't lie. I'm angry. I'm so angry, I feel like I'm going to rip this podium in half. But, even if you did take away the one person I ever loved...”

 

Staring right at Rin, she pushed 'Not Guilty.' “You're also the only other person who can remember her on that journey.” She said. “So I want you to live. Live, and help me keep her alive. Live, because _she'd_ want it that way. Live, to keep _all_ the people who've died alive. Because, right now, you know what else?”

 

“...What?” Rin asked, blinking.

 

“You've messed with my memories.” Chihaya said. “So right now, you're the only one who remembers the Kei from then. I don't want her to die either. So if I have to live, and remember Miria, and keep going after I've lost Miria, then you have to go on without Kei. It hurts, and I hate every second of it, but I'm alive. I'm not a ghost, I'm a flesh and blood human being, who's bleeding and bleeding because I've lost the girl who meant everything to me!” She was shouting now, pointing her finger. “And I can see, you're bleeding too, you've been bleeding for even longer, so let's go together! _All four of us_!”

 

As a followup, Miki casually pushed her button. “Sounds about right. Yayoi would want you to pay damages with all that money of yours, too.”

 

With that glib little comment, Rin's dam burst, and she broke down into hysterical tears. “Just _let me die_.” She said. “I don't care about being punished, I don't care about the people I've killed, I'm just so _tired_. I don't want to do this anymore. You want the truth? There!” She threw her arms out. “There, I said it, I just don't want to live anymore, okay? That's it! That's all! So just leave! Just let me die! It doesn't matter how much you try to tell me that it's okay, that there's more for me, that I have to live, it doesn't matter!”

 

She bent over onto her podium and sobbed. “Living is hard. I can't do it anymore. I don't want to do it anymore. I want to die. I want to die so everything around me can stop going so wrong. I just want everything to stop. So leave me alone. Leave me alone, please. Let me die. I just want to die.”

 

“So, this horse walks into a bar.” Gavin said.

 

Pause. For several seconds, the courtroom was filled with a complete silence.

 

“What?” Rin blinked.

 

“So this horse walks into a bar,” Gavin said, “and he's all slidin' up to the counter all smooth-like, yeah? Got this sweet leather jacket on, shades, Fonz hair. Nofolky at the counter, though, so he taps onna bell bit-bit, bing bing bing! Suddenly barkeep bursts from th' back, all, 'Yo, yo, sorry, my dude, we gotsapode prollem, yeah?'

 

Horse's all, 'you got octopi?' And the barkeep nods, yah, yah! 'Tha's nuts, man.' Yah, yah! 'Tell ya what, tho, whet m'whistle a scooch 'n I'll help.'

 

Barkeep, pah, he's all like, 'a drink! yeah! tha's my job!' He goes to the back. 'If yer gonna help, you want somethin' boozy?'

 

Horse, he says, 'I think not,' and then suddenly he goes poof!” After a moment of silence, Gavin went on. “See, now, way back in all them 17th centuries, got this cat named Rene Descartes. I say that right, Kaz?” Kazuya nodded. “Now, this cat Descartes, real smart cookie wafer, yeah? Wunna them pioneers of all that European philosophy stuff, plus analyzin'cal geometrics, Cartesian coordinatin', allat stuff. Guy was French, but he kicked it in the Dutch Republic for a sweet score, and tha's 'round when he wrote this book, yeah? Called, _Discourse of the Method._

 

Now, Descartes thought old philosophizing were too stuffy or somethin', so he did a backslide to the beginnin', and tha's when he said somethin' real interestin'. ' _Je pence, donc je suis._ '” Gavin looked to Kazuya again, and he nodded. “Now, whuzzat mean? Well, dude means, 'I think, therefore, I is.' See, dude thought, well, cats can say, maybe they don't exist? But if we gotta think like doubtin' we exist, a mind gotta be legit to make a think. So, if a think happens, we gotta exist. Folks think, therefore, folks is.

 

Now, see, when Horse was all, 'I think not,' cuzza what Descartes laid down, he was denyin' he own existin', man! So he goes, poof, Inna puff'a logic! The horse, he ain't!”

 

Gavin stretched, and put his arms behind his head. “Aw, but y'all ain't laughin'. Gav knows he a rambly boy'n all, and 'splainin' the joke so much jus' straight up killed it!” He sighed, and his head drooped. “Man... Gav really put Descartes before the horse on that one.”

 

The room went completely silent for several moments. Nanako had to take a second or two to catch up to Gavin, but by the time she did, that silence had passed. A small snorting was busting loose, slowly growing in intensity.

 

By the time the first open chuckle left Rin's mouth, it was too late. She was laughing, and not lightly, either. The tears that had been falling suddenly turned to tears of mirth, and she doubled over with laughter, putting her hands on the podium to keep balance. “Descartes! Before the horse! Ehehehehehehehe!” The rampant giggles kept the breaths she was trying to take very, very loose. “Oh, oh no it hurts, hehehehehehe!” Her glasses fell off of her face. “Oh, oh no, oh I can't breathe, ohohohohehehehahahahahaha! Oh dear, oh dear!”

 

Rin was eventually brought to her knees from the force of her own peals of laughter, her head perpendicular to the ground as she cried in laughter. It began to die down a few times, but as laughter often did, it came back in more bursts the instant the punchline popped back into her head. She'd begun to wheeze. Nanako felt almost as though she should go over and help, but could you really help with something like this? Laughter like this, especially her mom's, sort of just needed to be rode out.

 

It took a while, but Rin eventually managed to breathe enough to stand up again. “Ohhh... Oh, that was _terrible_ , Gavin!” She giggled again. She was smiling. “Where did you learn such an awful joke?”

 

“Aww, from Claus.” Gavin smiled. “Real chain-puller, ain't it?”

 

“It sure is!” Rin clapped. “I-” Then she stopped, and presumably realized what she'd just done.

 

Gavin's smile went from loud and bright to soft, but brighter. “All this talkin' ain't happenin' if you don't got some hope left, Rin. You wanna live. Tha's why you gave Gav the chance to tell ya that joke.”

 

Rin blinked, her eyes wide. “G-Gavin...?”

 

“Them thoughts you got, they loud, but yanno what? Laughin's the best medicine!” Gavin gave a thumbs up. “A good joke'll getcha on yer feet, licked in a split! Y'just gotta chill fer a sec, Rin. Look 'round.”

 

Directing her eyes, Gavin gestured around at the people in the circle. “Trip, man, alla these folks... They wantcha to live, to get that chance to say sorry. And, hey, y'know what?” Gavin pumped his fist, and patted his bicep. “Y'touched Gav, and he's better'n ever, man! So le's go, Rin.” He grinned. “Le's continue this story 'a yers, for ten more years, an' even more after that! You keep goin', you just got started!”

 

Rin's hands fell to her sides, and she stared at Gavin. She'd cried so much, but still, more tears came. “Gavin.” She said. She clenched her fists. “I... I don't...” She sniffled. “I'm...”

 

Gavin was still smiling, but he shook his head. “Naw. Not t'me. Y'gotta do one 'pology first.”

 

It took Rin a second, but the realization struck her quickly enough. She turned, at last, to Nanako. The two of them looked each other in the eyes.

 

“Nanako...” Rin said. She put her hand on her heart. “I'm sorry... for everything I've done. I've hurt you so much, and... and I don't know what I can ever do to make it better. Even if you _never_ forgive me, please, believe that, at least. It's the truth.”

 

Nanako looked down towards her podium, the two buttons in front of her waiting to be tapped. “...I don't... want you to die.” She said. “You're my mom. Even if I do hate the things you've done, even if you _have_ hurt me, I... I love you. I want you to keep living.” She was crying too, now. “And you can't do anything about that but live. So...”

 

There was a moment where Nanako was struck by hiccups. It was in that moment that Rin responded. “Alright.” Nanako raised her head up. Rin was smiling a little behind her tears. “I'll live. It... really is the least I can do for you, isn't it?”

 

“Yeah. Yeah!” Nanako nodded, tears streaming down her face, her antenna waving wildly in any number of directions. “It is!”

 

Silently, mother and daughter pushed 'Not Guilty.' The mass of screens no longer hung in the center of the room to proclaim the trial's end, but when the screens shut off, and the podiums receded from the courtroom, the message was quite clear. After five times, after three weeks, Nanako knew what that meant.

 

The Final Trial

 

and this whole game

 

were over.

 

And so, Nanako was free

 

“ _Mom_!”

 

to tackle her mother, sobbing loudly, and wrap her in a hug.

 

“You idiot, you stupid idiot! How could you ever think I'd want you to die? Do you ever listen to me?”

 

And so too was Rin free

 

“I'm sorry, Nanako. I... won't run away anymore.”

 

to return that hug, and cry as well.

 

“I promise.”

 

And so,

 

the Hashizawa family

 

“It's time to go.”

 

was free.

 


	96. Denouement, Front - Someone Calls Me, Someone Looks for Me

 

Past the Final Trial, there were just the pre-facility hallways to head through, and Rin knew where she was going. “If we hang a right here, we'll reach the closest elevator to the surface,” she said, her labcoat trailing behind her a bit as they passed through the Pressure Exchange Chamber. As it turned out, Nanako's speed on her feet wasn't just a factor of her body; since that night at the waterfall, Rin had become pretty fast on her feet as well. “From there, it's not far to the coast. Where did you all say the boat landed?”

 

Blake chimed in, pulling out his map of the island. He pointed to his cute little drawing of a boat for her perusal as they walked. “Here, Hashizawa-san!”

 

“Oh, that's not far.” Rin smiled. “It shouldn't be long, then.”

 

Several of the hostages were doing all they could just to keep on their feet, but the rescue squad seemed chipper as ever. “I'm rather curious,” Reiko said, “what exactly your plan was if they were to _lose_ a trial.”

 

“Ah, of course.” Rin nodded. “Had they lost, I wouldn't have been killed yet. We would've taken a helicopter before anyone arrived, and just in case the survivor was interested in giving chase, detonated an explosive in the service passages to deter their path.” She looked to the side. “This puzzle room was also in part to keep anyone from catching Viki if I was successfully executed in the Final Trial. I... don't exactly know what she was planning if she left on her own.”

 

Gavin, of course, was, as always, filled with the verve of friendship, and when he awoke from the sudden unconsciousness of regaining his memories, which Viki had apparently stuck inside one of these lockers, he immediately rose back up as though nothing had happened and said, “Trip, man, she 'planning' anything?”

 

“She didn't seem like she was capable of planning much past that point, no.” Chihaya shook her head.

 

“Oh! Er, out of curiosity...” Rin chuckled bashfully and blushed, then looked to Saburo. “H-how'd I do?”

 

“You know?” Saburo said, closing his eyes and nodding. “It wasn't half bad. Maybe you've got a future in the escape room business.”

 

Nanako and Chihaya were both in agreement, as they crossed their arms and frowned. “No.” They both said. “She's not allowed after the solution puzzle.” Nanako continued.

 

Rin wailed. “B-but I thought it was funny!”

 

“Don't listen to them, Rin.” Kazuya rolled his eyes. “It was a perfectly good puzzle and they're just-”

 

Stella cut in, grinning. “ _Salty_.” The glare Chihaya gave her at that one could probably kill somebody.

 

When Natsuhi turned to Junko for an answer, Junko shrugged. “Don't ask me. I'm as clueless as you are.” There was a click on the door, and as they headed through, she asked, “So, Rin. You were... _interested_ in me, right?”

 

Rin yiped for a moment as she opened the hatch on the room's door, but then said, “I would be lying if I said I wasn't.”

 

“Why on Earth.” Junko said, her voice completely flat.

 

“I think Mom pretty much crushes on any girl who gives her the time of day.” Nanako added. Rin's lack of response likely meant she couldn't deny it.

 

“That, and you have...” Rin paused. She was still turned around. “very, very nice hands.” Gavin laughed out loud, and clapped. Junko buried her head in her very, very nice hands.

 

In a way, it felt odd. Technically, the ten of them had just finished one of the most traumatic events of their entire lives. A three-week fight for their lives had just concluded, and here they were, idly chatting amongst themselves and with their rescuers as if nothing was odd.

 

Luan was smiling as they left the room to the outside passages, stark white as usual. “This is much nicer than the way the last Nonary Game ended.”

 

“It is, isn't it?” Rin said. She surveyed the damage. Miki had cut a brutal swathe through the last force of drones here, and their corpses lied on the floor. “Ms. Murasaki?” Miki made a noise of recognition. “You frighten me.”

 

“Did, er.” Kazuya blinked. “Did you do all this?” Miki nodded. “Wow. Um...”

 

“I must question,” Shinobu said, tapping her temple, “what sort of stuff the Murasaki sisters are made of.”

 

“Yeah, well...” Miki muttered. The instant her feet trembled slightly, Yashiro was there, picking her up on his back. He went to pick up the circular saw, but she shook her head on his shoulder. “No... I don't need it. I already got my revenge.”

 

“I imagine it wasn't quite the sort of revenge you were hoping for.” Yashiro laughed.

 

“I don't know what I was hoping for.” Miki rolled her eyes. “I'm... twelve, you idiot.” Bam. Out like a light on Yashiro's back.

 

“To be fair, I'm only sixteen.” Yashiro said, and it gobsmacked Nanako just how quiet he was. She didn't even think he was capable of that!

 

“While that is heartwarming, there's an outstanding matter I simply must comment on.” Shinobu said. She repositioned herself next to Reiko in the group's form. “Forgive me for presuming, but you said your name was 'Ittosai', correct?”

 

“That it is.” Reiko curtsied as they walked.

 

“It's not the most common name in this day and age,” Shinobu said, smiling, “and I have a particularly devoted fan whose input I greatly value who goes by that name in their letters. What was it...” She hummed. “Ah, yes. 'If it weren't for you, I ne'er would've found myself?'”

 

“You even remember the exact wording!” Reiko laughed, beaming. “It really is the highest honor, Dame Koshimizu. Never did I presume to imagine you might remember me!”

 

“My dear, you write after _every_ book.” Shinobu tittered. “Multiple times, if there is a lull. How could I not?” She looked at Natsuhi. “And this, your paramour I've heard so much of!”

 

“You... wrote her about me?” Natsuhi blinked.

 

“Well, of course.” Reiko said, her face uncharacteristically flat. “When one desires counsel, one goes to those one trusts, and I would trust this woman with my life.”

 

“In fact, I'd presume to say you were the child who was first in line at my first book signing as well, no?” Shinobu asked, and Reiko's eyes widened. “Aha! Right on the money, as they say. I must say, you've blossomed quite a bit since then, my friend, and become a self-evident legal prodigy at that!”

 

“Oh, I try.” Reiko blushed and tittered a bit herself. “I'm simply being myself. No need for me to be any other!”

 

“A commendable sentiment, and you have my full agreement.” Shinobu nodded. “And might I say that that is a _stunning_ ring you've got there.”

 

“Oh, I just picked it up on a bottle on the beach once.” Reiko smirked, and then they both laughed at each other.

 

Stella looked at Junko, and Junko at Stella. “Fuck.” Junko said. Stella nodded.

 

Meanwhile, Nanako looked at Natsuhi, and Natsuhi at Nanako. “I don't think we're gonna be getting away from each other.” Nanako said. Natsuhi shook her head.

 

“I'm just surprised Reiko managed to keep quiet.” Kotone sniggered. “Considering how good she was at keeping her crush on Natsuhi secret!”

 

Natsuhi spun on her foot and glared. “No.”

 

“Ooh, is there a salacious scandal here?” Nanako asked. “I love salacious scandals?” She said, continuing to intensify her aura of asking.

 

“I'd gossip now, but I think Nat's gonna kill me if I do.” Kotone laughed. “So I guess, don't fall asleep as soon as you hit the boat?”

 

“Well, I'd say I have energy to spare, but then I'd be lying!” Nanako laughed back. “I'll try my best.”

 

“Nana-chan, the Onna Chat is of the great importance!” Blake said, waving his talismans around still. He'd clustered them up like pom-poms now, though. “Please to be ganbaruing at getting to the greatness of the ocean-!”

 

“Oh, _come on_!” Kazuya shouted, throwing his hands up. Blake yelped and tried to apologize, but he clearly had no idea what he'd actually done wrong. Luan laughed.

 

Yashiro chuckled, shook his head, and said, “Ah, but I missed you goofballs.”

 

“How ya think we felt, dawg?” Gavin laughed, and playfully punched Yashiro in the side. Given that it was Yashiro, he could've punched him full force and not gotten anywhere, but still. “You never scare us like that again, yeah?”

 

“Ah, you all know cats have nine lives.” Yashiro chuckled again. “I just can't believe you all really believed I died! Come now. My heart would take much longer than that to fell a normal man, let alone the Ultimate Strongman.”

 

“Well, gee, forgive me for not thinking completely logically about conditions I've never seen before.” Nanako snorted at him, and punched him too.

 

Junko raised her hand. “I'm going to go on record as stating that I never believed you were dead.”

 

Yashiro laughed, but then stopped, and his eyes widened. “Oh no.” He said, fear filling his voice. “Nana's going to be very mad at me. I hope she doesn't have Sakuya peck me!”

 

“ _That's_ what you're worried about?” Stella snorted.

 

“Oh, no, he should definitely be worried.” Kotone said, her voice low, with a tone of hushed reverence. “Her beak is really sharp. They say that it could even pierce the heavens themselves!”

 

“You know, you give _me_ guff over being dramatic, but then you say things like this and it makes me wonder if you really know what's coming out of your mouth sometimes.” Ruri snorted, flipping her hair.

 

“Okay.” Kotone took a breath, readied her hands, and closed her eyes. “There's a difference. See, I have a healthy interest I've cultivated, whereas you just _act_ like this, and dress like this, and carry around a bag of tiny candies everywhere you go to shove in your mouth because you won't _sleep_.” She scoffed. “A bit of fangirl hype is completely normal, Ruri! It's not my fault you apparently don't understand _mortal interests_.”

 

“You might be surprised.” Ruri put her hands on her hips, huffed, and turned away. “You might be surprised.”

 

“Aww, nah big, Ree!” Gavin laughed and patted her on the back. “Got a real nice hobby shop near m'place can take ya to.” Ruri muttered something about the nickname.

 

“Take me first.” Junko commanded.

 

“Mm'kay!” Gavin said.

 

As Nanako rolled along the hamper, she looked into it and thought about just how much she honestly wasn't thinking at this point. Her mind felt empty, blissfully empty for the first time... for the first time ever, she realized. She wasn't worried, wasn't concerned. She had no mysteries to ponder. Rin opened a door to a freight elevator, with a loud crash.

 

“The sun is likely to be quite bright.” Rin said, raising her finger to caution the group. “Be sure to prepare yourselves.”

 

“After all this, what are we _not_ prepared for?” Stella snorted. “I've been waiting for this.”

 

“Technically, Rin's ridiculous waterfall room gave me a touch of fresh air.” Junko rolled her eyes. “That said, not having a ceiling over my head for a moment does sound pleasant right about now.”

 

“That's the spirit!” Yashiro said, nodding his head.

 

The story was over. This whole long odyssey that she'd been a passenger on since the day she was born was finally over. “Hey...” Nanako murmured. “Um... Reiko.”

 

“Hm?” Reiko spun around in an instant. Nanako still wasn't sure what to make of it when she did that. “Something on your mind?”

 

“Well, I don't legally exist yet, right?” Nanako said. She pursed her lips. “I'm just... is it gonna be, like, okay for me to go out there, or?”

 

“Ah, don't you worry.” Reiko waved her hand casually. “By the grace of Lady Justice, it is my duty from on high to ensure that your citizenship is not your worry.” She paused.

 

“What she's saying is, just do what she tells you when she tells you.” Natsuhi said. “It won't be hard.”

 

Gavin lit up. “Well, heckeroonie, dawgs, just give Gav a ringer'n he's got a few favors he can call-”

 

“'Favors' sounds questionably legal at best, and I'd prefer to work in a way that will give Miss Nanako no risk of having her integration into society be undermined by some facet of her deal.” Reiko cut him off as the elevator began rising. “Appreciated, Mr. Sakaki, but unnecessary.” In the background, Blake sidled awkwardly towards Yashiro, but seemed unable to get closer than a certain distance without lighting up blushing.

 

“Okay, but is it, like, ex...” Nanako trailed off. “Pen... sive...?” She looked at Rin, standing at the edge of the elevator, tapping her foot. “Do I even need to be asking that?”

 

“Hm?” Rin suddenly started. “Er? What now? Money? Oh, no, money's no concern...” She was beginning to pace. “If you have any costs, I'll cover them, really... I doubt I'll be using them for all that much... hm... ah, but I shouldn't say that until I know what exactly will be happening...”

 

“Oh, god.” Junko groaned. “She's got that _tone_ in her voice.”

 

“Mmmmmhm.” Saburo nodded, his hands on his hips. “She's off.”

 

“...but perhaps I might need... ah, but... well, I won't know that...” Rin mumbled, twiddling her fingers. “But maybe... perhaps if... oh, but how long...”

 

Shinobu, standing next to Nanako, looked at her and said, “I take it this is a common occurrence.”

 

Nanako nodded. “She's thinking about _something_. Hold on, lemme see if I can grab her attention.” She cleared her throat, and then proceeded to say nothing as her mind called forth a blank of potential lines to use now that they weren't underground. “Well, crap.” She shrugged. “I'm clueless.”

 

“Descartes.” Gavin offered, and Rin broke into a fit of giggles and snorts for a moment before remembering that she existed in physical space and that there were people looking at her.

 

Shrieking a bit, and covering her mouth with her hands for a moment, Rin shouted, “How long have I been out? Is it still April 30th?!”

 

“Mom.” Nanako said. “Do you really think we'd still be in this elevator if it wasn't?”

 

Rin stopped, and adjusted her glasses on her nose. “Oh. That's... that's a very good point, actually, that wouldn't make much sense, would it?” She chuckled awkwardly. “But, er, anyhow-”

 

Just then-

 

-Nanako threw up her hand against a glaring light from the sky, beaming directly down onto her as a cool breeze began to fill the room. The elevator began grinding to a halt, and she heard Miki briefly stir before falling back asleep. It was-

 

-the sun.

 

It was the sun shining down on her, and everyone else. As her hand lowered, she saw a variety of reactions from her friends; Kazuya laughed almost in disbelief, and fell to his knees, tears coming to his eyes; Stella began full-on cackling at the sight of it, and threw her arms wide before aimlessly pacing for a bit; Junko swore at the sun a bit for being so damn bright but then saw the way Gavin looked at her in the sun and mumbled something about it not being all that bad; Yashiro sternly nodded towards the sky in greeting; Luan began sniffling, and then crying, launching towards Shinobu and wrapping her in a hug; and, well, Shinobu was cackling a bit in disbelief too before that happened.

 

For Nanako's part, she took a hesitant step forward, and another, and another, until her foot left the metal of the elevator, and her sandals stepped onto the earth of the clearing. In the distance, not too far, she could see the ocean. The cries of seagulls echoed in her ears, as if congratulating them for their escape, and a light breeze blew all their hair in the wind. Nanako's antenna didn't resist. It went with the wind, freely flowed with it.

 

She'd been on the top of the compound before, of course, but now, even the air felt different. Nanako looked down beneath her feet at the dirt beneath her for a moment before looking towards the beach. “Do you guys recognize this location at all?” She asked the rescue squad. Blake nodded, yipped a bit, removed himself from Guy Hell, and stood at the head of the group, making a little humming noise before hollering.

 

“Please to be kochi koming with boku!” Blake cried to the captives. “Boku-tachi of the Kibougangmine will to be an escort you off of the premise!”

 

Stella laughed. “I think I even kinda understood that!”

 

Tromping forward out of the clearing and past the beach, a radio Kotone was carrying suddenly blared to life. “-rescue team, can you hear me?” Nanako didn't recognize that voice, but Stella's eyes flew wide. “We've just re-established communications!”

 

Kotone picked up the radio. “We're en route. In fact, we can see the boat now! And...” She blinked, and leaned forward in the distance. Nanako emulated her. “What is that?”

 

Next to a pretty darned sizable boat, a chamber of some size, a round one, was floating in the ocean. It had kind of a familiar shape, actually, Nanako thought, as she got a bit closer. “Er.” Rin said. “That's-”

 

“You're en route?!” The voice on the radio gasped. Thanks. “Which direction are you?!”

 

Natsuhi looked up at the sun. “A bit west.”

 

“Ending transmissions!” The voice shouted, and then perfectly audibly ran out of the room.

 

“Hall of... the Mountain Queen.” Rin murmured.

 

As they approached the boat, a few shapes in front of it turned to look at them, but the very first person to reach the group was a woman who barreled onto the beach, running full bore towards them. She was mousy, a brunette, fair-skinned, small, about Stella's height. Her glasses bounced on her nose, and Stella took an awkward step forward to meet her.

 

“M-Mom?” Stella gasped.

 

Without taking even a moment to stop, Stella's mother charged forward and embraced her daughter, tears in her eyes. “Stella! _**Stella**_!” She cried, clutching Stella tightly. “Stella, oh my god, honey, you're okay! Oh, you're okay!” She sobbed.

 

“Mom...” Stella couldn't help it, by the look of it. “ _Mom_!” She burst into tears too, and the two of them fell to their knees on the sand. “Mom!”

 

“Stella!” Mrs. Masaki cried. “Oh, god, you're alive. You're alive, you're alive and you're here and you're okay, I don't-” She sniffled. “I don't know what I would've done if I'd lost you, I- oh, honey-”

 

“Mom, I just-” Stella blubbered. “Oh god, I missed you, Mom, I was- ah, fuck, I don't even- aaaahhhh!” She lost control of her words, and just cried.

 

Several of the rescue team members went on ahead, presumably to inform the authorities, but Natsuhi, at least, stayed to pat Mrs. Masaki on the back. Nanako held no illusions that that meant this moment was going to become less crowded, though. Though Mrs. Masaki's speed was really quite admirable, it was only a matter of time before-

 

“ _Kazuya_?” “ _ **Kazuya!**_ ” Ah, yup, there it was. A tall, sputtering, bespectacled man in a three-piece suit and a taller woman with a bobcut and a pink cardigan, both of whom shared Kazuya's distinctive brown-on-brown aesthetic, bowled past Nanako to charge at Kazuya.

 

“Mom? Dad?!” Being tackled by two people at once was probably a bit more force, so Kazuya wound up getting bowled over to the beach floor. “Agh!”

 

“Oh god, are you alright?!” Mrs. Okudaira shrieked, wringing her hands out a little bit. “Speak to me, Kazuya!”

 

“I'm fine, just-!” Kazuya coughed. “Gimme a second, here...! I'm-” He chuckled. “I'm still adjusting to being outside!”

 

Once that awkward moment was over and Kazuya was stood up again, and various tears had of course been shed, Mr. Okudaira rubbed his chin and said, “Hm.” Then he paused, rubbed his chin, and said “Hm.” again. “You get your masculine charm from me. You're killing the red!”

 

“Wha- _**Dad**_?!” Kazuya sputtered. He backed away, throwing up his hands a little. His voice cracked a bit.

 

“Oh, don't go taking all the credit for him now.” Mrs. Okudaira leaned into her husband's face. “We all know he wouldn't have his dashing good looks if it weren't for my genes!” Kazuya was sputtering.

 

Junko snorted. “I think they're killing Word Boy.” Gavin patted her on the shoulder, and she looked away. They began walking toward the boat.

 

Once the Masakis stopped crying for a moment, Mrs. Masaki stood up, rubbed her glasses, and took a look at Kazuya properly. She nodded at him and scanned him in appraisal. “Yes, he's definitely your type...” She murmured. “Great complexion, good fashion sense. This one's a good find, Stella.” She smiled at Kazuya, and he whimpered and fell to his knees in an attempt to become very, very small.

 

Meanwhile, the Okudairas were doing the same to Stella, Mrs. Okudaira's once-over being a bit more thorough. “For what it's worth, I think you look better without the dye.” She commented.

 

“Yeah, I've.” Stella said, sweating. “Been getting that a lot lately.”

 

“Can't believe our son managed to bag a celebrity.” Mr. Okudaira nodded smugly. “What a guy, eh, honey? How'd he do it? Romantic dinner by candlelight?”

 

“I was watching Dragon Ball, he came in the room, and I decided to start making out with him.” Stella said.

 

The Okudairas stood and looked at each other. “I _really_ like her.” Mrs. Okudaira said. Stella went white as a sheet. Natsuhi patted her on the back, too.

 

Those three were the first out, and the remainder of the people coming out to meet the group seemed to be hanging a bit closer to the boat. When a call in a language Nanako didn't understand rang out from atop it, she had a pretty good feeling, and lo and behold, within moments the Luan family was reunited. An awkward, lanky-looking, tall man stood shedding tears in the background of a loud, blubbering hug between Yun and a much shorter woman who still looked like she might be crushing his spine a little with her strong arms. Nanako didn't understand a word they said, but that was fine. She was pretty sure she knew what was being said anyway.

 

As Nanako continued her walk forward, leaving them all to their reunions, the boat approached ever closer. “This is one of the weirdest things I've ever done.” She chuckled, looking at her remaining friends... and her mother, of course. “Look at all these _people_!” She said. There were more running on top of the boat, and a crowd still waiting in front. She saw Reiko and Ruri discussing something with a really severe-looking guy who reminded her weirdly of a snake, but she'd get to that after, well-

 

“Yo.” The next up were a pair to behold. A kinda stocky, but definitely burly, lady with an afro, casually waving her hands and smirking like she wasn't worried in the slightest, and beside her, a tall, lean, smoldering man with incredible eyebrows who seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. “What took you so long?” There were tears in her eyes, but she was still smirking.

 

“D'aww, hadta mop up some bidness and save an ol' pal 'n whatnot.” The fact, then, that these were Gavin's parents struck Nanako as a complete non-surprise. He waved. “Yo!” He walked up to his parents, and all three of them hugged.

 

“I'm ever so glad you're alright, Gavin.” His dad said, with- holy crap that guy had a velvety voice. It was like... was that even legal? Was this guy's voice even real? Was that his actual voice? It was way too... movie-y. That was totally being altered somehow. No voice radiated that much raw smolder. He was definitely crying, though.

 

“Aw, me too, Pop.” Gavin said. Between the two of them, though, an enthusiastic Schnauzer jumped up and barreled Gavin over. “Ruff Ruffhouseman! My man!” Then he... started barking for a bit.

 

“Is that what speaking dog sounds like?” Rin murmured.

 

Standing at the outside of this reunion was Junko, her wheelchair turned somewhat to the side, clearly conflicted. Once Gavin was taken care of by Ruff Ruffhouseman for a bit, though, Mrs. Sakaki turned her attention to the Net Admin. “And _you're_ Junko, right?” She said.

 

Grumbling, closing her eyes and looking down, Junko mumbled, “Yes.”

 

“Oh, c'mon.” Mrs. Sakaki knelt down and looked at her. “Look me in the eyes for a sec, if you don't mind.”

 

Taking a deep breath, Junko turned her head up, and stared Mrs. Sakaki right in the eyes. They locked eyes, and Junko began to sweat. Mrs. Sakaki nodded. “Good.”

 

“W-wait, what?” Junko sputtered. “What was that?”

 

“You've got a fire in your eyes.” Mrs. Sakaki nodded to herself, crossing her arms. “Exactly the kind of girl my son needs. He's too damn into the whole chillaxing thing.”

 

Junko blinked, and Mr. Sakaki sidled up. “If it helps, I don't have a clue what she means by that either.” He chuckled.

 

“O-oh, whatever. Whatever stupid rituals you...” Junko trailed off. Ruff Ruffhouseman had come over to look at her, and was sniffing her feet. “What.”

 

Ruff Ruffhouseman's tail wagged once, twice, three times. He barked. Gavin cleared his throat. “My man the Ruffman approves. Says you 'unsullied by o'er heathens.'”

 

“Well, of course.” Junko snorted awkwardly. “I haven't had much experience with... tame household creatures.”

 

“Pets.” Mrs. Sakaki said. “You can call them pets, dear.”

 

“Very well.” Junko shrugged. “If I have to lower myself to the level of you normies, I've never had a _pet_.”

 

Mr. Sakaki leaned over to Gavin and asked, “What's a 'normie?'” Gavin shrugged.

 

Junko blinked for a moment. “Wait a minute.” She stared at Mrs. Sakaki. “You.” She pointed her finger. “You're 'Stormbreaker' Tomo Mochizuka, retired but still current record-holder of the longest streak of holding the Heavyweight Championship Belt in the Neo New Japan Wrestling Federation! Special move, the 'Essence of Clothesline!'”

 

Mrs. Sakaki laughed a loud, barking laugh. “Oh, seems I've got a fan. I took this clown's surname when we got married, but other than that you're damn right I am.”

 

Junko's jaw dropped, and she looked at Gavin. “Your mother is _the Stormbreaker_?!”

 

“Aw! Yah.” Gavin nodded. “Sure she is.”

 

Her eyes wide, Junko stared in awe. “Holy shit, my boyfriend is the Stormbreaker's son. How do you-!?” Then her eyes narrowed again. “Right. It's you. I don't know why I'm even surprised by this point. Of course your mother is the Stormbreaker, why would she be _anyone_ else.”

 

Mr. Sakaki smiled softly, and he reached out his hand for a handshake. “Since she won't, let me be the first to say, welcome to our family, Junko. I'm very glad to have you.”

 

Junko stared at his hand, shuddered for a bit, and then just broke into tears on the beach. Personally, Nanako would've cried a long time ago.

 

And then there were five, and by the look of it, that was soon to become four. A timid, shaking man with orange hair peeked his head out from under the boat ramp, and when Chihaya's eyes widened from her hiding place behind Yashiro, it was pretty clear who that was. She slowly crept out, and she and the man slowly began stepping towards each other.

 

This moment was completely ruined when, with a sudden crash, Exisal Black pushed aside a few of the trees, and over the loudspeaker installed in it, a man's voice said, “We're at the boat, can we get out of the mech now?!” The mech's arm flailed frustratedly.

 

“Well.” The gun arm and hand of Exisal Black went to its squat hips. “Are we safely out of the threat radius yet?” That was a woman's voice, and a pretty old one, too.

 

“All the machines turned off ages ago.” The man's voice said, and Exisal Black pointed in the other direction. “What threat?”

 

“In that case, it's likely alright, but remain cautious.” The woman said, but then Exisal Black looked towards the rescuees, and stopped. “Ah. Excuse me, Doctor.”

 

“Um,” Rin asked, “h-how did they commandeer the Exisal? How did it even get out here?”

 

“Why did you even have a mech in the first place?” Nanako asked. “What was the point of it?”

 

Rin looked up to the sky, then back down, and said, “You know, I never thought of it that way.”

 

As the Inoues stood frozen in place, both staring very quietly at the Exisal, the hatch on its front opened. There were, unsurprisingly, two people within the Exisal. One was a middle-aged doctor, presumably, with graying hair, and a stern face that currently looked like he had had quite enough of this business. The other, though, the other was a real sight. An old woman, with an eyepatch, flowing white hair, several scars, a baggy grey coat, cargo pants, and a prosthetic leg- and with a caw from above, a crow that came down to perch on her shoulder. She slowly got down from the Exisal and began advancing towards the group.

 

If Yashiro's aura of fear didn't give away the tension he felt, the small croaking noises he heard, and the large grimace his face twisted into, sure would. “H-hello, Nana.” He said, chuckling nervously. “It's. Lovely to see you!”

 

As the imposing figure of Nana Narumi grew ever closer, she said, “Yashiro.” She was frowning. “I'm very glad to see you're alive.”

 

“You really don't look glad.” Yashiro was sweating.

 

“I understand, of course,” Mrs. Narumi said, “that the pursuit of justice in all things is how you live your life, and I'm sure you have a very good explanation for why you needed to convince me for even a second that you'd gone and died.” Her one eye glared. “ _However_. Young man. If you ever, _ever_ pull a stunt like that again without my express knowledge, you will pay _dearly_ for it.” She had tears in her eye. “Do you understand, Yashiro?”

 

“Y-yes, Nana! Of course, Nana!” Yashiro nodded frantically. He handed Miki to Nanako so that he could properly pose in terror. “I'm sorry, it was a, well, a very demanding situation, lot of- lot of ins, lot of outs, lot of what-have-yous.”

 

“Of course.” Mrs. Narumi smirked. “With that said...” She reached up and patted her grandson on the shoulder. “You've done a damn good job, Yashiro. I'm proud to call you my grandson.” She gripped tightly. “And I couldn't be happier to see you back.”

 

The Inoues were still stuck where they were when Mr. Inoue croaked out, “A-Aunt Sensei, please... don't... scare me like that.”

 

Mrs. Narumi raised her eyebrow and turned away from Yashiro. “Ah. My apologies, Satoshi. I didn't see you there.” She pointed at her eyepatch. “Makes it a bit difficult to see.” She laughed.

 

Chihaya turned her head to her father, and asked, “Um. Aunt Sensei?”

 

“Oh, yes, this, um... well, you know Father, he... when I was a child.” Mr. Inoue stammered. “So, er... Aunt... Sensei.”

 

“I taught your grandfather how to fight, is what he's saying.” Mrs. Narumi said, coming forward to look at Chihaya. “You're Chihaya Inoue, then. The Ghost.”

 

“Er.” Chihaya gulped, then took down her deer-in-the-headlights look for a second to give Mrs. Narumi the cool, badass look that she also practiced. “Yes, I am.”

 

“Hm.” Mrs. Narumi rubbed her chin, looking at Chihaya. She turned away, then, without another word. “I've got to check in with my idiot grandson, but I'd speak with you later.” She spared a glance to Nanako. “And you're his friend Hashizawa.” Nanako nodded. “Hm. I see.” Mrs. Narumi nodded, and then walked back over to Yashiro.

 

“So, what do you think?” Yashiro asked.

 

“Give me a moment. I'm old.” Mrs. Narumi said. “By the way, did you meet that boy Blake? He's a very engaging lad...” They continued speaking as they walked off. Yashiro waved to Nanako, and Nanako waved back with one arm.

 

The doctor came up now, and took Miki. “She's exhausted.” He said. “...Great. Well, at least she's not dead.”

 

“Er.” Shinobu raised her hand. “Pardon my intrusion, sir. You wouldn't happen to be...”

 

“Ijuuin Morinaga. I'm Wanda's father.” Dr. Morinaga said, stunning Nanako and Rin into silence, at least. “And you're Shinobu Koshimizu, the Ultimate Mystery Novelist.”

 

“Yes, sir, I am.” Shinobu nodded, clearing her throat. She removed her beret.

 

“And you,” Dr. Morinaga pointed at Nanako, “are wearing her hat.”

 

“Oh, gee, I, uh, I sure am.” Nanako blinked. “Do you. Do you want it back?”

 

“Well, do you want it?” Dr. Morinaga asked. Nanako nodded. “Then keep it. It's not _my_ hat.”

 

“Sir.” Shinobu bowed her head. “I... I wish to say that-”

 

“You were the only person who had a kind word to spare for Wanda, I hear.” Dr. Morinaga, said, and Shinobu's eyes widened. “Even though she did what she did.”

 

“That's... correct, sir.” Shinobu nodded. “Wanda was... a very important friend to me. I wish I'd had the chance to know her longer.”

 

Dr. Morinaga stayed silent for a few moments, pondering. “I see.” He began to walk back towards the boat, but he put a hand on Shinobu's shoulder. “Thank you. I wish...” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

 

“The man who did this to your daughter is dead.” Shinobu said, as he walked away. “I have burnt his last remnant in this world. I shall remember Wanda always, but none shall remember him.”

 

There was silence for a moment, just the sound of the waves and the far-off noises of celebration and reunion, before Dr. Morinaga said, “Thank you.” He didn't turn around, and just kept walking.

 

Apparently, Chihaya and her father had spent enough time talking in the Comms Room that at the moment, there wasn't much else to say. They were knelt on the sand, hugging each other, and crying, and that was all they needed to do, so Nanako finally walked up to the severe snake guy. He stayed silent.

 

From the boat, a woman a pretty solid bit taller than Nanako, with long blue hair, glasses, a uniform that just screamed 'schoolteacher' (good design, there!) and, if Nanako was being honest with herself, a pretty bangin' bod, rushed down with a few chuckles to herself and stood by the snake guy. “Hello!” She clapped, looking at Nanako and Rin. “Oh, you must be the Hashizawas! I'm ever so glad to meet you!” She stuck her hand out.

 

“Um.” Nanako looked at Shinobu and Rin, then took the handshake. “Hi. I'm... Nanako.”

 

“You have great hair!” The woman's aura grew a bit more intense. “Have you ever considered cosplay? I think you'd make a fantastic Dr. Blackjack!”

 

“I've heard?” Nanako blinked.

 

“If I might ask,” Shinobu chimed in, “you wouldn't happen to be our teacher, would you?”

 

“Oh, silly me. It's plain to see I haven't even introduced myself yet!” The woman giggled, and bowed. “Tsumugi Kagenui, and you get full marks!”

 

“And. Um.” Nanako pointed to the snake guy, who still hadn't said a word, but was just sitting there. He had short, grey hair, and was clearly decently old. He was in a suit. And he also was just really, really quiet. “Hi.”

 

Shinobu curtsied. “Headmaster.”

 

“Oh!” Nanako's antenna spiked. “Oh, that's. You're the.” She waved meekly. “Hi.”

 

The Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy stood there quietly for a moment longer before, in a single, grand motion he threw a series of black covers over his own body, and produced a bunraku-style puppet which he began controlling, in a green cloak, with a topknot, and with a posture and look that made Nanako think 'courtesan.' “It's great to meet you and all that jazz.” Wow, his vocal range was pretty great. “Nanako Hashizawa. The first VK-compliant Replicant, or something.”

 

“Er.” Rin raised her hand. “Why are you doing that?”

 

“It's just a habit of his.” Tsumugi-sensei giggled. “He's always like this.”

 

“Oh, never fucking mind that.” The Headmaster said. “You're Rin Hashizawa.” The puppet slapped a fan and made a smacking noise. “Ittosai! Get over here!”

 

“Present.” Reiji was suddenly _there_.

 

“W-wah!” Rin jumped. “You're different now?!”

 

“I'm feeling masculine now.” Reiji said, and that was the end of that. “I heard you needed me, Kisegawa-san?”

 

“Now that the Hashizawas are here... oh, you can go if you want, Shinobu.” 'Kisegawa-san' said, levying a shrug at her. “I imagine you're tired, you're a slight kid. There are beds ready for you.”

 

“Hm?” Shinobu piped up. “Oh, er. I'm not certain I...?” She looked at Nanako.

 

Nanako, in response, nodded. “I think this is something I should do for myself, Nobu. You go on ahead.”

 

“If you insist.” Shinobu took a hesitant step forward, and then past the desk and to the boat, beginning to mutter to herself. “To think, the seagulls are even crying... this is really quite a perfect sight. Perhaps...? No, that might be a bit too on the nose.” She headed into the distance on the boat, calling to people. “Does anyone here happen to have a camera? I'd like to snap a few pictures before I leave...”

 

And then there were two. Hashizawa and Hashizawa stood before the Headmaster of Hope's Peak. “Er. Sir? ...Ma'am? I'm not...” Rin stammered. “I'm sorry, I haven't... done much talking to... people.”

 

“The character is female, so female address is appreciated.” Tsumugi-sensei explained with a smile on her face.

 

“You,” Kisegawa-san said, levying her paper fan at Rin, “you're Rin Hashizawa. I've heard a lot about you.”

 

“Ah, yes, well. I imagine there's.” Rin gulped. “A lot to tell.”

 

“Reiji tells me you're certifiably guilty of the illegal creation of four functioning Replicants.” Kisegawa-san stared. “And the continued operation of this facility regarding the creation of further Replicants. And stealing the remains of a dead person from their grave.”

 

Rin nodded. “Y-yes. Yes, I can. Say that that is true.”

 

“And,” Kisegawa-san continued, “acting as an accomplice to the murders which took place here, being complicit in psychological and physiological torture, neglectful parenting, and a bunch of other shit like that.”

 

“Also. Very true.” Rin nodded. She gulped.

 

“The opinion of Hope's Peak Academy,” Reiji said, putting his hands behind his back, “and affiliated parties, is that the proper course of action would be incarceration in an intensive psychiatric care facility.”

 

Rin blinked. “Er.” She mumbled. “What?”

 

“Ms. Hashizawa, if I might be blunt, you are _unwell_.” Reiji said, pulling one hand from out behind his back and raising his index finger. “A fact of which you yourself are quite aware, no doubt, but it is one that deserves repeating. You are a minor, one who has been greatly abused yourself at that. Simple incarceration in a prison would do absolutely _nothing_ to help you. Since the government must keep an eye on you for obvious reasons, it would be far more helpful to both us and yourself to put you in an environment more suited to... becoming somewhat more well.”

 

“So...” Rin clutched the necktie on her uniform. “I, er...”

 

“Free housing, dedicated people to caring specifically for you.” Kisegawa-san snorted. “Frankly, sounds like a damn good deal to me for someone your age. How about to you? If you _want_ , we could just send you to regular jail instead.”

 

Rin took a deep breath in, and turned to look at Nanako. Nanako smiled. “I think that that sounds like a fantastic idea, Headmistress. Thank you.”

 

“Alright. Great.” Kisegawa-san clapped. “And you. Nanako Hashizawa, right?” Nanako nodded, her antenna spiking. “Well, you're a bit of a complicated case, but...” Kisegawa-san snorted. “Glad to see you. Glad to be the first to welcome you to this crazy-ass world we live in.”

 

“Er. Thanks.” Nanako bowed. “Yeah, uh. Thanks. I-”

 

“Nanako!” Barging into the scene like a bat out of hell, Shinobu hollered from the boat. “Everyone! Come over here!”

 

Nanako wasn't one to disobey a direct order from Shinobu, so she was first up the boat's ramp. “What's going on?” She said, before realizing that Shinobu was tearing up.

 

Shinobu was standing by an open door in the side of the boat. “This is...” She sniffled. “One of the rooms they've had prepared. Just...” She looked away, covering her face. “Look inside.”

 

It was pretty nice for a boat, or so Nanako thought, at least. Admittedly, she didn't have much experience with boats that weren't in dreams. When she looked into the room, though, what she first saw was a large blanket with a cartoon tiger roaring cutely stitched onto it, covering the floor behind four people sitting at a video game console, playing what looked like some edition or another of Mario Party.

 

Three of them had pretty similar, dark hair colors and skin tones. “Oh, you did _not_.” A girl of about fourteen, a bit of a goth, very purple and muted blues, and fingerless gloves, wow, gripped her controller tightly. She had a bit of a big head, Nanako distantly noticed.

 

“I totally did.” A smug-looking boy, a bit younger, maybe ten? crossed his arms. He was wearing glasses, and had a pen stuck in a pocket protector on a plaid shirt. Bowl cut. “Get dunked.” By the look of it, this kid, playing as Luigi, was currently winning with a fairly sizable lead, having just called on the nefarious King Boo to steal a star from his older, goth-y sister (who, incidentally, was playing as Waluigi.)

 

When the star repositioned itself right in front of Donkey Kong, the youngest there, maybe eight? She had a tutu on, which told Nanako, maybe she was in dancing or something? And pigtails. Cute kid. “Yeah!” She pumped her fists. She was just one star behind her older brother there, and had plenty of coins.

 

The ten-year-old scoffed. “You're only winning because you're good at button-mashing.”

 

The eldest sibling snorted. “Oh, come on. It's a valid skill for her to have. The mini-games are an important aspect of the design of Mario Party, they're what keep it from just being a regular board game, it's- the fact that she's stomping us is-” He turned to the youngest. “ _You're doing a wonderful job and don't let anyone tell you otherwise._ ”

 

“Yeah! I'm doing a wonderful job.” The youngest crossed her arms back at the second-youngest and stuck out her tongue.

 

The younger brother snorted and turned back to his screen. “More like Ultimate Suck-Up.”

 

“H-hey!” The eldest brother sputtered. “I-I have an important role in my class! I'm an important man!” (Incidentally, he was playing as Peach.) “Izuchi, please, I'm sensitive. Don't bully me.”

 

Izuchi, the younger brother, smirked. “Suuure you are.”

 

“He is _bullying me_ after I've spent three weeks in an extremely dangerous situation and only escaped by the skin of my teeth.” The eldest brother sputtered. “Come on. Can someone please be on my side?” He looked towards his sisters in turn. “E-Emi?” The goth snorted. “Airi?” The youngest just smiled at him, but it was a sort of condescending fake-sibling-sympathy smile. Then he turned to the door. “Nanak-”

 

Nanako was stuck in the doorway staring at him, and Claus was just sitting there stuck staring at her. His hair was a mess, he was down to his shirt, and even dry he looked a bit like a water-logged sock, but the man sitting there currently badly losing a game of Mario Party was, unquestionably, Claus Toranosuke, the Ultimate Principal. “Um.” Nanako murmured.

 

“Uh.” Claus stood up quickly. “Nanako! Hi! Er!” Then he looked out the door, and saw the other people who'd crowded around the door. “Hey! Everybo- hold on _hold on just a second_.”

 

Claus stomped out of the room, leaving his younger sister Airi to control his turn (she'd probably do better,) and waved his finger at Yashiro, who was standing there smiling before that. Yashiro leaned backwards a bit over the railing. Claus was frowning quite deeply as he said, “I have several questions, but the most pressing is, how are you here. I touched your corpse, Yashiro.”

 

“Oh, that was a fake corpse Kojiro made.” Yashiro mumbled.

 

Claus stopped for a moment. “A... fake corpse Kojiro-” Then he shook his head. “You know what? I'm not even surprised. I'm not even surprised!” He threw up his hands, and called back to his younger siblings. “Do you hear this? A _fake corpse_!”

 

“Sounds rad.” Emi mumbled. “Maybe I should fake my death sometime.”

 

“Oh, now you're giving her ideas.” Claus gritted his teeth. “Yashiro Narumi, you- you unbelievable- you- aaaaaargh!” Claus clutched his hands at him. “Do you know how worried we were?! Do you even know?!”

 

Junko went up and grabbed his hand. “Hey. Pot. There's a _kettle_ that could use a bit of assurance that it's _black_.”

 

Claus then presumably remembered that he'd been locked out of the Final Trial, and turned to the rest of his friends (and Rin.) “Oh! Right! Haha! Er, haha. Um... hi, everyone! I made it!” He waved. “And... so did you!” He let out a very long breath. (In the background, Izuchi shouted, “How are you mashing on _two controllers at once_?!”)

 

After a long, awkward pause, Nanako was the first to run up and tackle Claus into a hug, but she wasn't the last. Gavin joined her, as did Stella. Chihaya broke out openly sobbing in the background. “You jerk!” Nanako shouted. “How could you make us worry like that?!”

 

“Tee bee eff, weren't his fault real, but still!” Gavin sobbed.

 

“You've lost your heroism privileges for the rest of your life!” Stella shouted. Her teeth were gritted. “Idiot! You fucking...”

 

Junko finished the statement with a loud, angry “ _ **Aaaaaaaaaargh**_!” and the two angry girls grabbed each others' shoulders and screamed at each other a bit.

 

“How did you manage to escape?” Luan's eyes were wide.

 

“Ah, I think I know.” Rin raised her hand, interrupting Claus revving up during the hug. “Viki didn't have administrative control over the Hall of the Mountain Queen, Kojiro did, and the elevator shaft wasn't closed during that routine. All Claus would've had to do was wait for water to let him land in there without breaking his legs, and run into there and let the emergency evacuation protocol detach the chamber.”

 

“Well, I was going to explain that, but I'm glad that- argh, everyone, please, I'm still sore!” Claus wailed from under the force of his friends' attacks.

 

After a moment for the group to become combobulated again on the side of the boat, Claus cleared his throat, and looked at Rin. “And, er. Hi.” He said. “Ms. Hashizawa. It's, er.”

 

“Yes, well.” Rin cleared her throat too. “Yes, um.”

 

“So, did you...” Claus stared. “I mean, I know you... but...?”

 

“Oh!” Nanako's antenna spiked. “Viki was an attempt to emulate Sean, she didn't intentionally make a sexbot.”

 

Claus's face was square. “I'd say that makes it better, but the fact that her name was _Viki_ cancels that out again.” He put his hands on his hips. “So! I'm sure I'd love to hear all about-”

 

“ _ **Go, Peach**_!” Claus's siblings called out from inside the room.

 

“-Iiiii have a game to get back to, I'll get back to you all.” Claus chuckled. He pulled a folded slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to Rin. “In lieu of The End, I've got to give this to you.”

 

Kazuya stared at it. “You... actually wrote a strongly-worded letter.” He shook his head and laughed. “Of course you did.”

 

Rin blankly took Claus's strongly-worded letter and mumbled, “I'll take your complaints into consideration when I never build another fortress of solitude, thank you.”

 

“That's the best I can ask for.” Claus nodded, and then ran back in. “Alright, I appear slightly richer than I was just a moment ago. Grand.”

 

Junko followed into the room. “I have to watch Claus embarrass himself. Nice gloves.” Nanako wasn't looking into the room anymore, but she could imagine what that was.

 

Awkwardly returning to Kisegawa-san, Nanako laughed. “Uh, sorry. We had to, um. You know.”

 

“I know.” Kisegawa-san nodded. “It's a big deal.” She waved her fan. “So, you've got this hamper full of shit. Is this all you need? If it is, we can send you to your room or something.”

 

Nanako took a moment to consider. Stepping onto that boat meant she was definitively done with this place, and she would never set foot here again. That all of her business was definitively concluded.

 

Her decision, then, was to shake her head. “No. I can't yet. There's one more thing I have to do.”

 

“My!” Tsumugi-sensei clapped. “What thorough completionism! You sure do seem like the protagonist type, Nanako.”

 

Nanako had no clue what to make of that, so before Rin, on the boat, was completely gone, she called out, “Hey, Mom!” Rin turned around when hailed. She had one more thing to ask.

* * *

 

With nobody present anymore, Compound vK was a quiet, quiet place. Several people had offered to come along with Nanako for this, but she'd declined. This, she said, was something she needed to do by herself. She headed back down the elevator, through the Pressure Exchange Chamber, through the Final Trial, her footsteps the only noises she could hear aside from a bit of ambient mechanical thrumming.

 

This place had always been quiet, but today it was quieter than it ever had been before. In a way, it was a liberating sort of quiet, a quiet free of the misery which had haunted her and her family all this time. For the first time in her life, right now, Nanako was well and truly _alone_. Nobody was watching her, she wasn't unknowingly stepping inside of anyone. Even if she had flourished from getting to know people, the value of real, honest alone time was something she was already beginning to cherish.

 

As she stepped down the long stairwell into Maxwell Hall, her footsteps ringing out and then fading into nothingness, she saw that the entrance to the lower floors was open again. She briefly considered going down there again, but shook her head. She didn't need to. She'd already said her goodbyes to everything else.

 

She turned into G Ward. The trim was green, as usual. Nothing here had changed even slightly. Honestly, it was likely, she thought, that nothing here ever _would_ change. Who knew what would happen to this building now? It was a liberating feeling, Nanako thought, to realize that she really didn't care. There was just this one thing she needed to take care of first.

 

The Office was her goal. Specifically, one of the bookshelves, which, when she moved it, gave way to a little safe. The code was Kojiro's birthday, and inside was a white polar bear doll, worn a bit from use but still very much recognizable. “Hey.” Nanako said.

 

Of course, the doll didn't get up. It didn't say, 'Took you long enough!' or anything like that. This doll didn't move. All the force of Nanako's love couldn't make it move. But at one time, it had. This doll had moved, and spoken, and loved, and hated, in equal measure. This doll was real.

 

It was because of this doll that any of them had achieved their happy ending. So, to him, Nanako said, “Sorry I took so long. We can go now.”

 

She picked up Kojiro in her arms and began to carry him out. His physical body had been destroyed, after all, so this doll was his corpse now, and his corpse deserved a proper burial, the same as any of the rest of them. He deserved to escape, too. “Your plan worked. We saved Mom... and Viki too, I think.” Nanako said, as they walked out of G Ward. “And it was all thanks to you, Kojiro.”

 

“Hey... wherever you are, are you happy now?” Nanako asked, looking upwards as they entered the Central Hub. “I hope so. You deserve it. More than anyone. We all...” She paused for a moment, and wiped away a few tears. “We all love you, Kojiro. We'll always remember you. I promise.”

 

She stepped softly up the stairs. Each step rang out with a slightly heavier weight than it had before, a weight of two leaving, not just one. She wasn't sure how long it took. She never really had been.

 

Past the Confessionals now, one at a time. Nanako's breathing was even. She was walking with a purpose. There was nothing standing in her way, so she was finally alone with her thoughts.

 

And then-

 

-she stopped in the Final Trial.

 

“I know you're there.” She said to the air. “You don't have to pretend you're not. C'mon. I want to talk to you before I go.”

 

There was silence. “Okay.” Nanako facepalmed. “I'm gonna turn around in three seconds, and if I can't somehow see you, I'm gonna get real mad and you are going to lose your chance to say anything to me. Okay? One... two... three.”

 

Nanako turned around.

 

And there was a girl there. Nanako nodded, putting the hand that wasn't carrying Kojiro on her waist. “There you are.” She smiled. “It's about time.”

 

I could describe the girl who was standing in front of Nanako, but I really doubt I need to. I have a pretty good feeling you know what she looked like already, and any description I could do would probably make her sound worse than you're imagining. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so the picture you have in your head of that girl would take a thousand of my words to overturn, and even then, well, she wasn't anything special to look at.

 

“Sorry. I didn't really have a... good opportunity.” She said, rubbing the back of her head. “Or an opportunity at all, honestly.”

 

Nanako shook her head. “It's fine. I just wanted a chance to get to talk to you before I left.” She snorted. “I mean, it's important, right? You've been as much a part of my life from the beginning as Mom or Viki.”

 

The girl laughed. “Well, that's definitely true.”

 

“So.” Nanako nodded. “You know me. I'm Nanako. It's nice to finally meet you, Kei.”

 

And to Nanako's introduction, Kei Sagami-

 

 _I_ nodded back. “Yeah. Same here, Nanako.”

 


	97. Denouement, Back - Unbalance

 

At this point, I should probably explain something. Well... not _something_ , really. More like 'everything', I guess.

 

My name is Kei Sagami. You know me already. This whole story, you've been hearing about me, so I think you already know who I am... and you saw me flash back there that one time, too.

 

Two years ago, I died. I was hit by a train, and I lost my life.

 

But you already know that that wasn't the end of it. I'm not just a Shifter. My power is strong enough that I'm currently undergoing testing by Hope's Peak for the title of 'Ultimate Shifter.' So, when I had to Shift for the test... I guess... well, there was something left.

 

“The first time I saw you was... about a month ago.” I told her. I started pacing around, because I wasn't really sure how to hold myself at this point. I donno if I've ever been sure. “I was testing in the timeline I came from, and the timeline I wound up jumping into without a body was... well, this one.”

 

“Because you still had that lingering attachment, right?” Nanako asked.

 

I nodded. “Yeah. It took me a bit to realize it, but I've known about my own death for about a year now. When I jumped into that timeline, and saw you and Kojiro in the test room, it was really strange. Why would I jump to this timeline with these people I didn't even know? I needed a bit to figure out what the feeling was, why it felt so weirdly familiar.”

 

“And?” Nanako tilted her head.

 

“Well, what tipped me off was your antenna.” I explained. “There was a lot I didn't remember about you and Kojiro, but what I remembered was your antenna. It was _just_ like mine. The same consistency, the same sort of expressions... the only thing different was the color. And, eventually, I just realized... what world that was, who you two _were_ in relation to me. And Rin.”

 

“So, just so we're clear.” Nanako said, her antenna curling. “You're _the_ Kei. The exact same one I've been hearing about this whole time.”

 

I nodded. “I'd say 'in the flesh', but I don't actually have a physical body right now. When did you figure out I was here?”

 

“Well...” Nanako tilted her head. “I'd say a bit after Kojiro died, I thought about that whole Winking thing. You know the one.” I nodded. “And I realized something. Back when Stella had the knife-?”

 

I knew what she was about to say, so I shook my head. “That wasn't all me. You had that thought on your own. I just... agreed. Vehemently.”

 

Nanako chuckled. “Well, I'm glad that that was really me, then.”

 

“That was actually around when I 'woke up,' I guess.” I continued. “It says you need something to realize you're not the person you're riding with, right? Well, this whole time, I'd kind of been bouncing around, but I didn't remember that I was me until Stella said my name.” I looked down, crossed my feet, and laughed a bit. “She's such a flatterer. I'm not that good.”

 

Nanako didn't comment on that part. “You've been here the entire time, huh. What all have you seen from out there?”

 

“Lots of things.” I said. “I saw inside everyone's head, at least for a bit. I saw some of the best, and some of the worst.” I shook my head. “People I don't know, people I do know, people I've known for a long time. Things out there, with the rescue squad, too.” I chuckled. “I kinda wish I could understand Blake from inside anyone's head but his own.”

 

“You're telling me.” Nanako snorted. And the room got quiet for a bit. “So, at the door.”

 

“You felt that?” I asked, and she nodded. “I... I wasn't...” For once in my life, I had a hard time talking. It's almost funny. Usually, I'm so verbose, but it's a concept like this that trips me up? “Nanako... what would you do in my shoes?”

 

“Well... what shoes?” Nanako asked.

 

“I... died.” I said, looking down at my hands. “That's the truth. I might be alive in another timeline, but I'm dead. I'm gone from this world. And... you've seen what happened because I died. You, Rin, Kojiro, Viki... everyone. This game happened because I died. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't died.”

 

Nanako didn't say anything, so I continued. “I made a promise to Rin, while I was alive. I told her I'd never leave her, that we'd be together forever. I didn't know quite all of this, but... I meant it. I loved her...” I trailed off, and then smirked at myself. “Oh, who am I kidding? I still _do_. But in this world, I broke that promise. I died. I left Rin alone again. Since I left her alone, there was nobody to stop her from doing this. I could've stopped this.”

 

“Throughout this whole thing, I've been realizing that this is _my fault_. I'm... one of the causes of this. Everyone who died here died because of me. And...” I smiled, but there were tears in my eyes. “Well, I mean... That hurts. That hurts really bad. But... for a second, I thought that maybe it'd be okay if I left it there. If... I didn't learn any more.”

 

“If you believed Viki's story.” Nanako said, and I nodded.

 

“Where I was just that ghost that Rin was chasing,” I continued, “and not... not this. Where this game wasn't _this_.” I'd long since stopped pacing around, and was just standing still in the center of the room. Nanako had stood stock still, just staring at me. “For a second, I wanted to believe it. For a second... I thought it would be okay if people remembered me that way.”

 

Nanako pulled the picture of Rin and Viki out from her jeans pocket, where she'd stashed it again after smashing it. I smiled, looking at it. “Look at her. She's beautiful. Whoever that is, for a second, I wished she was Kei Sagami, not me.”

 

“But I...” I sighed. “I decided to trust your judgment. I wanted... I thought... it wasn't fair if I didn't learn the whole truth of what I'd caused.”

 

For a long moment, Nanako and I just looked at each other. “Hey... Nanako.” I said, my antenna curling into a question mark. “Can I ask you a few things?”

 

“That's why you came out in the first place, right?” Nanako said. She nodded, and smiled. “Go ahead.”

 

“Well, first... You know you're a Shifter too, right?” I said, and she nodded again. “Are you going to do anything with it?”

 

Nanako looked down at Kojiro's body for a moment. “I think I just wanna see a world where Kojiro is happy, with my own eyes. That's all I'll do with it. I never wanted it, anyway. It's _your_ power, I just got it by coincidence.”

 

I laughed. “That's true enough.” I paused. “I guess my second question is... how do you... feel?”

 

“How do _I_ feel?” Nanako asked. “About what? About you?” It took me a second, but I nodded. “Well... on the one hand, it's because of you that my life has been as bad as it has been, yeah. And I can't help but resent you for that. But... I mean, all you did was _die_ , right? How can I hate you for _dying_?”

 

I stood silently for a moment. “I think... I think Stella knew I was real. I talked to her a few times.” I took a deep breath, to stem back my own tears. “And... I think she forgave me. For leaving. I-”

 

“Kei.” Nanako sighed, and frowned at me. “I'm not the person who's going to sort out your feelings. I've done enough of trying to do that for my lifetime, thanks. But please, stop blaming yourself for getting hit by a train. It really, really isn't your fault.”

 

“I just...” I shook my head. “I guess... I'm having trouble letting go, too. If I wasn't, I wouldn't be here in the first place. It's...” I closed my eyes. “It's hard to accept. That this is the last time I'll ever see this place. I miss it. Sometimes, I wish I could come back. But then-”

 

“You'd just be abandoning the people who love you in that world.” Nanako cut in. “It's sad, I know, but... you have a life there, now. They're all-” She paused. “ _We're_ all... still here. So... don't worry. Just live, Kei.”

 

I felt my tears welling up. No. I had to keep composure. “One more thing.” I asked. “Nanako... when I made that promise to Rin... did I do the wrong thing?”

 

That took a while for Nanako to think about, but eventually, after much pursing of her lips, she responded. “I... don't know what's right or wrong.” She said. “I've lived my entire life in here. There's a lot I don't know. But... if you ask me...” She smiled. “I don't think it was wrong. You two loved each other, right? I don't think those feelings were wrong.”

 

Hot tears began running down my face, leaving trails of stickiness on my cheeks. I rubbed at them as I sniffled, but they just kept coming. “Thank you.” I said. I was stuck in place, but at some point, I felt a wrapping warmth around me, even though here, I lacked physical form. Nanako was hugging me. “Thank you.” I said again, crying into her shoulder.

 

“Mmhm.” Nanako was taller than me, so it was comforting being in her embrace for just that little bit.

 

“Hey...” I sniffled. “If you could find another world, one where nobody was dead, one where you and Kojiro and Viki and Rin were all okay... would you want to live there?”

 

Nanako had to think for a bit about that one, too, but eventually she shook her head. “No. This is my world. Even if it does hurt, I wanna make the best of it, y'know?”

 

I just nodded, and kept crying. I cried, and I cried, and I cried. I cried all the tears I'd never been sure how to shed, all the tears I'd had stored up ever since I died. I wonder sometimes whether we ever actually run out of tears, or just get tired of shedding them for the time being; I never really feel like I run out of them.

 

After a moment that could've been just a moment, and could've been hours, I regained my breathing. “Okay.” I said, wiping the last few tears from my face. “I think... I think I'm ready to go.”

 

“You sure?” Nanako asked, and I nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Well, one more thing.” I said, looking up at Nanako. She did look a lot like Rin, but... she wasn't exactly the same, and never had been, and I think that made all the difference. “Nanako... I'm really glad I met you.” I smiled. “Thanks. For being you.”

 

Nanako smiled back. “Aw, thanks.” She airily rubbed the back of her head, re-flipping her casual switch. Even now, I still wasn't quite sure how exactly her situational awareness radar worked. “I think it's what I do best!”

 

“Dork.” I snorted. “Get out of here.”

 

She nodded, and turned around. When Nanako turned around, I disappeared. Only her looking at me made me exist there, after all. Once again, she was well and truly alone, and she kept on walking. (Leaving the facility a second time was a much less momentous occasion, but hey.) And, as usual, I shadowed her.

 

It wasn't far to the boat once she arrived back on the top again. The seagulls were still crying, and the mood aboveground felt changed; where before it had been so awe-inspiring, now, it felt quietly celebratory, a soft and comfortable beachside walk.

 

When Nanako returned to the boat, the Headmaster had gone off, and now it was just Sensei, sitting in the sand with no regard for her clothes, chatting with Luna, waiting for Nanako to return. Nanako called out, and Sensei heard. “Oh! Miss Nanako's back!” She beamed. “Look, Luna!”

 

“I can see that.” Luna said, smiling too. As Nanako walked up to the two of them, Luna looked her over. “So you're Stella's new 'bestie'?”

 

“That's me.” Nanako nodded. “She's done a whole lot of right by me, ma'am!”

 

Luna giggled. “To hear her say it, I think you'd have done much more.” She paused. “Ah, well... Thank you for taking care of Stella all this time. And for... saving her life, as I understand.”

 

Nanako shrugged. “I mean, maybe. I don't think I really did all that much.” She paused, and narrowed her eyes. “Well, okay, in general, I did a lot, but Stella doesn't give herself enough credit _ever_ , so.”

 

“Very true.” Luna laughed.

 

Sensei stood up in response to Nanako's movements, and took Kojiro's body. “What's this?” She asked. “It's plain to see it's a... polar bear! I'm right, right?”

 

“That's my brother.” Nanako said. “Kojiro Hashizawa.” Sensei's face didn't flinch. “And yeah, he's a polar bear. Um... I'd like him to get a proper burial. However you guys think is best. I just want him laid to rest properly, off the island.”

 

“You have Hope's Peak Academy's word!” Sensei clapped. She turned back to Luna. “Isn't that incredible? To think that what started as a doll could become so real!”

 

“As real as you or I, Tsumugi.” Luna said, and Tsumugi's smile shifted just slightly. It didn't get smaller, no, but it felt a bit more heartfelt to Nanako now. Luna nodded to Tsumugi, then to Nanako, gave a, “I'll see you again on the boat, Ms. Nanako.” and walked onto the boat. Tsumugi followed closely behind.

 

After a pensive moment to ponder life, the universe, and everything, Nanako moved to follow- but as she walked toward the ramp, she stopped. “Yooooooooo! Webback, Nanners!”

 

All nine of them were there, on the boat, waiting for her to climb the ramp. Gavin Sakaki, standing at the top of the ramp, had called to her, waving. “Ready to roll, homestab?”

 

“You guys...” The sun above began to get in Nanako's eyes. “You waited for me?”

 

“Well, of course.” Claus Toranosuke said. He was somewhat drier now, standing at the head of the group, at the railing, but he still looked kind of like a worn-out sock at this point. “Certainly we didn't need to, but I thought it seemed a good idea to welcome you back once you arrived.”

 

“He wouldn't go to sleep until you returned.” Yun-Fat Luan raised his hand and said from just behind, with, astoundingly, a _jacket_ on. The sight of him with anything but scrubs on was surreal enough that Nanako had to take a moment to register it, but apparently he owned a leather jacket, considering it had his name embroidered on the lapel. “I, er.” He laughed a little. “I couldn't either.”

 

“Come on.” Stella Masaki snorted. She'd taken her blazer off. She had a shirt on instead, and its sleeves were mid-length, but a few of her scars were still faintly visible. “I'm gonna go maximal force of cornball here and say we all made it through all this shit together, so we should leave together, too.”

 

“Please hurry, though.” Chihaya Inoue said, from the back, leaning against the wall of the side they were on. Her hair had finally fallen again. “I need to hide under a bed or something. All this socializing is hard.” She sighed, furrowing her brows. “Very... very hard.”

 

“Isn't it a bit counter-intuitive to tell us _where_ it is you're hiding?” Yashiro Narumi's eyes widened. He was standing next to Chihaya. “Or is this the sort of secret where... oh, whatever.” He sputtered. “Come along, Nanako! It's about time I get to take you off this rock!” He laughed that booming laugh of his.

 

“You never get any quieter.” Kazuya Okudaira grimaced. He was standing next to Stella as he looked into the sky. “Still... it's kinda hard to believe it's all over. I'm not sure I remember how to relax anymore.”

 

“I never have, so it's as good a time as any to learn, I suppose.” Junko Fukuyama snorted. She was turned mostly around, behind Gavin, and her head was resting on her first, leaned over in an exaggeratedly uncaring gesture. “It's not like I-” She stopped, turned her head around with her eyes wide, sighed in frustration, and then grumbled, “Let's just get the fuck out of here already.”

 

And lastly, Shinobu Koshimizu, leaning over the balcony with her head in her hands, cackled. “Ah, but the appeal of a vacation with friends never truly dies, hm? The party isn't complete without you, Nanako, you know that.”

 

“Now hurry up before this mass of friendship makes everyone _else_ come here to deliver a pithy line to you to close out your time here.” Junko snorted. A few assorted 'Yeah's and a 'Seriously' from Stella gave the group's assent.

 

Nanako Hashizawa looked up at them all, and nodded. “Yeah. Let's get out of here.”

 

And she stepped onto the boat.

 

 

 

 

**starring**

 

 **Miyuki Sawashiro as Nanako Hashizawa (** **橋沢 七娘** **)**

 

 **TARAKO as Kojiro Hashizawa (** **橋沢 小二郎** **)**

 

_Mieru mono zenbu misasete kure_

_(Let me see all the things you see)_

_kikeru oto zenbu misasete kure_

_(Let me hear all the things that you hear)_

_Ikasete kure, iwasete kure_

_(Let me go with you, let me say something)_

_mou sukoshigaki de isasete kure yo_

_(Just let me be a kid for a little bit longer)_

 

Once that was done, once Nanako was safely up on the boat, Claus's posture shattered as though his spine were an accordion. “Alright. That's it.” He said. “I'm done. I am at negative fifteen percent. Claus Toranosuke is over.”

 

With a mighty lift, Yashiro lifted Claus and placed him a bit down on the boat, in the room he'd been playing Mario Party before. When Nanako poked her head in not seconds later, Claus was dead asleep in what Nanako had to guess was his family blanket or something.

 

“Okay.” Suddenly, Nanako was being pulled into a huddle. Somewhere along the line, apparently Kotone had showed up, and the two of them were now huddling, Kotone's arm around Nanako's shoulder. “Koko.”

 

“Koko?” Nanako blinked.

 

“If I'm Tony, you're Koko.” Kotone said. This made sense by the sacred rules of Girl Talk, so Nanako nodded. “So. Claus.”

 

Nanako nodded. “Real good guy, I like him a lot.”

 

“Yeah, he seems cool.” Kotone had an oddly serious look on her face. “Is he single?”

 

With a laugh, Nanako took a deep breath out, her antenna drooping. “Oh, man, I thought this was gonna be way more serious.”

 

Stella poked her head into the huddle to chip in, “Just so you know, you'd have more luck flirting with a brick wall.” Kotone snapped her finger, but mumbled something about, 'not _completely_ off the radar, then.'

 

So did Ruri, her coif doing battle with Nanako's antenna for center space. “Who was giving me guff about 'doing this for her love life?'” She scoffed.

 

“Hey, side benefits.” Kotone pointed at her and frowned. “Side benefits. You guys get me, right?” Stella and Nanako nodded in solidarity. “They get me.”

 

 **Risa Taneda as Rin Hashizawa (** **橋沢 燐** **)**

 

 **Minami Takeyama as Kei Sagami (** **相見 恵** **)**

 

 **Kana Hanazawa as Viki Hashizawa (** **橋沢 尾来** **)**

 

_Kata hiji hatte, mata iji hatte_

_(I swagger, and I'm stubborn)_

_hata kara mitetara kanari migatte_

_(On the outside, I know I look pretty selfish)_

_Moshi machigattetatte shiranee_

_(and, honestly, I don't know whether that's true or not.)_

_ore wa mikansei demo hikatteru, whoa oh_

_(I'm incomplete, but I'm shining.)_

 

“...and so, Kaz says, 'The Siege of Santo Domingo?'” Gavin said, standing in the sun on the deck. “And Lou, he says, uh.” He waved his hand, frowning.

 

“The death of the philosopher Zhu Xi.” Luan said. They high fived.

 

“And Claus is all, 'the founding of the National Assembly of Turkey?'” Gavin continued. He couldn't wait to see the look on Saburo's face when the punchline hit. “But nah, Koji gets all frustrated. Turns out? 'S Stel's birthday. And Koji made a cake, and lemme tell yah. This here? 'S one nutso cake, my dude. Trip, man, Koji's got-”

 

Saburo raised his finger. “Hey. Gavin. Can you stop for a bit?” Saburo speaking up to stop Gavin from telling a story was pretty rare, so Gavin tilted his head curiously, and stopped speaking. In a show of surprisingly large motion, Saburo lurched forward and pulled Gavin into a hug. “I'm glad you're not dead, Gav.”

 

“Aww, Sabbo. Gav's real glad too!” Gavin beamed. Saburo smoothly returned to his usual lethargic posture. “You a real good friend, man. Oh! Know ya _met_ her, but I told you nothin' 'bout Junko yet? Golly, she cute. She say the darnest things, yo, but they all so freakin' cute!”

 

From behind, Junko, on the ground, was hiding behind a pillar with Chihaya. “Chihaya. He's boyfriend bragging.” Junko gritted her teeth, her face bright red. “What do I do about that?”

 

“I don't think you can do anything about it.” Chihaya said, and Junko swore under her breath.

 

 **Natsuki Kuwatani as Shinobu Koshimizu (** **小清水 清信** **)**

 

 **Romi Park as Junko Fukuyama (** **福山 盾子** **) and Jun Fukuyama (** **夜魔 盾** **)**

 

 **Koji Yusa as Gavin Sakaki (** **榊 牙琉** **)**

 

 **Takashi Ohara as Claus Toranosuke (** **寅之助 蔵臼** **)**

 

M _uki dashi kyoufu ato chotto kandou_

_(After all that honest fear, I'm a little excited)_

_ato motto chanto warai tobasou ze_

_(so let's laugh some more!)_

_Nobite kuru jibun sara ni nobasou ze_

_(I grow, and I'll keep growing.)_

_Oh yeah! (Oh yeah!)_

_Te no kanji de don don GO GO koudo_

_(I keep pushing myself with this kinda GO-GO feeling)_

_dakedo yaru toki wa yanda ze honto'n toko_

_(But when it's time for action, I just quit, straight up)_

_dakara ko iu ze ima wa muri, kotae nante_

_(so listen when I say; right now, I just can't.)_

_mou choi fuantei de itee_

_(I wanna be able to say that, and be a bit more vulnerable.)_

 

“Y-Yashiro-kun!” Blake said. He wasn't sure exactly how he wanted to bound up to the Strongman, so it wound up a bit of an awkward motion, but gol-ly had Blake never felt so bashful in his life. His shoes made a clacking noise as they tapped together. “Um... H-hello!”

 

“Oh!” Yashiro had been yawning, staring out into the ocean, toward the island as it sunk further and further into the distance. “Hello! Blake Mirabeau, yes?” He stuck out his hand, but then rethought that. “Oh, I might crush your hand. That'd be bad.” He chuckled.

 

“Er, yes.” Blake nodded. Oh, he was blushing, wasn't he. Oh no. This was what he'd heard about in myth and legend- a case of ' _the vapors_!' “Well, I wasn't entirely sure how I should say anything to you given the circumstances before now! But! Hello!”

 

“My Nana seems rather fond of you, Blake.” Yashiro sat down onto the deck to better match Blake's height. “Says we both like taking rather long walks!” Oh, gosh! They shared a hobby! Blake gulped. “I hear tell you have several maps, as well? Long cultural studies?”

 

“Oh, well, yes, n-not that I have any of them here.” Blake sputtered. “I thought that it would perhaps may be best to only bring what was necessary for the rescue operation!”

 

“And you're still carrying _that much_ with you?” Yashiro chuckled, staring on with appraising eyes. “My, impressive. You're stronger than you look under those poofy clothes.”

 

G-guh! That's what the business called a 'critical hit' to Blake's heart! Uwaaagh! “W-well, yes, I.” Blake said. “I! Yes! Haha!”

 

Yashiro raised his eyebrow at the small boy's antics, but said nothing regarding them. “In any case, Nana seems rather enthusiastic that we become friends, but from what I've already seen you seem rather pleasant. A sort I won't mind, as long as you don't mind hearing about the ins and outs of all sorts of justice!” He laughed.

 

Lunging forward, Blake grasped Yashiro's hand with both of his and shook vigorously. “Please to be teaching me about the justice when you feel the need!”

 

With that, Blake turned away from the great lion, who called out to bid him farewell, his face lighting up like the family Christmas tree. Was this how people felt when they talked to their c-crushes? Oh dear! This was double plus un-good! Blake found himself in a _big pinch_!

 

He turned around to say something, but Yashiro had fallen asleep on the deck. And... wait. Kazuya walked up to comment. (Natsuhi was there too, but as with many conversations with Natsuhi, their conversation was mostly driven by Kazuya.) “Oh, Yashiro purrs when he sleeps.” Kazuya laughed. “That's cute, I didn't know that.”

 

“...Lions don't purr.” Blake said, staring in wonder at Yashiro. What sort of cat _was_ he...?

 

 **Shintaro Asanuma as Aoto Maebara (** **前原 蒼都** **)**

 

 **Toa Yukinari as Yayoi Murasaki (** **村崎 彌生** **)**

 

 **Saori Hayami as Miria Hayashi (** **林 実愛** **)**

 

 **Maya Enoyoshi as Chihaya Inoue (** **井上 家早** **) and Chizuru Inoue (** **井上 鉤鶴** **)**

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

In the Inoue family's assigned room- Chihaya had requested to stay in the same room as her father for the time being- the Queen of Crows, Tomoe Narumi stood by a window, cutting an imperious figure. Any layman could tell she was a force to be reckoned with. “Your grandfather, as you know, was my previous student.” She said, looking out the window, leaving only her eyepatch visible. “I believed he would be the one to carry on my particular legacy, but he fell down a dark path.”

 

“I know this.” Chihaya said. The tantalizing prospect of this being the last social interaction for the day kept her going. Her father sat at the side of the bed, a bit awkward. This conversation was beyond his ken.

 

“I can't very well shuffle off this mortal coil until I've found a proper heir.” Tomoe said. “There's too much at stake. I fight against injustice every day of my life, battling against it with every fiber of my being. That's why I began my circus, you know, as a haven for those damaged by the forces of evil. A step into another world where everything is quite alright.” She smirked. “Back then, spirits in general were lower, of course, but anyhow.” ...You know, this is just an aside, but I just realized I have no idea how old she actually is.

 

“And you thought Grandfather had what it took to take up that mantle?” Chihaya asked.

 

Tomoe nodded. “The boy had a fire in his eyes, and I thought perhaps that becoming a father might quell the darkness behind it.” Her voice became low. “Obviously, it didn't, but I don't believe I was wrong about the fire in his eyes. He had something special, even if he did go down a dark path.”

 

At that point, Tomoe turned her head back to Chihaya. “Chihaya Inoue. In you, I don't see that same fire- I see one entirely different. A bitterly cold blizzard, with the potential to snuff out the flames of injustice wherever they might come ablaze.” She began to walk out of the room. “Of course, if you do wish to lead an entirely normal life, I couldn't possibly blame you. But...”

 

In the doorway, Tomoe Narumi turned her head back, and Chihaya's eyes met hers. “If ever you decide that you wish to show yourself to the world in a bit of a flashier manner... Find me again. You need only call out to the birds, and I shall be there.” She paused. “Or you could call on the phone, or something. Give Yashiro your number. He'll take it, his phone is full of them.”

 

“Wait.” Satoshi blinked. “Aunt Sensei, do you not own a phone?”

 

“Not anymore.” Tomoe said darkly. “Not since Yashiro's thirteenth birthday.” And with that, she was gone. The Inoues turned and stared curiously at each other before Chihaya ran out of energy and fell unceremoniously unconscious.

 

 **Rie Kugimiya as Stella Masaki (** **等咲 須手良** **)**

 

 **Megumi Ogata as Kazuya Okudaira (** **奥平 和矢** **)**

 

 **Takehito Koyasu as Yun-Fat Luan (** **欒 潤發** **)**

 

 **Kaori Mizuhashi as Eriko Shigure (** **時雨 英利子** **)**

 

_Betsu ni yaranee wake ja nai ze_

_(There's no real reason I haven't done it.)_

_mama to papa, sono hanashi wa chanto mata_

_(Hey, Mom, Dad, let's have this conversation later.)_

_Tsugi no tsugi no mata sono tsugi_

_(Like, the day after the day after the day after tomorrow)_

_no tsugi no hi ni maa sono uchi_

_(or the day after that, or, you know, eventually.)_

_Ima wa chotto te ga hanasenakute_

_(Listen, I'm busy right now,)_

_saki no koto nado wa hanasenakute_

_(so just, understand I can't talk about the future.)_

_Kyou wa kyou wa ashita wa ashita da, ne_

_(Today's today and tomorrow's tomorrow, right?)_

_dakara yamete maji wa hanashi wa saa_

_(So just quit it with the serious talk for a bit.)_

 

“And with that, uncles, once again, I have acted flawlessly in the pursuit of justice.” Reiji said, leaning back onto a beach chair. “Praise me, Diana! I'll be home soon!”

 

“Did you get paid for it.” Uncle Saiki asked.

 

“Of _course_ I've been paid, Uncle, but that's not the important part.” Reiji waved this point away. “The important parts are love, friendship, and upholding the civil values of our society.”

 

“And getting to meet your favorite author.” Uncle Saiki said.

 

“Yes! And getting to meet my favorite author, and what a conversationalist she is.” Reiji laughed, his half-cape fluttering. “Truly, an invigorating triumph! I'll be sure to tell Diana all about it once I get home, you know how she loves story time.”

 

“Yes.” Uncle Saiki said. There was a pause as, in the background, Uncle Gento came home for lunch. 'Hey, Gento.' 'Huh?' 'The hostages got saved.' 'No shit, they had Reiji there.' “He says hi.”

 

“ _You didn't tell me he was on the phone with you_!” Uncle Gento forcefully grabbed the phone with a burst of static. “Reiji! Tell me everything! How's the best damn attorney in Japan doing now that he's a hero?”

 

“Oh, heavens, Uncle, I didn't do _that_ much.” Reiji laughed. “If you'd like to thank anybody in particular, I assure you I can find several people around who might appreciate it.”

 

There was a pause. “I get it.” Uncle Gento said, and Reiji could hear the grin in his voice. “You just want to spend some time with your sweetheart. Well, knock yourself out. We'll see you when you get home.” The idea of praising anyone who _wasn't_ his genius nephew (or niece) was a good thing to posit if you wanted Uncle Gento to can it for a moment.

 

Reiji looked over to the side, and saw Natsuhi standing at the back of the boat, looking down at its systems. Truth be told, he had no idea what she was looking at, but he walked beside her anyhow. “Now aren't you glad I took you for a ride?” He smirked.

 

Natsuhi turned her head and frowned petulantly. “Shut up.”

 

“Ahahaha!” Reiji pirouetted, and threw out a princely cackle as well. “Truly, you are my muse. I-”

 

“Reiji.” Natsuhi said, suddenly serious. “You're exhausted. I'm taking you to bed.”

 

“Ah, but you do know me too well.” With a flourish, Reiji fell into Natsuhi's arms. Ooh, a bridal carry. Score. “My apologies, but you know what they say.”

 

“'A lawyer can only cry when it's all over,' right?” Natsuhi asked.

 

“Ah, you do remember!” Reiji croaked. “I'm so glad.”

 

“Of course I do.” Natsuhi said. “I remember most of what you say. You're...” She trailed off, and muttered. “My boyfriend.”

 

The strength of Natsuhi's arms was something Reiji, who'd in truth always been rather wan, had been jealous of when they'd first met. Falling into them and being reminded of the fact that she'd accepted his love, though, was a comfort unlike any other.

 

 **Keiji Fujiwara as Hansuke Yasuda (** **安田 凡助** **)**

 

 **Hiroki Yasumoto as Yashiro Narumi (** **成海 八代** **)**

 

 **Chiwa Saito as Wanda Morinaga (** **森永 腕大** **)**

 

 **Takumi Yamazaki as Daisuke Harada (** **原田 大輔** **)**

 

_Oh, datte, antei, antei_

_(Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine, I tell you.)_

_nan kai mo iwaretatte kankei nante_

_(I've been told again and again that folks worry about me.)_

_Ore ni wa nai wake ja nai ga_

_(I don't really get why, but)_

_ima wa mirai to ka ni ate wa nai na_

_(I don't really have any plans for the future or anything.)_

_Sono uchi nan to ka naru ze shourai wa_

_(Sooner or later, something'll come up)_

_daraka mi mamotte choudai na_

_(so just keep an eye on me.)_

_Kyou mo mata shizunde yuku yuuhi ni_

_(The evening sun is setting for the day,)_

_can ketobashite sou muchuu ni_

_(so I kick my can into the hazy skyline.)_

 

“May I please say,” Father said, “that I am perhaps your biggest fan in the entire world, Ms. Koshimizu. Your works grip me like nobody else's. It is the greatest honor to meet you in the flesh.” Luan parroted his words to Shinobu.

 

“Oh, but I always do love meeting fans!” Shinobu beamed. “How exactly did you come across my work, sir?” Luan parroted her words to his father.

 

“There is a bookstore near where I worked that displayed one of your works in the window for some time.” Father said. “I had to wait for quite a while for the price to drop, but I anticipated each new book I got my hands on with the utmost relish!” Luan parroted his-

 

“Yun-Fat, dear, maybe it's time to go to sleep?” Mother said. The conversation stopped. Luan had thought it was worth it just to see his quiet father so animated for once, but...

 

“Oh, for goodness sake, Yun, if you're so tired, then sleep.” Shinobu patted his hand. “Both your father and I will be here once you awake.” She tittered.

 

Luan took a moment to ponder that idea. Everyone here would, in fact, be here once he got up. Just earlier he'd been clamoring about rest, so... “You're right.” He said, and fell backwards into bed, not even taking off his jacket or his scrubs first.

 

 **Megumi Hayashibara as Reiji Ittosai (** **一刀裁 冷侍** **) and Reiko Ittosai (** **一刀裁 麗子** **)**

 

 **Konomi Tada as Natsuhi Miyashiro (** **宮白 夏妃** **)**

 

**Minori Chihara as Blake Mirabeau (Blake Mirabeau)**

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

“Sure you're alright, dear?” Luna asked, as Stella prepared the bed she'd been given. “I can stay longer if you want.”

 

“No, don't worry.” Stella shook her head. “I'm falling asleep on my feet, here, and it's time I just quit for the day.” She gave her mother a quick hug. “Love you.”

 

“I love you too, honey. I'm right across the hall if you need anything, alright?” Luna said, her face drawn from several sleepless nights in the process of this ordeal. With tears in her eyes, she said, “I'm so proud of you. Goodnight, Stella.” and closed the door.

 

With Luna gone, Stella laid back on the bed, and stared up at... me. “You're probably gone by now,” she said, “but thanks, Kei. Thanks for coming. And... good luck out there.”

 

I wasn't quite gone yet, of course, but in the boat, there wasn't nearly enough latent mumbo-jumbo for me to actually manifest. So, all I could do was hope Stella felt the smile I shot back at her.

 

Kazuya knocked on the door, and Stella opened it. “Hey.” He said, coming in and sitting down on the edge of her bed. “Sorry to intrude, I just.” He yawned. “Needed to get away from my parents for a bit.”

 

“No, no, I get it.” Stella said. She paused. “Still worried about being manly enough?”

 

“Yes.” Kazuya nodded. He turned his head to her. “Still worried you won't be able to get past your depression?”

 

“Yup.” Stella nodded.

 

There was a moment of silence.

 

“We'll work things out.” Kazuya said, and at that point, Stella couldn't agree more. “Thanks for being here, Stella.”

 

“The line,” Stella smirked, “is 'I love you', Kazuya.” She poked him in the cheek. “Which, by the way, I do.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, you too.” Kazuya waved his hand. He was smiling.

 

 **Ibuki Kido as Kotone Suzukage (** **涼蔭 古都音** **)**

 

 **Hoko Kuwashima as Ruri Bessho (** **別称 瑠璃** **)**

 

 **Ryotaro Okiayu as Saburo Kirihito (** **霧人 三郎** **)**

 

_Zutto ima made katte ki mama de_

_(I've been kinda selfish until now, so)_

_yatte kita dake nante shiawase_

_(honestly I'm kinda just glad you came.)_

_Nenrei nante mukankei_

_(Years ago, it wouldn't have mattered)_

_yappa antei nante tsumanee_

_(but being stable's kinda boring, you know?)_

_Otonari no tomodachi mo otonashii otona ni nari_

_(All the friends around me have turned into docile adults.)_

_koko zoto bakari kogoto bakari_

_(All I get is rough moments and scolding.)_

_ai niku ore wa mono wakari no warii hou_

_(So I'm all teary-eyed when I come to see you.)_

_asobou ze amiigo_

_(Let's just go, my amigo!)_

 

In a corner of the boat's passages, Junko found the person who'd been staying the most out of proceedings. “Rin.” She said, causing her to jump.

 

“Oh! Junko!” Rin said. Her labcoat was gone, so she was just in her school uniform now. She pushed a lock of hair behind her head, holding a few papers. “Hello.”

 

Junko glanced at the papers, though she was unable to see their contents. “Aren't you in incarceration right now? Quit working.”

 

“I'm actually just, er, reviewing the details of my incarceration. Fascinating stuff.” Rin chuckled. She paused, sweating, her eyes darting around awkwardly. “Er... hello.” She paused again. “Are you... sure you want to talk to me?”

 

“You're my friend, aren't you?” Junko scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I _did_ just basically save your life, so the least you could do is be a bit inviting.”

 

“Well, I just mean...” Rin trailed off. “...You know what I mean, don't you? I'm just-”

 

“Spare me.” Junko snorted. “With all your many, many lies gone, you're just Rin again, and as usual I'm the more competent of the two of us.”

 

After a moment, Rin adjusted her glasses and said, “To be fair, you had quite a few lies of your own.” She was smiling a bit.

 

“That's true.” Junko said. She rubbed her bandages a bit. “So. What exactly does Rin Hashizawa find herself doing now?”

 

Rin turned away. “Junko... believe me when I say... I only ever wanted to help people. That's... that's why I became a roboticist in the first place. It was because I was lonely, yes, but also because I really did want to help people. And, well, I... I still do.” She paused. “Junko... if I tell you something, can you keep it a secret?”

 

“A secret?” Junko scoffed. She raised her eyebrow. “You've got some nerve, don't you.”

 

“I know, but... it's important.” Rin said. She turned around, and clasped her hands together, bowing her head. “Please.” After a moment's consideration, Junko nodded. “Thank you. Well, you see... the truth, er...” She cleared her throat. “There's... one more lie I've told. One last thing that I haven't told the truth about yet. I-” When she saw Junko's flabbergasted face, she sputtered. “No, no. Not like that, I... well... the truth is, I... it might turn out to be true after all. I don't want it to, but it might. And if it did, saying it was a lie would only hurt even more.”

 

“And what,” Junko asked, “pray tell, is this quantum lie of yours?”

 

And Rin told her. Junko's eyes went wide, and her jaw slackened, her arms dropping to their rests. “You see?” Rin said. “It's... important, Junko, now that I am going to live... that I have to do everything I can to ensure I was lying. But until then, nobody can know. You understand, right?”

 

Junko took a moment to mull this over, and then nodded. “For once, I agree with you. I'll keep it under wraps.” She turned around. “Good luck on that, but take care of yourself first. Otherwise, it'll all be pointless.”

 

“I know.” Rin said. “Thank you, Junko.” She paused. “I'm... glad we're still friends. And, er...” She trailed off, mumbling a little to herself. “I'm not sure if I should say this, necessarily, but...”

 

Looking over her shoulder, Junko looked into Rin's smile. “Congratulations on your victory, Junko.” Rin's hand was on her chest, and she was smiling wider, more genuinely, than Junko had ever seen. “You deserve it.”

 

Junko scoffed, turned back around, and said, “You're damn right I do. I'm the golden girl genius Junko Fukuyama.” And with that, she was off.

 

 **Sumire Morohoshi as Miki Murasaki (** **村崎 美紀** **)**

 

 **Hidenari Ugaki as Ijuuin Morinaga (** **森永 斎獣院** **)**

 

 **Mikako Komatsu as Tsumugi 'Megane' Kagenui (** **影縫 つむぎ** **)**

 

 **Mugihito et al. as Nobuyo Kagenui (** **影縫 延代** **)**

 

_Shinogo no iita gan ja nee_

_(Oh, c'mon, don't argue with me)_

_shitteru sa orera wa Peter Pan ja ne_

_(I know neither of us are Peter Pan or anything.)_

_Jita bata shite mo toki wa nagareru_

_(No matter how hard we struggle, time passes)_

_aoi haru kara toki hanatareru_

_(It's unleashed more and more, every blue spring)_

_Sonna hi ga kite mo mai asa_

_(But I want every morning to shine)_

_kagayaiteru tame no MY ANSWER_

_(and that's why my answer is)_

_Itsu ka ore tachi mo shinjau nara_

_(that since we're all going to die one day,)_

_shinjau made tanoshinjau, sonja_

_(we'll make every day a blast until we do die, so let's keep on going-)_

_Mada mada iku ze saa kotae na!_

_(So now, give me your answer!)_

 

 **Satomi Sato as Luna Masaki (** **等咲 留名** **)**

 

_Mada mada iku ze saa kotae na!_

_(So now, give me your answer!)_

 

 **Rikiya Koyama as Satoshi Inoue (** **井上 悟** **)**

 

_Mada mada iku ze saa kotae na!_

_(So now, give me your answer!)_

 

 **Hisako Kyoda as Tomoe Narumi (** **成海 御前** **)**

 

And of course, when Junko found him, there wasn't much left for them to say. “Hey.” Gavin said, yawning. “Wanna come t'bed, babe?”

 

“You're actually going to let me?” Junko asked, still shocked despite how many times he'd said it, and Gavin nodded again.

 

Being next to Gavin, in the same bed, was a feeling unlike anything Junko had ever felt before. He held her gently, tightly, warmly. “Hey.” Gavin said. “We's out, hun. We made it.”

 

“This... is just one day.” Junko said. She glared at the back of her eyes. “You don't know what tomorrow will bring.”

 

“Gav knows one thing, least.” Gavin said. He clutched her just slightly tighter. “He'll always love you, Junko.”

 

She didn't have the energy to complain about him, so her baser instincts mumbled out a, “Yeah.” and then an “I love you too.” And... maybe that wasn't so bad to say, this time.

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

**Very Special Thanks to**

 

**Kazutaka Kodaka,**

**Kotaro Uchikoshi,**

**and all Spike Chunsoft staff.**

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

**Ryukishi07,**

**and all affiliated parties to 07 th Expansion.**

**Shu Takumi,**

**and CAPCOM ALL STAFF.**

 

“Say, Headmaster.” Ruri asked, and Nobuyo turned silently. “What do you intend to do with Viki?”

 

He was inside now, and quite tired, so he didn't feel up to performing. “Hm?”

 

“She is direly psychologically damaged, but she is not dead.” Ruri said, wringing her hands a bit from the salty air. “Reiji seems to believe that an insanity plea would be perfectly justifiable, of course, but beyond that, what sort of fate shall she possibly go to?”

 

Nobuyo pondered that. In his time at Hope's Peak, very rarely had he come across a question this large. The bereaved would want someone to pay for this crime, no doubt. The public who'd been following it would want to have a face for the mastermind, as well as the always-nosy press. This woman, Viki Hashizawa, had murdered eight people, kidnapped a number more, and had a list of crimes Nobuyo was _still_ working through reading all of.

 

And yet, if he was the sort of man to throw her to the wolves, Nobuyo Kagenui would've never taken in that blue-haired girl who'd staggered to his porch that fateful winter evening. So he gave his honest answer.

 

“I'll think about it.”

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

**Kreva, MCU, and Little,**

**collectively forming KICK THE CAN CREW.**

**BenedictSC,**

**artist of the character art.**

 

_My answer's Number One!_

_Kaikan no WONDERLAND_

_(A wonderland of good feelings)_

_Kaidan no agan narasou_

_(Going up the stairs is the right thing to do-)_

_Ima ja nai ma wa UNBALANCE_

_(When the 'present' isn't present, that's unbalance!)_

 

**To my girlfriend Taylor,**

**without whom I never would've made it through this story.**

 

**And to you, the reader,**

**for coming all this long way with me, and accepting these bitter truths until the very end.**

 

 

 

 

When Nanako finally got situated, it was well past sunset. Outside the window of her room, she heard the sound of waves in the ocean, but the differing direction made it sound entirely novel. Other than that, nothing. No sound, no people, not even very much light. She briefly considered going to sleep, but shook her head. No, not yet.

 

She stepped out of her cabin, moving quietly in case the walls were thin anywhere, since she didn't want to wake anyone. Up the stairs, then, up to the deck. As she exited the ship's interior, the cool nighttime breeze began to blow her hair a bit. She'd kept it tied, but she'd removed the newsboy cap.

 

At the very front of the ship, a lone woman sat, sitting, staring up at the high moon, just a sliver in the sky. “The new moon passed just two days ago.” Shinobu said, turning her head back to meet Nanako. She'd removed her beret, so they matched. “We've entered a new lunar cycle.”

 

“You would know a lot about moons, wouldn't you?” Nanako sat down next to Shinobu, and took a deep breath, letting the brine fill her chest. Shinobu tittered a bit. “I'm glad you're here.”

 

“Couldn't sleep?” Shinobu asked, and Nanako shook her head. “Ah. Just didn't want to quite yet.”

 

“Wanted to see you, if you were awake.” Nanako smiled. Shinobu nodded, closing her eyes and looking sagely as she did. “So... it's over.”

 

“Indeed it is.” Shinobu said. She looked up towards the sliver of a moon again. The sky was dark, but even so, her eyes still glistened slightly in what moonlight there was. “Our ordeal has finally come to its end.”

 

Waves softly crashed against the side of the boat. “Hey... Nobu.” Nanako said. “I still have a lot of life left to live, huh?” Shinobu nodded. “But... there's a lot I don't know. I've lived in there my whole life, you know? I'm gonna be clueless about the outside world. And... how to act in it.”

 

Shinobu's hand sat atop Nanako's, now. “Worry not. I am with you.” Shinobu said.

 

“Well, I just wanted to say... I'm probably... gonna be pretty frustrating sometimes.” Nanako said. “I'm coming from a completely different place from a lot of other people, and... in a lot of ways, I'm probably still just a kid. I might be weird, and I might not understand some things. So... are you... okay with that?”

 

“The only thing I worry about,” Shinobu said, closing her eyes, “is whether I am fit to be your guide to this world, given my own eccentricities.”

 

Nanako chuckled. “Well, that's fair. But, um... well, I... still wanna live... with you.” She smiled, bright enough that it almost seemed to cut through the darkness. “That's what my heart tells me. At the end of the day... mmm...” She trailed off.

 

“What's that?” Shinobu asked, tilting her head to one side.

 

“Well, I made a promise... and you made a promise.” Nanako said. She shook her head. “But I think I'm sick of promises. I just want our life to be our life, no obligations. I'm staying with you because I want to. No other reason.” She paused. “Does that make sense?”

 

“I think,” Shinobu said, “that it does. It makes quite a bit of sense.”

 

“Okay, cool.” Nanako nodded. “Because I was, uh... kinda worried I was going to bounce off completely.”

 

“Mm, I am an author. Untangling words that don't fit quite right is part of my skillset.” Shinobu giggled.

 

The stars above twinkled brightly. Nanako had come sometimes to see the stars from on the island, but there were a few here she didn't recognize. “What's that star?” She pointed at one of them.

 

“Well, I haven't the foggiest.” Shinobu shrugged. “Astrology is something I've yet to study.”

 

Nanako snorted. “Okay, okay. Space is kind of a mystery, though, right?”

 

“Mm. Gavin was just telling me about this boy he befriended.” Shinobu hummed. “A man who calls himself the 'Luminary of the Stars'. Fifteen years old, but apparently he and Gavin have gone on a number of madcap adventures together, and he's already a certified astronaut. According to Gavin, 'yo, man, if he got hair that mad no gellin', then dude can do anythin'.'”

 

“Oh, god, not more Ultimates with crazy hair.” Nanako started giggling. “I can't handle any more after the corn guy.”

 

“I've wondered in the past what I'd look like with a beehive.” Shinobu said, and Nanako burst out actually laughing. “Just kidding.”

 

“I'd believe it, though!” Nanako laughed.

 

The two of them fell back onto the deck, and stared up into space. “Hey, Nobu?” Nanako said. Their hands were tightly clasped.

 

“Hm?” Shinobu hummed.

 

Nanako turned her head to look into Shinobu's eyes. Red met blue. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.” Shinobu responded, smiling.

 

“Let's stay together... for as long as we can.” Nanako smiled back.

 

Shinobu closed her eyes. “That sounds like a wonderful plan.”

 

“Yeah.” Nanako closed her eyes, too. “I'm glad you think so, too.”

 

Curling slightly into each other, the two girls faded into sleep as the sound of the ocean rolled in their ears. The next morning, they'd wake up to a new day. Everyone here would.

 

...And... I will too.

 

I'll wake up,

 

and greet the sun

 

with the biggest smile I can,

 

and then run into the arms

 

of the girl I love more than anyone.

 

 

_**DANGANRONPA: OPERATION 'VIEWPOINT KEI'** _

_**THE END** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...but as we all know, stories don't end when the credits roll. In a good story, you know that they're just beginning.
> 
> From here on, we're in the Epilogue, 'Brand New Days.' I hope you'll stick with me as far as you can go.

**Author's Note:**

> https://discord.gg/YwtWWjW

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Bleeding Heart of the Oborozuka Vampire](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15424227) by [Benedict_SC](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benedict_SC/pseuds/Benedict_SC)




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